Howdy Vados!
It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our October live event DOWNFALL! This will be the first full game run under the new DR Live system and our first DR Live NATIONAL EVENT, led by Heather Halstead and Jonathan Loyd. 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 some more of the lore of Bastion and the Fallow Hope that call it home!
wE WILL BE HOSTING OUR Last dYSTOPIA rISING lIVE HANGOUT before downfall ON FRIDAY, 9/27! CHECK OUT OUR DISCORD FOR MORE INFO!
I’ve already made quite a few blog posts on the topic of Downfall, so let’s compile some handy links all in one place:
Downfall Introduction - You can read about our content warnings and expectations for the National Event.
DR Live: Where to Start - This is a handy guide on how to tackle reading the rules for the new system. TL;DR, there’s a LOT of books already for this edition, but the best place to begin is the Player’s Guide.
The Story of Downfall - This is a detailed look at the STORY of the event, including an introduction to the various factions and personalities you’ll meet while in Bastion.
Frequently Asked Questions - We’ve made a few updates over the past few weeks and we’ve tried to anticipate most of your questions.
What’s Different in Texas? - If you are traveling to a Texas event for the first time, I’ve readied a guide for what to expect from our local game culture. Check it out!
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FOR DOWNFALL! GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT THE NEW DR LIVE SYSTEM IN PERSON!
Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, including Max Pohlmeier, Lauren Guzaldo, Sidney Betzina, Maddeax Cole, and Jason Dumas.
We’ve covered a lot about Bastion on our Downfall site, but let’s cover a bit more about the day-to-day life inside the Fallow Hope community.
The Mustang Loyalists
From the high walls of STAR CITY to the north, the Mustang Loyalists have been a power in the San Saba for decades. Following the leadership of the one and only GENERAL MUSTANG, the Loyalists have spread the faith of the Fallow Hope across the region. Uncovering weapons and munitions from oldcestor facilities around the Lone Star has given them firepower that is virtually unmatched in the region, but they’ve largely kept to themselves. Multiple wars throughout the region have tested their resolve and left the forces of Star City mostly in disarray, but the Loyalists have kept true to their faith and unwavering dedication to their demagogue leader.
After the crash of Waking, the honorable General Mustang, last of their name, heir to Star City and Fort Worthless, conqueror of the Wastes, Champion of the Lord Commander, and First General and Prophet of the Sky Temple, has offered their loyal soldiers of the MUSTANG LOYALIST ARMY to assist in the divinely appointed annexation of the settlement that formerly housed the powerful elite of the region.
Mustang has always had their eyes set on Bravado since before the Hiway War, and reclaiming the fortress-city in the name of faith has only reinvigorated their cause. The tenets of the Fallow Hope warn against the dangers of hellfire, the deadly radiation that led to the fall of mankind when the zombie virus first emerged. For Mustang, conquering the city of Waking meant conquering the ancient foe of their faith, and they are finally able to ready plans put into motion before the fall of the Trade Union so many years ago.
Under the day-to-day command of General Mustang and Minister-General Marcus Remington, the Loyalists have become a powerful faction within the region and have now consolidated their might within their new home of Bastion. They have been hard at work reinforcing the city, restoring what areas they can for homes and housing, and solidifying the defenses.
The Infamous General Mustang
General Mustang has been a leader of legend in the Lone Star. Responsible for the success of Star City as a settlement in the northern region, leader of the faithful from the Sky Temple, and general tactical genius, they have been involved in the affairs of Bravado for over a decade. General Mustang had a big part to play in the years before the Hiway War, their forces of Law Men standing as an extension of Star City’s power. However, much of this fame and infamy is bound more to a name than a single person.
The old saying of Star City that ‘there must always be a General Mustang’ holds true even to this day. More a title than an actual true name, the figure of Mustang was the savior that united the people together in safety behind the thick walls of Star City. Thought to be a vessel for the Lord Commander, the General is a symbol of faith for the Loyalists, a reminder of their holy cause, and a reason to keep fighting. Because of Mustang, their families are safe, they have food, water, and shelter, and they have a sense of safety that is hard to find in the apocalypse.
The current General Mustang has served in the role since shortly after the Hiway War. She was a commander in Star City, and a rising star and pupil of the former leader when she served over the congregation. When the former General Mustang was defeated at the Washbourne Plantation, their forces disintegrated by the detonated nuclear device that ended the Loyalist attack, she was quick to step into their place as the supreme leader of the Fallow Hope, taking on the new mantle of the Lord Commander’s Avatar.
