Inhabitants of Mali Faux [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

A STUDY OF THE CITIZENS AND INHABITANTS OF THE CITY OF MALIFAUX (INCLUDING A BRIEF SURVEY OF ACTIVE POLITICAL FACTIONS AND AFFILIATIONS) They say the first thing that mankind did after first crossing the Breach was war with and oppress his fellow man. If that is the case, then the modern-day residents of Malifaux are in good company, and the legacy of their forebears is secure, for in Malifaux the oppression of the weak by the strong is a daily fact of life, and day and night there is fighting in the streets.

Then there are those who have been sought out by the Guild and have been convinced, often with lucrative contracts, to make Malifaux their home. Specialists and scholars, as well as many in the Guild Guard, fall under this category, as doctors, lawyers, academics, and officers are all in high demand. They are well treated, but have still arrived under Guild contract, which will be binding for a period of two to four years, depending on agreements they have made. Those under Specialist THE COMMON CITIZENS OF MALIFAUX the Contract are often given wide berth to do as they please, Malifaux is filled with all manner of person, each one but to stray from their Guild-given duties is to invite with their own hopes, dreams, and desires. Some come serious consequences. to Malifaux seeking wealth, others knowledge, others desire only to have a simple life well-lived. These Then there are those who are attempting to escape some individuals are all, of course, unique in their own way, Earthside poverty and have dreams of clawing their way but there are some commonalities to be drawn against out of the lower classes in Malifaux. These are the waves of indentured servants, who become indebted to the the majority of those who make Malifaux their home. Guild in exchange for passage to Malifaux. While they There are titans of industry and the scions of wealthy are told by the Guild recruiters that they will be able to families of Earth, come to Malifaux to make or cement purchase their freedom in year or two, they often find, a fortune, as well as those who have the wherewithal or once they have arrived, that it takes substantially longer patronage to afford the steep cost of travel through the to pay off the debt. These are the men and women of Breach. These are free men and women, those within Malifaux laboring under an indentured contract, and they make up the bulk of her workers. Most of Malifaux’s Malifaux who retain no Guild contract. miners and rail workers, as well as her servants, arrived via an Indenture Contract, and are working to pay it off.

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Finally there are the Convict Contracts. Instead of sending them to a prison (or the hangman’s noose), many Earthside judges will sentence their thieves and cutthroats to work the Soulstone mines of Malifaux. The benefit to the nations of Earth judge are twofold. First, they don’t have to house and feed an idle prisoner population. Secondly, those nations that meet their convict quotas are rewarded handsomely when it comes time to negotiate their Soulstone allotment. Individual judges, I have heard, are often remunerated as well. Such is the far reach of the Guild.

Depending on the severity of their crime, a criminal under a Convict Contract will be forced to suffer years of hard labor or even life in the mines (though there is often little difference between the two sentences, as most convicts sent to the mines die there). Those under a Convict Contract are little more than slaves to the Guild, and can expect their labor in Malifaux to be brutal and backbreaking.

chain to the thick pillars at the center of each car. They are transported like chattel, and many expire before they even make it to Malifaux and their lives of slavery in the mines. They say the inside of a Chain Car is covered in strange runes, the better to suppress the potential power of any Guild prisoners who have the potential for magical awakening on their crossing of the Great Boundry.

The type of contract one carries in Malifaux often corresponds to the type of train car that bears them here. From one’s very first moment, before crossing the threshold of the Breach, in fact, when one first embarks from the Breachworks Station, one has already experienced the rigid nature of the Guild’s contract system.

Once they arrive, most of these citizens live their lives true to form. The wealthy continue to live lives of opulence and ease. A large portion of those who arrive under an Indentured Contract suffer day after day through the constant shuffle from slums to train to mines (or rails) and back again, pausing for brief respite occasionally in one of Malifaux’s many saloons or brothels. There are, though, some few among that number who show an aptitude for tinkering and machinery. They may be chosen to be a Steamfitter’s apprentice. Finally there are the Convict Contracts. They go to heavy labor at the bottom of a mine, and are never seen or heard from again.

