This article is about the northern half of California. For other uses, see California (disambiguation).The Free State of Northern California (also known as North California[2] or more commonly NorCal) is a Free State located on the Pacific Coast of North America. Originally part of the old California, NorCal was formed when the Free State separated into Northern and Southern California. During the Time of the Red it was part of the Pacifica Confederation, and later of the Free States of North America.
History[]
1990s - 2020s[]
California became the third North American Free State in 2002. Over the course of the following years, the relations between the northern and southern areas of the state deteriorated. The increasing control exercised by the Los Angeles Metroplex, as well as the reoccurring number of pro-urban and anti-rural laws and regulations being put forward led the northern counties to vote to secede after they had grown tired of the unequal treatment from the counties in the south. This friction was followed by the Northern Separation War of 2011, in which major roads, highways and other crucial infrastructures connecting both regions were destroyed. The conflict ended in 2012 with the Northern Separation Treaty delimitating the border between the two Californias, and allowing the counties in the north to form the Free State of Northern California (NorCal). With its capital in Sacramento, this new state became the most recent addition to North America. The separation of the northern counties angered many residents of the renamed Southern California, who would carry that hate for many years. Although many roads and highways (such as 1 or 101) had been destroyed in the process, the border was not physical. Highway patrols from both states tried to maintain the roads as secure as possible, but road gangs were a common presence.
Initially, the United States of America did not accept Northern California, but a number of deals and treaties eventually led to the recognition in 2016. Among these deals was the construction of the NorCal Military Base, a local base of operations for the US Armed Forces near the border with SoCal. The location for this facility was decided to be in the greater Night City area. Soon after, a number of roads were repaired, including Route 1, though the old Highway 101 portion connecting to the south was never recovered. Other major roads between the states were Route 99, connecting NorCal's Fresno with Socal's Bakersfield, or the Interstate 5, whose border was so transited that a new settlement known as Stateline was formed in the highway, shared by both states.[1][3]
Due to various events, by 2020 much of the climate in the Californias had changed, though NorCal mostly retained its pleasant ambience thanks to the state government and its people. Most state residents preferred to buy the local but expensive "home-grown" food rather than that of the megacorporations. This caused the agribusinesses to fail their monopolization of the food production in the NorCal counties. The state's major economy during this era, though, was tourism. Millions of visitors explored the national parks and forests of Shasta, Yosemite, Redwood, among others. There were also major business and touristic centers such as San Francisco or Night City. All this rising wealth caused Northern California to become a large and affluent state, and even many SoCal residents that could escape the Metroplex moved north. This, however, caused NorCal to increase its cost-of-living, in turn driving many locals out of their homes to live on the streets or move to other places such as the worst areas of the LA Metroplex. Since few people wanted to move out of the state, the homeless problem in NorCal was among the worse in North America. The San Francisco Bay Area became the biggest port in the state, and if it wasn't for Seattle, it would have also become the West Coast center for the Pacific international shipping, something that relived the greater US. The recently founded town of Stateline in I-5 became the main center for smuggling between both states.[1]
Time of the Red[]
Following the Fourth Corporate War, Northern California joined the fellow Free States of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia, to form the Pacifica Confederation. This loose group was highly "federalist", with their involvement in one another's internal business being limited to when that business crossed their borders. Together, they focused on rebuilding their infrastructure and becoming enough of an economic powerhouse to maintain the upper hand in the power struggle against the megacorps operating in the area and to keep the influence of the US government at bay.[4]
2060s - 2070s[]
In 2069, the Unification War began between the New United States and an alliance of the Free States. President Rosalind Myers had presented a unification program to extend federal rule over the rogue Free States under the pretense of strengthening the nation. Northern California allied with the Free States while the South allied with the NUSA. The NUSA, backed by the Militech Corporation, declared war on the Free States. Night City had avoided the fight, but tensions were high in the face of the NUSA/Militech invasion. In early 2070, Night City was saved from the impending invasion due to the efforts of councilman Lucius Rhyne. Rhyne had used his decade worth of contacts on the city council and begged the long-shunned Arasaka Corporation for protection. Within days, an Arasaka supercarrier showed up in Coronado Bay, resulting in the the NUSA/Militech army to retreat hours later. The NUSA and the Free States signed a peace treaty known as the Treaty of Unification, ending the war.
Night City emerged as an fully autonomus free city outside the laws of NorCal and the NUSA. It paid for this liberty with an increase in megacorporation influence, the corpos pumped money into the revitalization of the city so they could have a foothold in the West Coast of the NUSA.[5]
A concrete border wall was built between South and North California after the war by the NUSA. Even though Night City had gained its independence from the North, the NUSA still treated them as NorCal citizens, thus the border was extended through the Badlands south of the city.[6][2]
Database Entry (2077)[]
NORTH CALIFORNIA
Since the end of the Unification War, North California has struggled to lead the Free States in their opposition to the NUSA's agenda for reintegration. As a leader in the worlds of finance and biotech, NorCal maintains one of the largest armed forces of any Free State. However, even their substantial might is too little to challenge the federal government in open conflict. Instead, NorCal leadership stations its forces along the border with the highest concentrations of troops being placed on the border with South California—a state which has declared its allegiance to the NUSA government.[2]
Locations[]
Known Settlements[]
- Atascadero (reclaimed as of 2045)
- Berkeley-Oakland Metroplex
- Berkeley
- Oakland
- Cambria (reclaimed as of 2045)
- Eureka
- Fresno
- Gilroy
- Monterey
- Paso Robles (reclaimed as of 2045)
- Sacramento
- Salinas (ghost town as of 2020)
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- San Simeon (reclaimed as of 2045)
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Rosa (ghost town as of 2020)
- Stateline
- Stockton
- Tahoe
Former Settlements[]
- Night City (formerly Morro Bay & Los Osos)
Other[]
- Lake Tahoe
- NorCal-SoCal Border Wall
- Redwood National Park
- Shasta
- Yosemite
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 MACDONALD, M. Home of the Brave. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1992. (pp.109–113)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 CD Projekt RED. Cyberpunk 2077. Video Game, Multi-Platform. Poland, CD Projekt S.A., 2020.
- ↑ PONDSMITH, M. Night City Sourcebook. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1991. (pp.6–7,13,179)
- ↑ PONDSMITH, M. Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2020. (p.259)
- ↑ Game Informer Issue 327, June 30 2020
- ↑ The Wall