Other than some sections of the Texas border, the Appalachian Mountains may be the deadliest stretch of territory in North America—especially where the short Allegheny Front (also known as Hell's Heights) crosses the nations of Appalachia, Dixie, Columbia and the Empire State, and touches the Industrial States of America.

The Outer Banks states of Dixie continue to vie with Appalachian authorities for control of the land and the illegal liquor being funneled up from the Banks region into the ISA and the Empire State. Appalachia has long sought Empire State backing (and militia support) for its claim on the mountains, playing off the loathing most northerners have for the reborn Confederacy. Rumor has it that government-backed 'shine operations are deliberately targeted toward the ISA and not the Empire State in a gesture of goodwill (though none of these stories has yet been proved). If true, this has made strange bedfellows indeed of a dry and a wet nation.

The Appalachians are also home to more smuggler's dens and pirate havens per square mile than any other area on the continent except Free Colorado. Hell's Henchmen, who originated in the area of Hell's Heights but now plunder throughout the mountain range, operate several bases in the area, and threaten all nearby states. One rumor suggests that the Henchmen accept "tribute" from Dixie and Appalachia not to join the other side, and so continue to raid both.

The current leader of Appalachia is President Jonah McCullough, a U.S. Army veteran who fought in Europe; his record as a war hero helped win him his office. McCullough has managed—through force of will, tactical and strategic savvy, and sheer ruthlessness—to keep the pirates and criminals that populate Hell's Heights from posing a threat to the citizens of Appalachia.