Deseret

The Republic of Deseret

"Where Faith Meets Industry and the Future Burns Ghost-Rock Bright"

The Republic of Deseret occupies the Utah Territory and stands as one of the Weird West's great paradoxes: a deeply religious society that's become the most technologically advanced place on Earth. Salt Lake City, the capital, produces wonders of ghost-rock powered machinery that rival anything Back East—but at a cost measured in polluted air, exploited labor, and souls potentially damned.

President Brigham Young leads the Latter-day Saints with a combination of spiritual authority and political cunning. His people fled persecution to find refuge in Utah's harsh desert. They survived starvation, fought off raiders, and built a thriving community through faith and hard work. Then in 1866, Young declared independence from both Union and Confederacy, creating the sovereign nation of Deseret. Neither Washington nor Richmond could spare the troops to dispute his claim.

Everything changed in 1870 when Professor Darius Hellstromme arrived. The brilliant—some say mad—scientist brought technological marvels that transformed Salt Lake City from an isolated religious community into an industrial powerhouse. Hellstromme's factories churn out ghost-rock powered devices day and night, hidden beneath a perpetual cloud of soot that earned the city its nickname: the City o' Gloom.

The Saints prosper from Hellstromme's innovations, but prosperity came with complications. Thousands of "gentiles" (non-Mormons) flooded into the city for factory work. The religious community now shares its homeland with outsiders who don't follow their laws or beliefs, creating tensions that simmer beneath Deseret's orderly surface.

The Territory

Deseret encompasses all of the Utah Territory, a land of dramatic contrasts and harsh beauty:

The Wasatch Mountains: The towering Wasatch Range runs north-south through the territory. These mountains hold rich deposits of ore—silver, copper, and precious ghost rock. Mammoth conveyor belts miles long transport ore from mountain mines to Salt Lake City's factories, mechanical marvels that Hellstromme designed himself.

The Great Salt Lake: This massive inland sea dominates northern Utah. The water is so salty that nothing survives in it—not even the fearsome salt rattlers that plague the surrounding flats. Mormon workers harvest salt using shallow boats with special nets manufactured by Hellstromme Industries. The brine is two-thirds table salt, making it a valuable export commodity.

The Salt Flats: West of Salt Lake City stretch endless white flats of crystallized salt. Beautiful but deadly. The salt rattlers—massive worms that tunnel through earth but can't survive in solid salt or water—hunt here. Before Hellstromme's arrival in 1870, these creatures claimed many Mormon pilgrims crossing the flats. Now, Hellstromme's horseless carriages outrace the monsters, and some hunters even pursue the rattlers for their valuable meat and armor.

High Desert: Much of Deseret consists of arid desert and scrubland. Water is precious. Settlements cluster near rivers and springs. The Mormons have become experts at irrigation and water management, coaxing crops from reluctant soil through engineering and determination.

Geography and Climate

Utah sits at high elevation. Salt Lake City itself rests nearly a mile above sea level. Summers are hot and dry. Winters bring heavy snow to the mountains and bitter cold to the valleys. Spring and fall are brief but beautiful transitions between extremes.

The harsh climate shaped the Mormon character. These aren't soft people. They survived conditions that would have killed weaker settlers. They learned to plan ahead, store supplies for lean years, and work together as a community. These traits serve them well in dealing with the political and supernatural threats of 1877.

Salt Lake City: The City o' Gloom

Salt Lake City is the spiritual and temporal center of Deseret, home to over 20,000 souls—though that number grows daily as gentiles flood in seeking factory work.

The city is divided into two distinct sections that tell the story of Deseret's transformation:

Salt Lake City Proper

The Mormon quarter remains clean, orderly, and relatively peaceful. Wide streets laid out in a careful grid system. Tidy homes surrounded by gardens coaxing vegetables from desert soil. The massive temple dominates the skyline, its construction ongoing as the faithful labor to create a house worthy of God.

Mormons live comfortably here. Hellstromme's wealth flows through their community, funding schools, hospitals, and improvements. The air is cleaner than in other parts of the city—the prevailing winds carry industrial pollution away from Mormon neighborhoods. Some whisper that the Lord favors His chosen people by sparing them the worst of the soot and smoke. Others note that Brigham Young strategically located factories downwind.

