Motor City Wasteland

The Motor City Wasteland is the most common name for the region encompassing much of southeast Michigan, particularly the pre-War counties of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb. The Motor City Wasteland was the location of major cities such as Detroit, Warren, and Pontiac, and home to many pre-War companies such as Chryslus Motors, Sugar Bombs Cereal, and Chuggo Soda.

Background (Sorry about the formatting for now, I'll learn how to do it eventually.)

Pre-War

Before the War, the city of Detroit was known for it's own unique mix of style, luxury, and class. From Chryslus's sleek design of their trademark Corvega, to the smooth jazz produced by Imperial Records, influence of the trendsetters in Detroit can be felt from coast to coast, even 200 years after total atomic annihilation. A hard-working, blue collar area at heart, but the people knew how to have fun. Spectacles like the annual American Auto Show and Detroit Grand Prix attracted visitors from across the globe. Boblo Island Amusement Park, located on the Detroit River, was the perfect family getaway. And the wealthy travelled the Great Lakes by cruise ship, visiting cities such as Chicago and Cleveland.

However, the area wasn't entirely without strife. Automation was on the rise in many factories, which led to laid-off workers who protested outside Chryslus and RobCo. Tensions were high along the border with newly-annexed Canada as well, and a standing military presence was established along the Detroit River, at border crossings, and in Windsor, Ontario. Beyond that, companies with government contacts were able to take control of many Canadian businesses, most notably the Poseidon Hydro One power plant, and a number of military bases and satellite installations were established in southern Ontario, part of Project: Aegis. This led to riots by the local Canadians, which led to martial law in Windsor.

Project: Aegis was a project undertaken by the U.S. military which sought to intercept, deflect, and detonate nukes coming over the Arctic Circle before they reached "real" America. On the day the bombs fell, Project: Aegis stopped three-quarters of the nukes from entering the Detroit area, which saved the city from being totally decimated. Unfortunately for Canada, the nukes were either directed downward onto Canadian soil, or detonated midair, which left much of southern Ontario a highly radioactive wasteland.

Post-War

For 200 years after the bombs, life occurred in the Motor City Wasteland a lot like it had in other parts of post-War America. People came together and formed towns. They scavenged from the old factories and started building a new civilization on the ruins of the old. Groups of raiders formed and harassed travelers, traders, and farmers. And mutated beasts roamed the land.

Things changed in 2282 however, when the Midwestern chapter of the Brotherhood arrived in the Motor City Wasteland. They arrived in great numbers, wielding advanced weaponry, clad in power armor, and with a large host of robots and claimed Fort Wayne and the factories of Zug Island. Both locations are in close proximity to the largest settlement in Detroit and the locals had scavenged from both for decades, so they weren't too happy their heavily-armed new neighbors had helped themselves to the sites and were now barring them from entering. Rumor is a scavenging team was sleeping in Zug Island Steel when the Brotherhood showed up to claim the factory. One scavenger awoke to a Knight in power armor standing above him. Startled, he swung a crowbar at the Knight. The Knight swatted him away with a backhand and broke the scavenger's jaw.

The Brotherhood's presence hasn't been all bad for the locals. The Scribes established a clinic for anyone in need of medical care and a school, but few locals are willing to send their kids to it. They've even gone so far as to upgrade the stills in the bar and the labs of the local chem dealers, to make their products safer for consumption. Also, the local raider groups have been smart enough to steer clear of any area with a Brotherhood presence. They also recruited from the locals, but more than a few only joined on the promise of a hot meal every night.

As the next few years passed, tensions between the Brotherhood and the locals came to a boil. The locals heard tales of Brotherhood patrols defending the outlying farms from raider attacks, only to demand food in exchange for their services. When the farmers refused, they took the food anyway. Shortly after that, Brotherhood patrols started getting attacked more often and their routes were often booby-trapped. Locals in the city and the outlying communities formed a Resistance against the Brotherhood, intent on making them leave, but a few of their most outspoken and/or aggressive members disappeared without a trace.

It wasn't long until everything reached a tipping point. After a failed assassination attempt on the Elder of the Midwestern chapter that resulted in the death of the Head Scribe, the Brotherhood locked down the city and declared an Inquisition to find the culprits responsible and put an end to the hostilities of the Resistance. The Brotherhood Inquisitors established a prison west of Detroit and locked up anyone they deemed problematic.

In 2287, the Prisoner is a new resident to the prison. After being processed and led to his cell, he meets his new cellmate. A short time later an explosion occurs, leading to a jailbreak. The Prisoner and his cellmate escape from the prison and into the Motor City Wasteland, as well as several other prisoners.