California & The Great Maze

California & The Great Maze

"Where California Fell Into the Sea, Exposing Ghost Rock and Unleashing a Labyrinth of Greed, Pirates, and Holy Terror"

In 1868, an earthquake shattered the West Coast with force the world had never witnessed. When the trembling stopped, California lay sundered—the coastline collapsed into the Pacific, leaving behind a vast labyrinth of towering stone mesas separated by flooded sea-channels. This nightmarish geography became known as the Great Maze, and it changed everything.

The Quake exposed rich deposits of ghost rock—that miraculous mineral burning a hundred times hotter than coal. Within months, fortune seekers flooded the Maze from across the continent. Boomtowns sprouted atop the cliff islands. Miners dangled from ropes, chipping precious ore from canyon walls while sharks circled the waters below. Ore barges navigated the channels carrying untold wealth. And pirates—Chinese warlords, Mexican forces, Union and Confederate raiders—hunted those barges like wolves tracking wounded deer.

Today in 1877, the Maze is arguably the most dangerous territory in the Weird West. Multiple factions fight for control of the ghost rock supply that fuels the war Back East. Reverend Ezekiah Grimme rules the City of Lost Angels with iron-fisted religious authority, having declared independence from both Union and Confederacy. General Santa Anna commands an army of the dead, raiding settlements for Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. Chinese warlords fortify island strongholds and control the port of Shan Fan. And somewhere in the chaos, desperate miners just try to strike it rich without getting killed.

The Maze offers fortune and doom in equal measure. Ghost rock makes millionaires overnight—or feeds them to the sharks when pirates attack. The question isn't whether you'll find wealth in the Maze. It's whether you'll live to spend it.

Geography of the Maze

The Great Maze stretches along what was once the California coastline from Mexicali to Oregon. The Quake didn't simply sink the land—it shattered it into a bewildering landscape unlike anywhere else on Earth:

The Labyrinth: Hundreds of flat-topped stone mesas rise from flooded channels, creating a maze of islands separated by seawater. Some islands measure miles across; others are barely large enough for a single building. The channels between them vary from narrow passages to wide bays. Navigation requires skill, knowledge, and luck—wrong turns lead to dead ends, pirate ambushes, or worse.

The Cliff Islands: Most settlements perch atop the mesas, accessible only by rope, ladder, or the occasional dangerous trail carved into stone. Heights range from thirty feet to several hundred. Miners lower themselves over the edges on ropes, chipping ghost rock from the vertical walls while sharks circle below waiting for someone to fall.

The Channels: Seawater fills the spaces between islands, creating a network of waterways that serve as the Maze's roads. Ore barges, pirate vessels, naval monitors, and desperate prospectors in rowboats all navigate these channels. The water is cold, deep, and infested with sharks drawn by the constant supply of corpses. Swimming is suicide unless you're truly desperate.

The Inland Side: Where the Maze meets the mainland, the landscape is harsh high desert—dry, hot, and sparse. Food is scarce. Water is scarce. This is where the City of Lost Angels sits, controlling access between the Maze and the rest of the continent.

Climate and Hazards

The Maze presents unique environmental challenges:

Weather: Fog rolls through the channels with alarming frequency, reducing visibility to yards and making navigation treacherous. Rain creates dangerous currents. Wind whips between the stone walls unpredictably, catching sailors off guard. Storms can trap vessels against cliffs or dash them to pieces on rocks.

Aftershocks: The Quake may have ended in 1868, but the land hasn't finished settling. Minor tremors occur regularly. Occasionally, larger aftershocks send rockslides tumbling from the mesas, crushing anyone unfortunate enough to be below. Miners working the canyon walls learn to recognize the warning rumble—those who don't end up in shark bellies.

The Sharks: Something about the Maze attracts sharks in unnatural numbers. They're bigger and more aggressive than normal. Some claim ghost rock runoff makes them that way. Others whisper about worse things hiding in the deep channels. Whatever the cause, falling into the water usually means death within minutes.

Maze Dragons: Massive serpentine creatures—fifty yards long with thick scales—hunt the deeper channels. These "dragons" attack ore barges and prospector camps with terrifying regularity. Their exact nature remains debated, but their appetite for human flesh is well-documented. Most folks figure they emerged when California fell into the sea. The Chinese warlords named them, and the name stuck.

The City of Lost Angels

Fear Level: 5

The City of Lost Angels sits on the inland cliffs overlooking the Bay of Prosperity, commanding the gateway between the Maze and the mainland. With a population approaching 20,000, it's the largest settlement in the region—and the strangest.

The Savior of California

In the wake of the Great Quake, thousands of survivors struggled inland through the Maze—swimming shark-infested channels, scaling cliffs, starving and desperate. The most successful group followed Reverend Ezekiah Grimme, a charismatic preacher who somehow provided food and water for his entire congregation during the impossible journey.

