Even before the Great War occured, the poor of the rural South were considered a people apart in America. Already isolated from the rest of society and destitute, the fuel crisis and New Plague hit the ancestors of the "hillfolk" especially hard. Things, of course, became even harder when October 23, 2077 rolled around and the bombs finally fell. Most in rural areas survived the initial attacks but dealt with the results of the war soon enough. From the bombed-out cities, radiation and refugees spilt into the wilderness, equally dangerous to the people of the hills. Raiders became increasingly more common.