the Law Dog union  

Summary

If a person is accused of violating one of these laws, the San Saba Board sets forth the marshals and agents of the Law Dog Union to collect the offender and investigate their crime.  Those caught are brought before the Justices of Sin, roving representatives of the Warden that assess their crimes and assign an appropriate punishment. These enforcers serve no single master other than the Union but hold distinct contracts with the major Financial Institutions of the San Saba Board - paid by the head to enforce their Standards of Practice. The weight of their jurisdiction lies in their ability to enforce under the San Saba Law and Charter.

Law Dogs that are authorized to use lethal force are referred to as Hell Hounds. Law Dogs are also the only entity that may task someone as a Hell Hounds to assist in the execution of the Law. Mundane violators may be assessed a hefty fine, assigned a collective punishment of their peers through a ritual known as the Gauntlet, be labeled a contract Breacher and Vagrant, or even be cast into the depths of Prudence Penitentiary to serve penance for the most heinous of crimes. In rare instances, the Strikers of the Red Ledger may be also tasked as Hellhounds, and simply remove a threat to the Board through sanctioned murder.

Past Law Dogs were independent contractors, sent out to enforce the contracts of The Lone Star’s major factions; this left many Law Dogs (who saw themselves as heirs of The Ranger’s legacy of selfless heroism) with a bad taste in their mouths. Frustrated with having to enforce predatory contracts designed by the powerful to entrap the desperate, the Law Dogs formed their own union under the leadership of Boss Wyatt. This new Law Dog Union protects and serves all people of the Lonestar, regardless of wealth or privilege. The Law Dogs have agreed under contract with the Chair to enforce the laws collectively passed by The San Saba Board within the San Saba Territories.

  • This is a possible CVC faction, and involvement in this group could involve CVC activity. There are still ways to participate without CVC, but the lines will blur easily.

Key PHrases

  • Law, Justice, Strength of Arms, Strength of Character, Principled

Why Should I Join?

The Law Dogs are those that seek to stand in the face of chaos and disorder by enforcing a social contract of law and justice in the world. They hold themselves to a higher standard, so that the greater good of society can benefit from their protection and order.

  • NOTE: Being a Law Dog in Dystopia Rising is a difficult choice. It’s far easier to embrace the counter culture of criminal influence in the game, so it requires much more effort to choose to be a “good guy” on purpose. This faction can also lean into complicated and challenging themes of law enforcement, but you should always veer away from themes of corruption or abuse.

Faction Objectives

  • Protect the Weak — A Law Dog’s first job is to protect the people of San Saba and to end immediate threats to the health and livelihood of those who live within. To a Law Dog, there is no such thing as an “Over There Problem”, and all pleas for aid must be considered and answered where possible for anyone in danger.

  • Provide Equal Justice Under the Law — For a people to believe in the laws and the social contract that keeps a society intact, they must believe in the fairness and equality of those laws.  The Law Dogs must create a safe society where all are equal. The Union focuses on rooting out corruption amongst their ranks and tries to honor the trust that citizens of the San Saba place into them.

  • Enforce the Laws of the San Saba — Per their contract with the San Saba Boards, the primary objective of the Law Dogs must always be to enforce the social contract of law and order within the San Saba Territories. This contract gives them absolute authority to operate as an armed militia in the region as well as the autonomy to pursue their charter. The only one that can speak to this contract is the Chair, and they are not directly beholden to any other voting member of the Board.

Casted Characters (NPCs)

  • Boss Wyatt

  • Gustav Glasseyes (Red Ledger)

  • Huckleberry the Bloodhound

  • Law Dogs & Hellhounds

Subfactions

  • Hell Hounds — If a dangerous suspect refuses to come in peacefully, The Wardens and The Law Dogs may choose to send out a Hell Hound who is authorized, by Union Bylaws, to use lethal force. Any Grave Tax incurred by eliminating a threat like this is covered by the Union instead of the Hell Hound.

  • Red Ledger — The local faction of the Red Ledger is heavily tied with Gustav Glasseyes, the leader of the national group. The Law Dogs are one of the primary ways to interact with this faction, but they are a distinct entity of their own. You can be a member of the Red Ledger without being a Law Dog, for instance.

traditions of the law dogs

  • Law vs. Good — The Union’s fundamental belief that laws are inherently fair and that equal enforcement leads to equal justice may also be fundamentally flawed. As the Board increases its power and passes more ordinances, the Union may come into conflict with itself but the core of the faction are true believers.

  • The Gauntlet — When a criminal is caught by the Law Dogs, the accused can request a trial by their peers in the form of the Gauntlet. Traditionally, this involves the criminal being tied up in the middle of the crossroads and being punished by their friends or the victims. The only limit of the Gauntlet is that you may not murder the accused. However, since it is a public affair, it can become a political showdown as the allies of the accused stand in the way of any that would try to hurt their friend.

Key Story Points

  • The Founding of the Union — In the fallout of the Fountainhead Incident, many of the Lonestar’s power brokers tried to press contracts to their breaking point and hearkened back to the Lonestar’s older darker past. Sickened by this abandonment of honor, the Law Dogs refused to enforce those contracts. From there, the Union was born. Boss Wyatt negotiated an agreement that allowed the Law Dogs autonomy in exchange for helping support the foundation of the San Saba’s law and order.

  • Dead Man’s Hand — The emergence of a new national faction, the Red Ledger, gave additional support to the Law Dogs Union. In addition to their own agents, they could outsource bounty hunting to other individuals. This allowed them to be more discriminating in who they recruit to their numbers, while funneling folks craving violence alone to the Strikers. The Law Dogs have become the elite law enforcement agency of the San Saba, allowed to specialize into what they do best.

favored skills & PFAs

  • Melee Standard (Bad-Ass)

  • Social Influence (Overlord)

  • Hunting (Wasteland Stalker)

  • Faith Vessel (Apocatastian Templar)

  • Unarmed Combat (Bone Breaker)