Eureka is a small town built over the ruins of the western portion of the Pre-War city of Ballarat, Victoria. Situated on the very border of the Bass Strait region, the town held close ties with Victorian Railways before breaking military and diplomatic ties in 2243. The town has a poor reputation in the wasteland due to their history as raiders and cannibals, however, in recent years they have done little more than farm and trade, like any other community.
History[]
Eureka was founded in 2217 by two former VR workers. Having jumped their train, the Speedster Express, at the start of the month, the two rail-hands had been prowling the streets, knocking back fine Pre-War alcohol and gorging themselves on Pre-War food. In a drunken stupor, the young couple stumbled upon the Museum of Australian Democracy at Bakery Hill. Somehow, the Eureka Flag had survived the war unscathed and was still in its Pre-War condition. In the blackened room, with nothing to illuminate it except the display, the pair became obsessed. They tore through the museum, reading whatever their drunken brains could take in. They forgot their old names and took on what they thought were the names of the primary leaders of the rebellion, Peter Ross and Henriette Lator (in actuality, the leaders were Henry Ross and Peter Lator). They turned the museum into their home, hauling all the alcohol and Pre-War food they could find back.
A Town to Rival Them All[]
Eureka was officially founded on March 12, 2217. The settlement originally only composed two inhabitants, Peter Ross and Henriette Lator, and only included the former Museum of Australian Democracy (and even then, the basement was still very much the den of rats, rodents and insects). However, the couple got lucky. Victoria Railways - facing potential dangers from raiding tribal groups - began to stick to only profitable routes. The Williamstown- Ararat line was liable to be one of those likely to be cut. However, the protection the Eureakans offered the station allowed them to continue to trade along the main rail lines. This brought in an influx of new settlers and traders, who helped the settlement quickly grow.
One of the greatest boons to Eureka was the arrival of a group of American-descended tribals in 2220. The group was the descendants of a pack of American Merchant sailors and had roamed around Victoria, scavenging, hunting and gathering. However, a new leader of the tribe, Big Saul, had decided that they needed somewhere to settle down. The tribe - who even preserved their American accents - followed the rails south from Ararat to Ballarat, where the minuscule hamlet was happy to welcome them in. Ross and Lator welcomed their 'Californian Rangers' in with open arms. Who cares if their brutal tribal practices weren't exactly in line with what the museum said - Ross and Lator were confident that the Californian frontiersman they had read about participated in a little bit of cannibalism.
Due to the arrival of the Californians, the town's population grew significantly. With the bulk of the population being tribal, their culture and customs became dominant. Eureka expanded, incorporating butcheries, fields and tribal shelters. The militaristic tendencies of the tribe saw them attack and raid local settlements. Victorian Railways was happy to capitalise on this tendency and began to use the Eurekans as the savage military arm for their operations in the West of the state. Ross and Lator's love for the democratic miners of yore had been corrupted, yet they could not see it. Big Saul was happy to happy to leave them in as figureheads; He was the one with the true power and everyone but the couple knew it.
We're Raiders, not Lovers![]
Big Saul ran the settlement in the ways of his tribe. Those that were killed on raids became the supplies that kept them going. Those that were captured were sold to slavers. Those that couldn't be sold became food for the tribals. While Victorian Railways wanted to be seen as civilised, sometimes uncivilised acts were necessary. Eurekan raiding parties were supplied and transported by VR trains across the state, wiping out opposition to the company and clearing mutants and raiders out of important warehouses. The settlement essentially became the attack dogs of the powerful company.
In the 2230s and 40s, when the Gobble-de-Gook tribe began raiding the rail lines and attacking trains, VR sent out Big saul and his Californians. The group proved merciless in their massacre of the tribals, wiping out whole villages at a time. However, the tribe was not toothless. Having coordinated in the face of such strong opposition, Dreen Iradi organised a counterattack in the winter of late 2243, resulting in the death of Big Saul. Saul had led the tribe since 2199 and Eureka since 2220. Without his strong and assured leadership, the Californians proved to be an ineffective fighting force. The Californians fell back to Eureka in disarray, pursued by Gobble-de-Gook worries all the way. After being harassed constantly along the journey, they arrived back in Eureka to see it also under attack by the tribe. The raiders had been cut off in a pincer.
The town split into two garrisons: one resting in the fortified train station and the other in the Museum. They exchanged pot-shots with the tribals, but the disorganised were demoralised and disorganised. Defeat seemed likely, with little preserved food remaining and ammunition running low. At this point, Johny Ross-Lator, the child of the two founders, arose from the Museum. He reorganised the demoralised Californians and led a sortie. The tribals, having expected little, were caught unawares. Johny's force swept them out of the way, pushing down Bakery Hill and linking up with the defenders in the train station. Johny's exceptional leadership forced the Gobble-de-Gook tribals out of Eureka and guaranteed its survival.
A Proper Town[]
Johny had saved the day - but only the day. The following months proved difficult. Big Saul had held various personalities within the Californians together and had frightened the Eurekans to such a degree that they could not speak out against him. Johny did not command such respect or terror. He was smart and diplomatic, but he was young and commanded little respect. People drifted away from Eureka and Johny's peace with Gobble-de-Gook alienated Victorian Railways. The town wasn't likely to attract any new settlers; too many had heard stories of the 'Wildmen of Ballarat', cannibals who would kill you any day of the week.
Instead of dealing with this plethora of problems, Johny began gardening. He cleared large tracts of land around Bakery Hill, cordoning them off into vegetable plots, grazing land and crop fields. He planted razorgrain and maize, tatos and carrots and bought in Bighorners and Brahmin. Johny cleaned out houses, established workshops and brought in furniture. He took what was essentially a tribal encampment and turned it into a town. In his words, "I knocked down fuckin' tents and built fuckin' paradise."
Johny's infrastructure focus earned him the love of the settlers. They'd been promised a nice, safe settlement, with a good trade connection. What they'd got for 25 years was bloody tribal warfare. The Californians were upset and disgruntled, their bloodlust left unsated. However, in face of growing retribution attacks from the Gooble-de-Gooks, Johny had to worry about defence. A large stockade was built around the town and the Californians proved just as effective as a defensive militia as they did as an offensive raiding force.
Economy[]
Under Johny, Eureka has shifted from a raiding based economy to a rural, agricultural one. They sell animal products and foodstuffs to local communities (the ones that deal with them, that is) and service the occasional Victorian Railways train that ends up at Ballarat. They handload some ammunition - enough for the militia - and maintain their weapons to the best quality they have. However, anything they can't produce - metal products, weapons and ammo, medicine - they purchase from either Victorian Railways or roving traders. They do have a large export in Bighorner wool, which they sell to many different traders.
Government[]
Eureka is still under the leadership of Johny Ross-Lator. Now in his mid-50s, Johny manages the Settlers and the Californians as best he can, though both factions are often at odds with one another. Johny represents the town as best he can, however, the years have taken their toll. He isn't as energetic as he was when he was younger and he much prefers his gardens to the long road.
Johny still has his hands full managing the Californians and the Settlers. Like some other former tribals, the Californians have a civilised demeanour strapped atop a deeply violent culture. While Johny has managed to make them fit into the town as well as possible, they still remain in their traditional tents around the foot of Bakery Hill. The Settlers look down on the Californians, viewing them as savages and the causes for Eureka's problems with other factions. The Settlers live lives just like anywhere else in the wasteland - working farms, workshops and bureaucracy as the need arises. The two groups debate between one another, hoping to win the influence of Johny.
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