Crofton

*"To create is to destroy.” - Keri Smith*

The **town of Crofton** is a rural settlement located on the precipice of the Missouri river near a collection of hills and bluffs. Originally built with the purpose of housing travellers heading to and from South Dakota, the town would be recognized for its strategic value by the **Provisional Republic of South Dakota and Nebraska** **(P.R.S.D.N.)** amidst the **PAX-13 crisis**. Following a plethora of events that would lead to the eventual establishment of a defensive shield behind the Missouri river, the town of Crofton would undergo multiple projects with the intent of holding refugees and citizens from the state of South Dakota. Now, the town of Crofton acts as a bastion of hope for the P.R.S.D.N.- all while the world around the settlement burns and crumbles.

Crofton was originally a small plot of land settled by pioneers in 1864, following the abrupt end of the **Civil War;** built by veteran Union soldiers turned pioneers, the settlement would serve many who utilized trails in the air to their benefit. Passing caravans from Yankton would allow the settlement to prosper, and eventually develop into a small town by the 1890s, amid the industrialization of the northern United States. By the 1900s, the town would establish itself as the second most successful town along the Missouri River- it’s wooden dockyards would house many fishing boats and tugboats carrying supplies up the Missouri River, and for that reason, Crofton would accumulate much more money than any other town aside from the growing city of Yankton. As time went on, and as conditions worsened throughout the 1930s, the small town’s docks would be washed away in a vicious storm that swept through Nebraska and South Dakota, leading to their small port being destroyed. Although the docks would be somewhat rebuilt, the impact of the violent storm left the town’s economy in shambles, which prompted many citizens to seek ventures elsewhere. As time progressed on, the town of Crofton would progressively modernize, and regain its status as a living testament to economic growth and success.

At the start of the 21st century, the town of Crofton had grown stagnant- it’s economy had increased significantly since the 1900s, but the scars of the past still remained. By this new century, those who had lived in this town for all their lives would be in for a treat, as news arrived from Yankton that a great catastrophe had occurred along the eastern coast of the United States. Panic ensued, but in comparison to cities such as Yankton and Sioux Falls, no protests or riots occurred which further destroyed order. Instead, the Mayor of Crofton personally gathered the citizens of the town together inside of the library to discuss their plans on how to handle the crumbling American state of affairs. A consensus was made between the local government and the citizens that Federal help would be accepted, and additionally, precautions would be taken to ensure the security of their town. Following this consensus, the town would be quarantined by the **Federal Emergency Management Agency (F.E.M.A.);** the agency would limit the power of the citizens present within the town by imposing strict rules and curfews designed to strain democratic decisions made by the local government as much as possible. As F.E.M.A. consolidated itself across the United States, the agency began cracking down on dissidents who opposed the authority of the **Federal Government**. This included those accused of treason, conspiring against the government, desertion, and so on; in light of this news, the citizens of Crofton met for one final time in a local junkyard following a F.E.M.A. broadcast claiming that the nearby town of Furlow contained rogue sympathizers who had sided with the recently formed warlords of the **United States Military****.** Believing this to be false, the citizens led an armed revolt against the Federal opposition, mounting weapons to vehicles and utilizing guerilla warfare to their advantage. Lacking any support or help from the Federal government, F.E.M.A. forces in the region retreated after learning of a defeat which had shaped the political climate across South Dakota. After Federal forces abandoned Crofton, news reached the rebels of Crofton that the city of Yankton had successfully fended off the Federal military with the help of its own militia and deserted Army soldiers from across the nation.

Now, with Crofton’s militia proudly toting the flags of South Dakota and Nebraska over the regional bank, the small town stands on the fringes of war. With neighboring assistance from the power known as the P.R.S.D.N., the small town has agreed to join the union of cities and towns underneath the P.R.S.D.N. in pursuit of a future without warfare, or strife.

*Written by soildeath35*