Kessick
The Rail Hub
Smoky, industrial, violent
- Region
- The Ash Belt
- Faction Control
- Contested (Consortium vs. Vultures)
- Population
- 6,500
Kessick is the primary refueling station for the Silver Line. A town of coal, soot, and vice. Dust Vultures raid constantly; the Consortium hires mercenaries to push them back. It is a war zone in everything but name.
Notes on the Rail Hub
Kessick has no single defining leader in source — it’s defined by its factions rather than its figures. The Rail-Jacks (the worker gang, not to be confused with the player Calling) run the yards. The Ironbrands run the wall. The Consortium runs the books. The Vultures run the nights. Every shift change is a potential incident.
Availability quirks: standard weapons are freely available. Special ammunition is freely available (the town is built around firefights). Psionic gear is rare. Grimoires are unavailable. Clean water is §2/gallon. Medical care costs §30+ — there are always wounded.
The Kessick junction is also the haunt of the Iron Revenant — a ghost-train Veil-Born that has cost the Consortium three repair crews. Trains now route around the haunted stretch, adding two days and significant cost to every passage.
Districts
The Railyards
Miles of tracks, repair sheds, and coal hoppers. Domain of the Rail-Jacks — a gang of workers wielding heavy wrenches and rivet guns. They live and die between the lines.
The Scrapyard
Wall Town surrounded by crushed train cars. Constantly manned by Ironbrand contractors hired to keep the Vultures out.
Plot Hooks
Threads waiting to be pulled. GM-facing prompts.
The Heist
A Vulture warlord hires the players to steal specific cargo from a moving train before it leaves Kessick. The train is armored. Time is short.
Strike-Breakers
The Consortium hires the players to 'deal with' a Rail-Jack strike. The strikers have mining explosives and a list of grievances. Negotiate, betray, or fight?
Environmental Mechanics
- Primary refueling station for the Silver Line — train traffic is constant.
- Dust Vulture raids are frequent. Ironbrand contractors patrol the perimeter.
- Coal-smoke air: not as bad as Orvain, but a filter mask is still recommended for long stays.
- The Railyards are Rail-Jack territory — outsiders without yard business risk being escorted (or worse).