The Five Powers
The factions bleeding the land dry.
In the vacuum left by the old government, five factions rose to bleed the land dry. They are the only order you will find, and each demands a tithe. To survive in The Veil & Lead, you must know who holds the leash.
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The Orvain Consortium
“Progress at any price. Order through debt.”
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.
The 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.
The Agenda
They seek to stabilize the Veil just enough to strip-mine the resources beneath it. They view Psionics as a natural resource—dangerous, but profitable if controlled.
The Archetype
The Company Man, the Engineer, the Enforcer, the Debt-Collector.
The Dust Vultures
“The land takes what it wants. We are the land.”
Not everyone hid behind walls when the Rupture happened. Some rode out into the storm and let it change them. The Dust Vultures are nomadic raiders, scavengers, and survivalists who view the Consortium as an invasive disease. They dominate the open wastes, moving in convoys of jury-rigged vehicles and sand-skiffs.
They are masters of Mirage Warfare. Their Mindweavers wrap their caravans in illusions, making a raiding party look like a harmless heat shimmer until the first shot is fired. They do not trade; they take. To a Vulture, weakness is a sin, and mercy is a waste of water.
The Culture
They are organized into Clans, each led by a “Khan” or “Mother.” They practice ritual scarification to mark their kills and their survival. They drink the blood of the twisted fauna to build immunity to the Current.
The Agenda
Total freedom. They want to burn the tracks, tear down the walls, and return the frontier to a state of primal survival.
The Archetype
The Raider, the Scout, the Beast-Tamer, the Mirage-Weaver.
The Redeemers
“Fire purifies. Salt preserves. Iron binds.”
When the monsters rose, the Church broke. From the ashes of the old faiths rose the Redeemers, a militant order of zealots dedicated to holding back the dark. They are the ones who patrol the settlements at night, burning the dead to prevent them from rising. They are the ones who hunt down the Fen-Wraiths and the Hollow Men.
But their protection comes with terror. The Redeemers believe that Psionics—the very power some use to survive—is a corruption of the soul. They hunt “Witches” and “Devils” with equal fervor. To a Redeemer, a Psy-Slinger is just a demon that hasn’t turned yet. They carry flamethrowers and shotguns loaded with rock salt, and they do not believe in innocence, only in degrees of guilt.
The Leadership
Led by the Grand Inquisitor Silas Vane, a man who supposedly walked through the Ash Belt without water for forty days and returned with eyes of white fire.
The Agenda
The complete eradication of the Veil’s influence. This includes burning anyone who shows signs of “The Touch” (Psionic potential).
The Archetype
The Inquisitor, the Preacher, the Witch-Hunter, the Medic.
The Circle of Ash
“The Veil is not a wall. It is a door.”
If the Redeemers want to close the Veil, the Circle of Ash wants to understand it. A secretive cabal of scholars, mystics, and outcasts, the Circle operates in the shadows. They hoard the literature of the old world and the forbidden texts of the new. They make their homes in the Thin Places, studying the Current and cataloging the entities that squirm through.
They are the guardians of the Ley Lines, the invisible scars of magical energy that crisscross the frontier. While others fear the weirdness of the West, the Circle seeks to harness it. They are neutral in the wars between Consortium and Vulture, trading knowledge for safety. But everyone knows that if you find an artifact that whispers to you, you take it to the Circle.
The Organization
The Circle operates in Lodges, hidden libraries often built inside ruins or beneath massive trees. They communicate through coded messages and dreams.
The Agenda
They believe the Rupture is irreversible and that humanity must evolve to survive. They seek to facilitate this evolution, often through dangerous experimentation.
The Archetype
The Scholar, the Occultist, the Guardian, the Relic Hunter.
The Ironbrands
“Cold steel. Cold cash. No questions.”
War is business, and business is booming. The Ironbrands are a mercenary guild of the highest caliber. They are famous for their Hardsuits—steam-assisted, hydraulic armor plating that turns a man into a walking tank.
The Ironbrands have no politics. They will guard a Redeemer church one week and a Consortium bullion train the next, provided the check clears. They value professionalism above all else. An Ironbrand contract is considered more binding than a marriage vow. In a world of chaos, they offer the absolute certainty of violence.
The Code
An Ironbrand never breaks a contract, never gives a refund, and never asks what is in the box.
The Agenda
Profit and reputation. They are currently stockpiling heavy weaponry, leading some to believe they are planning to carve out their own state.
The Archetype
The Mercenary, the Bodyguard, the Armored Trooper, the Gunsmith.
Faction Summary
| Faction | Power Base | Stance on Psionics | Threat Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orvain Consortium | Industry, Rails, Economy | Controlled exploitation | Institutional |
| Dust Vultures | Mobility, Territory, Fear | Embraced (Mirage Warfare) | Predatory |
| Redeemers | Faith, Fire, Numbers | Extermination | Fanatical |
| Circle of Ash | Knowledge, Secrets, Ley Lines | Studied and cultivated | Covert |
| Ironbrands | Contracts, Hardsuits, Discipline | Indifferent (if it pays) | Professional |