Chapter 9: The Atlas

“Civilization out here isn’t a state of being. It’s a siege. Every town is a fortress, every road is a supply line, and every stranger is a potential breach in the wall.” — Consortium surveyor’s log (found bloodstained)

The Frontier is not one place. It is five — five distinct regions where the Veil thinned in five distinct ways, breeding five distinct ecologies of horror. The towns are sieges. The roads are arteries that bleed when cut. This chapter is the GM’s map.

The detailed region, settlement, and landmark files live in their respective collections. This chapter is the overview — a region-by-region tour, the mechanics of travel between them, and notes on running exploration play.

The Five Killing Grounds

The Ash Belt

Industrial wasteland. Toxic air, perpetual gray haze, abandoned mining towns. Controlled by the Consortium, who continue to mine despite the air being unbreathable to those who weren’t born to it. The Veil-Born here are products of industrial death — Hollow Men, Walking Dead, things that came up through the wells.

The Ash Belt’s primary hazard is the air itself: GRIT TN 11 per hour without a filter mask, or take 1 Strain and a cough. Long-term exposure produces Ashlung, a lingering condition that doesn’t heal cleanly.

Major settlement: Rustwater. The Consortium hub. Sheriff Crowe. The setting’s starting town for most campaigns.

The Scorchveil

The deep desert. 120°F at noon, below freezing at midnight, sand that shifts to bury the unwary. Controlled by the Dust Vultures, who have mastered Sand-Sailing with wind-driven skiffs. The Veil-Born here are dust-spirits — Ashborn, Mirages, things that resemble water and aren’t.

Primary hazards: heat and thirst (water consumption doubles), navigation (maps are unreliable; Lodestone Compass or a Seer required for the deep desert), and The Shifting (failure on daily Frontier checks adds 1d3 days to the journey).

Major settlement: Greystone (cliff-fortress, steam-winch access). Major landmark: Ojo del Diablo (a 20-mile sinkhole lake; a Stable Breach where time runs sideways).

The Stormrise Bluffs

Jagged highlands under permanent storm clouds. Lightning hunts. The Metal Rule says that wearing AR 2+ armor during storms means rolling 1d6 every hour and taking 4d6 damage on a 1 (usually fatal). The Veil-Born here are weather entities — Stormcallers (Boss-tier; localized extinction events), Lightning-Wraiths, Sky-Riders.

Primary hazards: lightning, The Hum (static charge inflicts −2 dice to Focus checks), Acoustics of the Dead (sound carries miles; base Stealth TN 15).

No major settlements; only outposts. The Bluff Roads are the only navigable routes, and they require a guide (§15/day).

The Graven Plain

Vast open grassland with shallow burial mounds visible to the horizon. Once-fertile farmland; now haunted by the dead who refuse to stay buried. Controlled by no single faction; Redeemers are common here, burning what shouldn’t walk. The Veil-Born here are reverent dead — Corpse-Candles, Bone Sentinels, Walking Dead.

Primary hazards: Psychic pressure at dusk (ECHO TN 11 or 1 Strain, no sleep that night), restless ground (disturbing graves invites consequences).

Major settlement: Palomera (a Redeemer-controlled mission town). Major landmark: Red Mother’s Teeth (a circle of standing stones; the canonical Redeemer cleansing site).

The Fen

Endless brackish swamp. Time runs differently here — a day’s journey can take a week, a week’s journey can take an hour. Controlled by no faction; the Fen does not tolerate authority. The Veil-Born here are drowned things — Fen-Wraiths, Walking Dead (water-logged variant), Threadrippers (in the deepest parts).

Primary hazards: Time slip (1d6/day for unpredictable hours lost or gained), Rot (food spoils fast, metal rusts overnight, wounds infect at double rate), The Bargain (Fen-Wraiths offer trades; some are even honest).

Major settlement: Bellhaven (waystation on stilts; Mother Elaine, Flesh Shaper, treats Fen-Rot). Other settlement: Mournstead (graveyard town).

Major Settlements at a Glance

The full settlement files are the canonical source. Key reference:

• Rustwater (Ash Belt rim): Consortium hub. ~3,000 souls. Sheriff Crowe. Starting town.
• Orvain (rail terminus, eastern Ash Belt): the Consortium’s regional capital. The Rail Baron’s seat.
• Palomera (Graven Plain): Redeemer mission town. Burns Psionics. The Inquisitor’s home.
• Greystone (Scorchveil edge, cliff-mesa): Dust Vulture-adjacent. Steam-winch access only.
• Kessick (Stormrise foothills): mining outpost. Unstable. Lightning damage common.
• Bellhaven (Fen): stilt-village. Half-sanctuary, half-trap.

