The American Republic, also known as the Republic of America or the Republic, is a region of the Divided States of America that Pax must travel during the entire course of the game. It is an authoritarian regime that is under the influence of the militarized police force, Justice. Pax and the crew must use their cover as a band to smuggle the Puritan datakey across the country so that they can deliver the item to Nova Scotia.
History[]
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- Main article: Divided States of America § History
It is unknown when the United States of America became known as the American Republic, though the first issue of the comic, Justice for All, indicates that the country was referred to as "the Republic" at least as early as the 1970s. The American Republic conducted Protolanguage experiments in an effort to maintain the power of President Samuel Ward and Justice, but in the year 2000, they were unable to control their Protolanguage signal, resulting in the Broadcast. This caused Echoes and Anomals to appear, with the former amplifying paranoia among its infectees and the latter becoming stigmatized because of their powers. Although Ward and Justice enacted martial law to maintain order, the remaining states were not united in following the federal government's authority. According to an annotated map used by the crew, the country was divided into major areas known as the Provinces, the Heartlands, the Great Plains Exclusion Zone, the Territories, Dixie, and the Seaboard, with one or more states in each. Utah held some degree of autonomy and established the Mormon Guard to act as law enforcement in Justice's place, the Horned Riders became a powerful enough biker gang to take over many parts of the Provinces and the Territories, and several other clans formed in the Territories. There are also strict border checks between sections of the Republic, meaning one could have the documentation to travel within the Provinces, but not the Heartlands.
Despite the breakdown of social order, the American Republic secretly continued to research Protolanguage. Justice rounded up Anomals under the guise of protecting the public from Vocals, but really sent them to research facilities. Justice also created new Anomals to further research Protolanguage and reproduce the conditions of the Broadcast, but fell behind the Puritans of Pacifica in deciphering the ancient language. Additionally, Pacifica and its leading faction, the Puritans, were rivals to the Republic and Justice in regards to Protolanguage research. Although non-Anomals did not have to worry about being captured, the law was still harsh even for minor offenses and almost all means of communication was being monitored, save for the old copper lines and radio frequencies used by the Weave, a Nova Scotia-based organization that has secret libraries in the Republic for the sake of helping refugees, both Anomal and political. In terms of economic policy, there were import restrictions on foreign goods and media, though some foreign music can be obtained discreetly from vendors such as the Hawker.
In either 2018 or 2019, a fascist militia known as the Loyalists started a second civil war. They were defeated by an alliance of the Horned Riders, the Wildflowers, and various anarcho-primitivist groups. The Wildflowers in particular tried to use guerilla warfare to oppose Justice, but were unable to make any progress due to Justice's military advantage.
In 2030, the Republic prepared for an election, with Sara Medina-Castillo running as a progressive candidate and Preston Ward running in place of his father, Samuel. However, Justice formed a political alliance with Medina-Castillo, both to get her to stop criticizing the police agency and because of disagreements between Samuel Ward and the Justice Magistrate. The Weave hired Pax, Noam, and Sai to help their spy within the Puritans, Theo, steal and deliver the Puritans' Protolanguage data to Nova Scotia, which required them to embark on a road trip across the American Republic as part of a fake cultural exchange program.
Significant Republic locations[]
The Republic encompasses many states, cities, buildings, and campsites, but the most significant ones the crew visits on their journey include:
The Provinces[]
- Rock Rabbit Campground in Oregon
- The commune, Liberty, in Oregon
- Knapper Campground in Oregon
- Pete's Pool Hall in Nevada
- A Standard Energy Service Station in Nevada
- A trailer park in Nevada
- An underground school in Nevada, known as Elko County Facility
- Signal Hill Campground in Nevada
- A Betty's Diner in Utah
- An abandoned mall in New Jerusalem, Utah
The Heartlands (West)[]
- Texas Beach Campground near Rangely, Colorado
- Main Street in Rangely, Colorado
- Alpine Visitor Center in Colorado
- A Standard Energy Service Station in Colorado
- Yellow Brick Road Motel in Colorado
- Peaceful Valley Campground in Colorado
Great Plains Exclusion Zone[]
- A run-down Betty's Diner
- The Kennedy Institute for Technical Excellence
The Heartlands (East)[]
- Camp Oakwood near Kansas City, Missouri
- An abandoned house in Iowa
- The Bad Lands Bar in Chicago, Illinois
- Rotown in Detroit, Michigan
The Seaboard[]
- A hospital in New York City
- A Betty's Diner in Maine
- Owl's Head Campground in Maine
- Schoodic Point in Maine
| Dustborn locations |
|---|
| Divided States of America |
| American Republic • Pacifica |
| Issues 0-1 |
| Noam's apartment • Purity • La Torre • Rock Rabbit Campground |
| Issues 2-3 |
| Liberty • Knapper Campground • Trailer park • Signal Hill Campground |
| Issues 4-5 |
| Abandoned mall • Texas Beach Campground • Alpine Visitor Center • Yellow Brick Road Motel • Peaceful Valley Campground |
| Issues 6-9 |
| Great Plains Exclusion Zone • Camp Oakwood • Abandoned house • Chicago • Rotown |
| Issue 10 |
| New York City • Owl's Head Campground • Schoodic Point • Nova Scotia |
| Recurring locations |
| Standard Energy Service Station • Betty's Diner |