Nickajack Free State

## Overview

The Nickajack Free State (or NFS, or simply Nickajack) is a militant Free State, active in Southern Appalachia, based mostly in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee and western North Carolina. The militant arm of the Free State movement in the region is referred to as the Nickajack Liberation Army. The NLA is by far the most visible wing of NFS known to the public, resulting in the military name being the most commonly used nomenclature for the movement.

Nickajack was founded in 2030, by remnants of the extant communities that formed a coalition of Independent Communes, and enforced by remnants of local elements of the Tennessee National Guard, the NLA has been a perpetual source of resistance against both the Appalachian Baptist Dominion and the Evangelist Carolina Dominion, since its inception. Based out of small communities and towns in the Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains, the NLA operates as both a capable guerilla force and a covert insurgency across Dominion-occupied territory. Despite its isolation and regional unrest, the Nickajack Free State has managed to form a proper civilian government to assist in providing a fraction of law and order in the areas liberated from fundamentalist control. While the NLA and its allies may be surrounded by hostile aggressors, its members work tirelessly to rout the Dominions from south Appalachia.

## Timeline and History

> [The following timeline is Work In Progress, and may be subject to changes in the future]
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2023:

Southern Appalachia witnesses multiple protests when the United States Supreme Court overturns Marriage Equality, especially with many Southern States falling in line, such as Georgia and North Carolina joined Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee with contentious support. The protests were noticeably smaller and more restrained in Appalachian towns and cities. Members of right-wing paramilitary groups take part in violent shootings in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Blue Ridge, and Murphy. The violence ultimately left few dead, but opinions of the local populace and new arrivals alike became increasingly divided. Multiple Leftist, Centrist, and apolitical locals began the process of arming and organizing themselves into their own militias for self defense against the increasingly belligerent Far Right.

2024:

The situation deteriorates rapidly in southern Appalachia in the lead up to the 2024 election. Drought fuels the continuing unrest from the previous year, causing Appalachia to begin spiraling even before the “1776 Again” plot from Right Wing sources was announced. Overeager local radical organizers began committing much more brazen acts of terror before other groups elsewhere. Minor attacks on TVA power stations, Reactionary groups standing outside polling stations and post offices the moment early voting began, and a marked increase in hate crimes washed across the southern Appalachians.

The Tennessee GOP implodes, after the results of the 2024 Presidential Election. Far Right elements of the local GOP publicly and officially leave the Republican party, blaming the “RINOs” for the loss in the election, and announce their intentions to create a new ultra-conservative political party. Governor Lee and much of the establishment condemned these moves, branding the politicians involved as “splitters”.

December 23rd - Remnants of the Far Right GOP announced the creation of the Christian Constitution Congregation (CCC) as “a gift to True Christians”.

After an incident with a far right Christian militia group destroying a transformer near Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and many similar attacks hitting TVA power stations near dams, pressure from the POTUS and public outcry from the continued acts of Far Right terrorism got Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina to mobilize a section of their National Guard to go in and pacify the cities and towns.

2025:

Despite Appalachia being a generally conservative area, the CCC found the staunchly conservative local populace difficult to recruit, alienated from their own acts of violence in the region against the same communities. As the ALP devolves further into religious extremism, their already small membership dropped drastically. Many Far Right figureheads began referring to Appalachia as "Full of Fake Patriots" and called for more acts of violence. Multiple CCC members moved away to regions of the Deep South.

Many retirees from across the US begin fleeing Appalachia not long after the new year, fearing more wildfires and abandoning many newly built houses. This mass exodus causes the local housing bubble to burst, driving down the price of homes, despite the threat of wildfires. Many Leftist and Minority Guard members still deployed in Appalachia begin encouraging friends and family to migrate into South Appalachia to remain close, if they so choose to remain in the states. These new arrivals integrate into the non-right wing locals as they have a less entitled attitude than the previous wave of Boomers and Gen X migrants, and assist in rebuilding many communities damaged by the wildfires.

2026:

The Nashville Coup causes much of rural Tennessee to enter open revolt and join the ‘Appalachian Baptist Dominion’. A significant portion of Southern Appalachia remains under Federal control, with TVA infrastructure and major road hubs becoming heavily fortified by Federal loyalists. Loyalist guard units in Alabama begin a tactical retreat, overwhelmed by Fundy secessionists advancing from the Deep South. This allowed for the evacuation of non-Fundy refugees into East Tennessee, and the TVA dams are left abandoned, with all key personnel withdrawn from the region, effectively crippling the fledgling Confederate Dominion’s power production demands.

Knoxville mayor Natalie Patterson, being the highest ranking Loyalist politician left in Tennessee, is appointed as Provisional Governor and sets up a rump Tennessee government in the old capital of Knoxville.

