The Salvation
A symbol of hope and resurgence in a world torn apart, the Salvation is more than just a train connecting the Five Cities.
by Ali Mai Sang (the Librarian)
For hundreds of years after Chaos touched the land, there were only two ways to cross the deserts: by foot or by steed. Neither was a guarantee of arrival and many skeletons lie buried under the sands as proof of this difficulty. One person sought to change this.
Over two-hundred years ago Deckland Burr fled Rust with nothing but the clothes on his back and the tools in his pouch. The third-born of a powerful and respected family in the City, with close ties to the Council of Iron and many sons and daughters serving its elite clergy, Deckland challenged the Council’s “abuse of power.” He loudly decried their failure to use the technology they had unlocked to better all societies, not just those sworn to the Minister. For his heresy, he was jailed. Not only were his words dangerous, but the inventor was known to have the ambition and morale code to follow through on the ideas he spouted in his speeches. His greatest concept was for a massive armoured locomotive, driven by a perpetual engine, carving a trail through the Wastes to connect the Five Cities for trade and travel alike. After his daring escape, Deckland made for Yung Zhi and twenty years later fulfilled his dream. Dubbed the Salvation, the people today simply know it as the Train.
Thousands of coins and hundreds of lives later, the Salvation operates across large reaches of desert connecting all Five Cities. Equipped with iron reinforcements, powerful weaponry and an interchanging crew of dedicated guardians of Deckland’s own design, the Salvation itself is but the means by which others can pass through the Wastes. Unable to take any passengers itself, other vehicles capable of high speeds in rugged terrain join up with this behemoth, breaking formation as each connects to way stations for passengers to disembark or climb aboard when the Salvation makes its next approach. At any one time, as many as twenty privately run connections, colourfully known as wagons, follow the Salvation through the dangers of our world’s deadliest terrain. Many wagons have been lost to Outcast raiding parties, leviathans and raging storms, but the Salvation continues to this day.
The Salvation
Supporting Character
A cross between the steam engine train and an armoured tank, this windowless, seemingly crewless masterpiece of engineering never stops for anything. Guarded by numerous automatons, including warmechs, every angle is covered by canons, flamethrowers, and other heavy firepower. Using an endless supply of gear and tactics to handle any obstacle the Wastes can throw at it, The Salvation has been known to reconfigure and repair most damage and restrictions by adjusting plates and components with ease. There are many who believe these adaptations are a sign of some form of intelligence, possibly conceived by the very chaotic radiations of the Wastes. It would explain many things, especially since no one (not even those in the Caravan) have ever seen an operator or engineer.
Homeland: The Wastes
Qi Power: N/A
Unique Features: A giant locomotive engine built like a tank with heavy firepower and warmechs.
An Unstoppable Force (d12+1/9/5)
One Step Ahead (d8+1/5/4)
Protect the Passengers (d8/5/4)
Resource Slots: 3
Vitality: 50
Adaptation: The key to the Salvation’s endurance driving through the Wastes day after day for years are its back-up features and the ability to reconfigure its parts. These near flawless transformations are the Salvation’s most amazing feature and the reason it can handle all forms of complications like any living character.
Bonus Challenges: The Salvation has a number of additional challenges it can use. These bonus challenges work exactly as regular challenges but can also be used for additional perks provided here. It starts the story with 1 bonus challenge per lead character.
Built To Take A Beating: Built to withstand and push through anything the Wastes can dish out, this marvel of modern steampunk can spend 1 bonus challenge to roll its potential’s dice to determine its Defence. The Director can choose to use either the result or the potential’s original Defence but the bonus challenge is spent either way.
Damage Trigger: Whenever the Salvation takes damage, it (or the Caravan, if the Director prefers) can immediate use a free detail with a d8 for any complication rolls.
A Little Help: The Salvation can spend 1 bonus challenge to grant the Caravan a second description in a round.