engineers

Hidden within the toxic fumes along the outskirts of Rust lies a complex black market where anything is up for sale.

by Ali May Sang (the Librarian)

Rust is notoriously protective of its creations. The same can be said for its citizens but they are treated as cattle more than a resource. In the winding tunnels of that underground city, the engineers are the heroes who rise up from the slums to make a name for themselves. Those who cannot build, steal.

There is a toxic curtain concealing Rust from the rest of the world. Somewhere within all that pea-green fog are the remains of once was once the city of Dharos, a now uninhabitable shadow of its glory days. The edges of that curtain remain toxic to your lungs but it is not thick enough to scald your skin on contact or induce psychotic nightmares. They call this place the Veil. It is highly recommended to bring some form of oxygen tank or alternate form of breathing with you or else your time in the Veil will be brief and permanent.

Scrappers, a loose collective of organized black marketeers and gunrunners, sell anything and everything they can get out of Rust to the highest bidder. With drooling warlords eager to keep a leg up on their enemies and defend their belongings, business is good. Warmechs are the prized trophy for every powerful figure in the One Land and there has been a surplus of sales in the past couple of years, particularly to Monsoon if you believe the rumours. Each scrapper is in business for themselves and they will do anything to get an edge against their competition, yet they consider themselves part of a family who turn to a corrupted example of Deckland Burr’s teachings. While the Salvation’s inventor saw technology as something to help connect the One Land, scrappers see it as a chance to even the playing field by taking out the big players. Let the people have equal stake in this world, they say. Be this false bravado or a worthy cause, scrappers look after each other. An attack on one is an attack on them all.

Surviving the Veil

Whenever a scene takes place in the Veil, all characters will have to take precautions to avoid the following danger. It should be noted this is by no means a representation of how bad it is beyond the Veil; travelling deeper into the fog towards Rust is a far worse danger.

Toxic Fog: A thin fog of sickly green rolls over this valley at all times until it finally dissipates and becomes the Wastes. At the end of every round the characters spend in the Veil, they lose 1 Vitality. This can be avoided by assigning a resource slot to an alternative breathing apparatus (such as an oxygen mask) or by using a qi power. The fog also inflicts a light concealment step penalty on anyone who does not wear protective eyewear or use an appropriate qi power.