Current Year: 1877

Current Year: 1877

"A Nation Divided, A Continent in Chaos, A World on the Brink"

You've learned the history. Now it's time to understand the present. Welcome to 1877—seventeen years after the Civil War began, fourteen years after the Reckoning, nine years after the Great Quake. This is the Weird West you'll be working in as a Troubleshooter.

The United States of America no longer exists—not as one nation, anyway. What used to be a single country is now six separate nations, each with its own government, borders, and conflicts. The Civil War grinds on with no end in sight. Ghost rock fuels both progress and warfare. The railroads fight their own bloody war. And supernatural horrors lurk in every shadow.

This chapter covers everything you need to know about the world of 1877: who controls what, who's fighting whom, what happened last year, and what challenges you'll face as a Troubleshooter operating out of Dodge City in the volatile Disputed Lands.

Six Nations, Not One

The textbooks say the nation split in two. That's not exactly true. What used to be the United States of America is now six separate nations. Had it not been for the war, the Reckoning, and the Great Quake, there would be no Sioux Nations, no Coyote Confederation, no Republic of Deseret, and certainly no City of Lost Angels.

Here's who controls what—and what that means for you.

The United States of America

Leader: President Ulysses S. Grant (since 1872)
Territory: The Northern states (roughly north of the Mason-Dixon line)
Capital: Washington D.C.
Current status: Embattled but determined

President Grant rules the North with the mindset of a general, not a politician. His administration claims ownership of the entire country and refuses to acknowledge the existence of any other nations. The truth? Washington has no authority, no control, and little or no presence in the territories controlled by the other five nations.

Grant's situation: Many thought Grant would lose the 1876 election, if he even ran. But the November Offensives (major military campaigns staged before elections to win incumbent votes) convinced Yankees that the pro-peace challenger Samuel Tilden would cave to the Rebels. When British forces seized Detroit in coordination with Confederate plans, the public rallied behind "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.

Grant responded by bombing Richmond with ghost rock-powered air carriages while General Sherman burned through Kentucky. But when the smoke cleared, not an inch of ground had been gained on either side.

Now the president broods in his capital, watching his beloved nation fall apart around him. But his military remains strong, and the fight isn't over yet.

The Agency: One of Grant's most effective forces is the Agency, a shadowy organization formed in early 1877. The U.S. had relied on the Pinkerton Detective Agency for intelligence, but Grant revoked their contract for more direct government control. The men and women of the Agency now infiltrate, attack, and sabotage all perceived enemies of the state—and investigate the supernatural threats Washington officially denies exist.

The Confederate States of America

Leader: President Jefferson Davis (officially—but something's very wrong)
Territory: The Southern states (roughly south of the Mason-Dixon line)
Capital: Richmond, Virginia
Current status: Suspicious and divided

The Confederacy officially remains under President Jefferson Davis's leadership. But the 1876 election results were controversial—highly suspect votes from territories and the Disputed Lands tipped the election to Davis by a razor-thin margin over challenger Robert E. Lee. Cries of fraud echoed across the South. Only personal appeals from Lee himself averted a national uprising.

What's really happening: Jefferson Davis isn't Jefferson Davis anymore. He's a doppelganger—a shapeshifting abomination that consumed the real Davis and assumed his form, knowledge, and ambitions. The creature wants to keep the country at war and wreak as much devastation as possible. It's developing weapons of mass destruction that would horrify even ardent war supporters.

General Lee's suspicion: Retired General Robert E. Lee is suspicious. He took a position as special advisor at the Confederate Department of War just to keep an eye on "Davis." Lee knows something is very wrong but doesn't know exactly what. He sees Davis steering the beloved Confederacy toward destruction but fears a coup might give the Union the opening they need to win the war. For now, Lee waits—and plans.

The Texas Rangers: The Confederacy's equivalent to the Agency is the Texas Rangers—about 2,500 dedicated lawmen organized into five battalions. They serve as national police with jurisdiction throughout Confederate territory and authority over local sheriffs. Like the Agency, they also hunt supernatural threats in secret. The Rangers are headquartered in Austin and led by the Texas State Adjutant.