While she fought alongside the former General against Hiway Robb and even the people of Bravo, her focus was generally on the smooth operation of the faction and home base while they were away at the front lines. She is a clerk and organizer at heart, skilled at administration and the actual day-to-day talents of a settlement leader. In the wasteland, every settlement tends to coalesce around individuals like Mustang for simple survival and she was no different. She has a way of making sure every person in her command works together towards a common goal, and she inspires those around her to loyal service and faith.
The new Mustang’s faith is a beacon of piety and simple confidence. She believes in the mission of the faith, the structure that order brings out of chaos, and the need to serve others in a dangerous wasteland. She radiates a calm confidence, and works to keep her soldiers disciplined and loyal. While she doesn’t think of herself as a priest, her firm insistence on sharing the mantle of leadership with her command earns her more respect by the day. She is fiercely loyal to her cause, and sees the Wells Society Initiative as a means to carry the example of their leadership to more settlements in the Wastes.
Mustang knows that the former holder of the title had a bit of a reputation to overcome. Despite their actions, none can doubt the success that it created for Star City and their people. As one of the only settlements in the area to successfully erect and maintain thick walls to protect themselves, it is one of the few cities in the Lone Star that stands firm no matter what threat emerges from the wasteland. With Star City firmly in hand, the new Mustang has turned her eyes to the south, to Bravado and the San Saba region. The Vados stood up against the Chairman and the San Saba Board in a way that she was never capable of, and she knows and respects the power of a town to stand united in the face of adversity. With that goal in mind, she has moved the center of her command to the Bastion of New Dawn, to oversee the tenuous relationships with the power that was capable of toppling a giant like Arthur Lovelace.
As the vessel of faith and war for the Fallow Hope of the Mustang Loyalists, she is held on a pedestal of awe and respect by the common soldiers and corpsmen of the faction. Mustang is a powerfully charismatic leader and incredibly confident in her faith, her people, and the role she plays for the settlement of Star City and Bastion. While the recent war has decimated many of the more powerful enemies of her faction, under her leadership the faction has claimed a new fortress in the fallen sky-city of Bastion and grown even stronger.
travel to Bastion
Bastion is now one of the safest towns in the Lone Star, thanks to a commanding military presence and the natural defenses of the wreck. The city deals with a sizable zed presence that emerges from inside the city, but the Exclusion Zone keeps the most dangerous threats at bay on the ground. The Loyalists are still focused on reclaiming the city block by block and dealing with the dangerous underbelly of the crashed vessel. Every citizen in Bastion is expected to do their part, conscripted into service of the Mustang Loyalists. Every day, residents and Loyalists alike patrol their home, man the walls and main approaches to the city, and work to continue the restoration of the crashed wreck.
Most trade arrives in Bastion via airship, evading the worst of the Exclusion Zone but only if expected by the Loyalists. Deadly scrap cannons will make short work of most unannounced airships, but should any be durable enough to survive a volley from the walls of Bastion, the Spindrift Navy is quick to board and disable the vessel before they can reach the city. The airspace is heavily patrolled, and the height of the wreck means it's nigh impossible to approach undetected. Most of the necessary ammunition, supplies, and gear is shipped to Bastion via skyship, and many Cloudskippers have made pacts with the Loyalists for safe passage in exchange for ferrying shipments into the city from abroad.
Travel by rail to Bastion is possible, but much more dangerous. Some supply shipments are made via railcar, as the RRC had built a functional extension of the Oxline that ran towards Bravado before the War of Antlers overtook the region. A single shoddy rail line runs up a makeshift ramp into the wreck on the east side of the city, but the actual Ox would never survive the ascent due to its massive size. Instead, smaller locomotives or hand carts must make the journey through the Exclusion Zone, and few survivors outside of Retrogrades survive the journey without planning and protection. Most rail shipments are unmanned for the ascent, instead ferrying the personnel by airship into Bastion.
Part of the wrecked ship that makes up the raised hull of Bastion is underwater in Lake Bravo, but most of the submerged sections lie fully in the radioactive Exclusion Zone to the south of the city. The waters are intensely dangerous, swarming with irradiated critters that make any real landing challenging. There are no real docks or other permanent structures to aid river traffic, but smugglers and dissidents will occasionally build a makeshift pier for an attempt to enter the city by stealth. Due to the challenge of surviving the radiation while arriving by water, the Loyalists have simply sealed off the avenues and roads that led to the edge of the Magnolia District, and watch for any new faces that haven’t been checked in for processing.
