Rustwater
The Crossroads
Desperate, muddy, loud
- Region
- The Ash Belt
- Faction Control
- Neutral Ground (Contested)
- Population
- 12,000
Rustwater is the heart of the Frontier, located at the intersection of the primary rail lines and the old dust roads. A chaotic sprawl of corrugated iron, adobe, and stolen generators. The water runs red with iron oxide, giving the town its name and its citizens a permanent metallic cough.
The only place where a Dust Vulture can drink next to a Consortium Enforcer without immediate bloodshed.
Local Laws
| Law | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Neutrality Tax | Open faction warfare banned. Damage the Rail or Mine → hanging. |
| Water Tithe | Water controlled by Consortium. Stealing water → hanging. |
| Armed Peace | Open carry legal. Drawing on someone requires cause. |
Notes on the Crossroads
Rustwater sits at the edge of the Ash Belt rather than at its industrial heart — the mining and rail infrastructure here is a fingerhold of Consortium reach, not the full chokehold of Orvain or Kessick. The town’s contested status is its defining feature: nobody wins here, but nobody can be cleanly evicted either. Maeve Callahan’s saloon enforces this neutrality more effectively than Sheriff Crowe’s deputies, and everyone knows it.
Availability quirks: clean water sells for §5/gallon (compared to Orvain’s §1). Psionic gear is available only on the black market. Grimoires are very rare.
Districts
The Iron-Lung District (North)
The open-pit mine dominates. Red dust everywhere. Miners live in company barracks. Local hazard: the Red Cough — one week of exposure without a filter mask requires GRIT (TN 11) or chronic cough (−1 die to Stealth).
The Strip (Center)
Main street. Saloons, gambling halls, general stores. Bright and dangerous. Key location: The Lanterns Saloon — the de facto town hall, the only building with reliable electric lights. Run by Maeve Callahan. Strict 'No Magic' rule inside.
The Salt-Ghetto (South)
A sprawling tent city of 4,000+ refugees and new arrivals waiting for work. Redeemers run a soup kitchen, trading food for sermons. Cults recruit openly.
Plot Hooks
Threads waiting to be pulled. GM-facing prompts.
The Empty Train
A Silver Line train arrives with the engine running but no passengers aboard. The cargo hold is sealed from the inside. The Consortium offers a bounty to open it.
The Red Leak
A water pump in town pulls up black bile instead of water. The town engineer has gone missing. Is the mine alive?
The Duel
A famous Ironbrand has called out a Vulture warlord. High noon. Someone is rigging explosives along the dueling ground.
Environmental Mechanics
- Neutrality Tax: Open faction warfare is banned. Damaging the Rail or the Mine is a hanging offense.
- Water Tithe: Water is controlled by the Consortium. Stealing water is a hanging offense.
- Armed Peace: Open carry is legal. Drawing on someone requires cause.
- Red Cough hazard in the Iron-Lung District: one week unprotected → chronic cough (−1 Stealth).