Gentiles are not forbidden from Mormon sections, but tacit social discrimination makes them unwelcome. Non-Mormon visitors receive polite but distant treatment. Those who cause trouble or disrespect Mormon customs find themselves facing the Nauvoo Legion or worse—whispered rumors speak of the Danites dealing with serious threats to the community.

Junkyard

The industrial district sprawls east of Salt Lake City proper, a grimy testament to the cost of progress. Hellstromme Industries and Smith & Robards operate massive factories here, belching ghost-rock smoke day and night. The constant pollution earned the entire city its "City o' Gloom" nickname, though the Mormons suffer far less than the gentiles trapped in Junkyard.

The Steel Sky: Junkyard's most distinctive feature is the twisted latticework of pipes, ducts, and wires overhead—a metal canopy that blocks most sunlight from large sections of the district. Thousands of high-voltage wires and natural gas pipes bring power to those who can afford it, snaking through the urban tangle like mechanical vines.

Living Conditions: Junkyard is one of the most crowded urban areas in North America. Workers live in cramped tenements. Disease spreads easily. The air is thick with ghost-rock soot that coats everything and everyone. Life expectancy is notably shorter here than in Mormon sections—some from pollution-related illness, some from industrial accidents, some from the violence that erupts when desperate people compete for too few resources.

The Trap: Most gentiles came to Junkyard planning to work for just a few years, make some money, and move on. Life in the city is incredibly expensive though. Workers find themselves trapped in endless cycles of wage slavery, earning just enough to survive but never enough to escape. The factories always need more laborers, and Hellstromme doesn't care how long any individual lasts.

Smith & Robards

While Hellstromme Industries dominates Junkyard, Smith & Robards Company maintains its presence as the gentile face of mad science in Deseret. This company manufactures and sells ghost-rock devices to customers throughout the West. Their catalog includes everything from basic steam-powered tools to exotic contraptions that push the boundaries of what's mechanically possible.

Mad scientists throughout the Weird West dream of getting their inventions into the Smith & Robards catalog. The company has showrooms in Junkyard where customers can examine and purchase equipment directly. They also ship devices via railroad to distant markets, spreading Deseret's technological marvels across the continent.

The Mormon Faith

Understanding Deseret requires understanding the Latter-day Saints:

Beliefs: Mormons follow teachings revealed to their first prophet, Joseph Smith. They believe Christ visited America shortly after His resurrection. An angel showed Smith golden plates describing God's chosen people fleeing the Holy Land to the Americas. Smith was instructed to establish this new religion to replace other misguided faiths.

Beyond their unique origin story and continuing practice of polygamy (having multiple wives), Mormon beliefs differ little from other Christian denominations. They emphasize hard work, community support, self-reliance, and preparing for hardship. The harsh desert environment reinforced these values.

Polygamy: The Saints' practice of plural marriage sets them apart and fuels much of the prejudice they faced Back East. Mormon men may take multiple wives—though only the prosperous can afford to support multiple families. This practice, considered scandalous by the rest of America, was one reason Mormons suffered persecution that eventually drove them west.

Theocracy: Deseret is a theocracy. Brigham Young serves as both prophet (spiritual leader) and president (political leader). The church hierarchy makes governmental decisions. Religious law and civil law are one and the same for Mormons, though gentiles are generally held to slightly different standards to avoid constant conflict.

Community Focus: The Saints take care of their own. Widows don't starve. Orphans find homes. The sick receive treatment. This communal support system is both genuine religious conviction and practical survival strategy—in Utah's harsh environment, cooperation means life and isolation means death.

The History

Early Years (1830-1847)

Joseph Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830. The Saints established communities in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, but clashed violently with their neighbors each time. Religious differences, political tensions, and Mormon group solidarity bred suspicion and hatred. In 1844, a mob murdered Joseph Smith.

Brigham Young, Smith's successor, made the difficult decision: the Mormons would go west, far beyond America's borders, to a place so remote and inhospitable that no one else would want it. In 1847, Young led his people to the Great Salt Lake basin. Legend says he surveyed the valley and declared, "This is the place."