The wealthy and contract-less, from high-level businessmen and Guild royalty on official business, to the wastrels and dilettantes visiting Malifaux for vacation and sport, as well as a very few of the most prestigious new agents arriving under Guild-contracts, will arrive in Malifaux by way of one of her notorious Blue Cars. Noteworthy for both their royal blue upholstered interiors, as well as the fine dining on offer, the impeccable waitstaff, and the ability (though some amongst that rarefied echelon would say, the necessity) to hobnob with other members of the hoi polloi, the Blue Cars are a symbol of the wealth and commensurate luxury afforded to Malifaux’s elite. In contrast are the Regular Passenger cars of the train. While there are many exceptions, the majority of those under these cars are coming to Malifaux under varying levels of Indenture or Guild Contracts. While those under Guild Contracts are usually well aware of what lies in store for them, those under Indenture Contracts are often hopelessly naive. These train cars are, depending on the time of year, packed full of hopeful provincials, looking out the glass windows of their train car with a mixture of tearful elation and hopeful trepidation. What has been offered is a brand and brave new world, promises have been made for a life out of a storybook. It will be a sad and sobering journey, when they make their arrival and find out exactly how cruel the city of Malifaux can be. Finally, trailing behind, are the steel and black iron of the Chain Cars. If those poor souls see the Breach at all, they will be seeing it through tiny slats instead of beautiful picture windows. The unfortunates that inhabit a Chain Car are often shackled and bound by heavy

While there are a number of exceptions, those are the simple stories of most that make their way to Malifaux, and high above it all moves the ever-present hand of the Guild, slowly and inexorably ushering more bodies into Malifaux, and more Soulstone out.

THE POWERS THAT BE: GUILD OPERATIONS WITHIN THE CITY

Some whisper that Lucius Matheson is the true power behind the throne, that Matheson strictly controls access to the Governor General and that the Governor General gives inordinate weight to Matheson’s opinions. The Governor has hardly The Ram’s Head sigil is ever-present in Malifaux. It is been seen since his declaration of martial law, which on every piece of Guild Scrip, emblazoned on every certainly gives credence to these rumors. official Guild communique, stamped on every Guildenforced contract, and emblazoned into the hilt of Another quirk of Matheson and his Elite Division is every Peacebringer. The message is clear. The Guild is their insistence on wearing ornate masks. Whether or everywhere, there is no fighting them, and if you cross not this is a Guild tradition, I have not been able to ascertain, but Lucius Matheson is never seen without them there will be no escape. cane, wig, and mask. This is a lesson that I personally have had to learn well Fortunately, interaction with the administrative divisions (if, perhaps, a bit late). of the Guild can usually be kept to a minimum. The However, despite what the Guild, powerful as it may portion of the Guild that most citizens of Malifaux will be, would like you to think, it is not and cannot be interact with, at least in the day-to-day are the various omniscient or omnipresent. The Guild is a looming and martial forces that the Guild has at its disposal. monolithic force within Malifaux, to be sure, but it is still an organization comprised of men, and these men are The lowest echelon of the Guild’s military arm is the Guild Guard. Bearers of the large grey and red greatcoats simple flesh and blood, just like you or I. that are their uniform, and armed most often with both Nowhere is this more evident than when dealing with pistol and sword, the shrill whistle of a Guardsman the Guild’s army of bureaucrats. The administration under attack will be quick to alert all of his fellows in arm of the Guild, headquartered in the Guild Enclave the area. The life of a Guardsman can be difficult, with but with satellite offices throughout Malifaux, is that part the monotony of patrol work, investigations into petty of the Guild responsible for processing the mountains of crimes, or checkpoint duty that are the hallmarks of the Guild paperwork that you are likely to encounter in your lowest ranked amongst the Guild Guard, all too often lifetime. They keep track of Contract Status, Deeds of interrupted by the panic and confusion of an attack by Property, Land Deeds, and Mining Claims, Scrip Debt one of the Guild’s many enemies. Still, the Guild Guard for the Indentured Contractors, as well as hundreds of are well-trained soldiers, and they are paid well and given other types of records and systems. The ability to navigate a great deal of leeway to do as they like on the streets of this Byzantine bureaucracy is a valuable skill within the Malifaux when they are off-duty. city, as Guild paperwork brings with it the promise of Guild enforcement. The administrators additionally Those Guard who embarrass the guild, run afoul of a control the Guild Writs, the larger scale Guild contracts superior officer, or are found to be generally incompetent, which establish authority for outside groups to act within are given a Sewer Patrol or Quarantine Dockmast duty. Malifaux and govern corporate contracts the Guild Patrolling the sewers of Malifaux is dangerous and dirty currently has in effect, as well as any Contract Town work, and Dockmast duty, especially far out in the Quarantine Zone, can easily be a death sentence. Charters that have been awarded. Within the administrative arm of Guild Operations, there exists the secretive Elite Division. Led by the Governor’s Secretary, Lucius Matheson, Elite Division is concerned primarily with law and justice within Malifaux. The judges and lawyers within the Elite Division are responsible for interpreting Guild Contracts, and prosecuting and overseeing breaches in Guild Law.

