Ghost Rock
Ghost Rock
"The Miracle Fuel That Powers Progress—And Madness"
You've heard about the Reckoning. You know about the Great Quake. Now it's time to understand what all the fuss is about. Because ghost rock isn't just another mineral. It's not just valuable. Ghost rock is the reason the war continues. It's the fuel that powers mad science. It's the prize everyone's fighting over. And it might just be the death of the Weird West—or its salvation.
As a Troubleshooter, you need to understand ghost rock. You'll see it in mines. You'll ride trains powered by it. You'll face weapons fueled by it. You might even handle it yourself—though that's not recommended. This chapter covers everything you need to know about the black rock that changed the world.
Welcome to the strange, dangerous, and incredibly profitable world of ghost rock.
Ghost rock isn't just background information—it's everywhere in your work as a Troubleshooter. Mining operations need protection. Ghost rock shipments need guarding. Mad scientists need their supplies secured. Pirates steal it. Outlaws rob it. Governments hoard it. Understanding ghost rock means understanding what drives almost every conflict in the Weird West.
What Is Ghost Rock?
At first glance, ghost rock looks like coal. It's black, found in seams underground, and appears to be some kind of mineral. But that's where the similarities end.
Physical Properties
Appearance: Ghost rock is a black stone, typically found in fist-sized clumps or larger seams. It has a dark, almost oily sheen when freshly mined. The rock leaves a distinctive stain on skin that takes months to wash off—miners can always be identified by their perpetually black-stained hands.
Weight and density: Similar to coal, making it relatively easy to transport in bulk. A typical chunk weighs about what you'd expect for its size.
Formation: Ghost rock appears in seams a few hundred feet below the former surface level—exposed when the Great Quake shattered California. Since then, smaller deposits have been found throughout the Rockies, Arizona, New Mexico, and even as far north as the Dakotas. The richest concentrations remain in the Maze.
The truly strange properties don't appear until you light it on fire.
Burning Properties
When ghost rock burns, it reveals why it's worth more than gold:
Heat output: Ghost rock burns approximately one hundred times hotter than coal. A single lump produces more heat than a cartload of ordinary fuel.
Burn duration: It burns one hundred times longer than coal. A piece of ghost rock that would fit in your hand can provide heat and power for days.
The ghostly wail: When burning, ghost rock produces an eerie moan or wail—like the cries of the damned echoing from Hell itself. It's unmistakable and deeply unsettling. Folks who live near ghost rock processing plants or locomotives get used to it, but newcomers often make Guts checks the first few times they hear it.
The white vapor: Instead of normal smoke, burning ghost rock produces a distinctive ghostly-white vapor that rises from the flames. This vapor is what gives ghost rock its name—it looks like spirits ascending to heaven.
The flame: Ghost rock flames burn with intense heat and an unusual color—bluish-white at the core, transitioning to normal orange and red at the edges.
"First time I burned ghost rock, I about jumped out of my skin. That wailing started up and white smoke came pouring out like souls escaping perdition. My partner thought we'd opened a gateway to Hell. But when we felt that heat? When we realized one little chunk could keep us warm for a week? We knew we'd struck it rich. Still can't get the stain off my hands, though. Been washing 'em for three years."
Mining Ghost Rock
Mining ghost rock is more profitable than mining gold or silver—but it's also considerably more dangerous.
Prospecting and Discovery
Finding ghost rock requires a specific prospecting technique:
The Survey Hole Method: Once a likely spot is located, miners drill a three-foot-deep survey hole into the rock face. This hole is capped and left sitting for an hour, allowing any ghost rock vapor trapped in the rock to accumulate in the hole. After an hour, the cap is removed and a lit match is held near the opening.
If ghost rock is present, the vapor ignites. The size and intensity of the flame gives the miner an idea of how much ghost rock is down there—bigger flame means bigger deposit. Simple, right?
