Intrigue at the Gambit
Howdy Vados!
It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to next Dystopia Rising Live event THE GUILTY AMONG US! This game will be led by Chase Lira, Casie Spivey, and Kalen Lewis. Each week, I’ll discuss in detail an aspect of the upcoming event, compiling the rules and lore into one easy place to read! This week, we are covering one of the background of our major factions and political opponents that will be present at the San Saba Gambit, and all of the backroom deals and shadowy influence that could be at work in the shadows.
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We have new neighbors! DR Kansas has announced their first event for the weekend of April 4-6, right before our next event! It’s a bit of a drive for us, but it’s the next closest game beyond DR Arkansas. You’ll see a few friendly faces on their staff, so check out their webpage if a travel game sounds exciting!
The national event DEATHCON has been announced for June! This will be hosted by our friends at DR New York and will be the next opportunity to earn some unique rewards and faction items from the Blacktide Hunters and the Wells Society. If you don’t have summer plans, this could be a cool way to break up the Burning Season!
Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, including Lily-Jay Jones, Miranda Farmer, Noah Goodman, and Max Pohlmeier. Race graphics were designed by Chase Lira and Casie Spivey.
Intrigue & Suspicion
We’ve shared with you a lot about the upcoming SAN SABA GAMBIT, a post apocalyptic horse race that is sure to attract the wealthy and powerful from across the nearby settlements. We’ve covered some of the inspirations for the event, a summary of the premise, and outlined how to get involved in the gambling events. Now, we need to cover the true danger that lurks in the background.
But peace is an illusion, and the cracks are already showing. Travelers en route to the event report being followed, their footsteps shadowed by unseen figures. Law Dogs uncover deliberate sabotage, vital infrastructure crippled with precision. People vanish without a trace—too many for coincidence, too quietly for comfort. No one claims responsibility, but graffiti scrawled across both cities delivers a chilling message: “THE GUILTY WILL BE PUNISHED.”
It’s no secret that discontent has been brewing quietly in between each of our events over this season. From the collapse of the San Saba Board in September, to our visit to nearby Bastion at DOWNFALL, each event this season has touched a bit on the unrest in the region. Since the fall of the Board, violence and intrigue are the language of those that seek to control what comes next. While the identity of those that would move against the upcoming Gambit are unclear, there are many that could benefit from the chaos and disruption.
Over the past few months, there have been numerous attacks and assassinations under the cover of darkness but it is clear that Bravado still has many potential enemies. Throughout the years, many groups have been given ample reason to spread a message about guilt and punishment. There are many known players in the area with the resources, the motive, and the means to gain from an attack on the horse race. There’s still a few mysteries to be uncovered during THE GUILTY AMONG US, but this is the obvious lore known by most citizens in Bravado.
The Rook, as portrayed by Heather Halstead
The Rook
The Rook has been a figure loosely “allied” with Bravado for years. She is a known terrorist and saboteur with a grudge against those who would hunt her fellow psions. The Rook has been far from trustworthy and has been spotted in Bravado over the last few months. She is known to have a penchant for explosions and big guns, and was responsible for the critical blow that brought Waking crashing to the ground several years ago.
She’s straddled the line between helpful and chaotic, and stable is not an adjective that is often applied to the Rook. She’s an unpredictable threat, and is more than capable of violence when it serves her capricious whims. She has an ongoing grudge against Bastion and the Fallow Hope leadership, and is a known enemy of General Mustang. Each time the town has helped the Rook, she has always seemed to be working towards a hidden agenda that isn’t quite obvious until it’s too late.
The Midnight Covenant
Within the vaulted walls of Bastion lurks a cancer that has eluded the attempts of General Mustang to resolve. The cultists known as the Midnight Covenant are traitors and zealots that have taken to hunting psions throughout the San Saba. A violent heresy of the Fallow Hope that has interpreted their faith’s tenets to an extremist philosophy, the Covenant has remained enigmatic and elusive. They strike from within the radioactive tunnels and uncontrolled parts of Bastion, spreading their poison to any soldier dissatisfied with General Mustang’s new direction for the Fallow Hope fortress.
Despite Mustang’s coordination and resources, they still haven’t been able to find the lurking cultists within the bowels of Bastion nor been able to identify their leaders, despite the General’s assurances that they are working on it. The cultists have killed several residents of Bravado and have been linked to a number of murders over the past several months, despite the Law Dog’s best attempts to track them down. Enemies of both Bravado and Bastion, the Midnight Covenant has presented a new opportunity for an alliance with Bastion to deal with their collective enemy during the upcoming festivities.
The Rotgut Family
Lux Rotgut, as portrayed by Casie Spivey
Known members of the criminal underworld, the Rotguts have been a nuisance in Bravado since before the Second Founding. Originally based out of Killhouse before the fall of the Board, they have tried repeatedly to expand their operations despite constant setbacks from Bravado. A known enemy of the High Rollers and other more ‘proper’ criminals, the Rotguts peddle drugs and poison to the willing but have been accused of a number of kidnappings of psions to harvest for meaty bits and psionic crystals.
