Blighted Earth – the Setting
December 16, 2013

The post-apocalyptic story idea is still banging around in my head, so let’s get some of this down on paper (figuratively) to help shape it. It’s kind of more fun that way. It also ensures I won’t forget it.
I’d like to start with how I envision the setting. Over on Google + I’ve been asking about representative media for post-apoc. It’s an interesting list, and there are a few I haven’t seen, and I need to remedy that.
Now, to simplify this, rather than continue to call this “my post-apoc idea,” let’s give ‘er a name. How about “The Blighted Earth?” Not the best, but it works as a placeholder.
Blighted Earth begins in a federation of city-states situated along a river. I’m thinking that this is maybe a century or two after the apocalypse. The new status quo is now “normal,” and in this particular area, there is peace, order, and relatively good governance. Since this is North America – at least for now that’s what I’m thinking – while there may have been periods of tyranny, the federation has evolved into a democratic – or at least representative – society.
The technology level is slightly more advanced than ours in some areas – renewable energy usage – while behind in some – computers are rare, as there is yet no large industry and so no mass production. There are cars, but they are solar-powered – charged during the day, and with very efficient batteries. They might not have unlimited range, but more than enough to cover the territory of the federation.
The federation has bastions along its borders to ensure that the fertile areas can be put under cultivation without fear of attack. There is a standing army, bureaucracy, and taxation. It is not dissimilar to our world now, though with much fewer resources, and lacking the monumental wealthy inequality of our present and distant past.
Our main characters come from the federation, and that’s what I’ll look at next – the characters.
You can find the referenced Google + post here.
Art for this post from Michail at deviantART, here.