The Disputed Lands

Status: Claimed by both USA and CSA, controlled by neither
Territory: Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma Territory, and surrounding areas
Notable settlement: Dodge City, Kansas (your base of operations)
Current status: Powder keg ready to explode

The Disputed Lands are exactly what they sound like: territory both the Union and Confederacy claim but neither controls. It's a no-man's-land where the law is whatever the fastest gun says it is.

Towns in the Disputed Lands play both sides. Merchants sell to Union and Confederate buyers. Spies from both nations operate openly. Pro-Northern "Jayhawkers" clash with pro-Southern "Border Ruffians." Federal and Confederate troops patrol the region, creating a constant military presence that only heightens tensions.

Kansas in 1876-77: The arrival of Federal troops under General Sheridan before the 1876 election destabilized Kansas completely. Pro-Union Jayhawkers and pro-Southern Border Ruffians clashed more violently than usual. The Confederacy responded by dispatching cavalry under General Gano as an equalizer. The balance of power hasn't shifted—there are just more people with guns now.

Why you're here: Colonel Brennan operates out of Dodge City because it's perfectly positioned in the Disputed Lands. Both the Union's Black River Railroad and Confederate-backed interests have stations here. Everyone does business here. And everyone needs troubleshooters who can work without taking obvious sides.

The Sioux Nations

Leader: Sitting Bull and the wicasas (council of chiefs, medicine men, and warriors)
Territory: Dakota Territory and parts of the northern plains
Capital: No formal capital; mobile government
Current status: Powerful but threatened

The Sioux benefited most from the Civil War. With Union attention focused south, they had little opposition when claiming vast territories in Dakota. Now the Sioux Nations are a formidable power with strong borders and fierce determination to maintain independence.

Sitting Bull: The hunkpapa wicasa (leader) is far more belligerent than the rest of the council. It was Sitting Bull who defeated General George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, earning the Union's grudging respect.

Custer's grudge: Unfortunately, the headstrong Custer survived his "last stand" and hasn't forgiven the humiliation. He's pieced together a mercenary army of claim jumpers, troublemakers, and freebooters, threatening to invade without Washington's authorization. Custer wears the rank of a U.S. Army officer, so the Sioux see him as representing the Union—even though Grant has disavowed him.

The Deadwood Treaty: When gold and ghost rock were discovered in the sacred Black Hills in 1875, thousands of white prospectors violated Sioux borders. The resulting crisis led to the Deadwood Creek Treaty: whites can mine the Black Hills, but only if they stay in the treaty city of Deadwood, pay fees to the Nations, and don't stray outside boundaries. Violators face death. Custer's men and greedy miners constantly break this treaty. War is only a matter of time.

The Old Ways movement: The wicasas believe evil spirits returned to the world to punish the Sioux for adopting "polluted white man's evils" like firearms and whiskey. The Old Ways movement rejects all technology—Sioux warriors fight with traditional weapons only. Many young braves think this is foolish, leading to a secret rebellion called the "Order of the Raven." The wicasas execute any brave found with the distinctive tattoo marking them as Ravenites.

The Coyote Confederation

Leader: "Coyote" (mysterious figure in red cloak)
Territory: Former Indian Territory (Oklahoma and surrounding areas)
Tribes: Cherokee, Comanche, Creek, Seminole, Kiowa, Chickasaw, Choctaw
Current status: Allied with the Confederacy

After seeing the Sioux's success, southern tribes formed their own coalition. The Confederation's leader is a mysterious figure known only as "Coyote," who remains hooded in a red cloak even among his own people. Many suspect the true leaders—Quanah Parker and Satanta—or a trusted medicine man acts as Coyote, which would explain reports of "Coyote" appearing hundreds of miles apart on the same day.

"Coyote" is wiser than Sitting Bull but takes a less active hand in affairs, leaving each tribe to its own devices. This lack of centralized leadership means some braves continue the tradition of raiding white settlements, bringing them into frequent conflict with the Disputed Lands.

Brothers in arms: The Coyotes rarely raid into Confederate territory or towns sympathetic to the South. During the 1876 offensives, it became clear the Confederation has a secret alliance with the Rebels. The Indians apparently view Southerners as oppressed people like themselves, making them allies against Northern aggression.