The dangers: If the drill creates a spark while passing through a pocket of vapor in the rock, an explosion can result. If the survey hole breaches a large deposit directly, the test flame can ignite the entire seam. Several massive underground fires around Deadwood have burned for years because of careless prospecting.
Extraction and Handling
Once a deposit is located, the real work begins:
Ventilation is critical. Ghost rock mines must be extremely well-ventilated. An accumulation of vapor can be ignited by a lantern, the spark of a pick striking rock, or even static electricity. The resulting explosion can collapse the mine, kill everyone inside, or ignite the entire deposit.
The canary warning system. Every miner takes caged birds—usually canaries—into the mines. The birds, being smaller, are affected by vapor buildup sooner than humans and keel over as a warning. It's a bad deal for the bird, but it's saved countless miners' lives.
Direct handling is dangerous. The black stain from ghost rock takes months to wash off. Worse, prolonged exposure can cause "rock fever" (see below). Smart miners wear heavy gloves and limit their direct contact with the rock.
Transportation precautions. Once extracted, ghost rock must be carefully transported to avoid impacts that could create sparks. Wagons carrying ghost rock move slowly and carefully. Drivers who get careless don't usually get a second chance.
Five miles southwest of Deadwood lies a grim warning about ghost rock's dangers. The Chance Venture Mine was one of the biggest ghost rock strikes outside the Maze. One night, brothers Norman and William Chance—drunk on their success—decided to visit their mine. Norman lit a cigar as they entered. The explosion that followed exposed a deposit larger than they'd ever imagined. It also ignited the entire thing. The fire is still burning nine years later. Fountains of flame light the sky every night. The eerie wail of burning ghost rock echoes for miles. Some claim they can hear the Chance brothers' screams in the flames. The ground within a hundred yards is hot enough to raise blisters. All vegetation is buried under ash. The fire would take a river to extinguish. The fortune they discovered is literally going up in smoke.
Mining Regulations
Different territories have different rules, but most follow similar patterns:
Deadwood/Sioux Nations example: Prospecting permits cost $100 for a month. Registering a claim costs $200. Operating a registered mine costs $100 monthly. Assaying findings costs 5% of the load's value. Mines may only be registered by individuals, not companies, and can't be worked by more than five people at once.
The Maze: Largely unregulated chaos. Whoever can defend their claim keeps it. This leads to constant violence between prospectors, companies, and claim-jumpers.
Confederate and Union territories: Heavy taxation and government control. Both governments want their cut of every ounce mined.
The Dangers of Ghost Rock
Ghost rock's value comes with serious risks that go beyond explosions.
Rock Fever
Folks who work with ghost rock day in and day out can contract "rock fever"—a disease that's part physical ailment, part supernatural curse.
Who's at risk: Miners who handle ghost rock for 4-8 hours daily. Mad scientists who work with ghost rock constantly. Anyone spending extensive time in vapor-filled mines. Occasional handling doesn't cause problems—it's the prolonged exposure that kills.
Symptoms: Victims feel flushed, warm, and light-headed. They report strange burning sensations, as if their blood is on fire. High fevers make them irrational. Hallucinations are common. Judgment deteriorates rapidly.
Progression: Rock fever typically lasts about a week. During this time, the victim either recovers or dies. There's no middle ground. Some who survive are permanently changed—becoming a "few sandwiches shy of a picnic" as they say. Others go stark, raving mad.
The worst outcome: In rare cases, victims spontaneously combust—consumed by fire from the inside out. Little remains except ashes, a few fillings, and a lump of ghost rock about the size of the victim's heart. Witnesses to this event universally agree: it's not something you forget.
Treatment: There is no cure. The fever must run its course. All you can do is keep the victim cool, hydrated, and restrained if necessary. Prayer helps. Sometimes.
"You can always tell a ghost rock miner. Black hands that won't come clean. Cough that won't go away. And eyes that've seen the wailing flames one too many times. Smart miners work the ghost rock for a year or two, make their fortune, and get out. Ones who stay longer? They ain't thinking straight anymore. Rock fever gets 'em eventually—if the explosions don't get 'em first."