When Grimme's followers reached the inland side, he proclaimed the natural spring they discovered a sign from God. This would be their new home—a sanctuary for his "lost angels." Other refugees eventually found their way to Grimme's camp. The settlement grew slowly until ghost rock was discovered, then exploded into a boomtown almost overnight.

Within three years, the City of Lost Angels had 20,000 residents and served as the primary shipping point for ghost rock coming out of the Maze. Grimme's Church of Lost Angels provided weekly feasts after Sunday services—an invaluable service in a region where food is scarce and expensive. The Reverend became beloved as the Savior of California.

The Dark Truth

What most citizens don't know—what they *can't* know—is that Reverend Grimme died during the escape from the Quake's devastation. Like the survivors of the infamous Donner Party, some of Grimme's followers resorted to cannibalism when starvation set in. The righteous preacher refused to participate. He died. And then, in a dark miracle witnessed by horrified survivors, Grimme's gnawed bones stitched themselves together with bloody sinew and rotting flesh. He rose from the dead, still wearing his tattered priest's suit.

But this wasn't the good-hearted man who'd led them from the ruins. This was an abomination—a fearmonger created by the Reckoners to exploit a desperate situation. The resurrected Grimme embraced cannibalism and demanded his followers hunt other refugees for food. When more survivors arrived, he took a subtler approach: providing food and shelter while his inner circle quietly took the weak in their sleep.

Today, Grimme leads a cannibal cult disguised as a church. His dark powers prevent his followers from transforming into ghouls or wendigos—the usual fate of those who eat human flesh. And through supernatural means, those powers appear divine to anyone witnessing them within seventy-five miles of Lost Angels. When Grimme performs "miracles," they look like the work of God Himself.

The Edict of '77

In late 1877, Grimme made his boldest move yet: he declared the City of Lost Angels and a seventy-five mile radius around it an independent sovereign state. He abolished civil government, establishing a theocracy with himself as absolute ruler. Citizens faced a simple choice: join the Church or get out.

Outsiders may still travel to Lost Angels, but they have virtually no rights within city limits. Neither the Union nor Confederacy recognizes Grimme's authority, but neither has resources to do anything about it. The rail barons are furious—they've gambled fortunes on reaching the Maze, only to have access blocked by a madman. But Grimme's Guardian Angels enforce his will absolutely, and rumors of their capabilities make even hardened gunfighters nervous.

The Church's Power

Grimme maintains control through multiple mechanisms:

Food Dependency: Grimme secretly uses his powers to cause crop failures and cattle diseases, keeping food prices artificially high. This makes his weekly church feasts essential for survival. Who's going to rebel against the man feeding you?

Guardian Angels: These "holy warriors" serve as Lost Angels' police force. They're organized in five-man units called "flights" and enforce church law with zealous brutality. Most Angels are thugs looking for violent work who have no idea they're foot soldiers for a cannibal cult. The inner circle knows the truth—and they're true believers.

The Cult of Lost Angels: Within the larger Church exists a secret inner cult of knowing participants in Grimme's cannibalism. These dark priests wield black magic powers that appear divine within Grimme's sphere of influence. They summon "bloody ones"—zombies reconstructed from their victims' gnawed bones—as both weapons and symbols of Grimme's resurrection.

Bloody Sunday (1877): During Sunday services earlier this year, "demons" attacked the cathedral, slaughtering many churchgoers. Grimme drove them off with apparent holy power. In truth, the massacre was a ritual sacrifice that permanently expanded Grimme's sphere of influence to seventy-five miles. Within that radius, his abominations and those of his priests appear as miracles.

Other Major Powers

Santa Anna's Crusade

General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna—the self-proclaimed "Napoleon of the West"—commands Mexican forces in the Maze. His story is one of humiliation and bitter vengeance:

Santa Anna lost Texas at San Jacinto in 1836 (and his leg in the process—the Texans kept it as a trophy). He lost to the United States again in 1848 during the Mexican-American War. After those defeats, he went into self-imposed exile. But when France conquered Mexico and installed Emperor Maximilian in 1863, the new ruler offered Santa Anna command of the remaining Mexican army—in exchange for conquering the ghost rock-rich Maze.

Santa Anna accepted. He can't match Union or Confederate forces in open battle, so he's resorted to terror tactics. His brilliantly uniformed regular troops are mostly for show—his real army moves at night.

The Ejército de los Muertos (Army of the Dead): Santa Anna's true military power comes from his aide-de-camp, Xitlan—a mysterious shaman (actually an undead liche) who claims descent from ancient Aztec sorcerers. Xitlan raises the dead as zombie soldiers: rotting corpses in the green tunics and bronze breastplates of the Tulancingo Cuirassiers, carrying carbines, sabers, and lances. These undead warriors are disciplined, ruthless, and utterly loyal.