The Republic of Deseret

Leader: President Brigham Young
Territory: All of Utah
Capital: Salt Lake City (also called the City of Gloom)
Current status: Independent and industrious

The Mormons trekked west in 1847 to escape persecution, founding Salt Lake City in desolate Utah. They converted the territory to U.S. territory status quickly but faced renewed conflicts with non-Mormons ("Gentiles") during the Gold Rush.

In 1866, with no end to the Civil War in sight and after several unfortunate conflicts with the Union Army, Brigham Young declared the Mormons would rule themselves. The new nation is called "Deseret" and encompasses all of Utah.

The City of Gloom: Salt Lake City earns its nickname from the constant cloud of ghost rock soot hanging over its heavily industrialized factories. These factories build ghost rock-powered devices of steam and steel—making Deseret a major player in mad science innovation. Professor Darius Hellstromme bases his operations here, and Smith & Robards runs their catalog business from the City of Gloom.

Relations: Deseret maintains careful neutrality in the Civil War while profiting from selling ghost rock technology to both sides. The Mormons just want to be left alone to practice their faith and build their society—but their technological prowess ensures neither the Union nor Confederacy can afford to antagonize them.

The City of Lost Angels

Leader: Reverend Ezekiah Grimme
Territory: The city and immediate surroundings (declared sovereign in late 1877)
Status: Sovereign state (as of the Edict of '77)
Current status: Theocratic dictatorship controlling ghost rock access

Reverend Grimme led survivors inland after the Great Quake, somehow providing food and water during the desperate journey. He founded the City of Lost Angels at a natural spring, and the settlement grew into the Maze's primary trade hub.

In late 1877, Grimme declared Lost Angels a sovereign state, blocking all railroads from reaching the Maze. His famous Edict of '77 proclaimed that only believers in the Church of Lost Angels could live in the city. Those who don't recognize the Church's sovereignty are exiled—or worse.

The crusade: To prove the Church acts in everyone's best interests, Grimme sent missionaries across the West. The railroads' armed gangs attack these missionaries on sight. Lost Angels' faithful have armed themselves in response. This religious war threatens to become more bloody than the Rail Wars themselves.

What Grimme really is: The kind-hearted preacher who led survivors from the quake is long dead. The thing calling itself Ezekiah Grimme is an abomination—a creature raised by the Reckoners that feeds on human flesh and wields terrible power. But most people don't know this. They see only their savior who provides weekly feasts in a land of starvation.

The November Offensives of 1876

Last year's election campaigns weren't fought with speeches and debates. They were fought with bombs, bullets, and blood.

Why It Happened

Before every election (held every four years, same as in real history), both the Union and Confederacy stage major military campaigns called the "November Offensives." The goal is simple: win victories to convince voters the incumbent can win the war. It's cynical, wasteful, and costs thousands of lives. But it works.

In 1876, Grant needed victories to defeat peace candidate Samuel Tilden. Davis needed victories to fend off Robert E. Lee's challenge. Both sides threw everything they had into coordinated offensives across multiple fronts.

The Battles

Virginia—The Battle of Sixth Manassas: November 1st saw the Union Army advance on Confederate lines with massive ghost rock-powered land ironclads. Simultaneously, three Union air carriages bombed Richmond. Only the Confederate air corps and newly-developed chlorine gas weapons saved the day for the South. Fighting raged for weeks. Neither side gained an inch. Both sides suffered horrific casualties that fed the Reckoners' appetite for fear and death.

Kentucky—Sherman's March: General Sherman led Union forces across the Ohio River, evacuating then sacking Louisville. He advanced on Bowling Green, leaving destruction in his wake like his infamous Georgia march a decade earlier. The Union forces seemed unstoppable until the Black Regiment—spectral soldiers who live only for death and destruction—saved Confederate forces from complete destruction. Sherman retreated back across the river into Indiana in late January 1877.

Kansas—Powder Keg: Federal troops under General Sheridan arrived before the elections, destabilizing the already-volatile Disputed Lands. Pro-Union Jayhawkers and pro-Southern Border Ruffians clashed more violently than ever. The Confederacy dispatched cavalry under General Gano as a counterweight. The balance of power hasn't shifted—there are just more armed soldiers making things worse.