Explosive Hazards
Vapor ignition: The most common danger. Accumulated vapor ignites from any spark source, causing explosions that can level buildings and collapse mine tunnels.
Direct ignition: If ghost rock itself catches fire uncontrollably, it burns with incredible intensity. Water doesn't extinguish it—it would take literally a river to put out a large ghost rock fire.
Transport accidents: A wagon full of ghost rock that overturns and catches fire can destroy an entire town block. Rail accidents involving ghost rock cargo are catastrophic.
Sabotage: Ghost rock's volatility makes it a prime target for sabotage. One well-placed incendiary can destroy an entire shipment and everyone nearby.
Uses and Applications
Ghost rock's incredible energy output makes it invaluable for countless applications.
Basic Fuel Applications
Heating and cooking: One lump of ghost rock can heat a home for days or fuel a restaurant's stoves for weeks. In cold territories, ghost rock means the difference between comfort and freezing.
Industrial processes: Smelting, forging, glass-making—any industry requiring intense heat benefits enormously from ghost rock. Factories powered by ghost rock can operate at unprecedented scales.
Steam power: Ghost rock-fueled boilers generate far more steam than coal equivalents. This powers locomotives, riverboats, and industrial machinery with incredible efficiency.
Mad Science Applications
This is where ghost rock truly shines—and where things get weird.
Mad scientists discovered that ghost rock doesn't just provide heat—it provides power of a different kind entirely. The energy released when ghost rock burns seems to interact with certain devices in ways that defy conventional physics.
Steam wagons: Horseless carriages powered by ghost rock-fueled steam engines. Professor Darius Hellstromme's 1870 invention revolutionized transportation. These vehicles can travel at 20+ miles per hour without horses.
Flying machines: Yes, actual flying machines. Mad scientists have created various contraptions that achieve powered flight using ghost rock. They're temperamental, dangerous, and absolutely real.
Advanced weapons: Gatling pistols that fire dozens of rounds without reloading. Flamethrowers. Electricity guns. Weapons that shouldn't be possible but somehow work when powered by ghost rock.
Armor and protection: Ghost rock-powered devices can create impossibly strong materials. Bullet-proof vests that actually stop bullets. Armor plating for vehicles. Materials that shouldn't exist.
The catch: Every mad science device is unique, temperamental, and prone to malfunction. Ghost rock provides the power, but controlling that power requires genius—or madness. Often both.
The most famous purveyor of mad science devices is Smith & Robards, a mail-order firm out of Salt Lake City (also called the "City o' Gloom" for the perpetual cloud of ghost rock pollution hanging over it). They custom-make weird gizmos for clients worldwide. Examples of their catalog: Bullet-proof vests ($1,800), Gatling pistols ($1,200), Rocket packs ($2,100), Steam wagons ($3,500+). Since each device is unique and hand-crafted, prices are steep. But for those who can afford it? Smith & Robards delivers miracles.
Military Applications
Both the Union and Confederacy recognized ghost rock's military potential immediately.
War machines: Armored steam-powered vehicles that move without horses. Mobile fortresses that can cross battlefields while shrugging off rifle fire.
Advanced artillery: Cannon and other weapons powered by ghost rock achieve range and destructive power far beyond conventional artillery.
Rail-mounted weapons: The rail wars have produced armored locomotives mounting heavy weapons. These mobile weapons platforms can strike anywhere the rails reach.
Experimental devices: Both sides fund mad scientists to create experimental weapons. Not all work as intended. Some work too well. Many create horrors that should never have been built.
The Battle of Washington in 1871 proved that ghost rock-powered weapons can change the course of war. Both governments continue pouring resources into mad science military programs.
Economics of Ghost Rock
Ghost rock has created a new economic order in the Weird West.
Value and Pricing
Ghost rock is valuable enough that prospectors fight and die over claims. Exact prices fluctuate, but general guidelines:
Raw ghost rock: Worth approximately twice its weight in gold at current market rates. A fist-sized chunk might be worth $50-100 depending on quality and location.