While the city operates in a constant state of alert and military readiness, there are still moments of peace for the residents of Bastion. General Mustang has done what they can to help provide entertainment and improve the morale of their citizens, even opening up a few non-Fallow Hope bars in the Magnolia District to provide some managed privacy. The Loyalists are used to dealing with citizens that don’t share their faith, as Star City is equally as diverse as Bastion hopes to become. Some neighborhoods of survivors have banded together in the less hospitable sectors of the Magnolia District, building a new life for themselves a bit further away from the Fallow Hope barracks. Though it might be a bit more dangerous, some are willing to risk the distance for a sense of independence.
Life in Bastion
As more citizens flock to the supposed safety offered by the Loyalists, new arrivals are assessed and cataloged for useful skills and equipment before being assigned a bunk and work shift. Fallow Hope Quartermasters and logistics experts take careful notes of new arrivals, particularly if they have useful skills and knowledge to aid the town. Skilled crafters and engineers are highly valued among new arrivals, as Mustang knows and appreciates the value of skilled labor for the reconstruction. Some have been authorized to open their open shops and services, provided their mandatory work shifts in service to Bastion are completed. Any arrivals that wish to make a home in Bastion must swear fealty to General Mustang, but very few seek to challenge the new status quo of the community. One set of laws is as good as another for most residents, and as long as they do their part, the Fallow Hope are content to let them be.
Food and clean water is strictly rationed in the city, as most of the farmland nearby is either irradiated, too small, or too distant to serve the needs of the growing community. Mustang hopes that as enough of the glow shrooms mature, the impacted lands around the city can once more be made arable enough to support the city on its own. It will likely be several months before the first farms can open, but the Wells Society seems confident enough in their timetables. The Loyalists’ strict logistics has kept the citizenry functionally fed and alive, though many of the Elitariats that once enjoyed finer dining and cuisine while under Board rule still bemoan the spartan accomodations. Rations and carefully portioned protein and bread allotments aren’t the best of fare, but it beats having to scavenge or hunt for a meal in the wasteland.
Every morning is met with a trumpet fanfare, the drills and preparation of the Loyalists never stopping. After physical training in the morning, various work shifts begin around the city, hauling rubble, tearing down dangerous structures, and continuing the repairs to the city. Spare rubble and scrap is hauled to the edges of the Magnolia District to reinforce the new walls that were erected by the Loyalists, or to serve as grapeshot for the scrap cannons. Heavily armed patrols are ready to respond to zombie or raider incursion, though the Loyalists close and weld shut any new entrances into the hull of the city as soon as they are found.
Threats can bubble up from within the radioactive depths of the city, from raiders to zombies, and even dissidents and agitators of former residents that are unhappy with the occupation. While the rule of law in Bastion is mostly fair, if a bit draconian, some of the unofficial residents of Bastion still lurk in the radioactive halls below the surface. The Cult of Savannah’s Light has found new friends in the Temple of Evolution, arming their revolutionaries that are attempting to restore access to the massive steam reactor that once lurked at the heart of the vessel.
Many of the labyrinthine tunnels that make up the hull of Bastion are collapsed and difficult to traverse, and few remaining residents truly know their way around the interior of the ship. While the lower decks once housed the common workers and RRC employees that maintained the gilded state of life on the surface, most of those residents were evacuated before the city crashed. New entrances into the lower hull are discovered every day, often by zed that crawl from a new crevice and emerge into the city. Sealed bulkheads and submerged sections flooded from the nearby lake make opening random doors below a dangerous endeavor, and the Fallow Hope have bigger issues to deal with than trying to return function to the decks below.
The new Morgue of Bastion is functional, but Mustang hopes that some of the visitors for the upcoming Wells Society launch can be leveraged to find a permanent solution to the ailing Grave Mind. Though the Grave Council successfully integrated the morgue of Bastion after the crash, lack of true maintenance during the following schism has only delayed the inevitable corruption that is spreading steadily from within the city. Though many residents may not realize it yet, several of the emergency bunkers stationed in the various streets of the Magnolia District are actually part of General Mustang’s preparation for a morgue failure. Mustang knows action must be taken soon to stabilize the morgue, before the threat grows critical.
Overall, the Loyalists are preparing and bracing themselves for the next catastrophe to face their new home. Many of the Loyalists are wary about inviting former enemies into their city, but most of the residents believe more in Mustang’s planning and leadership. If Mustang is convinced that the city can weather the influx of new arrivals, they will do their damndest to be on their best behavior and weather the incitement that is certainly to arrive with their “guests”. The standing orders of the Fallow Hope are to keep the faith and avoid conflict, and no resident is interested in facing court martial by throwing the first punch.
