Setting - Freistatt, Minnesota

Freistatt, a thriving and bustling metropolitan community in Minnesota, was originally founded in the late 1800's on the southwest side of a three-river convergence. Over the centuries the town grew and spread to all side of the convergence and currently has a population 3.5 million. Despite this large population, the city is quite compact. An easy one-half to one hour drive will have you in more rural environments. As is typical of a lot of large cities, it is made of various suburbs that have been incorporated over time.

*DISCLAIMER: Geographic note, this city is loosely based on the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, and surrounding suburbs.

The North Star State, The Land of 10,000 lakes, and The Gopher State (named for the state university mascot, not an over abundanced of burrowing pests) are all names for the state of Minnesota. The people are nice and value community. Firmly trained into people is the idea of "You before myself" and "Minnesota Nice".

However, beneath the surface of every gentle lake runs a deeper, darker current. For the most part the general population has been able to carry on their blissful ignorance. But how long will that last? Those in the know, those that keep wands, talons, and fangs on the beat of the things have felt a left a change in the current. While they choose to protect themselves, the regular joes, or will they side with whatever is slowly rising.

USA - The Past - A timeline

2016 - 2020

2016 President Obama served his last term in office. Joann Hurst became first elected female president. 2017 Covid-19 hit. National political upheaval then President Hurst took ill, Vice President Kris Sheppard passed away from the disease, Speaker of House Nick Richards too charge during Hurst's convalescence. Two Supreme Court justices died, Richards rammed through new appointees angering many. The disease imbalanced Congress, changing it on a week by week basis. 2018 State legislatures, already upset over the electoral vote, began several distinct new rulings, dividing further along ideological lines. Several pushed lawsuits through the new Supreme Court, including attacks on civil liberties. The propaganda machine began attacks on liberal versus conservative states, with rhetoric high and state borders becoming semi-militarized to counteract influence. 2019 Roe v. Wade was overturned President Hurst returned a country on edge with itself after her long illness. She began laying groundwork for restoration of rights at federal levels, which had a popular push, but legislative restrictions. Liberal states (CA, CO, CT, DE, IL, HA, MA, MD, ME, MN, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, VT, WA) revolted, passing laws protecting as many rights as possible, enshrining them into state law with trigger conditions that would hold no matter what federal rulings came about. This included medicines, religion, and civil rights Conservative states passed new laws forbidding certain treatments, restrictions on gays, muslims, and immigrants, and empowering faith leaders and law enforcement to act with impunity. MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH: a reliable male contraceptive was found as a derivative of the vaccines for the virus. A simple implant, it promised to be a counteraction to the conservative bans on female birth control, abortion, and other rights. The president signed legislation making it a federal right and rammed it through by a single vote majority. This led to federal funding for Planned Parenthood, free birth control from federal facilities, establishment of federal implant sites with subsidized implanting for those that wished it, and advertising everywhere.

2021 - 2032

2021 - 2024 President Joann Hurst won a second term by a slim margin. Economies were a mess due to state by state variant laws. Conservative states, fighting vaccines and immigration policies, formed checkpoints on major roads in and out of their lands and enacted travel bans. Medical facilities were often picketed and uniformed police would ‘check’ those who came to get service. Liberal lands became haven areas promising work and support, and setting up ‘underground railroad’ services for those wishing to move, or to provide access to medicine, abortion, birth control, and travel. This worked well on the coasts where states banded together, in a few cases isolating conservative states, but in the midwest, the reverse happened. States like Illinois became internal battlegrounds between large cities and rural countrysides. Others, like Minnesota, became blue islands in a sea of red. 2025 - 2028 President/VP: Pam Monroe/Manuela Benitez Federal laws and restricts are put into place. It was a hard fight that narrowly won. To have a gun permit granted the request must submit to 2 separate psych evals at least 6-months apart, a thorough background check. A yearly firearms course is required to keep the license to own the firearm. Police departments are now required to submit all reports of domestic violence, mental health calls, etc to a national database. People with these types of incidents are automatically ineligible for own a firearm. Unless allowed by special permit, automatic weapons are made illegal, as are part to make any weapon semi or full automatic. 2029 - 2032 President/VP: Trevor Key/Arlen Doyle First openly Female to Male Trans VP Federal protections for health care were approved, especially women's health(including pregnancy options) and gender-affirming health care. All schools starting with 6th grade are required to have a doctor or nurse teach a 6-week course of scientific based sex education that is appropriate for the age. An exemption exists for schools that do not receive federal funding, which are mostly church-based schools.

2033 - 2042 - Current

2033 - 2036 President/VP: Audra Tanner/Morgan Fowler In 2035 Wisconsin (which shares the eastern border of Freistatt), in a rare display of progressive democracy, voted to overturn over a decade old ban on essential care for women. Further still, the governor has signed a declaration to restore a free and open border with Freistatt. The Wisconsin governor states they are investigating opening their other borders. In 2036 Nevada opened all their borders to neighboring states 2037 - 2040 President/VP: Brendon Willis/Dana Reed By 2038 half the states had reopened boarders and shut down check points. 2041 - 2044 President/VP: Brendon Willis/Dana Reed By 2041 all state borders had reopened to free travel except for Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. No one is quite sure what their game is yet.

