Introduction — Part 3
Life in the Wastes
Survival on the Frontier is a daily negotiation with death.
Survival on the Frontier is a daily negotiation with death. The environment itself is hostile, twisted by the Current into something unrecognizable.
The Geography of Madness
The map is divided into three rough zones:
1. The Civilized Rim
Where the gas lamps ward off the shadows.
- Towns like Brimstead, where the Consortium holds sway.
- The law is upheld by Sheriffs and hired guns.
- You might find a warm bed and a cold drink, but you will pay for it in Scrip.
- The streets are paved with crushed gravel, and the air smells of coal smoke and desperation.
Relative Safety: Highest on the Frontier—but “safe” is a relative term.
2. The Ash Belt
The vast, gray expanse between settlements.
- The ground is covered in a fine layer of soot that smells of ozone.
- The flora is twisted—cactus that bleeds red sap, trees that weep audible tears, and tumbleweeds made of rusted wire.
- This is the domain of the Dust Vultures and the things that hunt by scent.
- Water here is often poisonous or “brackish”—tainted by the Current.
Danger Level: High. Never cross without supplies and companions.
3. The Thin Places
Where the Veil is tattered and reality unravels.
- Areas like Ojo del Diablo (The Devil’s Eye) or the Rustwater Basin.
- Compasses spin wildly. Time dilates—you might walk for an hour and lose a day.
- These are the places where the Current pools, attracting monsters and those foolish enough to hunt them.
Danger Level: Extreme. The laws of nature are suggestions here.
For detailed maps, environmental hazards, and survival mechanics for each region, see Chapter 9: The Atlas.
The Salt Economy
In the old world, gold was king. In the Frontier, value is derived from utility.
Scrip
Paper money issued by the Consortium.
Valid in Rim towns and at rail stations.
In the deep wastes, it is useful only as kindling.
Salt
The universal currency of survival. Rock salt is used to preserve food, but more importantly, to ward off the supernatural.
A pouch of pure rock salt can buy you a horse. A bag can buy a life.
Accepted everywhere. The only currency that never loses value.
Lead
Ammunition is precious. “A bullet spent is a thought spoken,” the gunmen say.
Trading cartridges is common, and a box of high-quality ammunition is a kingly gift.
Universal barter item among armed travelers.
Silver
While less valuable than salt, silver is used to plate weapons for hunting lycanthropes and wraiths.
It holds a spiritual value.
Essential for monster hunters and those who walk the Thin Places.
For detailed pricing, trade goods, and the Cost Rating system, see Chapter 3: The Armory & Economy.
Superstition and Ritual
In the old world, knocking on wood was a habit. Here, superstition is a survival mechanic. The common folk have learned that the supernatural follows rules, however archaic.
The Salt Line
The universal barrier. Salt disrupts the flow of the Current. A line of salt across a doorway keeps out spirits and dampens psionic scrying.
“Salting the Dead” is a funeral rite required by law in most towns to prevent the corpse from rising as a Hollow Man.
Iron
The grounding agent. Cold iron absorbs magic. It is why the trains are plated in it, and why paranoid sleepers keep a railroad spike under their pillow.
Iron doesn’t stop a monster, but it hurts them more than lead.
The Threshold
The belief that evil cannot enter uninvited is powerful here.
- Never open a door after midnight unless the caller gives their full name.
- Never invite a stranger across the threshold if their shadow doesn’t match their movement.
Mirrors
Mirrors are viewed with suspicion. They are seen as windows to the other side.
Many folk cover their mirrors when not in use, or crack them intentionally to “break the gaze” of whatever might be looking back.
The Three Rules
The Three Rules
Every child born on the Frontier is taught the Three Rules before they are taught to read.
Don’t Travel Alone.
The Current preys on isolation. A lone traveler is a beacon for the things in the dark. The “Wolf-Pack” mentality of the Fen-Wraiths means they pick off stragglers. The psychological weight of the Ash Belt can crush a single mind; it takes a group to hold onto sanity.
Don’t Trust Strangers with Empty Hands.
A man with a gun is honest; he threatens you with lead. A man with empty hands is hiding something worse. He might be a Mindweaver preparing to twist your thoughts, or a Flesh Shaper ready to boil your blood.
Out here, an open palm is more dangerous than a clenched fist.
Don’t Look Too Long into the Dark.
This is not a metaphor. The abyss gazes back. If you stare into a shadow, a mirror, or the depths of Ojo del Diablo for too long, the Current establishes a connection. You begin to hear the “Hum”—the static of the Veil.
Once you hear the Hum, it never truly goes away.