Those who distinguish themselves, through martial prowess or politicking, will eventually earn themselves an officer’s badge and, if they are counted amongst the Guild’s very best, may be awarded a Guild Peacebringer. The Peacebringer is the Guild’s premier weapon, capable of firing both .44 caliber bullets as well as slicing with the razor-sharp blade on its stock. The Guild demands rigorous marksmanship

and melee training before it allows one of its soldiers to wield one of these hallowed pistols in the field. They are completely forbidden to all but the Guild’s most trusted agents. Unauthorized Peacebringerwielders are to be executed on sight. While a Guardsman or three is usually a match for all manner of lesser criminal and monster, the rank-and-file of the Guild Guard are usually sorely outmatched when faced with any form of substantial supernatural threat. In order to combat these vicious menaces the Guild will either have to bring to bear one of its military-grade combat-Constructs or call on one of its Special Divisions. Each Special Division, which are sometimes referred to as Special Charters, has an important role to play in keeping the citizens of Malifaux (and the interests of the Guild) safe from harm from one of the Guild’s foes, specifically the Arcanists, Resurrectionists, and Neverborn, three distinct threats that are a constant plague to Guild operations within Malifaux. The first such division is the Witch Hunter Task Force, established for the purposes of hunting down and eliminating rogue magic-users. The second are the Death Marshals, those grim and determined trackers of Resurrectionists and their unliving creations. Finally, there is the third charter, that of the Neverborn Hunters, independent fighters of Malifaux’s native nightmares.

The Death Marshals are a grim breed, led by the mysterious Lady Justice, and the Judge, her constant companion. Lady Justice is blind, but this does not stop her from meting out her namesake whenever she comes across the unliving or their dark masters. The Death Marshals use, as their special weapon of choice, enchanted coffins. These coffins are light as air for the Death Marshals to wield, and yet as heavy as the huge oak and iron boxes they are when dealing with anyone else. These coffins are often used to good effect by slamming them through doors and walls. Additionally, when the coffin of a Death Marshal is shut, there is no known power that can open it against the Death Marshal’s will. This allows the Marshals to trap even the strongest of the unliving for disposal later. Joining the ranks of the Death Marshals comes with a price, however. The Death Marshals are a gaunt lot, often displaying sunken eyes and cheekbones. This is a hazard of duty, as the Death Marshals come into contact with the necrotic alchemy of their Resurrectionist rivals often enough to begin to take on the pallor of the dead.