Freistatt Present

Minnesota has settled into a certain ebb and flow with the current state of affairs. Checkpoints are still in place at the various borders and at the airport. The community has banded together to support each other.

SURF-MN established in 2024 is, to this day, the state's largest open secret, an organized "underground railroad". Originally volunteers would offer up their couch or spare room to those sneaking into the state for medical help. Today it helps everyone wanting to live in a free state, with getting their state ID, a job, and all needed documents. This can be particularly tricky if the originating state refuses to send someone copies of birth certificates, marriage certificates and other legal documents. Many times, immigrating into Freistatt means leaving everything behind, including familial ties.

Several of the states more wealthy residents bought up old farmland and are repurposing it into acres of green houses so that crops can be grown through the bitterly cold winters. This too, isn't without its hardship and difficulties, especially in the winter when skies may be overcast for weeks or months at a time. This can make getting the greenhouses warm enough to support crops. However, necessity is the mother of invention, and several advances in ecological heat retention have been made.

(Have something to add, pitch it to staff in-game)

The Future

The future of the USA and Freistatt is unwritten and uncertain. A majority of the population is desperate for a savior, often looking to wrong people for leadership. Who will stand up? Who will make a ripple in their life, and how far will that ripple reach? Others swear they can smell change in the air.

What does change smell like? Courage, bravery, hope, resilience, understanding, ambition, love. Be bold. Be change.

Public Plot Hooks

Approved

Pending

• Friendship Benches - a community group is hoping to install benches in various community centers and parks. There are safe places to sit and talk to another community member.

Supernatural Point of View

See appropriate Sphere landing pages.
Mage
Mortal
Shifter
Bygones
Demon

Laws

All laws players are use to in the RL United States apply to this segment of the game. Where laws would differ between States, differ to Minnesota state laws.

Law enforcement consists of city police for the city proper, and Sheriffs for the more rural areas. If it not unusual to see Sheriffs in the city, especially around the government centers.

Gun Laws

IC weapons laws are a reflection of the laws in Minnesota in real life.

A permit is required to carry a firearm in public.
A background check is required at the time of purchase.
A permit is required to purchase a firearm.
A firearm must be transported unloaded and in a secured gun case in a vehicle.
- headache racks in vehicles is not allowed.
At home, a firearm must be kept unloaded and locked up in a cabinet, safe, gun vault or storage case.
No one may carry a firearm in a private airplane unless it is unloaded and in a closed case or closed baggage area.

If you are convicted of a felony crime of violence, you permanently loose your right to possess firearms and ammunition.

It is a felony to sell or possess the following items:
silencers, machine guns, short-barreled shotguns, machine gun conversion kits, or trigger activators.

It is a gross misdemeanor for anyone to buy, sell or assemble
"Saturday Night Specials" pistol. This is defined as a pistol made from any
material having a melting point of less than 1,000 degrees Fahreneheit, any
material with an upper tensile strength less than 55,000 pounds pre square inch,
or any powdered metal with a density less than 7.5 grams per cubic centimeter.

Private detectives, bodyguards, etc that carry a weapon as part of their
employment must satisfactorily complete training in the safe use of firearms.

Each discharge of a firearm by a security guard in the course of their employment
must be reported to the locl sheriff or chief of police.

All health professionals must immediately report to local police or sheriff any
gunshot wound they are required to treat or bandage.

Government

State Government

Freistat is the state capital, as such is houses both the state and city government systems.
State government consists the following:

• Legislative Branch - Responsibilities: Enact and revise laws at the state level
  • House of Representatives - 134 members (two from each district)
  • Senate - 67 members (1 from each district)
  • Legislative Commissions
• Executive Branch
  • State Auditor
    • Attorney General
  • Governor
    • State Departments and Agencies
  • Lieutenant Governor
    • Secretary of State (also answers to Governor)
• Judicial Branch
  • Supreme Court
  • Court of Appeals
  • District Court

Freistatt City Government

Board of Estimate and Taxation

• Mayor
  • Office of Community Safety
  • Office of Public Service
  • Office of City Attorney
• City Council
  • Office of City Attorney
  • Office of City Clerk
  • Office of City Auditor
• Park & Recreation Board
  • Office of City Auditor

Mayor: Gregg Merritt
City Council
Ellis Troy (46F)	Mick Snyders (35M)	Tevin Barr (25M)	Walter Oaklynn (69M)
Liberty Smythe(37F)	Syd Woodward (50M)	Vivian Beck (30F)	Zola Bishop (40F)
Jason Newman (55M)	Scott Paulson (33M)	Georgie Woolf (29F)	Chelle Taton (42F)
Francis Boyce (65F)

Maps

• Freistatt Map - highway overview map
• Freistatt Downtown Map
• White Elk Map
• Pine Springs Map
• Waterton Map
• North Falls Map
• Birchwood Map

--- More to be written.