Utah Territory (1847-1866)

The Mormons survived through faith, hard work, and Young's strategic leadership. Young orchestrated Utah's quick conversion to US territorial status, giving the Saints legal protection and structure. They enjoyed isolation and autonomy, governing themselves according to their own laws.

The Gold Rush of 1849 changed everything. Thousands of "gentiles" passed through Utah heading for California. Some stayed. The newcomers couldn't or wouldn't live by Mormon laws, especially regarding polygamy. Tensions rose. The US government, responding to complaints about polygamy and Mormon theocracy, sent troops. Armed conflicts erupted between Mormons and the US Army.

When the Civil War began in 1861, both Union and Confederacy largely forgot about Utah. The Mormons enjoyed a few years of relative peace—until 1866.

Independence (1866)

By 1866, the Civil War showed no signs of ending. Conflicts with gentiles continued. The US government couldn't effectively govern a territory so far from Washington. Brigham Young saw his opportunity and seized it.

Young declared that the Mormons would rule themselves until the United States government had time and resources to properly address the Saints' concerns and complaints. He named the new nation "Deseret"—from their scriptures, meaning "honeybee," symbolizing industry and cooperation.

Neither Union nor Confederacy could spare troops to dispute the declaration. Both had bigger problems. So Deseret achieved de facto independence through timing and necessity.

The Hellstromme Era (1870-Present)

Professor Darius Hellstromme arrived in 1870 and changed everything. His horseless carriages conquered the salt rattlers. His factories brought wealth. His inventions transformed Salt Lake City from a remote religious community into an industrial powerhouse.

With prosperity came problems. Gentile workers flooded in. Junkyard expanded. Pollution choked the air. Some Mormons began questioning whether the cost was too high. A few spoke out—and died under mysterious circumstances.

Whispers speak of the Danites reforming to fight Hellstromme's influence. Others say the Danites work for Hellstromme, silencing dissent. The truth is murky, but the fear is real.

Government and Leadership

President Brigham Young

At 76 years old, Brigham Young remains sharp, capable, and firmly in control. He led the Mormons to Utah. He declared independence. He made the strategic decision to welcome Hellstromme despite his doubts. Young is a survivor who makes hard choices and lives with the consequences.

Young's leadership style combines religious authority with political pragmatism. He consults with church elders on major decisions but ultimately holds final say as prophet-president. His sermons shape Mormon opinion. His policies govern Deseret. His vision—that Hellstromme will someday destroy the world—haunts his nights, but he believes keeping Hellstromme close is better than letting him operate unchecked elsewhere.

The Church Elders

A council of elders advises Young and helps administer Deseret. These men hold both religious authority and political power. They oversee territorial districts, resolve disputes, and ensure Mormon communities follow church teachings. In Deseret, there's no separation between church and state—the elders are both spiritual leaders and government officials.

The Nauvoo Legion

Deseret's official military force consists of 400 men in the Nauvoo Legion. Well-trained, well-equipped (thanks to Hellstromme's factories), and fiercely loyal to Brigham Young, the Legion protects Deseret's borders, maintains order, and ensures the republic's independence.

The Legion operates as both army and police force. They patrol the territory, respond to threats, and back up local law enforcement when needed. Most Legionnaires are devout Mormons who view military service as religious duty. They don't drink, smoke, or carouse like other soldiers. They're disciplined, effective, and dangerous to anyone who threatens the Saints.

The Danites

The Church officially denies the Danites exist. Most outsiders believe they're real anyway.

The Danites were always a secret society, charged with protecting Brigham Young and eliminating threats to the Mormon community. In recent years, they've become even more secretive. Citizens who speak out against industrialization or Hellstromme's influence often wind up dead. Are the Danites killing dissenters on Hellstromme's orders? Or are they trying to expose Hellstromme's evil?

Some whisper that the Danites are reforming to fight Hellstromme's corruption. Others claim Hellstromme has corrupted the Danites themselves. The truth is that both factions exist: traditionalist Danites working as saboteurs against Hellstromme's worst schemes, and corrupted enforcers who hunt down resistance. The only certainty is that strangers in Utah who ask too many questions about the Danites tend to disappear.