Refined or processed: Worth even more. Ghost rock processed for specific applications commands premium prices.
Location matters: Ghost rock in the Maze is cheaper (but still valuable) due to high supply. Ghost rock delivered to Eastern cities commands enormous premiums due to transport costs and scarcity.
Government contracts: Both the Union and Confederacy pay top dollar for guaranteed ghost rock supplies. Military contracts can make fortunes.
The Ghost Rock Economy
Boom and bust cycles: Towns sprout up around ghost rock strikes and die when seams run out. The Maze is littered with abandoned settlements where the ghost rock ran dry.
Supporting industries: Mining equipment manufacturers, ghost rock refiners, transportation companies, mad scientists—entire economies revolve around servicing the ghost rock trade.
Criminal enterprises: Ghost rock theft is a major criminal enterprise. Pirates, outlaws, and organized criminals target shipments. A single hijacked wagon can fund a gang for months.
Corporate power: Companies that control ghost rock supplies wield enormous influence. The rail barons fight over ghost rock routes. Mining companies employ private armies to protect their claims.
The Confederate "Ghost Trail" demonstrates ghost rock's value. Mile-long mule trains carry tons of ghost rock from the Maze to the Roswell base, escorted by two companies of troops, cavalry, and sometimes steam-powered war machines. The journey takes two months through hostile territory. Mexican and Apache raiders attack regularly. Many caravans never arrive. But the Confederacy keeps sending them, because without ghost rock, their war effort dies. That's how valuable this stuff is—worth risking hundreds of lives and military resources just to keep the supply flowing.
The Mad Science Connection
Ghost rock and mad science are inextricably linked—and that connection is stranger than most folks realize.
Why Ghost Rock Enables Weird Science
Coal can power a steam engine. Ghost rock can power the impossible.
Mad scientists don't fully understand why their devices work. They have theories—something about ghost rock's energy interacting with certain configurations of machinery in ways that transcend normal physics. But theories aren't knowledge. They're guesses backed by explosive experimentation.
What's known: Ghost rock doesn't just provide energy. It provides potential. The right device, built the right way, can harness that potential to achieve effects that violate known physical laws. Flight. Impossible weapons. Materials with properties that shouldn't exist.
Some suggest mad scientists are actually practicing a form of sorcery—consorting with supernatural forces while believing they're doing science. The mad scientists scoff at this idea. They see themselves as pioneers of a scientific revolution.
But there's evidence they might be wrong.
The Price of Mad Science
Dementia: There's a reason they're called "mad" scientists. Those who create fantastic devices tend to lose their grip on reality. Prolonged exposure to ghost rock fumes? Supernatural forces affecting their minds? The strain of working with impossible principles? Whatever the cause, mad scientists gradually develop neuroses, obsessions, and full-blown insanity.
Unreliability: Every weird science device is prone to malfunction. Even the best-built gizmo has a chance of failing—sometimes catastrophically. The more complex the device, the more likely it breaks down at the worst possible moment.
Unique construction: Mad science devices can't be mass-produced. Each must be hand-built by a mad scientist. This makes them expensive, rare, and irreplaceable when destroyed.
The Roswell experience: The Confederate base at Roswell proved the cost. Overworked scientists went mad. Some died in experiments. Others fled into the desert with their creations. The devices they produced were powerful—powerful enough to seize Washington—but ultimately unreliable. The Union's counterattack succeeded partly because Confederate war machines broke down at critical moments.
The most famous mad scientist is Professor Darius Hellstromme, an English inventor who created the first practical steam wagon in 1870. His success inspired countless others to pursue mad science. He operates out of Salt Lake City and has become phenomenally wealthy selling his devices. Rumor suggests Hellstromme understands ghost rock's properties better than anyone alive. Whether that's true—and what price he's paid for that understanding—remains unclear. But his devices work better and fail less often than most mad science. That alone makes him either a genius or something far more disturbing.
