Rust City
Rust City was a husk. During the Ironworks era, the settlement at the base of the Great Lake served one purpose: housing the Dead Furnace, the undead-burning energy plant that powered the empire. The furnace dominated downtown like a great glowing maw, resembling a volcano at the heart of the city. The stink choked all but the sturdiest Irons. Mountains of greasy grey-black ash surrounded the outskirts, and when the wind blew, mighty clouds of that ash drifted across the landscape like foul snow, stinging eyes and throat.
The city had not always been a graveyard. After the Fall, people from across Illiana flocked to Rust City when the dead rose, and the settlement burgeoned with more life than it had known in years. At its peak, the city could hold its own with diverse operations: manufacturing, refining, and food production. Then the previous Chancellor decided Rust City was growing too powerful.
A devious plot stirred up unrest among southern raider clans, who attacked in force. Most of the city's leadership was decimated. A captain named Russell Komiskey gathered the remaining forces, free and slave together, for a last stand. None survived. Rumors persisted that armored Irons in deep red hoods were seen among the attackers, suggesting the Abbey's involvement.
The devastation reduced Rust City to a shell. By the Ironworks era, the only remaining residents were the workers and engineers at the Dead Furnace plant and the Railworkers at the lonely station. Energy was drawn off and sent mostly to nearby Rail City, powering the empire's industrial operations with fuel rendered from the walking dead. The river of shambling corpses being funneled along highways toward the Furnace could be seen from the highest points in Rail City, a constant reminder of the grotesque ingenuity that kept the lights on.
The city had not always been a graveyard. After the Fall, people from across Illiana flocked to Rust City when the dead rose, and the settlement burgeoned with more life than it had known in years. At its peak, the city could hold its own with diverse operations: manufacturing, refining, and food production. Then the previous Chancellor decided Rust City was growing too powerful.
A devious plot stirred up unrest among southern raider clans, who attacked in force. Most of the city's leadership was decimated. A captain named Russell Komiskey gathered the remaining forces, free and slave together, for a last stand. None survived. Rumors persisted that armored Irons in deep red hoods were seen among the attackers, suggesting the Abbey's involvement.
The devastation reduced Rust City to a shell. By the Ironworks era, the only remaining residents were the workers and engineers at the Dead Furnace plant and the Railworkers at the lonely station. Energy was drawn off and sent mostly to nearby Rail City, powering the empire's industrial operations with fuel rendered from the walking dead. The river of shambling corpses being funneled along highways toward the Furnace could be seen from the highest points in Rail City, a constant reminder of the grotesque ingenuity that kept the lights on.
History
After the Fall, survivors from across Illiana converged on Rust City, and the settlement experienced a brief renaissance of manufacturing, refining, and food production. Its growth alarmed the previous Chancellor, who concocted a plot to cut the city down to size. Southern raider clans were stirred into attacking in force. The city's leadership was decimated, and Captain Russell Komiskey's last stand, gathering free workers and slaves alike, ended with no survivors. Rumors of armored Irons in deep red hoods among the attackers hinted at Abbey involvement. The devastation reduced Rust City to a shell, and its sole remaining function became housing the Dead Furnace. The city that had once been thriving was given only lip service as a main center, its population dwindled to furnace operators and Railworkers, its energy siphoned away to power Rail City.
The earliest records describe Rust City as a small hub on the far eastern end of the Rail City territory, a heavily walled bunker of a train depot surviving as the only major structure amidst the wreckage of a once larger settlement. The Stationmasters were what remained of the families that once ruled over the settlement in its heyday. The remains of Rust City's walls still loomed in the distance from the depot, specters of failed security measures and poor civil planning. Rumors held that the failed defenses were the intentional design of rival families from the Motor and Rail cities.
Corebook Era
The earliest records describe Rust City as a small hub on the far eastern end of the Rail City territory, a heavily walled bunker of a train depot surviving as the only major structure amidst the wreckage of a once larger settlement. The Stationmasters were what remained of the families that once ruled over the settlement in its heyday. The remains of Rust City's walls still loomed in the distance from the depot, specters of failed security measures and poor civil planning. Rumors held that the failed defenses were the intentional design of rival families from the Motor and Rail cities.
Geography
Rust City sat at the base of the Great Lake, connected to Rail City and Mill City by the Nineyfor highway. The Dead Furnace dominated downtown, its volcano-like glow visible from a distance. Mountains of ash surrounded the outskirts, the byproduct of burning countless undead. The rail station served as the only link to the broader Ironworks network. Highways leading into the city were used to funnel shamblers toward the Furnace, drawn from miles away by the facility's lights and noise.