Cooperation between National Guard and local militias is encouraged by Governor Patterson, who uses the enthusiasm against the Dominion to expand the Tennessee State Guard into a proper defensive fighting force, heavily relying on military surplus. Multiple Fundy militias are destroyed early on with effective coordination.

2027:

South Appalachia is now the location of some of the most brutal fighting in the Domestic Theater. Townships taken by Fundy groups become the sites of brutal atrocities. Active Duty US Army and Marines are deployed to the region, and assist in holding remaining friendly territory. Offensives are minor, due to the devastation caused by Fundies rendering the land that could be reclaimed significantly damaged.

2028:

The Federal Government begins the process of withdrawing from South Appalachia, virtually abandoning whole populations to the wrath of the Dominions. Local National Guard and State Guard units refuse orders to retreat en masse, effectively committing mutiny against the retreating United States, and join the InComs where their friends and family are sheltered. Multiple towns are subject to ethnic cleansing for resisting the Dominion forces. Rumors of mass murder emboldens the remaining resistance to fight harder against their occupiers.

2029:

The Dominions attempt to establish themselves in the burned ruins of the Great Valley, in East Tennessee. Despite pacification of areas being thorough and brutal, the Dominion has a hard time recruiting willing collaborators. Collaborators to the Dominion disappear from their communities under "mysterious circumstances". Passive resistance such as half-hearted work ethic, deliberate equipment sabotage, and barely contributing to the Dominion overall remains common.

Many areas remain in armed and open revolt, partially due to Dominion forces unable to coordinate cohesive combat operations, due to the rugged terrain and hostile local populace making large offensive difficult, if not impossible.

2030:

A handful of small communities in the Smoky Mountains around the Appalachian Trail form the Free State of Nickajack, and the Nickajack Liberation Army. The Eastern Cherokee allow them to operate out of the Nation's territory in any action except offensively in a backroom deal, hoping to draw the Dominion's attention away from them.

2031:

The Nickajack leadership begins the process of drafting a provisional constitution to formalize organizational structure. Efforts are made to incorporate more communities into the Free State, as well as establishing contact with the United States and foreign NGOs operating with the UN Response in North America.

The NLA establishes relations with the North Georgia Commune, and begins assisting them as much as possible in securing the Appalachian Trail from local warlords. The Trail becomes a lifeline stretching down from the North, ferrying aid and supplies.

2032:

The Appalachian Baptist Dominion declares war on the Eastern Cherokee Nation, and the NLA joins the defense alongside the Eastern Cherokee Defense Force, repelling multiple attacks. The NLA successfully launches a counter attack, pushing further south and liberating the many towns spread along the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains, down to the Georgia border.

The first act of legislation passed by the newly formed Free State Assembly after the Provisional Constitution is ratified is the Cherokee-Appalachian Partnership Treaty. This offers mutual recognition between the Free State of Nickajack and the Eastern Cherokee Nation, declares the two as perpetual allies, and acknowledges the damage done by America to the Cherokee and other Indigenous Peoples who once called the Mountains home.

This strains relations with the United States, as the nation is still reluctant to admit full fault of all previous atrocities against the Indigenous.

2033:

Two breakaway factions, the Transylvanian Free Army and the Vandal Freedom Front, are formed by former NLA members in Kentucky and West Virginia, respectively. They remain friendly with the NLA, and the Vandals assist in keeping the northern end of the Appalachian Trail open.

2034:

The Battle of the Smoky Mountains. NLA uses its network of insurgents and lines of communication to massively assist in the coordination of anti-Dominion guerillas to assist in harassing fundy troops from behind Appalachian Baptist Dominion lines. A proper counter-offensive is launched while the UN and Remnant air force  is present over the mountains, resulting in the NLA capture of Gatlinburg, the most significant city under NFS control to date.

Present Day:

The NLA continues to refine its tactics of irregular warfare and resistance. Optimism is at an all-time high from their recent string of military successes. Dominion incursions have lessened into Nickajack territory, and raids on fundy convoys are more successful. Smuggling and covert operations increase every month.

## Government

The Nickajack Free State operates on a decentralized model. Overall central authority is weaker, due to a lack of instant communication with more isolated communities. Recent developments have led to more unified communities, but power remains in the hands of local democratic councils, rather than the central government formed in Gatlinburg.

Local governments are organized as Syndicalist communes, where citizens elect local leaders and vote on major issues as a single entity. Power invested into the elected officials or the community votes vary from communities. These communities collectively manage the majority of resources at their disposal, though personal and private property is still commonplace. Private or personal property taken in times of emergency is normally returned or reimbursed, unless  taken as a tax penalty.

