It’s Jonathan here with our next weekly blog post for the upcoming event, HELLS OF THE SAN SABA! This is leadup for our April DR:TX event written by our Overarc STs, Ash Sexton, Ren Lewis and Andrew Harper. Today we will talk a bit about one of the major world events that happens during April, Collection Day, and the role this “holiday” plays for the Grave Council. We will also cover the details on the GRAVE TAX, and what you can expect from this event if you owe a debt to the Grave Council.

Did you hear? We are running a Returning Player Campaign through the end of the season. If you have friends that have been away from DR for a bit, not only can you earn some CAPs for inviting them back, but they can also get a head start with some free items and benefits for coming back home to Bravado.
Blueprints were updated a few weeks ago, and another round of updates hit shortly after. I’ve catalogued most of these changes on my Blueprint Checklist, but I have written a blog post on the topic as well.

Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team.

Let’s talk a little bit about the “holiday” that occurs during our next event…

In life there are only two things assured to us, Death and Taxes. The Grave Tax is inevitable, it is necessary, and paying it yearly is as regular as a bowel movement. There is nothing glamorous or terrifying about the Grave Tax, so long as yours is paid on time and in full. Otherwise, the Reckoners; blackclad taxmen who specialize in wetwork, will provide the only alternative known to Taxes; that being Death.

Collection Day

A Grave Council “holiday” of sorts, Collection Day is when the Grave Taxes come due, once a year, normally in the oldcestor month of April. The forces of accountants and taxmen take to the towns and cities of the Lonestar to upkeep the ledgers of life and death, collect interest on the debts they are owed, and keep tabs on those who would irritate the balance of power in the Wastes. During this time, the fees for Groundskeepers can skyrocket in price, and people across the land strive to avoid an untimely death that could increase their debt, or else the Reckoners could attempt to “close your account” for good.

During the Collection Day “festivities”, the fee for deaths normally doubles in price. As the bulk of the Grave Council is concerned with upkeep on the ledgers and collection of debts, distractions to manage the morgues have an additional opportunity cost assessed.

If the debt is deferred, the Grave Council normally applies interest to the debt until it is paid. This is at a negligible rate but accounts for the cost of maintaining the morgues of the Lone Star. At Collection Day, a debtor must pay at least a portion of their interest to the Grave Council or risk being held in breach of contract.

During Collection Day (which normally occurs in April), Tax Collectors & Reckoners will be available to provide a balance of a person’s account and to offer alternative methods of paying the interest.
This debt can be accessed by interacting with Grave Council characters or through mechanics at the Post Office

Why do we have a Collection day?

Collection Day was a local tradition we introduced to DR:TX back at the start of 3.0. Shan & Aesa introduced the various factions of the San Saba, one of them being the GRAVE COUNCIL. This faction was envisioned to handle two major things in the Dystopia Rising game — how we handle Death scenes from an “in-character” perspective, and how we could create a threat of punishment for breaking the contracts and laws of the region.

One phrase that kept coming up in our design docs and brainstorm sessions was the familiar quote about death and taxes. We loved the idea of creepy taxmen coming to collect what is owed around the same time the rest of us are forced to pay our tax debts to the government. From there, Collection Day was kind of… inevitable.

We missed our first attempt at running Collection Day due to the pandemic closing down live events, but we revisited this “holiday” last year amid some turbulent times for the Grave Council faction. During that event, COLLECTION DAY, the leader of the Grave Council, Takheeta Firstborn, gave her life to cure a sickness that plagued the morgues of the San Saba.

We have three major themes of this holiday, from a Storyteller perspective:

Death has Consequences - In a world where survivors can return from death again and again, crimes like murder can run rampant unless some threat of punishment is enforced. The Grave Tax is a method to prevent the needless deaths of shareholders, merchants, and Vados, and is assessed as a financial burden upon death. Unnecessary death is frowned upon and punished more heavily.
Death Comes for All, Pauper or Prince - The Grave Council does not care for the status placed upon a person in the times within the Mortis Amaranthine. They pursue their due from every being that walks the San Saba wastes, no matter their station. The Groundskeepers treat the death of a Pureblood from an ivory tower the same as they treat the death of a wandering Rover.
Story, not Punishment - The purpose of the Grave Tax is not to punish players for dying or to create an undue financial burden. The Grave Tax provides a concrete way to involve yourself in the greater story of the Lone Star, interact with several powerful factions, and seek out assistance and roleplay with other characters in the game. It is tied with the enforcement of law in the game and can be opted out if the player wishes to avoid a negative play experience.