Finally there are the Neverborn Hunters. Unlike the rest of the Guild Special Divisions, there is no rigid hierarchy when it comes to Neverborn hunting. In fact, so desperate is the Guild to clear out Malifaux’s native monsters that anyone may go to the Guild Enclave’s administration building and be deputized a Neverborn The Witch Hunter Task Force is the Guild’s premier Hunter. Bringing back proof of success against the weapon against Arcanists and other magic-wielders Neverborn menace can provide a man with a lucrative that threaten the Guild. Once led by the famed Witch bounty. Few, however, survive the post for long. Hunter Sonnia Criid, the fearsome Ms. Criid has since disappeared, leaving veteran Witch Hunter Samael The exception to this rule can be found amongst the Hopkins in charge of the Task Force. The central weapon infamous Ortega family. From their wilderness-fortress of of the Witch Hunters is the Witchling Stalker. They say Latigo, the Ortegas take their fight to the Neverborn, using that these hunched, burnt, broken-sword wielding, black- their skills as consummate hunters, marksmen, and duelists collared creatures can sense magic use, and can further to get the better of the fearsome creatures. Chief among neutralize any magic use if they can get near enough to it. It them is the legendary pistolier Perdita Ortega, who is widely is rumored that these disgusting creatures are the remains recognized as the preeminent Neverborn Hunter of the age. of magical practitioners the Guild takes into custody. The Witch Hunter Task force is the least popular of the There are rumors of a few less active Special Division Guild’s Special Divisions, and indeed causes a great deal Charters. One such charter, establishing the Fleshof damage to the Guild in the realm of public opinion. Construct Grafting Illegality Task Force, purports to The common people of Malifaux are distrustful of the police the illegal practice of Construct-Human grafting, charter, in no small part because of the widely-held Guild but I am unaware how often the Guild finds a call for the belief that anyone can be an Arcanist. prosecution of that specific crime. The charter is led by a man who goes by the name of Hoffman and who is, by all accounts, a Construct prodigy. Perhaps the creation of the charter was a roundabout way to keep him employed.

THE PLIGHT OF COMMON MEN: MINERS AND STEAMFITTERS

many of them will erupt into violent altercations after provocation and attacks by the Guild, or agitation by Guild plants and saboteurs within the ranks of the Union. The miners can be fearsome if provoked, and Standing in stark relief to the heavy-handed thuggishness of while they may not be as well-trained or well-equipped the Guild are the heroic men and women of the Miners as the Guild Guard, there are far more miners. and Steamfitters Union. Beginning originally as a part of the Malifaux Railworkers Union, the Miners and Steamfitters Union has become a prominent advocate of worker’s rights. A CLOVER’S PACT: This is especially trenchant now, when so many of Malifaux’s MERCENARY & INDEPENDENT workers operate under such deplorable conditions. I have, in my travels, both worked for and hired out some Central to the proper functioning of the Miners and of the best mercenaries the city has to offer, and so I Steamfitters Union are the many Union Halls that have learned a thing or two about how they operate. First dot Malifaux. Union Halls are found in almost all it is courteous, when traveling with another mercenary of the neighborhoods of Malifaux, but are especially that one does not wish to fight, to offer them a Clover’s concentrated in Malifaux’s many Slum districts. Pact. You look at them very solemnly and swear, “My These buildings act not just as meeting spaces but also purpose shall not injure your own.” as dance halls, family gathering places, and networks of general support. It is from these meeting halls that Politically, things are becoming more difficult for the leadership of the Union is democratically elected. mercenaries nowadays. After years of uncharacteristic tolerance of the mercenary population within Malifaux, the The current Miners and Steamfitters Union President Guild is showing signs of becoming increasingly agitated is Doctor Viktor Ramos, the wealthy inventor and by the presence of so many armed men and women industrialist. He resides currently atop the Hollow Marsh who are not explicitly under their thumb. Some say that Pumping Station, where he oversees not only his own it is because the creatures the mercenaries have been business empire, but also the workings of the Union. He hired to kill, the districts of Malifaux they were initially is a very busy man, harsh but fair, and a tireless champion contracted to clear (at great cost to these brave, if gruff, of the rights of the working class. Particularly noteworthy men at women), have all been firmly placed under Guild was this speech, first given at the Gala celebrating the control. Others say that the mercenaries’ true loyalties opening of the Hollow Marsh Pumping Station: lie in wealth, and recently the Guild has not always been the highest bidder. Whatever the reason, the climate in “This facility represents our triumph over one of Malifaux, at least as far as the Guild is concerned, seems Malifaux’s demons. Never again will a flooded shaft to be slowly becoming hostile to those who have chosen make one of Malifaux’s wives a widow. Our men will traveling man-at-arms as their primary profession. no longer fear the temperamental Malifaux sky and its threat of rain. Each of these men deserves nothing less Especially contentious is the relationship between the than to return to their wives and children each night and Guild and Von Schill of the Freikorps. Rumor has it that live to be old men. I will not rest until that simple ideal this crack mercenary band has been rooting around the is guaranteed to each man who mines in Malifaux. Mark Quarantine Zone, a distinctly prohibited activity. Still, the my words: The greatest resource of Malifaux is not its Guild would have an extremely difficult time enforcing Soulstone, but the strength and spirit of its people!” their will on the Freikorpsmenn. The mercenary group is exceedingly well-trained and equipped, and highly It was soon thereafter President Ramos tragically lost specialized, and that is not even counting the legendary one of his staunchest allies, Union Vice President tactical prowess of their leader. They say, additionally, that Duncan McSweeny. the Freikorps are recruiting, but for what no one will say. The final vital endeavor of the Miners and Steamfitters Union is the staging of work stoppages and protests. While most demonstrations begin nonviolently,

