Factions of the Frontier
Five powers bleeding the land dry
The frontier ain't empty. Ain't lawless neither, though the laws change depending on who's holding the biggest stick at any given moment. Five major powers vie for control—some through coin, some through steel, some through faith, and some through knowledge. They all want different things, but they all want them desperately enough to kill for them.
Understanding the frontier means understanding these factions—who they are, what they want, and why they can't coexist peacefully. Every settlement, every trade route, every resource becomes a battlefield where these powers clash. And caught between them all walks Duncan Maddox, beholden to none, hunted or hired by all.
The Five Powers
The Orvain Consortium
"Gold tempers all fire"
Merchant-princes and rail barons who control the frontier's economic lifelines. They own the rails, issue the currency, hire the armies. Where others see chaos, they see profit margins. They don't conquer through force—they conquer through dependency. Make a town rely on Consortium goods, and you own that town.
→ Click to learn more about the Consortium
The Dust Vultures
"What's yours ain't yours long"
Raider confederacy led by Maeve Callahan, operating as a mobile city on horseback. They strike like sandstorms and vanish like mirages, using illusionist psionics to confuse and terrify. Romanticized as folk heroes by some, condemned as brutal bandits by others. The truth shifts depending on whether you're paying protection or being robbed.
→ Click to learn more about the Dust Vultures
The Redeemers
"Cleanse the land in righteous fire"
Fanatical crusaders led by Ezekiel Stroud, hunting psionics with hymnals and gallows. They believe the Current is Hell bleeding through and those who use it are damned. Where they go, pyres burn and blood sanctifies the ground. Genuinely believe they're saving souls—even as they destroy lives. Their faith is real. So is their brutality.
→ Click to learn more about the Redeemers
The Circle of Ash
"What burns may yet illuminate"
Scattered covenant of psionics, witches, and mystics who protect their own through hidden networks. They see psionics as humanity's evolution, not damnation. Where Redeemers burn, the Circle teaches control. Deeply fractured between those who want peace and those who want war. Their unity is their strength—and their greatest weakness.
→ Click to learn more about the Circle of Ash
The Ironbrand Militias
"Strength makes order"
Professional mercenary companies providing military force to the highest bidder—usually the Consortium. They're not thugs or bandits but trained soldiers with discipline and standards. Fight for pay, not ideology. The question is whether that makes them honest or just well-organized tools of oppression. Depends on who's paying their wages this week.
→ Click to learn more about the Ironbrands
Factional Relationships
These five powers don't exist in isolation. They clash, cooperate, betray, and manipulate each other in an endless dance of frontier politics. Understanding who hates whom—and why—is essential to surviving the frontier.
The Blood Feuds
Consortium vs. Dust Vultures
Surface: Trade empire vs. raiders who disrupt shipments
Reality: Consortium secretly pays some Vulture lieutenants to raid
competitors while leaving their own caravans alone. Maeve suspects but can't prove it.
When she finds proof, the purge will be bloody.
Redeemers vs. Circle of Ash
The Existential War: Stroud hunts psionics. Circle protects them. This isn't political—it's theological. No compromise possible. Every Redeemer purge pushes more Circle members toward Elder Kael's war faction. Every Circle attack on Redeemers proves Stroud's propaganda. Escalation is inevitable.
Dust Vultures vs. Ironbrands
Professional Rivalry: Raiders vs. guards, constant blood feuds. Ironbrands guard what Vultures want to steal. Both sides respect the other's skills while trying to kill each other. Backroom bribes blur the lines—some Ironbrand captains "accidentally" leave routes unguarded for a cut of the take.
Consortium vs. Circle of Ash
Hypocritical Pragmatism: Consortium publicly condemns psionics to appease Redeemer-influenced towns. Privately, they hire Circle members for supernatural problems and consult with them on ley-line manipulation. The Circle takes their money while despising their cowardice. Both sides know the relationship is corrupt. Neither can afford to end it.
Strange Bedfellows
Consortium & Ironbrands
The Obvious Alliance: Consortium pays, Ironbrands protect. But it's more complex—Ironbrands maintain independence, can refuse contracts, sometimes work for Consortium competitors. The relationship is employer-contractor, not master-servant. Consortium wishes it owned them outright. Ironbrands ensure that never happens.
Dust Vultures & Circle of Ash
Mutual Protection: Vultures shelter Hollowborn and psionic refugees fleeing persecution. Circle provides information, healing, and occasional supernatural support. Not formal allies but share common enemies (Redeemers, Consortium) and help each other when convenient. Maeve personally protects several Circle covens.