Detroit—The British Invasion: On November 5th, a British line division crossed from Canada and seized Detroit. This coordinated attack (seemingly in cooperation with Confederate plans) shocked the Union. The British fortified their position and show no signs of leaving. They've made overtures of support to the South for years. Now they're demonstrating that support with military action. The crisis with Britain looms large over everything else.

The Aftermath

In the North: Grant won substantially over Tilden, despite his troubled term. The British invasion convinced Yankees that a peace candidate would cave to both the Rebels and foreign powers. Grant now faces prosecuting war on two fronts: against the Confederacy and against British occupation of American soil.

In the South: Davis won by a razor-thin, highly suspicious margin over Lee. The territories and Disputed Lands votes that tipped the election reeked of fraud. Only Lee's personal appeals prevented national uprising. Many Confederates now question Davis's legitimacy—and his increasingly extreme war policies.

The real cost: Sound and fury signifying nothing. After all the blood spilled, all the towns burned, all the lives destroyed—not an inch of ground changed hands. The war continues exactly as before. The Reckoners feast on the fear and death. And everyone prepares for the next round.

Life in 1877

What's daily life like in the Weird West? Here's what shapes your world as a Troubleshooter.

The War That Won't End

Seventeen years. That's how long this war has been grinding on. For context, the Civil War in real history lasted four years. In the Weird West, an entire generation has grown up knowing nothing but war.

The fighting isn't constant—there are cold war periods, negotiations, prisoner exchanges. But it never truly stops. Raids. Skirmishes. Sabotage. Espionage. The Mason-Dixon line is a war zone. The Mississippi River is called the "River of Blood." Border towns live under constant threat.

Both sides are exhausted. Both are bled white. But neither can find a way to end it that doesn't mean defeat.

The Supernatural Undercurrent

Most people don't know the full truth about the Reckoning and what walks in the shadows. Government suppression has worked well enough that the average citizen hears rumors of monsters but dismisses them as tall tales.

But everyone feels it. Something's wrong with the world. The war goes on too long. Strange things happen too often. Fear hangs in the air like fog.

Those who know—Agency operatives, Texas Rangers, veteran soldiers, frontier sheriffs, and Troubleshooters—deal with the supernatural regularly. You can't unknow what you've seen. The dead walk. Monsters are real. And somebody has to fight them.

The Ghost Rock Economy

Ghost rock shapes everything. It powers locomotives, steamboats, factories, and mad science devices. It fuels the war effort on both sides. It makes fortunes for those who can mine it, transport it, and protect it.

The railroads fight over routes to transport it. Governments fund entire military campaigns to secure it. Prospectors risk everything to find it. Pirates and outlaws kill for it.

If you're working as a Troubleshooter, you will deal with ghost rock. Protecting shipments. Investigating thefts. Guarding mines. Following the money in ghost rock crimes. It's everywhere.

Technology and Progress

The Weird West is both more advanced and more primitive than real 1877. Ghost rock enables mad science that shouldn't exist: flying machines, mechanical men, advanced weapons. Major cities have electric lights and ghost rock-powered conveniences.

But outside the cities? It's still the Wild West. Dirt roads. Horse travel. Frontier justice. Most folks live like it's 1850, not 1877. The technological marvels are concentrated in the hands of the wealthy, the military, and the mad scientists.

Law and Disorder

Law enforcement varies wildly by location:

Union territory: The Agency operates alongside U.S. Marshals, sheriffs, and local law. Jurisdictional conflicts are common.

Confederate territory: Texas Rangers have authority over local law. They're respected but sometimes resented for their national jurisdiction.

Disputed Lands: Whatever law exists is enforced by local sheriffs with no outside help. Federal and Confederate troops patrol but don't provide policing. It's frontier justice at its rawest.

Indian Nations: Tribal law applies. Outsiders have minimal rights. Violations mean death.

Deseret: Mormon law, heavily influenced by religious authority.

Lost Angels: Grimme's law, enforced by Guardian Angels. Absolute theocratic control.

Travel and Communication

Railroads: The fastest way to travel—when they're safe. Rail Wars sabotage makes train travel risky. But it beats weeks on horseback.

Stagecoaches: Common for shorter routes. Attacked frequently by outlaws, Indians, and worse.

Horseback: Still the most reliable method. Slow but flexible.

Telegraph: Major cities and railroad towns have telegraph connections. Messages travel fast—when the lines aren't cut.