Collection Day is still an “opt in” holiday, as we have many options to bypass our system of Grave Taxes if this is not a story you want to tell. I’ll cover the details of the Grave Tax in a moment, but let’s talk about how Collection Day has changed for this year…

The latin in this Grave Council faction symbol translates to “Death and Taxes”. Aesa even included our symbol for Brass Notes into the forehead of the skull.

the story of collection day DURING A DROUGHT

This year, our story takes us back to familiar territory, with a bit of a twist. You see, for years, the Grave Tax and Collection Day were just an assumed burden. Ever since the Hiway War, the morgues of the San Saba have been sick, and the very act of retrieving a person from the Grave Mind intact was fraught with risk and peril. Very few questioned the Grave Tax or the role the Grave Council played in maintaining the Morgues of the region.

Until last year.

Last year, Takheeta Firstborn, the High Mystagogue of the Grave Council and leader of the faction, gave her life in service of the Great Work — to cure the ailing morgues once and for all. Using a Barogian artifact called the CANTANKEROUS MATRIX, she was able to conduct a ritual to cleanse the morgues of the Plague of the Unfinished and finally restoring the damage done by years of war and misuse of the Grave Mind.

In her zeal, the process to heal the morgues worked a little TOO well, and for a time, every morgue in the region was sealed with a scabrous tissue that prevented those that died from returning. The Grave Council worked diligently to correct the mistake, but it took another sacrifice, of a young man named Eight to stabilize the morgues and finish the work that Takheeta Firstborn had started. Their imprint joined with Takheeta’s to form a new balance to the cycle of death and rebirth, a Gravemind Shard called the Eightfold Mother.

Since the formation of the EIGHTFOLD MOTHER and the curing of the Plague of the Unfinished, the region has experienced a stability not seen since before the Hiway War. This has dramatically eased the burden on the Groundskeepers and the Grave Council but has created unrest at the same time. With the threat of the Plague gone, the job has become somewhat mundane.

There are those that suggest that Grave Council has not earned their due this year, that perhaps the tradition of Collection Day and the Grave Tax are a misuse of funds and maybe a relic of the past. The beleaguered new leader of the Grave Council, Reckoner-General Rampart has argued that the Council still performs needed tasks, but this seems more and more like a political response as the days pass. A sickness spreading through the Groundskeepers has yet to find a cure, despite the supposed expertise of the Grave Council on matters relating to the Mortis Amarathine.

With the added stress of clean water being in short supply, increased raider activity targeting psions in the area, including those psions that make up the various Graverobbers and Groundskeepers of the faction, it seems as though a tipping point is being reached. How will the Grave Council weather this new storm during their “holiday” of Collection Day? Can the faction survive if they cannot collect the Grave Tax that funds their very operation?

So, with that context in mind, let’s look at some of the mechanics of the Grave Tax itself…

The Grave Tax

The Grave Tax is one of the enforced laws of San Saba Territories and a tradition of the Grave Council that helps cover the maintenance of the Morgues of the Lone Star. This is a fee, normally paid in Brass notes, that a Groundskeeper is paid to retrieve someone from the Mortis Amaranthine and is tracked and collected by the agents of the Grave Council. As part of an agreement with the newly formed Railroad Conglomerate, the Board has delegated authority over every Morgue within the San Saba Territories and the Lone Star to the Grave Council and enshrined the Grave Tax into law of the San Saba Board:

“None shall interfere with the Delivery of the Post, Nor the Collection of the Grave Tax.”

Implementing the Grave Tax

When a character dies in Bravado, this fee is assessed by the Groundskeepers (or STs) that run your death scene. Depending on the nature of the death, the fee can be classified into one of several categories or brackets:

Class 1: Accidental or Unpreventable Death (25 Brass)

Death by Zed, Raider, or a Creature of the Wastes
Death from the Environment, or Natural Disasters
This is the standard and most common fee assessed for passage through the Mortis Amaranthine or a Sunless Garden.
If the death cannot be clearly identified as a Class 2 or 3 death, this is the minimum fee for the Grave Tax.

Class 2: Preventable Death (50 Brass)

Death that could have been avoided in some way. Foolhardy, silly mistakes are normally classified in this manner. Needlessly feeding the Gravemind is a threat to the delicate balance of the Mortis Amaranthine.
Duels, Crimes of Passion, Violations of the Laws. If an action of the deceased could have been avoided by upholding the laws and contracts of the San Saba, this level of fine is normally assessed.
If a Law Dog is responsible for killing a target during apprehension, this is the normal fee assessed to the Law Dog instead of the deceased.