Santa Anna's forces raid settlements throughout the Maze, massacring residents and forcing survivors to flee. His scouts range as far as Arizona and the Texas border, searching for something. What that might be remains unknown, but it worries everyone who knows about it.

The Chinese Warlords

Chinese immigrants in California faced brutal oppression before the Great Quake. When warlords from mainland China established strongholds in the Maze, bringing their own warriors, the existing Chinese population flocked to their colorful banners by the hundreds. Now the warlords control island fortresses throughout the heart of the Maze, with scores of leaky sampans sheltering in their shadows.

Tactics: The warlords' ships—everything from salvaged ironclads to swift sampans—scour the Maze looking for prospector camps. Spies determine if miners have struck ghost rock. If they have, warriors move in and claim the land. Those foolish enough to argue soon find themselves swimming with sharks.

Kang: The most powerful warlord is the enigmatic rail baron Kang, owner of Iron Dragon Railroad. Kang made his fortune through piracy, the opium trade, prostitution, and every other vice imaginable. He's a ruthlessly efficient warlord, superior martial artist, and accomplished sorcerer. His ambition is to establish his own nation in the northern Maze—and he has the money and power to make it happen. His warriors use a devastating fighting style combining swords, bare hands, and firearms that few can match.

Shan Fan: The Chinese warlords maintain safe haven at Shan Fan, a port city three hundred miles north of Lost Angels. The city is run by a consortium of Chinese criminal gangs called triads. While the triads constantly fight each other for control, they present a united front against outside threats. Shan Fan serves as a waypoint for ghost rock shipments and a convenient place for Maze pirates to dispose of stolen goods.

Union & Confederate Forces

Both sides of the war maintain Pacific fleets in the Maze, though neither has sufficient strength to dominate the region:

Union Advantages: The North has more men and ships, maintaining Fort Lincoln as their primary base in the northern Maze. Their raiders use small steam-powered boats, relying on stealth rather than firepower. They slip aboard Confederate ore-haulers at night, take the crew hostage, and steal the ghost rock. Union raiders generally put captives ashore before scuttling the vessels.

Confederate Response: The South has fewer but more experienced crews and better vessels. Confederate raiders are less honorable than their Union counterparts—they're more likely to kill prisoners or press them into service. Both sides avoid major engagements, knowing they're too evenly matched and vulnerable to other threats.

The Problem: Neither Union nor Confederacy can control the Maze while facing each other, Santa Anna's undead army, Chinese warlords, and Grimme's Guardian Angels simultaneously. They maintain their toeholds and ship what ghost rock they can, but true control remains elusive.

The Mexican Armada

Emperor Maximilian's official naval forces patrol the southern Maze and California coast. These heavily armed flotillas are disciplined, ruthless, and unimaginative—but effective. Where Santa Anna uses terror, the Armada uses brute force.

The Armada works in coordination with Santa Anna's land forces, providing naval support for raids and transporting troops and supplies. The few American naval victories against them have come through wit rather than firepower—the outgunned Union and Confederate forces sometimes even ally against their common Mexican enemy.

Independent Pirates

Beyond the major factions, countless independent "rogues" hunt the Maze for profit. These pirates range from honorable operators who follow the "code of the sea" to bloodthirsty cutthroats who'll murder for ghost rock dust. Their vessels vary from salvaged ironclads to rowboats barely bigger than coffins.

Rogues have to be tough to survive with no one watching their backs. Some of them are the deadliest fighters in the Maze precisely because they've outlasted everyone who tried to kill them.

Daily Life in the Maze

Mining Operations

Ghost rock mining in the Maze is brutally dangerous work. Miners lower themselves on ropes from the cliff tops, swinging against vertical walls to chip ore from exposed seams. A frayed rope, a sudden wind gust, or an aftershock sends them plummeting into shark-infested waters below.

Claims are fiercely contested. Pirates raid camps regularly. Rival miners sometimes cut competitors' ropes. Even successful miners face the challenge of getting their ore to market without losing it—or their lives—to the countless predators prowling the channels.

Food Scarcity

The inland side of the Maze is harsh desert poorly suited for crops. Cattle brought to the region suffer from Texas fever and prairie ticks. Meat costs five to six times normal prices, and a loaf of bread sometimes costs a week's wages. Starvation is a real threat that drives desperate people to desperate measures—including the cannibalism Grimme encourages.

This scarcity makes Grimme's weekly church feasts incredibly valuable. Even those who don't believe his teachings attend services for the free food. It's survival, not faith.

