Bloom Industries
Most people in Steelhorse Crossing have heard the name. Few can tell you what Bloom Industries actually is, and those who claim to know tend to disagree with each other. What is not disputed is that the organization exists, that it marks its property with a distinctive pattern of lines called Bar Codes, and that things bearing those Bar Codes have a way of causing problems for anyone nearby.
The most detailed account of Bloom Industries comes from a thesis published by Dr. Ace Sears, a researcher based at Steelhorse Crossing, with additional notes from Curie Kilo Brink of the Church of Darwin. Their document compiles observations from multiple incidents: controlled raiders deployed during a period when residents had been ejected from the settlement, a psionic Natural One of Ashes found with injection sites and Bar Codes, a research facility north of Mill City containing evidence of forced feeding of "zed-dirt" (ground zombie remains) to human subjects, and the repeated appearances of the Cheshire Cat, a robotic device that materializes without warning to recover Bloom Industries property.
Dr. Sears's central claim is that Bloom Industries is the Experimental Science Division of the Iron Navy. If true, this would reframe several otherwise inexplicable Iron Navy actions in the Steelhorse Crossing area: the forced evacuation of residents during winter, the lack of intervention during monster attacks, and the suspicious timing of Iron Navy presence coinciding with Bloom Industries operations. The thesis also names Zell-Ann, a local Iron Works representative, as having connections to the organization.
Whether the thesis is accurate, partially accurate, or the product of a researcher who spent too long exposed to psionic interference (Dr. Sears documents their own deteriorating health throughout the paper) remains a matter of debate. What is not debatable is that something is happening at Steelhorse Crossing, and the Bar Codes keep showing up on the things that cause it.
The most detailed account of Bloom Industries comes from a thesis published by Dr. Ace Sears, a researcher based at Steelhorse Crossing, with additional notes from Curie Kilo Brink of the Church of Darwin. Their document compiles observations from multiple incidents: controlled raiders deployed during a period when residents had been ejected from the settlement, a psionic Natural One of Ashes found with injection sites and Bar Codes, a research facility north of Mill City containing evidence of forced feeding of "zed-dirt" (ground zombie remains) to human subjects, and the repeated appearances of the Cheshire Cat, a robotic device that materializes without warning to recover Bloom Industries property.
Dr. Sears's central claim is that Bloom Industries is the Experimental Science Division of the Iron Navy. If true, this would reframe several otherwise inexplicable Iron Navy actions in the Steelhorse Crossing area: the forced evacuation of residents during winter, the lack of intervention during monster attacks, and the suspicious timing of Iron Navy presence coinciding with Bloom Industries operations. The thesis also names Zell-Ann, a local Iron Works representative, as having connections to the organization.
Whether the thesis is accurate, partially accurate, or the product of a researcher who spent too long exposed to psionic interference (Dr. Sears documents their own deteriorating health throughout the paper) remains a matter of debate. What is not debatable is that something is happening at Steelhorse Crossing, and the Bar Codes keep showing up on the things that cause it.
Structure
The internal structure of Bloom Industries remains opaque. No organizational chart, leadership hierarchy, or membership roster has been documented. What is known comes from external observation: the organization has sufficient funding and resources to maintain research facilities, deploy controlled raiders, operate advanced robotic technology (the Cheshire Cat), and conduct biological and psionic experimentation over extended periods without significant interference.
If the claim that Bloom Industries is the Experimental Science Division of the Iron Navy holds true, its structure would exist within the broader Iron Navy hierarchy, shielded by military authority and classification. This would explain both its access to resources and the conspicuous lack of Iron Navy intervention against its activities.
If the claim that Bloom Industries is the Experimental Science Division of the Iron Navy holds true, its structure would exist within the broader Iron Navy hierarchy, shielded by military authority and classification. This would explain both its access to resources and the conspicuous lack of Iron Navy intervention against its activities.
History
The timeline of Bloom Industries activity at Steelhorse Crossing, as reconstructed from Dr. Sears's thesis, spans roughly two years of observed incidents. Early events included the discovery of a cyborg raccoon containing a radio transmitter and a remote control device recovered from a dissolved Semper Mort, both linked to psionic interference affecting residents.
Bloom Industries representatives appeared openly at least twice: once demanding the return of a vial of orange liquid, and once searching for a former employee's personnel badge. A gore hound that attacked the settlement was found bearing the personnel badge and Bar Codes, identified as an escaped Bloom Industries experiment.
The most significant discovery was a well-funded research facility north of Mill City, where residents driven from Steelhorse Crossing during a winter evacuation were herded by controlled raiders into a building containing contaminated water, zed-dirt, strange bile, and research notes documenting forced experimentation. Iron Works officials arrived through a hidden wall after alarms triggered, apparently surprised to find survivors present.
The Cheshire Cat, a robotic device capable of materialization and dematerialization, began appearing periodically to recover objects identified as Bloom Industries property. Its visits coincided with escalating psionic anomalies in the area.
Bloom Industries representatives appeared openly at least twice: once demanding the return of a vial of orange liquid, and once searching for a former employee's personnel badge. A gore hound that attacked the settlement was found bearing the personnel badge and Bar Codes, identified as an escaped Bloom Industries experiment.
The most significant discovery was a well-funded research facility north of Mill City, where residents driven from Steelhorse Crossing during a winter evacuation were herded by controlled raiders into a building containing contaminated water, zed-dirt, strange bile, and research notes documenting forced experimentation. Iron Works officials arrived through a hidden wall after alarms triggered, apparently surprised to find survivors present.
The Cheshire Cat, a robotic device capable of materialization and dematerialization, began appearing periodically to recover objects identified as Bloom Industries property. Its visits coincided with escalating psionic anomalies in the area.