The Nickajack Free State has Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches of government. The Legislative Branch is the Confederation Assembly. The Assembly is elected in a process of ranked choice voting. Every region or commune elects three delegates to serve in drafting legislation, using the method of Single Transferable Vote to choose the representatives. There are plans to implement an honorific Senate as well, chosen by Mixed-Member Proportional Representation, but the provisional constitution has an article preventing it from being formed until, “Circumstances allow for the Free State to not be in a perpetual threat of destruction, or the population has multiple political parties”. With day-to-day survival being the biggest concern in Nickajack controlled territory, political parties in the traditional sense haven’t yet formed, as the practice is generally looked down on by the average Nickajack citizen.

The Executive Branch is headed by the Governor-General, who is also the commander of the Nickajack Liberation Army, and has a cabinet appointed by the Assembly and headed by a Prime Minister to assist in the day-to-day operations of governance.

The Judicial branch is a counsel of judges, with most of their power held by local courts organized in a model similar to Rwanda’s Gacaca court system. Law enforcement is organized at the local level, with constables drawn from reserve residents in a format similar to the Bow Street Runners of Victorian London.

The Free State’s government has been extremely thorough in codifying the rights of its citizens, enshrining the unalienable rights of ethnic minorities, religious minorities, LGBT+ community, and the rights of the individual into a law code. This law code has been spread across the NLA’s communes, helping return a semblance of security and a sense of safety and civility.

### Diplomatic Relations

The NFS is a key diplomatic ally in southern Appalachia. With its network of agents, it has close ties to the Eastern Cherokee, North Georgia Commune, Vandals, and Transylvanians as major allies, alongside other smaller unaffiliated guerrillas. The NFS has also prioritized reaching out to both the US Remnant and the international community to establish official relations.

The three most notable states that the NFS has formed good relationships with are Rwanda, Ireland, and Italy, all active with NGOs and Peacekeepers in the Former United States.

Ethnic ties with Ireland and mutually good relations with the Cherokee allowed for a strong sense of brotherhood between them, and Ireland has become one of the biggest humanitarian donors to the NFS and its allies.

Rwanda, having dealt with a similar level of bloodshed and horror in their own history, proved to be extremely sympathetic and offers the NFS and its allies guidance and limited aid where it can.

Officials from Rwanda and Ireland notably influenced the NFS’ model of government with the Judicial and Legislative branches respectively through open letters.

Relations with Italy improved immensely after the Battle of the Smoky Mountains, where the Italian Air Force contributed much to the victory against the Dominion.

Relations with the United States are tenuous. The NFS claims that their goal is to cooperate with the United States to seek readmission into the Union under better terms, resulting in very good relations initially in the early 2030s. However, denial of United States corporations Appalachian resource rights, public apologies and reconciliation with the Native Americans, and multiple attempts to reach out to the UN and other foreign entities have soured relations.

### Military

The Nickajack Liberation Army is a volunteer militia specialized in guerilla warfare and built around a professional core of officers. Many members are former US military, being either veterans from the campaigns in the Middle East, or serving in the combat before the US withdrawal to the North. Officers in the NLA are chosen on a strictly meritocratic basis, with proper experience and professional training being the most important factors.

Units are routinely cycled from offensive to defensive posts in an attempt to prevent burnout. Soldiers stationed in their home commune tend to practice full time trades while there, such as farming, construction, or the myriad of craftsman skills needed. While professional psychiatrists are a rarity, mental health is a universal priority, and soldiers on leave are given extra care with the limited resources available to minimize risks of trauma.

NLA units employ irregular equipment. While a majority is legacy kit from the National Guard of the various former states, more recent equipment has been looted from defeated Fundy groups, or crafted in NLA workshops.

Nickajack forces maintain mobility with a fleet of surplus military and retrofitted civilian vehicles, varied in quality and condition. Mounted units on horseback have also been utilized, and the NLA has been known for using various secret trails to move troops on foot much quicker than Fundy troops expect.

NLA combat doctrine, as a guerilla force, is majority hit-and-run tactics. NLA units are known for targeting vital branches of logistics across Dominion controlled areas with ambush tactics. Many are with the goal of seizing what they can and scuttling the rest, to deny the enemy any recovery of lost resources. The NLA also directly liberates and arms Dominion slaves to add to their own ranks.

The NLA has large cells of insurgents operating in Dominion controlled cities and territory. They relay critical information back to friendly lines, assist in the building of resistance cells, and are known for assisting The Helpers in smuggling refugees and runaway slaves out of Dominion territory. NLA insurgents also play a vital role in the economy of the Free State, assisting in smuggling illicit goods and weapons in and out of NLA territory.

## Economy

The Nickajack Free State’s economy is based on two major sectors: black market imports, and humanitarian aid dispersal. UN relief supplies are dispersed through the Appalachian Trail, but due to the difficult terrain, it is unreliable to depend on the routes for aid.

