Railroad Conglomerate

Summary

The new Railroad Conglomerate (or RRC) is the result of a forced buyout and merger of the Railroad Commission (a Pureblood land holdings company that rose to claim the land’s natural resources after the Hiway War) and the Conglomerate (an academic Digitatian technocracy) orchestrated by The Chairman. The RRC has become the seat of geographic, technological, and financial power in the San Saba Territories and leverages that power to fulfill their objectives. Although The Chair is the legal and contracted owner of the new RRC, the day to day operations are left to its C.E.O. Felicity Redfield and C.O.O. Dr. Stewart. The RRC is headquartered in Waking.

The influence of the RRC continues to grow as their network of Oxlines spread across the waste. As “safer” travel options connect the settlements together, the world seems to grow closer every day under the ceaseless logistics of expansion. With each rail tie and spike placed, the RRC brings new resources and connections into the sleepy town of Bravado Station.

Key PHRASES

  • Capitalism, Expansion and Civilization, Organization, Company Politics

Why Should I Join?

The RRC is for the explorers, the economic focused entrepreneurs, and those interested in advancing the technology of the wastes. The RRC can be ruthless capitalists, but no one can argue with their success. If you want a say in the future of the San Saba Territories, the RRC is the vehicle that will forge the future.

Faction Objectives

  • Expand the San Saba Ox Line, at any cost — The central project of the RRC is the expansion of the rail network that connects the Lonestar and to the eventual expansion across the wastes.  With the Hell Dorado line being worked on through the Dune Sea to Barogue and the East Line headed to the Spoiled Coast, this is the primary project of the RRC.

  • Employ workers, build infrastructure, and acquire resources needed to civilize the Lonestar — The RRC is focused on expanding their influence throughout the Wastes, and that means they must be constantly focused on the bottom line of acquiring resources and committing them to the grand vision.

  • Do Work, Get Paid — The RRC believes in the transformative power of a hard day’s work and a well earned pay stub. For this reason, they are often the first faction that new players have an interaction with as the RRC will always have a brass-paying job ready for characters. It is important that the faction remain a fair employer rather than exploitative of its workers.

Casted Characters (NPCs)

  • Felicity Redfield, CEO

  • Janus Stewart, “The Scientist”, COO

  • The Chair

  • Lady Primrose Blackwater

Subfactions

  • Upper Management — The former accountants and executives of The Railroad Commission, press ganged into supporting the faction’s position by a fear of losing their place within the status quo.

  • R&D — The former scientists and researchers of The Conglomerate. They may even house a few Aggies who, after the fall of Aggieland, have taken on new identities within the folds of R&D. The scientists of the R&D division are primarily responsible for the technology behind the Ox and the Oxline.

  • The Prufrock Firm — A “family” of Townies who have come under the employ of The RRC as attorneys and “fixers”. They make contact with contractors and take actions when Upper Management or R&D don’t want to get their hands dirty. They always wear blue gloves.

Traditions of the RRC:

  • Investor Luncheons — Whenever a member of the RRC’s upper management is about to embark on a new endeavor they will often host a small exclusive gala (Re: Characters with Financial and Social Influence) to get in on the ground floor of investment. These meetings are frequently a place where power is brokered and rumors are born.

  • Delves — Once a staple of the RRC, they have somewhat been disregarded as a “hobby”. The Chair internally blames the previous management’s obsession with archeology for the financial failure of the previous incarnation of the RRC and has diverted funds away from the practice. Felicity Redfield still believes that there is power to be held in the secrets of the past, and privately funds delving operations in Bravado.

  • Contracts — Although the practices of Contract Mandates and Vagrancy have fallen out of fashion, the RRC still keeps detailed written and signed contracts for nearly every agreement they partake in. Often, the Prufrock Firm serves as both notary and solicitor to ensure those that make deals with the RRC cannot break them easily.

  • Invention Exchange — Once an internal cultural practice with the Conglomerate, the “Invention Exchange” has become a part of the formal etiquette of R&D. It is a grand and endless competition of innovative one-upmanship… so much so that the average RD member will think it rude if you do not have SOMETHING to share with them, even if it’s only a rough sketch on the back of a cocktail napkin.

The Families of Waking Prime

  • Dellison: This family specializes in medical science, particularly research into imprints, grave sciences, and good old fashioned anatomy and physiology.  Their founder is known for pioneering successful organ transplants for the Candlepin company, and is considered one of the best doctors in the region.  The San Saba Board and the RRC have excellent medical benefits thanks to the Dellisons.

  • Hackard: One of the most important families in the RRC by wealth and privilege, the Hackards were the genius inventors behind the formulations of Oxblood, a biodiesel fuel used by most of the locomotive engines that run along the Oxlines, and assisted Dr. Sung with the creation of the Ox itself.

  • Kwolk: This family may be considered eccentric by most, but their mastery of clockwork gear systems, steam, and the various mechanical engines used throughout Waking Prime make them invaluable to the RRC.  They are watchmakers and fine craftsmen of gizmos, small contraptions, and most of the radio technology used by the floating city.

  • Tinstrument: The most politically powerful family, thanks to the efforts of Mayor Tinstrument, this was the founding family of the Conglomerate.  Their speciality in solar power and alternative fuels led to the creation of the Capacity Engine, the mighty oldcestor creation that keeps the city of Waking afloat.

  • Buzzbee: Easily identified by their maroon colors and Tainted scientists, the Buzzbee family is one of the oldest institutions in Waking.  They created the lightning rod system that brings power to the city’s lesser systems, and the storm alert system that detects weather changes and navigation.  Masters of electricity, they collect oldcestor technology in hopes of recreating the marvels of the time before the fall.

  • Skyline: One of the newer families of Waking, their genius lies in the creation of lenses and glassworks, used throughout the city to repair telescopes, windows, glassware, and more. The delicate and intricate glass and copper constructions of the Skylines are highly desired by most of the scientists in the collective. While their devices may seem simple at first, they are masters of subtlety and have excelled in the cutthroat politics of Waking’s elite.

Key Story Points

  • The Merger — The events of The Fountainhead represented a significant financial failure by both the Commission and the Conglomerate, which The Chair took advantage of to acquire, merge, and reorganize. Most members of the new RRC are quite fond of the results, with the notable exception of Felicity who privately resents this check on her authority and progress.

  • The Formation of The San Saba Board — The RRC became the figurehead of the newly formed San Saba Board, and is the only faction to control two votes on the largest governing body in the Lone Star. By wrangling the collective might of the most powerful factions in the San Saba, they have forced a sense of law and order onto the lawless wastes.

  • The Lost City — The discovery of the lost city of Barogue has enabled the RRC to pour their resources into expanding the Oxline through the desert and towards the Broken Coast. While the East Line to the Spoiled Coast continues to expand, much of their effort this season is directly towards expanding the West Line.

  • The Treaty of Requiem — Felicity has recently established a new trade agreement with the northern settlement of Requiem, in the Fold. This agreement honors the recently completed northern Oxline, and offers easy travel to the north without braving the normal weeks of dangerous travel through zed-infested wilderness. Supplies and strange equipment from the north has already been seen in Essex and Bravado.

Favored Skills & PFAS

  • Florentine (Mercenary)

  • Financial Influence (Fiscal Mysticist)

  • Salvaging (Avontuur)

  • Faithful Patterns (Doctrinarian)

  • Trade Connections (Entrepreneur)