Greystone
The Cliff Fortress
Paranoid. Vertical.
- Region
- The Scorchveil
- Faction Control
- Independent / Ironbrand Protection
- Population
- 1,800
Built directly into a mesa’s vertical face on the Scorchveil edge. Accessible only by steam-winch lift. The town is composed of caves and suspended walkways. Locals are terrified of Ashborn infiltrators — dust-spirits that can take human shape long enough to be invited up the lift before they reform inside the walls.
Notes on the Cliff Fortress
Mayor Krell is a retired Ironbrand who runs Greystone like a military base. He wears a partial Hardsuit at all times — a calling card and a constant reminder. The Winch-Master, never named, is the most powerful person in town: if he doesn’t like you, you don’t go up. The filter system is the town’s signature feature and its core vulnerability — every contingency Krell has planned assumes the lift works.
Availability quirks: standard weapons are freely available. Special ammunition is rare. Psionic gear is unavailable (the town hunts Psionics, suspecting Ashborn). Clean water is §3/gallon. Medical care costs §40+ (one of the more expensive on the Frontier outside Bellhaven’s service-economy).
Districts
The Bottom
Shantytown at the cliff base. Lawless waiting zone where strangers spend 3+ days proving they aren't Ashborn before being allowed up.
The High-Rock
The town proper, built into the mesa face. Safe, fortified, wealthy from the copper mines inside the mesa. Cave dwellings and suspended walkways.
Plot Hooks
Threads waiting to be pulled. GM-facing prompts.
The Sabotage
The winch cable snaps. The town is trapped. A sandstorm (and the Ashborn army inside it) is approaching. Players are stuck at the Bottom.
The Doppelganger
Someone in High-Rock has been replaced by a Skin-Changer. People are disappearing. Find the monster before paranoia destroys the town.
Environmental Mechanics
- Vertigo Combat: Knockdown near a cliff edge requires QUICK (TN 11) or fall. Falls are typically fatal.
- High winds on walkways: −1 die to ranged attacks at any elevation.
- The Filter: Strangers wait at the mesa base 3 days minimum before being allowed up. 'Proving you aren't Ashborn.'
- Winch-lift access only: the steam-winch is the sole route between Bottom and High-Rock. If it fails, the town is sealed.