History[]
Pre-War[]
The town was named for Calvin Allen, an area rancher who donated land for the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway in exchange for the railroad putting a depot on his land. He divided his land near the depot to create the town. It's population fluctuated greatly between the opening of its post-office in 1908 (though it only was officially recognized as a town in 1910) and it's annexation by Corpus Christi in 1966; nearly becoming a ghost town in the 1920s before rising back up. As a suburb of Corpus Christi, Calallen was recognized by the state of Texas for its public high school, which ranked highly throughout the 21st century.
The War[]
Calallen wasn't directly bombed, but its proximity to Annaville guaranteed widespread death and destruction regardless. The northwestern edge of town survived mostly intact, though it was inundated with debris and fallout.
Post-War[]
Calallen remained mostly unsettled after the war, even after the surviving locals were united under a single man's leadership. When this coalition broke apart, the gang known as the Leopards took up residence in nearby Annaville. The Leopards sporadically scavenged the Calallen ruins and left patrols to keep an eye out for raiders. When The Lexxx was founded, the Leopards suffered an ideological break of their own and split in two. The minority faction fled into Calallen and became The Blacks. The Blacks managed to secure their territory and turn it into a community, in spite of aggression from the Reds and outsiders.
Over the years the Blacks have turned Calallen into a relatively safe refuge for a small, noncombatant population and traveling merchants that might pass through.
Culture[]
A typical Black.
A newcomer to the region could be forgiven for first visiting Calallen and assuming the Corpse Coast's reputation is overblown. The ruling clan, the Blacks, don't truck with the usual graffiti, arrangements of bones, or other sorts of tribal marks that gangs use to define their territory; they don't run wild in the streets whooping it up at all hours; and there isn't so much as a single stack of ancient tires set on fire. Calallen is subdued by the standards of its neighbors. The people enjoy pursuits more in line with the civilizations of the Permian Basin or The Oilfields, rather than the frenzied, riotous partying typical to the Corpse.
Economy[]
Unlike nearby Annaville, Calallen is typically safe for merchant traffic; though the reigning Blacks charge a toll for the privilege of this safety. Otherwise, the mercenary endeavors of the Blacks keep the wealth flowing in and their extravagant tastes keep it spilling back out.
Government[]
The Calallen Blacks invest sole authority over all matters of governance and justice to their leader, Hiram Lee. Lee is a rampant micro-manager, loathe to delegate authority to his minions in regards to domestic concerns (the War Games of the Corpse Coast are another matter).
Layout[]
Calallen is situated just south of an Old World junction; where I-69 and I-37 intersect, northeast of Annaville and the rest of the Corpus Christi ruins. The main area of habitation has been walled off from the surrounding wastes. Hand painted signs are common, either warning off other war-bands against trespassing or providing directions and distance (in miles) to locations of interest for the convenience of caravans.
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Suggested Listening[]
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