Kegsburg Free State

## Geography

The Kegsburg Free State is an independent democracy situated in the Mississippi Basin. The state is situated between the Missouri river in the north, the Arkansas river to the south and the Mississippi river to its east. Kegsburg borders the Kingdom of the Saints to the west, the Memphis Trade Admiralty to the east, the Kingdom of Mount Vernon, the Black Dust Clan and the Red Dust Clan to the north and New Afrika to the south. The nations capital and most populous city is Kegsburg, situated west of the Mississippi river, and the Ohio River.

Central Kegsburg is generally covered by the Ozarks, particularly covering much of the Ozark plateau and Ozark mountain range. Kegsburg is covered in a multitude of forests, particularly the "Twain Trees" in the northern half of the country.

## Recent History

The Kegsburg Free State arose around the post-war city of Kegsburg, and spent much of its history slowly expanding its power and reach across the region. Kegsburg was headed by the Liberal Party of Kegsburg for much of this period, which expanded its own power and influence within the Kegsburgian political scene. The states large agriculture, population and industry assisted massively with expanding across the Wasteland. In 2269 the Kegsburg Free State declared war upon the City of St. Louis, and after months of fierce fighting, conquered the city state. The other two major states in the region, the Hawkeye Industrial Council and the Kingdom of the Saints fearing the growing Kegsburgian expansion, and their capture of one of the regions most prosperous cities, declared war upon the Kegsburg Free State to take the city of St. Louis for themselves. The war that ensued devastated the three powers, particularly Kegsburg which saw a large loss of life and dip in the economy. By 2272 the first Basin war would end in a nominal Kegsburgian victory, as they managed to retain their control over St. Louis, although losing some land in the process.

After the Basin war Kegsburg would set up the St. Louis Garrison, to defend the city if Hawkeye or the Saints were to begin a Second Basin War. This Garrison would hold a large portion of the Kegsburgian armed forces, with Jeremiah Cargill promoted leader of the esteemed Garrison. The Garrison would be promised full integration into Kegsburg proper once St. Louis was no longer under the threat of a second Basin War. Yet after managing to defend the city of St. Louis from other powers across the region, the Liberal Party of Kegsburg's total control over Kegsburgian politics began to slip, with the rise of the Social Liberty Party and the People's Opposition, both headed by popular figures such as union organizer Floyd Burns and war veteran Anthony Maxwell. After the war Kegsburg began a multitude of programs to rebuild the army and reinvigorate the economy, some of which being more successful then others.

## Politics

Kegsburg is a supposedly democratic country currently headed by the dominant Liberal Party of Kegsburg, which has ruled over Kegsburg for fifty years. The Liberal Party of Kegsburg is a heavily corrupt party which has spent much of its history buying out or intimidating other political parties into submission, yet at the start of the game it sees itself in a position where that isn't exactly possible, as new parties rise to challenge their dominance. The two largest parties in the opposition are the left wing Social Liberty Party, and the far-right People's Opposition, there also exists a multitude of smaller parties such as the Libertarian Party of Kegsburg or the Communist Party of Kegsburg, but none are as relevant as the big three in 2277.

The Social Liberty Party starts lead by famed union organizer and historical society member Floyd Burns. The party generally espouses socially progressive beliefs and believes in a leftist economic platform, moving away from Kegsburg's fierce liberalism and into something more akin to democratic socialism. The People's Opposition starts lead by renowned war hero Anthony Maxwell. The party fiercely propagates revanchist, far-right beliefs going alongside a generally ideology of "Maxwellism" a far-right ideology conceived by the People's Opposition.

Kegsburg itself starts off as a representative democracy with a bicameral legislature.

## Culture

Kegsburgian culture is distinct from the rest of the wastes, as the culture largely abandons a lot of the old pre-war identities of the region, with the formation of a new identity in the form of "Kegsburgian" dominating the region.

## Military

The Kegsburgian military is one of the major militaries in the region, with an army on par with the Kingdom of the Saints and Hawkeye Industrial Council, although the most experienced of the Kegsburgian army make up much of the St. Louis Garrison. The Kegsburgian navy is the second largest in the Mississippi river, behind that of the Memphis Trade Admiralty, although still a large part away from ever overtaking them.

The Kegsburgian military is famed for its infighting between the army and the navy, both of which vying for power and funds from the president, even if it hinders the other.