Tales from the Combined Cities

Prologue

   In another world, the map of North America looks entirely different. It formed where lifestyles, geography, and climates naturally aligned, allowing Canadian provinces and matching American states to melt completely into one another. The nation is bound together by northern forests, Great Lakes, misty coasts, and mountain ranges. The hot, arid deserts of New Mexico or the distinct cultural rhythm of the American South simply do not fit into this specific ecosystem.

   Because of the unique blending of this nation, all weather is reported in Celcius and text is standardized to Commonwealth spelling. If an afternoon in fictional Napa or Troy is a blistering thirty degrees, pack your shorts, not your winter coat. You will find colour in the skies of Rochester, and centres of commerce in Omaha. In a nod to the shared heritage of Michigan, Montana, and Buffalo, any carbonated, sugary beverage is strictly referred to as "pop".

   In the east, the province of Centralia forms the Great Lakes Integrated Zone—a massive, green, industrial heartland where the vast forests of Ontario and the bustling energy of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois melt into a single horizon.

   At the centre of this heartland, right where the highways meet the water over the Halton and Peel regions, the sprawling suburban of Mississauga-Troy anchors a region that feels like an endless skyline. Tucked into the centre of this massive urban web lies River Oak Valley. This vast, sprawling community captures the soul of the combined cities. It is a landscape defined by endless rows of classic, mid-century split-level houses and wide, multi-lane avenues built entirely for the automobile. It is within this car-dependent heartland—on a quiet suburban street—that our characters make their home.