After being arrested for the production and possession of crystal candy last year, the Rotguts and their family have been missing from Bravado for some months now. One of the known leaders, Lux Rotgut, was recently seen in Bastion speaking with an officer of the Fallow Hope there, but has otherwise seemed to heed Bravado’s clear message of ‘get out — or else’. The gang follows a perverted interpretation of the Nuclear Family, and are known to have an affinity for cats though their specialty has always been crystal candy. They’ve always been bit players in the underworld, but they’ve been known for bold and risky moves before…
The Drowned Sun Crew
This is not actually Captain Margeaux, but the character is also portrayed by Barbara Vold
Those that have paid attention to the political drama in the nearby town of Drywater are likely familiar with the Drowned Sun. Enemies of the current Junkerpunk leadership, the crew of the Drowned Sun have been making moves in Drywater, led by the fearsome pirate Captain Margeaux Latiche. A cruel, brutal, and a charismatic warlord of a pirate leading a crew of salty seamen and Full Dead, the Drowned Sun has positioned them as potential new leaders of the Junkerpunks. They’ve been outspoken at the many perceived failures of Sinker Swim over the years, and loudly and frequently suggest that Drywater would be better off without Bravado meddling in their affairs.
Boasting talented and deadly crew members like the Sackman and the rogue groundskeeper Magus, also known as “Capricorn”, the Drowned Sun has advocated for a return to true piracy and depredation of the waterways of the San Saba. As Drywater has no Law Dog or Grave Council oversight, it’s a perfect haven for grave crimes, strain trafficking, and irresponsible necrology. Captain Margeaux has been suspected of kidnapping and turning her victims to her allegiance through psionic manipulation, though not all of her power and influence in Drywater has been gained through illicit means. There’s enough of the Junkerpunks that have been legitimately swayed by the challenge of leadership that another public attack against Bravado may convince them to fully sever ties with Sinker Swim and join the Drowned Sun.
The Militia
General Hargrave, as portrayed by Nicholas Hiser
While the Militia have remained staunch allies of Bravado, the lack of a war or overarching government in the region has strained the military force’s ability to protect the San Saba. Based out of Pride’s Hold, the fortress formerly known as Killhouse, and led by the famous General Hargrave Moss-Iverspiit, the militia have continued to serve the people of the region in a mutual defense against raiders, zed, and bandits. While their numbers have dwindled after the war, the core of the force is made up of the fiercely loyal Moss-Iverspiit mercenaries. They most recently aided Bravado in keeping the Pit Stop Raiders from following the Sweetwaters into town at great cost to their own troops.
However as resources grow scarce, the Militia has made the choice that best protects their own. When zombie hordes chased residents to places of safety after the Long Night, Pride’s Hold was forced to turn away refugees in favor of their own soldiers and defense. A few loyal soldiers have been accused of violent crimes against the Junkerpunks, blaming the Militia for an recent attack on one of their ships. Most recently, General Hargrave visited Bravado after losing many of his people defending Bravado from the worst of the raider attack, and he sought his own justice against the surviving Sweetwaters for bringing the apocalyptic threat to their door. Bravado citizens prevented the General from enacting the will of the Militia, but the tensions between the Militia, the Junkerpunks, and Bastion continue to simmer.
General Mustang
Not actually Mustang, but another Heather shaped Loyalist. Heather was too good at dodging photos in November.
Bastion is now a beacon of faith, a Fallow Hope fortress built atop a crashed airship that was once known as Waking Prime. Once the seat of the San Saba Board, the city was taken over by the MUSTANG LOYALISTS, a militant sect of the Fallow Hope led by the infamous General Mustang and the loyal soldiers under the command of Minister-General Marcus Remington. During the rebellion that ended the San Saba Board, the Loyalists annexed the territory for themselves and removed any of the former citizens not willing to comply with their rule of law and faithful leadership. Those that sought shelter and safety under their care were protected by the soldiers and offered new homes amidst the ruins, provided they swore their loyalty to the new settlement of Bastion.
The commanding officer of Bastion and most recent inheritor of the title passed down by the Loyalists, General Mustang is a force to be reckoned within the region. It is no secret that Mustang and her Fallow Hope citizens have never really seen eye to eye with Bravado, but a fragile peace has continued since the end of the war. Recent conflict surrounding criminals in either city and the deadly Midnight Covenant, a Bravado led excursion into the Exclusion Zone despite a warning by the Loyalists, and past violence between the two city-states has led to mistrust and expected animosity all around. Bravado has continued to provoke scuffles and attacks on her loyal soldiers, and anyone with half a brain can sense the impending violence that could break out at any time.
Mustang has a deep and misunderstood history with Bravado, and despite her recent alliance with the Wells Society and the Railroad Conglomerate, continues to maintain the most threatening military presence in the region. Though they have the guns, the soldiers, and the firepower to enforce their will where they wish, Mustang has maintained the promises and cease fire established during the fall of the Board. Mustang is a charismatic and powerful force of order in the area, but few doubt her conviction to punish enemies of Bastion by any means necessary.
Wrap Up
That’s it for today, Vados.
We hope that you will come join us for our next event, THE GUILTY AMONG US. While the festivities of the upcoming celebration are certain to impress, it’s a bit of a Bravado tradition for a big party to go horribly, horribly wrong. What threats lurk in the shadows of the horse races? Will you get a ticket into the VIP lounge to hobnob with the elite of the San Saba? Will you win it all in a game of chance or will the stakes be more than you are willing to pay? Will you uncover the deadly mystery at the heart of this event?
Next week we will cover some RULES YOU SHOULD KNOW so you can be involved during the event! See you soon, Vados!
Tickets are on sale for our april event noW!
These two are definitely up to no good.