Law Enforcement

Sheriff Eli Waters

Eli Waters is Salt Lake City's chief lawman. Tough, hard-bitten, he dresses like Bat Masterson but acts more like Wyatt Earp. Waters and his half-dozen deputies do their best to keep the peace in a city increasingly divided between Mormon and gentile populations.

Waters walks a difficult line. He answers to Mormon authorities but must deal fairly with gentiles to prevent riots. He knows about the Nauvoo Legion watching his every move. He suspects the Danites exist but pretends ignorance for his own safety. It's a job that would break lesser men, but Waters is neither lesser nor easily broken.

The sheriff maintains at least three deputies on duty at any time. They patrol Mormon and gentile sections equally, enforce local ordinances, and respond to violence before it escalates. Waters has earned respect from both communities through consistent fairness—though neither fully trusts him.

The Reality of Law

Three layers of law enforcement operate in Deseret:

Local Sheriffs: Handle day-to-day law enforcement—bar fights, thefts, domestic disputes, public drunkenness.

The Nauvoo Legion: Deals with serious crimes, territorial security, and threats to Mormon interests. They have authority to override local sheriffs when "necessary for Deseret's security."

The Danites: Operate in shadows, handling threats that require permanent solutions and absolute secrecy. No courts, no trials, no mercy.

Smart lawbreakers know which authority they'd prefer to face. Getting arrested by Waters means a cell and a trial. Getting caught by the Nauvoo Legion means military justice—harsh but predictable. Crossing the Danites means disappearing into the desert, never to be found.

Industry and Economy

Manufacturing

Hellstromme Industries dominates Deseret's economy. The factories produce:

• Ghost-rock devices: Steam engines, mechanical men, weapons, tools, vehicles
• Rail equipment: Locomotives, cars, track components for the Wasatch Railroad
• Mining machinery: Powered drills, ore processors, conveyor systems
• Experimental inventions: Devices that push the boundaries of what's possible—and sometimes fail catastrophically

Smith & Robards produces and sells mad science devices to customers across the West. Their catalog is the gold standard for inventors hoping to commercialize their creations.

Mining

The Wasatch Mountains hold rich ore deposits. Mammoth conveyor belts transport ore to factories, a sight that awes visitors—miles of mechanical belts carrying tons of rock across mountain valleys, powered by ghost-rock engines that never stop.

Ghost rock mining is particularly lucrative but dangerous. The vapor accumulating in mines can ignite catastrophically. Breathing it causes rock fever—hallucinations, madness, permanent damage. Miners carry caged canaries to warn of dangerous vapor buildup. It's a hard life that pays well for those who survive.

Salt Harvesting

The Great Salt Lake's brine is two-thirds table salt. Shallow boats with Hellstromme-manufactured nets harvest it by the ton. Salt is valuable throughout the West for food preservation, making this a steady income source requiring less dangerous labor than mining.

Salt Rattler Hunting

Only the bravest—or most insane—hunt salt rattlers. These massive worms tunnel through earth at high speed, sensing vibrations from surface prey. They're intelligent, aggressive, and nearly impossible to kill with conventional weapons.

Some hunters use massive land ships—armored vehicles that can withstand rattler attacks. Smaller crews deploy strange gliders, dropping dynamite on their prey from above. Either method is incredibly dangerous. Rattler meat fetches high prices (it's edible if properly prepared), and their armor makes valuable protection. But many hunters don't survive their first encounter.

The Wasatch Railroad

Hellstromme owns and operates the Wasatch Railroad, named after the mountains surrounding Salt Lake City. This railroad is his pet project and ostensibly his main source of income, though his factories make him far wealthier.

The Wasatch line runs through Deseret and beyond, competing in the Great Rail Wars. Hellstromme wins rights-of-way through bribes, technological gifts, or outright terror tactics. He's ruthless in eliminating competition—sabotage, violence, and intimidation are standard operating procedure.

What few realize is that the railroad serves another purpose: it gives Hellstromme access to remote locations for his fear-based experiments, away from prying eyes and interfering authorities.