The majority of Nickajack’s GDP is agrarian. Corn is grown as a universal staple crop in the Three Sisters style, with beans and gourds. Potatoes, sorghum, poppies, tobacco, and cannabis are also grown, though the amount varies between communes. Greenhouses are maintained in the communities that have established small-scale power grids, relying on hydro-electric motors, solar arrays, and ethanol generators.

Corn and potatoes not only make the backbone of the average Nickajack citizen’s diet, alongside what little livestock is raised and what can be hunted, but is commonly refined into ethanol. High-proof alcohol is distilled and bottled, or mixed with gasoline to be used as fuel in vehicles and generators. Ethanol is also used for medical purposes, or exported on the Dominion black markets.

Sorghum is used to produce sugar, an ingredient required for alcohol production, and a sufficient animal fodder. Tobacco is used for both export and the production of basic pesticide to increase crop yields. Marijuana and poppies are critical to the post-supply medical trade, providing a wide range of medicines to be used. Regulation around opioids was a major factor for the formation of a proper government, and so far has kept addiction from becoming a problem.

Small-scale industry has been revived, though mostly based on recycling existing goods. Chop-shops for captured and scavenged items are commonplace, stripping parts from every bit of machinery and melting what can be melted down. Multiple refugees who spent time in NFS territory before moving on have described them as “the best recyclers in the world”. Every scrap of manufactured goods is reused and stretched to its limit, and remade into a more cruder but still serviceable item.

Construction has by-and-large devolved immensely. Extant buildings have been repurposed and repaired with whatever is available. Many newer buildings resemble 1700s log cabins more than 21st century structures.

### Nickajack's Mineral Industry

The Nickajack Free State, due to breaking away from the Appalachian Baptist Dominion, has inherited a small but growing mining industry. The most notable deposits of resources at the disposal of Nickajack are Manganese and Gold. Despite the southern Appalachians’  long history with gold mining, Tennessee never had a sizable gold industry. Monroe County is where known gold production was located, and most of it has been long exhausted. During the early years of Nickajack’s existence, a new gold vein was discovered by a hunter, near the headwaters of Coker Creek in the Smoky Mountains. While cultivation is small-scale and primitive, the gold deposits found in Nickajack have had a major streak of luck for the young breakaway state, providing thousands of dollars from the pounds of gold nuggets and ore mined.
New manganese deposits in Unicoi County were discovered by the Mining Trust when attempting to expand the lead production in the rural county. The town of Unicoi itself was transformed into a penal labor camp, for the sake of extracting the valuable mineral. A slave uprising coordinated by the NLA in 2034 kicked the Dominion out of Unicoi, depriving them of access to the rare ore. Nickajack has been unable to properly exploit the manganese within its borders, but has begun negotiations with various neighboring factions to export it.
Nickajack has notably made extensive use of the ball clay and lead located in its borders. A ceramic cottage industry has taken off, mining the clay and refining it, providing jars needed for the preservation of perishable goods and items for trade, and access to lead has allowed them to rely less on recycling bullet fragments.

## Society and Demographics

The NFS has a diverse population. About three fifths of the civilian population is of mixed European ancestry, mostly of Irish, Anglo, and German descent. A fifth is other Caucasian groups, mostly Eastern Europeans who migrated or trafficked before the collapse of the USA, or Jews fleeing the Dominion pogroms. The final percent is mostly Hispanic, African American, Indigenous, or ethnic Melungeons with ancestry tied to the region. Reflecting this diversity, the three official languages of English, Spanish, and Cherokee have been officially designated.

Religion is equally diverse. Multiple moderate Protestant Christian groups joined the faction after rejecting the Dominion’s extremist views. Alongside them are Neo Pagans, Buddhists, Hindus, and Jews. Nickajack is an officially secular group, with faith being a personal matter and not to be forced on others.

Nickajack's “society” is an ongoing development. With resources stretched thin, NFS has been forced to rely on 19th century technology, but progress and scholarship is being promoted as much as possible. A Leftist culture has taken root in the population, regardless of age. The desire for true freedom and liberty for all keeps the hope of a better future alive in the Nickajack population. This results in as much knowledge and technology that can be acquired being applied as best as can be.

Education for younger generations is now mandatory, and is assisted both by small domestic printing presses and books being saved from the pyre in Dominion territory. All communities nurture their children to a grade school level of learning, and proper high school and some very basic college level curriculums are being developed and experimented with across Nickajack.

Basic sanitation and medical care is by and large better in NFS territory than the surrounding Dominions. Healthcare, while primitive, is available to all and has resulted in significantly better average health than the Dominions. While a far cry from the old American living standard, the Free State communes have proven to be a much more pleasant place to live than anywhere in the Appalachian Baptist Dominion.