The Laws of Bastion
While under Loyalist occupation, the city has established several rules and structures to help bring order to the settlement. However, despite the reputation that some bands of Fallow Hope have earned, the Loyalists have established common-sense edicts for enforcement. None of their laws are particularly draconian, but the residents in the town are generally willing to accept a bit of loss of freedoms in exchange for security. The Mustang Loyalists have generally upheld their end of the bargain, and as long as major crises don’t strike the settlement few will see the need to be a dissident.
The Fallow Hope have adopted a chain of command that ensures the orderly rule of the city, and use a code of rules that have served Star City in the past. While there are many addendums and additional texts on the administration and enforcement of the laws, the general rules of the settlement are as follows:
The Military Code of the Lord Commander’s Justice
Fealty to the Lord Commander and General Mustang are required for permanent residence in Bastion. All residents and visitors alike must abide by the laws of Bastion or face court martial.
Do not kill the living. All in Bastion must work together for our common survival. Save your blade for the undead. Murder of a Lineage will be punished by court martial.
Do not disobey a lawful order of a superior officer. Order is a balm against chaos, and dereliction of duty will be punished by court martial.
Challenge of the Military Code or assault of any Fallow Hope officer is forbidden. Respect the chain of command of Bastion, or face court martial.
Do not steal or destroy the possessions of others. If there is a need for additional rations or equipment, please inform the Quartermaster. Theft will be punished by court martial.
All residents or visitors to Bastion will meet the Challenge of Arms, and will serve in the defense of the city. Mandatory service in the defense of the city will be met during residence. Report useful skills or equipment to your local Section Commander. Desertion of duty will be punished by court martial.
Heresy against the Tenets of the Fallow Hope by the faithful is forbidden. While all faiths are accorded appropriate respect inside Bastion, the faith of the Fallow Hope is held to a higher standard. Deviation will be met with court martial.
Aiding and abetting the proliferation of hellfire and radiation is anathema. Willfully risking the safety of Bastion by spreading the taint of radiation will result in court martial.
There are no third chances. Survival of a Court Martial or Captain’s Mast will offer a second chance to a resident or visitor of Bastion, but further dereliction of duty will result in permanent expulsion from the Bastion of New Dawn or final death.
Most of the laws of Bastion are similar to other towns, but the primary means of enforcement of the Military Cody is known as the COURT MARTIAL. Given that the Fallow Hope pride themselves on readiness and combat worthiness in a fallen world, their law generally punishes violations with a unique trial-by-combat.
Court Martial, aka The Captain’s Mast
Mechanics: None, but Basic Faithful Patterns is frequently incorporated.
Details: The chain of command is not only a suggestion, but part of the very faith of the Cult of the Fallow Hope and the citizens of Bastion. Violations must be punished. All participants and targets must be Fallow Hope or reside in the settlement of Bastion.
Basic Instructions: The performer of this benediction must give a speech or sermon for the first five minutes of the duration about the crimes of the soldier and the lessons that should be learned for the community to survive. The accused is tied to a ceremonial structure by at least one hand in the Exclusion Zone and a prayer issued for their souls, and an entrance to Bation’s lower hull is opened nearby. The accused is traditionally given a small knife or one-handed weapon to defend themselves, or hasten their own demise. If the accused survives alone the wave of Zombies that likely emerges before the radiation overwhelms them, the Lord Commander has seen fit to absolve them of their sins by their service to Bastion.
Wrap Up
That’s it for this week Vados!
The DR:TX team has a lot of cool things planned for Downfall, and we can’t wait to meet our friends from around the wasteland. As we get closer to the first ever DR Live event and the eventual rollout of the new system next year, we have plenty to talk about to get ready for the event. Will you help the Wells Society with their strange mushroom experiment? Will you dive into the Grave Mind to help Bastion with a growing corruption? Will you brave the radioactive Exclusion Zone in search of useful items and treasures? Will you survive the DOWNFALL?
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FOR DOWNFALL! REMEMBER YOU CAN BUY A NON-ATTENDING TICKET AND STILL GET YOUR EXTRA XP LOCKED IN BEFORE THE NEW EDITION LAUNCHES.
Next week, we will cover a bit of the Zone of Mechanics you might encounter in game as you explore the radioactive wasteland around Bastion in search of the marvelous GLOW SHROOMS.
See you soon Vados!