The Supernatural Threat

Deseret's average fear level hovers around 3—higher than most peaceful territories. Hellstromme's experiments deliberately raise fear whenever he needs to test new theories about the Reckoning's nature. When his experiments go wrong (or right, depending on perspective), fear spikes dramatically.

Things That Shouldn't Exist

The salt rattlers appeared shortly after the Reckoning in 1863. Coincidence? Possibly. But these creatures display intelligence far beyond what natural animals should possess. They coordinate attacks. They learn from failures. Some claim they're not animals at all but servants of darker powers.

Strange sightings occur throughout Deseret with increasing frequency. Mechanical men that move without orders. Shadows that walk at noon. Miners who disappear in sealed shafts. Most incidents get quietly buried—literally and figuratively. The Nauvoo Legion investigates. Evidence vanishes. Witnesses recant or disappear.

Hellstromme's Laboratory

Hellstromme's manor south of Salt Lake City is surrounded by defenses that seem excessive for someone the Mormons supposedly trust. Armed guards patrol constantly. Vicious dogs roam the grounds. Barbed wire tops the walls. Strange lights glow in the laboratory at night. Screams echo across the valley. Smoke rises at odd hours—not factory smoke but something different, something worse.

What happens in that laboratory? Hellstromme claims he's developing new inventions to benefit humanity. The guards claim they're protecting valuable equipment from industrial spies. But workers who've been inside tell different stories—of creatures kept in cages, of experiments on living subjects, of machines designed not to help but to harm.

None of these workers live long after talking. Accidents happen. Diseases strike. People simply vanish.

Survival Guide

If you're traveling to or operating in Deseret, here's what you need to know:

Respect the Faith

The Mormons are not optional guidelines—they're the law of the land. Don't mock Mormon beliefs, even in private. Walls have ears. Show respect for their customs even if you don't share them. Attend services if invited (refusal is insulting). Don't proposition Mormon women—polygamy is their practice, not yours to exploit.

Know Your Place

If you're not Mormon, you're a gentile. Accept it. You'll be tolerated but never fully welcomed in Mormon society. Junkyard is where gentiles belong. If you venture into Mormon sections, be polite, be respectful, and don't overstay your welcome.

Watch What You Say

Criticizing Brigham Young, questioning Mormon authority, or speaking out against Hellstromme's factories can be hazardous to your health. Express doubts only to trusted friends in private locations. The Danites are always listening.

Stay Away from Hellstromme

Don't investigate his laboratory. Don't ask questions about his experiments. Don't accept invitations to tour his facilities unless you're prepared to never leave. Hellstromme tolerates curiosity poorly, and his guards shoot first.

Avoid the Salt Flats

Unless you're riding in one of Hellstromme's horseless carriages or you're a professional rattler hunter, stay off the salt flats. If you must cross them, do so quickly, quietly, and preferably during the day when the rattlers are less active. If the ground starts rumbling beneath you, pray you're near solid rock.

Junkyard Safety

If you're staying in Junkyard, watch your belongings, travel in groups after dark, and don't flash money around. Desperate people do desperate things. Local law tries to maintain order, but there's only so much a handful of deputies can do in a district that size.

Trust the Nauvoo Legion—Mostly

If you're in legitimate trouble, the Nauvoo Legion will protect you—assuming you haven't crossed Mormon interests. They're professional soldiers who follow orders and maintain discipline. Just remember: their loyalty is to Deseret, not to you.

Deseret stands as proof that faith and industry can coexist—but at what cost? The Mormons found refuge in Utah's harsh desert and built a thriving community through faith and hard work. Then they invited in a genius who brought prosperity and pollution in equal measure. Now they balance on a knife's edge: technological advancement versus spiritual purity, wealth versus safety, control versus corruption.

For Troubleshooters operating in Deseret, remember: the air is literally poisonous in some sections of Salt Lake City, the government is a theocracy that tolerates no dissent, and the most dangerous man in the Weird West runs experiments in his laboratory that probably violate laws both natural and divine. Tread carefully, show respect, and keep your questions to yourself.