Each settlement has its own faction tensions, named NPCs, and economic specialties. Use them as hubs: places to resupply, take contracts, learn rumors, and recover between expeditions.

Cursed Landmarks

Three landmarks are detailed in the landmark files. They are the canonical “what’s out there” reference points for adventures:

• Ojo del Diablo (Scorchveil): The 20-mile sinkhole. A Stable Breach. Time runs sideways. Things come out.
• The Screaming Rails (Ash Belt): A 40-mile stretch of derelict rail where the trains still run — only nobody is driving them, and the passengers don’t get off.
• Red Mother’s Teeth (Graven Plain): The Redeemer cleansing stones. Either the holiest place on the Frontier or the location of an unsolved massacre, depending on who you ask.

A campaign that visits all three has earned its ending. Use them sparingly. They should feel mythic, not routine.

The Five Powers

The factions are detailed in the faction files. The thumbnail orientation:

• Orvain Consortium — rails, scrip, ghost-rock mining. The cause of the Rupture. The architects of “progress.”
• Dust Vultures — nomadic raiders of the Scorchveil. Wind-skiffs. Forgotten how to be towns; remembered how to be free.
• Redeemers — fanatic religious order. Burn Psionics. Burn Veil-touched. Save souls one bullet at a time.
• Circle of Ash — underground Psionic network. Hide in plain sight. Run sanctuaries for Hollows.
• Ironbrands — mercenary professionals. Take any contract. Honor any contract. Pick no sides.

Most campaigns hinge on the tensions between these five. Pick two who hate each other; the players are caught in the middle. Pick one who’s hiring; the players take the work. Pick one who’s hunting them; the players run.

Travel Mechanics

The Journey Check

When traveling through dangerous territory, the Guide (the character with the highest Frontier skill in the party) rolls daily:

Pool: SAVVY + Frontier. TN: Varies by pace (see below).

Pace Modifiers

Cautious doubles your time but halves your danger. Fast does the opposite. Most cross-country travel uses Normal; the choice to deviate is itself a narrative beat.

Travel Routes

The five major routes (full table in travel-summary):

• Silver Line (Rail): 100 mi/day, High safety, §20–50, fast and safe but Consortium-controlled.
• Dust Trail (caravan): 20–30 mi/day, Low safety, cheap, budget travel with caravan protection.
• Current’s Bend (water): 40 mi/day, Medium safety, §15+, reaches the Fen.
• Bluff Roads (mountain): 15–20 mi/day, Low safety, §15/day guide, reaches isolated Stormrise locations.
• Cross-Country: 15 mi/day, variable safety, free, goes where roads don’t.

Resource Consumption

Daily requirements (full table in resource-consumption):

• Civilized / Wilderness: 1 water, 1 ration.
• Scorchveil (Desert): 2 water, 1 ration.
• Fen (Swamp): 1 water (must purify), 1 ration (spoils fast).

Deprivation

Going without water or food (full table in deprivation-effects):

• 1 day without water: −1 die to physical checks.
• 2 days: 1 Strain/hour, −2 dice.
• 3+ days: 1 HP/hour, hallucinations (1 Erosion).
• 3 days without food: −1 die to all checks.
• 7 days: 1 Strain/day, −2 dice.
• 14+ days: 1 HP/day, weakness.

The Frontier’s first lesson: where you stop is where you live or die.

Camp Security

Full setup requires 30 minutes and at least one security measure (full table in camp-security):

• Salt Circle (1 Salt Pouch): prevents spirit intrusion; required for the Tension Pool to clear overnight in supernatural territory.
• Watch Rotation: Awareness checks to spot approaching threats; 2 hours of unbroken sleep per character for Long Rest benefits.
• Fire: +2 TN for predators to approach; visible for miles.
• No Fire: −2 to Awareness at night; less visible to enemies.

Without a salt circle in supernatural territory: Tension Pool does not clear overnight. No Strain recovery from rest. Salt is cheap. Veterans never run out of salt.

Running Exploration

A good exploration session balances three things: mapping (where are we?), resourcing (what do we have?), and encountering (what wants us dead?). Keep all three in tension.

Set the pace. Make the players declare it. Cautious or Fast? The choice is theirs. The consequences are yours to deliver.

Use the Tension Pool during travel. Every hour in dangerous territory adds 1 die. Every Fumbled Journey Check adds 1 die. The pool grows. The players know it grows. The pressure builds even when nothing has visibly happened.

Most exploration days should pass uneventfully. Save the encounters for the days the Tension rolls. The contrast is the point.