Class 3: Intentional Death, or Murder (100+ Brass)

Purposefully feeding the Gravemind is the most grievous crime. This can include collateral damage and actions that lead to the death of others in addition to themselves, particularly in ways that can be proven by the recently deceased or other witnesses. This is the starting amount of a fee for this type of death but can escalate accordingly to the severity.
If a Law Dog can investigate and identify that the deceased was murdered by another, this fee is instead assessed to the Killer of the person that died. Depending on the egregiousness of the murder, this fee will often be increased substantially.
A member of the Law Dogs known as a Hell Hound is almost never assessed a fee for Murder, provided the death occurs in the course of their duties. Abuse of this privilege can cost the Hell Hound their title and protection of the Board.
Sanctioned targets of the Red Ledger do not incur a Grave Tax on the striker.

As you can see, the key person in charge of deciding this amount is the Groundskeeper. Let’s talk about the role they play…

The Role of the Groundskeepers and Graverobbers

The Groundskeepers of the Grave Council are responsible for the common task of helping guide an unfortunate soul through the Mortis Amaranthine and provide the support necessary to complete the transition in one piece. The Groundskeepers interview the dead and assess the correct level of tax based on the manner of death and provide a friendly face for those that have undergone the trauma of the Mortis Amaranthine. Originally, the Council earned the right to charge a Grave Tax by promising a rebirth free of the Curse of the Unfinished, a wasting plague that infects those that return to the living without help, but this mandate has grown murky in recent months. There are rumors that since the Curse of the Unfinished is no longer be the threat it once was that there is no need for Groundskeepers any longer.

The Sanctioned Graverobbers of the Council operate in a contrasting role to the Groundskeepers as fixers and specialists that deal with outbreaks of disease and issues with the Morgues of the Lone Star. While they are also equally capable of the more rote tasks of the Groundskeeper if needed, their abilities are kept in reserve for the rite of Pallor Mortis and assessing outside threats to the Gravemind.

The recently deceased has several choices, after a Grave Tax is assessed by the Groundskeeper:

Pay the debt, in full, immediately or by the end of the weekend event.

If not paid to the Groundskeeper at the Morgue, the fee can be submitted to the Depot, through an Ops Guide.

Defer the payment until Collection Day

If the Tax is not paid by the end of the event, it is automatically deferred to Collection Day and is added to the Grave Ledger.
Using this method will offer the players a chance to have a scene later in the season during the Collection Day event.

Ask for Forbearance, or assistance, from the Pauper’s Fund

If the player wants to opt out of the Grave Tax, the fee is said to have been simply paid by the Fund so that a negative play experience does not happen.
If the player cannot afford the debt or does not want to defer until Collection Day, they can seek an alternate method of payment by taking a debt to the Widows instead.
Forbearance is not granted for deaths that occur on No Quarter mods, during CvC, or deaths that occur in the Wasteland.

Use a Grave Council Voucher to pay the debt

This offers a way that another player can pay the debt or earn an advantage for their influence in the faction for themselves.
Certain San Saba Socials can mark a period of time where the Grave Tax is not charged, provided a Stakeholder spent the money to post it at the Post Office.

The Pauper’s Fund

The Widows of the Lone Star maintain an account called the Pauper’s Fund with the Grave Council that helps alleviate the debt of the unfortunate or those that cannot afford to pay. This fund pays the Grave Taxes of those that ask for assistance and is collected by the various charitable works of the Widows.

The Grave Tax is meant as a way to create a cool story behind each death, not a burden or punishment. The Pauper’s Fund can be used in the cases where a player wishes to opt out of this mechanic, within reason.
Class 3 deaths cannot normally be paid from the Pauper’s Fund (as the player chose to be flagged for CvC). There are rumors of powerful favors or vouchers from the Widows or other factions that might be an exception to this rule.
Using the Pauper’s Fund will normally require a “Widow’s Favor” completed on behalf of the Widows in exchange for their assistance, instead of a Brass payment. Widow Clauthia normally hears requests to clear a debt to the Widows during her afternoon tea.
Requests to pay off the debt should be submitted as Action Requests in between events.

You can find a list of our current Groundskeepers on our Staff Listing on our website.

wrap up

That’s it for today folks! I’ll be back next week with our traditional Rules You Should Know on the Wednesday before our event, THE HELLS OF THE SAN SABA. We hope you will join us for this event, where we hope to test the limits of your character’s endurance and skill with water shortages, crazed psionic raiders, and the most threatening foe of all — taxes and bureacracy!

See you soon Vados!