Mail: Unreliable but widespread. Pony Express routes still exist in remote areas. Mail robbery is common.

Current Threats and Concerns

What should you be worried about as a Troubleshooter in 1877?

Immediate Threats

The Rail Wars: Six railroad companies fighting for control. Sabotage, raids, pitched battles. Grimme's Edict has stalled the race but not the violence.

Custer's vendetta: A rogue general building a mercenary army to attack the Sioux Nations. If he invades, it could spark a larger war with the Indian Nations—and possibly draw in the Union military.

Grimme's crusade: Armed religious zealots clashing with railroad gangs across the West. This conflict is escalating rapidly.

The British in Detroit: Foreign occupation of American soil. Grant will have to address this soon, possibly opening a new front in an already overstretched war.

Long-Term Concerns

The doppelganger Davis: An abomination controlling the Confederate government, pushing for increasingly destructive war policies. If it succeeds in deploying weapons of mass destruction, the death toll will be catastrophic—and the Reckoners will grow stronger.

Supernatural escalation: Fear levels are rising. More abominations appear every year. The cycle of fear breeding horrors breeding more fear continues unchecked.

National exhaustion: Both the Union and Confederacy are bleeding out. How much longer can this war continue before one or both nations collapse entirely?

Foreign intervention: Britain is already involved. France controls Mexico. Other European powers watch with interest. Full-scale foreign intervention could reshape the entire continent.

Opportunities

But it's not all doom and gloom. Chaos creates opportunities:

Troubleshooter work is plentiful. Everyone needs problem solvers. Railroads, governments, towns, private citizens—they all hire competent troubleshooters willing to do dangerous work.

Fortunes can be made. Ghost rock strikes. Successful businesses in boomtowns. Recovery of lost valuables. Bounties on dangerous criminals. The Weird West rewards those brave (or foolhardy) enough to seize opportunities.

Heroism matters. Every monster destroyed, every mystery solved, every town saved chips away at the darkness. Tales of heroic deeds spread and reduce fear. You can make a difference.

The frontier is still being written. In the established East, societies are rigid. In the West? Anyone can make their mark. Former slaves work alongside former Confederates. Women run businesses and wear badges. Chinese immigrants build fortunes. Indians hold sovereign territory. The old rules don't fully apply out here.

Your Place in This World

So where do you fit in as a Troubleshooter?

Working for Colonel Brennan

Colonel Augustus "Gus" Brennan is a wealthy Memphis industrialist who operates out of Dodge City. He hires Troubleshooters to solve problems—sometimes legitimate business concerns, sometimes... other things.

Brennan doesn't hire you to save the world. He hires you to handle his problems. But those problems often involve supernatural threats, dangerous criminals, powerful enemies, and situations that impact entire communities.

You operate in the Disputed Lands, which means you can't afford obvious partisan loyalties. Brennan maintains relationships with both Union and Confederate interests. Your work reflects that neutrality—even when the situations you handle are anything but neutral.

What You'll Face

Supernatural threats: Abominations, walking dead, cursed artifacts, haunted locations. The Reckoning's legacy touches everything.

Human enemies: Outlaws, corrupt officials, railroad gangs, spies, saboteurs, and worse. Sometimes the human threats are scarier than the monsters.

Political complications: Operating in the Disputed Lands means navigating between Union and Confederate interests without making permanent enemies of either side.

Moral dilemmas: Not every problem has a clean solution. Sometimes you choose the lesser evil. Sometimes there are no good choices—only choices that let you sleep at night.

Why You Fight

Maybe you fight for money. Maybe for justice. Maybe for revenge. Maybe because someone has to.

Whatever your reasons, you're standing up when others run. You're facing horrors that would break lesser people. You're solving problems that threaten communities, businesses, and lives.

The Reckoning changed the rules, but it didn't change human courage. Every abomination destroyed, every mystery solved, every tale of heroism told—it all matters. Maybe it's not enough to win. But it's enough to keep fighting.

And in 1877, that's all anyone can ask.

Welcome to 1877. Six nations fighting for survival. A continent in chaos. Supernatural horrors in every shadow. And you, a Troubleshooter, standing between civilization and the abyss. The Weird West needs heroes. The question is: are you up to the challenge?