Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge was the state capital of Louisiana before the Great War. Due to a chemical spill immediately prior to the Great War and a large population of feral ghouls, Baton Rouge has a reputation as one of the most dangerous places in Louisiana.
==History==
During the Sino-American War, Baton Rouge's chemical industry ramped up production to meet the demands of the war effort, leading to the growth of existing chemical plants and the construction of new ones. On October 20, 2077, ancient infrastructure from Poseidon Energy's Baton Rouge refinery, one of the oldest and largest in the pre-War United States, failed and released large volumes of toxic chemicals throughout the city centre, an event now known as the Spill. The exact causes of the failure are unknown, with conflicting pre-War sources blaming worker incompetence, sabotage by various groups (including Chinese agents, environmental activists, fifth columnists, and labor unions), or Poseidon Energy for not investing in the refinery infrastructure.
Access to Baton Rouge was closed off while clean up of the Spill was being organized. During the Great War, the city was hit by a single nuclear bomb, with ground zero being a fission power plant near the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport. As a result, even centuries after the War lethal levels of radiation from the plant's damaged reactors persist in the north of the city, and much of the population that was not evacuated following the spill was ghoulified or died of radiation poisoning. Currently the safest way to enter the city is the aging Wilkinson Bridge, which is the only way directly into the city across the Mississippi River as the bridges north of it were destroyed in the War.
Despite the radiation, or because of it, scavengers frequently attempt to enter the city. Rumors persist that there are untouched military armories within the north half of the city, and many have died trying to reach them. The toxic environment means hazmat suits or shielded power armor are necessary to even contemplate an attempt. Many scavengers attempting to explore the area are killed by the large number of feral ghouls that have made it their home, with some survivors claiming that there are ghouls within the city directing the ferals against trespassers. The largest community within the city is the War Skule, a trading post within the grounds of a Pre-War university.
The War Skule was used a refugee camp during the Spill, and its original community was mainly surviving evacuees, students, and faculty from the university. In 2160 as rumors of the untouched supplies in the north of the city began to spread, more and more scavengers arrived in Baton Rouge, and the Skule grew to be the home base for many of them. In 2256 the Skule was attacked by mercenaries, who successfully captured it and currently control the settlement, to the barely hidden disdain of the locals. Despite its being less welcoming to visitors than in the past, many still make the Skule their first stop in the city.
The main raider gangs within the city operate from the Louisiana State Capitol building. This loose alliance are also chasing the rumored armories, often attacking the scavengers to discourage their attempts and interrogate them for any information they may have uncovered. Three gangs nominally have equal control of the alliance, but most of the raiders defer to the Jaguars, who are the oldest of the allied gangs and the only one who's members are all native to Baton Rouge. The area surrounding the Capitol building is a no man's land, as the raiders tend to try and snipe anything not in their colors approaching the building.
==Gallery==
Baton Rouge exclusion zone.jpg|Map of post Spill checkpoints around the exclusion zone
Category:Locations
Category:Baton Rouge
Category:Louisiana