The Orvain Consortium

The Consortium owns the rails, and therefore, they own the future. A massive industrial combine of bankers, engineers, and ruthless robber barons, the Consortium controls the flow of food, water, and weapons into the Frontier. If you eat a can of beans in Rustwater, chances are it has the Orvain stamp on the tin.

Their power lies in the Screaming Rails — armored trains etched with runes and reinforced with lead that can traverse the dangerous wastes. They bring civilization, gas lamps, and telegraphs, but they bring it on a leash. Towns that accept Consortium aid sign Protection Contracts, effectively selling their population into indentured servitude.

Leadership

The Consortium is run by the Board of Directors, a faceless council that never leaves the safety of the Eastern cities. On the Frontier, their will is enforced by Rail Barons — local governors who rule their station-towns like feudal lords. Baron Elias Thorne of Orvain hasn’t been seen in a year; orders arrive by pneumatic tube. The prevailing rumor is that he’s gone Hollow and the Board is covering it up.

Agenda

To stabilize the Veil just enough to strip-mine the resources beneath it. The Consortium views Psionics as a natural resource — dangerous, but profitable if controlled. Registered Psionics work for the Psi-Division. Unregistered casting in Orvain is punishable by execution.

Archetypes

The Company Man. The Engineer. The Enforcer. The Debt-Collector.

Faction Tactics

The Consortium fights like a corporation: it throws resources at a problem until the problem is buried. Enforcers are expendable — the real danger is the logistics chain behind them. Kill a patrol and another arrives on the next train. Destroy a rail-guard post and they send a Psi-Hunter team. Embarrass a Rail Baron and they hire the Ironbrands. Consortium forces fight defensively, hold positions, use cover, and call for reinforcements. They prefer to let the enemy come to them because they can always afford to wait.