The Prospector's Life

Thousands of prospectors work claims throughout the Maze, living in ramshackle camps atop the islands or in the rubble below. They're a hard, paranoid lot—and with good reason. Pirates, raiders, claim jumpers, and supernatural threats all want what they've dug from the walls.

Successful prospectors face the challenge of transporting their ore to Lost Angels or Shan Fan without getting robbed. Ore barges travel in convoys for protection, but convoys attract attention from every predator in the Maze. Independent operators often hire guards or disguise their cargo—though that rarely works.

Most prospectors die broke, killed by falls, pirates, sharks, Maze dragons, or simple bad luck. The few who strike it rich have to survive long enough to spend it—which is harder than it sounds.

Supernatural Threats

The average fear level in the Great Maze is 2, rising to 3 within five miles of any settlement Santa Anna has recently razed. The City of Lost Angels maintains fear level 5—the highest in the Weird West.

Maze Dragons

These serpentine behemoths—fifty yards long with thick, slimy scales—are among the Maze's most feared creatures. They're real, documented, and accepted as natural animals despite clearly being nothing of the sort. Maze dragons attack ships, camps, and anyone unfortunate enough to be in the water. Their mouths are large enough to swallow people whole, crushing victims with their muscular gullets while acid burns through flesh.

The Bloody Ones

Grimme's cultists sometimes receive enchanted bones from victims. When thrown on the ground, these bones summon "bloody ones"—zombies reconstructed from gnawed corpses, dripping gore and sporting putrefying organs. They look much like Grimme did during his resurrection. These horrors follow their summoner's orders but only work for cult members. Non-cultists who try using the bones become the bloody one's first meal.

Other Abominations

The constant violence, fear, and death in the Maze attracts supernatural predators. Ghouls haunt the channels, feeding on corpses. Night haunts terrify prospectors in isolated camps. And worse things hide in the deep places where even pirates fear to go.

Survival Guide

If your business takes you into the Great Maze, here's what you need to survive:

Travel in Groups

Solo travelers don't last long. Join a convoy, hire guards, or find partners. Multiple sets of eyes spot threats earlier, and there's safety in numbers—assuming your companions don't murder you for your ghost rock.

Know the Channels

Navigation in the Maze is treacherous. Hire a guide who knows the routes, or be prepared to get lost in dead-end channels while pirates close in. Fog makes navigation nearly impossible—wait it out or risk running aground.

Watch the Water

Sharks are everywhere. Maze dragons hunt the deeper channels. Never assume the water is safe. If you go in, have a way out fast—and probably accept you're not coming back.

Respect Grimme's Authority in Lost Angels

If you must visit the City of Lost Angels, understand that Grimme's word is law within the city and seventy-five miles around it. Guardian Angels enforce his edicts without mercy. Outsiders have no legal rights. Keep your head down, conduct business quickly, and leave. Don't ask questions about the weekly feasts—you really don't want those answers.

Never Join the Church

No matter how hungry you get, no matter how good the free food smells, resist joining Grimme's Church of Lost Angels. Once you're in, getting out is difficult—and discovering the truth about what you've been eating is worse. Those who learn too much about the inner cult tend to disappear.

Avoid Chinese Warlord Territories

If you see colorful sampans or island fortresses flying Chinese banners, give them wide berth unless you have business with specific warlords. Kang's forces are particularly ruthless about claim jumping and killing witnesses. Trespassing on claimed territory usually ends badly.

Don't Trust Anyone Completely

The Maze attracts desperate, greedy, and violent people. Your partner today might be your murderer tomorrow if he thinks he can get away with it. Watch your back, secure your belongings, and never reveal how much ghost rock you're actually carrying.

Prepare for Food Scarcity

Bring preserved food and water. Prices in the Maze are outrageous, and supplies run out. Plan for twice as much as you think you'll need—you can always sell extras at inflated prices if you don't use them.

The Great Maze is California transformed into nightmare geography—a labyrinth of stone islands, shark-filled channels, and fortunes built on the bones of those who came before. Reverend Grimme's cannibal cult controls Lost Angels and the surrounding territory, appearing as holy saviors while secretly devouring the weak. Santa Anna's army of the dead raids from the south. Chinese warlords command island fortresses. And desperate miners dangle from ropes above the sharks, chipping ghost rock from canyon walls and praying they'll live to spend their earnings.

For Troubleshooters operating in or near the Maze, understand that this is the most dangerous region in the Weird West. Multiple factions fight for control of the world's richest ghost rock deposits. The constant violence feeds supernatural horrors that hunt the channels and camps. Trust is a luxury you cannot afford. And if someone offers you free food in Lost Angels, politely decline—you really don't want to know what's in it. The Maze offers fortune and death in equal measure. Which one claims you depends on skill, luck, and how long you can survive when everyone wants what you have.