Consortium & Covenant of Ash (Shadow Alliance)
The Secret Deal: While not one of the five major factions, the Covenant of Ash (rail-sorcerers) have quiet arrangements with the Consortium. Consortium needs their supernatural expertise for ley-engines and rail maintenance. Covenant needs Consortium protection and resources. Both deny the relationship publicly. Both depend on it privately.
Temporary Truces
When something worse than factional politics emerges—supernatural threats, plague, natural disasters—enemies become allies. Briefly. Ironbrands and Dust Vultures have fought side-by-side against Hollow Men hordes. Circle and Redeemers once cooperated to stop a reality storm (didn't last). Consortium coordinates relief during disasters (while calculating profit margins). These truces never last, but they prove cooperation is possible—just not profitable enough.
Where Duncan Stands
Duncan Maddox occupies a unique position—beholden to none, useful to all, trusted by few, feared by many. Every faction wants to recruit, kill, or control him. He refuses all three.
Consortium Perspective
The Offer: Lord Marshal Haldane has made three recruitment attempts,
each with escalating compensation. Duncan refuses every time.
The Bounty: Simultaneously, there's a $3,000 bounty on him. Not high
enough to draw serious hunters, not low enough to be insult. "Insurance," Haldane
calls it.
Current Status: Useful wildcard. More valuable loose than dead or
employed. Door remains open.
Dust Vultures Perspective
Maeve's Temptation: "Ride with us. Be free." She offers power,
passion, and life without chains. Sometimes lovers, sometimes enemies, always complicated.
Duncan's Response: Refuses because he sees what freedom paid for with
others' blood costs. But he can't quit her either.
Current Status: Orbiting each other like twin storms, inevitable
collision postponed but not prevented.
Redeemers Perspective
Stroud's Obsession: Duncan represents ultimate blasphemy—power
without repentance, strength without faith. They've faced each other three times.
Each knows the fourth will be final.
The Offer: "Surrender your guns, accept salvation." Duncan declined
with bullets.
Current Status: Enemies until one dies. No middle ground.
Circle of Ash Perspective
Elder Rhun's Recruitment: Three attempts to bring Duncan into the
fold. Offers knowledge, control, extended life. Duncan refuses—doesn't trust
organizations.
The Debate: Rhun sees torchbearer burning too bright. Kael sees
potential army commander. Miriam sees dangerous example of untrained power.
Current Status: Door open, pressure mounting, Duncan increasingly
isolated as Veil Bleed worsens.
Ironbrands Perspective
Professional Respect: Captain Holt recognizes fellow professional,
has offered employment twice. Duncan refuses—doesn't want orders or authority.
Rules of Engagement: Unofficial understanding: if contracted to hunt
Duncan, they try. No hard feelings. Professional courtesy means clean kills if it
comes to that.
Current Status: Respectful enemies who might fight or cooperate
depending on who's paying whom.
I'm none of those things. Just a man trying to keep one more sunrise between him and the grave. They can't accept that. So they keep pushing, keep offering, keep hunting.
One day, one of them will push too hard. And I'll have to burn everything to stay free."
The Balance of Power
No single faction dominates the frontier. Each holds power in different domains, creating uneasy equilibrium. Understanding this balance is key to survival.
Spheres of Influence
- Economic Power: Consortium dominates through rails, currency, and trade monopolies
- Military Force: Ironbrands provide professional violence to highest bidder
- Guerrilla Warfare: Dust Vultures control through fear and mobility
- Ideological Influence: Redeemers sway hearts and minds through faith
- Hidden Networks: Circle operates in shadows, protecting psionics and gathering knowledge
What Happens If Balance Breaks?
The current stalemate is unstable but functional. Each faction checks the others. But several scenarios could shatter the balance:
- Consortium Monopoly: If they own all rails, all currency, all security—frontier becomes company town. Resistance becomes economically impossible.
- Redeemer Victory: If Stroud eliminates all psionics, he doesn't stop. Next targets: witches, healers, anyone "different." Frontier becomes theocracy built on fear.
- Circle Civil War: If Healers and Warriors split, half join settlements while half wage war. Psionic weapons on both sides. Reality itself becomes battlefield.
- Vulture Confederation: If Maeve unites all raider bands under one banner, creates psionic-backed army. Could overthrow Consortium control or burn frontier trying.
- Ironbrand Coup: They have guns, training, numbers. Only loyalty to contracts prevents them from taking over. If that loyalty breaks, nothing stops them.
Choose Your Path
Each faction page contains detailed information about their structure, methods, notable figures, and current operations. Understanding these powers means understanding the frontier—and your odds of surviving it.