Supernatural Connections
Is ghost rock natural? Or is it something else?
The Convenient Timing
Ghost rock's discovery five years after the Reckoning seems awfully convenient. The Great Quake exposed it at just the right depth, in just the right formations, for easy mining. Almost as if something wanted it to be found.
Some theorize the quake itself wasn't entirely natural—that supernatural forces deliberately triggered or amplified it to expose ghost rock. Why? To prolong the war? To enable mad science? To provide a new source of fear and chaos?
No proof exists. But the coincidences are troubling.
The Properties Don't Add Up
The wailing: Why does burning ghost rock sound like tortured souls? Coal doesn't make noise. Wood doesn't moan. What about ghost rock's composition creates that unearthly sound?
The white vapor: The ghostly vapor looks like spirits rising. Is that just coincidence? Or is something actually being released when ghost rock burns?
Rock fever: The disease doesn't behave like normal illness. Spontaneous combustion? Permanent insanity? Those aren't typical symptoms of exposure to mineral dust.
Mad science enablement: How does ghost rock allow devices that defy physics? What's actually happening when a mad scientist builds an impossible machine that somehow works?
The Dark Theory
Those who've fought the supernatural longest whisper a disturbing possibility: Ghost rock isn't just fuel. It's bait.
Think about it. Ghost rock prolongs the war by providing both sides hope of victory. It enables mad scientists who go insane in the process. It draws people to the Maze where fear levels are high. It creates economic incentives for violence and conflict. Every aspect of ghost rock seems designed to maximize human suffering, fear, and death.
Maybe that's exactly what it is.
Maybe ghost rock is a gift from whatever forces feed on fear—a way to ensure the chaos and terror continue indefinitely. Give humanity a miracle fuel that also drives them mad, that costs them their sanity, that fuels endless conflict over its control.
Most dismiss this as paranoia. But every now and then, you'll meet someone who's seen too much, who's worked too closely with ghost rock and its effects. And they'll tell you: This stuff isn't natural. It's a trap. And we're all caught in it.
Working With Ghost Rock
As a Troubleshooter, you'll encounter ghost rock regularly. Here's practical advice:
Safety Guidelines
Avoid prolonged direct handling. Wear gloves. Minimize skin contact. Remember that stain takes months to wash off—and that's the least of your problems.
Stay alert for vapor. If you smell sulfurous fumes, get out. If you see white vapor accumulating, get out faster. If your canary dies, run.
No open flames near stored ghost rock. This should be obvious. It isn't always. Don't be the person who lights a cigar in a ghost rock warehouse.
Treat ghost rock shipments as extremely high-value, extremely dangerous cargo. Pirates know this. Outlaws know this. You should know this too. Guard it carefully but be ready to abandon it if things go sideways.
Recognizing Ghost Rock
Visual identification: Black stone with oily sheen. Found in seams or fist-sized chunks. Leaves dark stains on contact.
The definitive test: If burning produces ghostly white vapor and an unearthly wail, it's ghost rock. (Obviously, only test small amounts in safe conditions.)
Common locations: The Maze (primary source), Arizona, New Mexico, throughout the Rockies, Dakotas, scattered deposits elsewhere.
Dealing With Ghost Rock Situations
Mine rescues: If you're sent to rescue miners, watch for vapor buildup. Bring lots of canaries. Have an exit plan before going in.
Shipment protection: Expect trouble. Ghost rock attracts raiders like blood attracts sharks. Multiple attackers from multiple directions is the norm.
Theft investigations: Follow the money. Ghost rock is too valuable to steal without a buyer lined up. Find the buyer, find the thieves.
Sabotage scenarios: If someone wants to destroy a ghost rock operation, it's horrifyingly easy. Look for accelerants, timing devices, or anyone acting suspiciously near stored ghost rock.
Ghost rock. The miracle fuel that burns with the wail of the damned. The black gold that powers progress and madness in equal measure. Understand it, respect it, and maybe you'll live long enough to strike it rich. Or go mad trying.
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