Revenant's End Near West
Return to World Setting
Perdition and the Western Territories
The cataclysm known as ‘The Dusk’ changed this place. From what, we barely remember; only that it was once home to a world much greater than the one we know now.
For generations after the cataclysm, these lands to the west of Las Ondas were uninhabitable; said to be a hellscape of torn mountains, dead fields, rivers of thick tar running against nature’s course, and worse. Razor-sharp gale winds carved new canyons, whilst sinkholes turned the ground itself traitor to any traveller who took the risk of venturing here. Strange creatures were born of the disaster, monsters that had never before seen the sun. Twisted trees bore deadly fruits, fed on by giant mutant insects and followed by the stench of death. But as with all things, time heals. Or maybe people just got desperate.
Slowly, humans returned to these desolate places to explore and build new homes, farms, ranches. Many sought an escape from the poverty, rules, and scrutiny of the capital. These hardy people in search of new ways and a new life found places to call their own, to live according to their own rules. They began to worship the gods they found here and to practice their witchin’ in ways the land taught them, unfettered by the thinking of the places they left behind, protected from Arc by distance and a lack of anything of value worth fighting over. These lands became the ‘frontier’, the mythical west.
In less than a generation, all that has changed. The invention of the steam train has allowed folk to travel vast distances in relative ease, and now, the reach of these railway networks has stretched even here - a triumphant display of the onward press of scientific progress. The whole modern world can now see the benefits of harnessing natural forces to make everyday life better, easier, and more productive. The Western Territories continue to be transformed by the weekly visits of the train: thanks to the trade, visitors, and migration that it brings.
The regional capital, Perdition, has thrived. Greater numbers of citizens make their way here for a new life. They’ve come with families, set up trade and business and education; done their darndest to turn the rough towns into decent, civilised places to live. Now Perdition has government officials, laws, and bureaucracy. Life is safer now, but caged in. Money is lost to taxes, not bandits. Some wonder at the actual benefits.
But there had still been places where the bullet was the final word of justice. Where misfits could be found; where folks could seek adventure, opportunity, and new beginnings. The best and brightest of these was Benevolence, a bustling frontier settlement run by gangs. The gas-lit streets clamour all night, with saloons and brothels on every corner; the piano rags punctuated by gunfire. Fortunes have been lost and made in gambling halls, only to be taken at gunpoint. Outlaws and bounty hunters alike basked in mythic status, provoking the brave and foolish to follow them. For those who could survive the first week, this was a town of endless thrill and opportunity.
That is, until recent months. The Capital has sought to bring Benevolence to heel. External law enforcement has been waging a pitched battle for the city against its gangs, and the news sheets speculate on when the military will be brought in. Seemingly every month, a new report goes out of another stagecoach being robbed, government-employed guard killed, or infamous outlaw captured. There are those in Benevolence who say that it’s the beginning of the end for their little golden era.
Meanwhile, since the end of the Schism, the ‘civilised’ western towns of Perdido, Whistler’s Folly, and Sweetwater have become staging grounds for those striking out into the deep west, beyond the Territories entirely. The towns plan to make their living on imports and crafts for the supplies of those making the journey. Law-folk here mostly continue to keep the bandits at bay; and there are hardly any sightings of weird creatures. It’s not certain what the folks headed west will encounter, or if the horrors that once lived here have faded from the world entirely. But with the Western Territories now starting to burst with folks who don’t intend to make much more room for anyone else, freedom is a little further west than it used to be…