A CURSORY GUIDE TO THE MOST-LIKELY-TOBE-ENCOUNTERED THREATS OF MALIFAUX (INCLUDING A BRIEF SURVEY OF SENTIENT, SEMI-SENTIENT AND NON-SENTIENT DANGERS) There is no end to the dangers within Malifaux, lurking around every corner, lying in wait in every alley, and skulking under every bridge. In stark contrast to the people of Malifaux are her monsters, both human and inhuman, that stalk her fog-filled, cobblestone streets.

reads about retaliatory attacks on Arcanist strongholds and hideouts by the Guild. Each skirmish, it feels, accompanies with it a commensurate loss of civilian life.

The violent methods of the Arcanists are incorrigible, and only serve to divide the populace. Whomever the dark masters of this criminal cabal are, one thing is clear. THE ARCANIST THREAT The Arcanists have lost all regard for their fellow man, Since the early days of the re-opening of the Breach, and they must be stopped. unauthorized use of supernatural power has been considered by the Guild a heinous crime. The Guild, RESURRECTIONIST MENACE with the help of the Witch Hunter Task Force and their Witchling Stalkers, has ruthlessly prosecuted even the Of all the evils that stalk the streets of Malifaux, none are barest rumor of magical aptitude. For years, now, those as great a canker on the human spirit as the depredations with any inkling of arcane power have been persecuted of the Resurrectionists. These cruel madmen play with in Malifaux’s streets. the very stuff of death itself, and instead of harnessing these powers for the greater good, they are content to As the witch hunts progressed, only the stealthiest, merely raise themselves an army of playthings. cleverest, and most-ruthless practitioners of the arcane managed to survive. Driven further and further into It is said that the Resurrectionists art is taught to them by desperation, this cabal of criminal-savants eventually a Dark Patron, that there exists a single unified theory of came into contact one another. They had no choice undeath, and that those practitioners of the necromantic but to create a network to provide mutual safety and arts within Malifaux are all imperfectly grasping at it. protection, and as they grew stronger they began to recruit others like themselves into their ranks. From what I have been able to unearth, the mechanics of inflicting unlife on a corpse are very similar to alchemy. Eventually, these Arcanists (as they have come to be A would-be Resurrectionist must find a suitable corpse, known) came to believe they had marshalled enough which he then animates using a necrotic ichor. The power to strike back at their hated persecutors. They formula varies from Resurrectionist to Resurrectionist. formed a clandestine, militant organization devoted to The unliving slaves of one Resurrectionist may be faster, bringing down the Guild at any cost. while the corpses of another Resurrectionist may have better motor control. From what I understand, the main While the Guild shares some of the blame, the actions challenge of a Resurrectionist is how to procure more of the Arcanists have gone from ideologically sound corpses. A Resurrectionist requires a steady supply of to completely unconscionable. The Arcanists attack bodies, both to extend their power base and pool of Guild holdings indiscriminately, killing innocent men potential servants, and also to continue their experiments and women in their mad quest to wound their mortal towards the mastering the perfect necrotic serum and the enemies by any means necessary. creation of the penultimate unliving construct. There are, every day, it seems, a host of violent strikes by the Arcanists against the Guild, and soon thereafter one

THE HORROR OF NEVERBORN A WORD OF WARNING The Neverborn, also known in some circles as the Manifestata, are some of the most varied threats to rear their ugly heads in Malifaux. Since they may loosely be considered to be any creature native to Malifaux (though some narrow that down to any sentient creature native to Malifaux), there are a wider variety of Neverborn than any of the other threats found in Malifaux. Most commonly Neverborn is used to refer to the horned, black-blooded Nephilim, creatures that many scholars believe are likely the most direct descendants of the peoples of ancient Malifaux, and the Nephilim’s violent, antisocial, tribal behaviours are a madness caused by echoes of the racial memory of the apocalypse that wiped out their race. Another type of rumored Neverborn, and one that is most distressing (and spoken of mostly in whispers), are the Doppelgangers. They say that these Neverborn spies can take the shape of any man or woman, and that by combining this talent with a commensurate gift in mimicry, the Doppelgangers have already infiltrated the upper echelons of the Guild. My advice is to pay very close attention to the quirks of your fellows, the better to spot when one of your allies or loved ones have been replaced with a Doppelganger agent provocateur. The Neverborn also count among their number a host of creatures straight out of a nightmare, twisted, tentacled monstrosities, nonsensical mishmash creatures with writhing, sucking proboscis in place of a head, as well as creatures of whimsy (though no less dangerous): such as cruel puppets, strange doll-like creatures, deadly children’s toys, and other weird horrors.

Well, there you have it; a guide, of sorts, to help you through your trials and tribulations. Alas, our time is cut short. I wish I had more. There is a great deal left to say. I could give you a proper warning of the wandering girl with the box or the strange shapeshifters of the Order of the Chimera. There are great forces at play within Malifaux, powerful and dangerous. If open warfare erupts between the factions vying for control of Malifaux, the results will be catastrophic. It will cause not just death and misery on the streets of Malifuax, but, god forbid, it will cause the flow of Soulstone to cease. The powers of the Earth, sated as they are right now on a steady supply of Soulstone, are harmless to one another. Disrupt that supply, however, and there is no telling what lengths they will go to secure temporal power. We may yet see a repeat of the Black Powder Wars, yet all the more terrible for the use of modern weaponry. And, as always, there is no telling what circumstances will cause another close of the Breach. It may come to pass that you, dear reader, will be the only thing between the inhabitants of the city and re-closure of the Breach. Or perhaps you will serve as the only warning when the inevitable does eventually come to pass. I fear there is a great storm coming. When I awoke last night I remembered, very clearly, my feverish dream, the same dream that I have had every night this week. A Key. A Key and a Vessel for each. The Hanged Man, the Watcher, the Snake’s Shed Scale. Ice and Fire. The Riders. Hunger and Thirst. War and Death and Pestilence. Dreams and Nightmares. And with that, my time here is at an end. The morning draws close, and I fear I am soon to face my final moments. I can do naught now but urge you to take heed of my words, and leave you with the hope that the fate Malifaux sees to bestow upon you is kinder than the one she saw fit to gift me. And, wherever it is your adventures take you, allow me to give you one final piece of advice: I urge you, dear reader, whatever you do, to give a wide berth to the Red Horseshoe Saloon. They water their drinks, and the food there is terrible.

Chapter 2: Lost Memories

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