The Great Quake of 1868
The Great Quake of 1868
"When California Fell into the Sea—And Changed Everything"
Five years after the dead rose at Gettysburg, the world learned that the Reckoning wasn't finished with America. Not by a long shot. If Gettysburg taught us that the supernatural had arrived, the Great Quake of 1868 proved it was here to stay—and that it had one hell of a prize to offer.
Every Troubleshooter needs to understand what happened when California fell into the sea. Because the black rock exposed by that quake? That's what powers the mad science devices you've seen. That's what keeps this war going. That's what folks are willing to kill—and die—for.
This is the story of the Great Quake, the discovery of ghost rock, and how California became the most valuable—and dangerous—real estate in North America.
Understanding the Great Quake isn't just history—it's survival. The Maze is where fortunes are made and lost daily. Ghost rock powers everything from steamwagons to the weapons you might face. And the territories carved out of California's corpse? They're powder kegs waiting to explode. Knowledge of what happened in '68 might save your life out there.
California Before the Fall
California in 1868 was already legendary. The Gold Rush of 1849 had made it a land of dreams—a place where a lucky prospector could strike it rich overnight. Hundreds of thousands had poured westward, braving deserts, mountains, Indians, and outlaws for a chance at wealth.
Cities had sprung up along the coast. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento—thriving centers of commerce and civilization on the edge of the frontier. Sure, they were rough around the edges compared to Eastern cities, but they were growing. Building. Planning for the future.
The west coast had everything: fertile valleys, natural harbors, access to Pacific trade routes, and enough gold and silver to fuel expansion for generations. California was supposed to be America's future.
Then, in early 1868, the earth opened up and swallowed it whole.
The Quake Strikes
The exact date remains disputed—records were destroyed, survivors disagree, and the governments have muddied the waters with disinformation. What's known is that sometime in early 1868, an earthquake struck the west coast unlike anything the world had seen before or since.
The First Tremors
It started with smaller quakes along the California coast—nothing unusual for the region. Folks were used to the occasional rattle. But these tremors kept coming. Getting stronger. More frequent. Animals fled inland. Birds took to the sky and didn't return. Those who paid attention to nature's warnings got out while they could.
Most didn't pay attention.
The Main Event
When the Great Quake finally hit, it was catastrophic beyond imagination.
The entire west coast—from Mexicali to Oregon—shattered. The ground didn't just shake. It broke apart. Massive fissures opened in the earth. Buildings collapsed into dust. Whole neighborhoods slid into newly-formed crevasses. The noise was deafening—a roar like the world ending.
And then, the flooding began.
The Pacific Ocean, no longer held back by solid ground, rushed in through the cracks. In hours, what had been California became a nightmare of rising water and collapsing land. Coastal cities vanished beneath the waves. Inland areas became isolated mesas surrounded by rushing seawater. Aftershocks continued for weeks, toppling more land into the sea.
When the dust finally settled and the water stopped rising, California as it had existed was gone.
"I was hanging laundry when the ground started shaking. Not unusual—we'd had tremors for days. But this time it didn't stop. It got worse. I heard the roaring first, then saw the buildings on the next street over just... fall apart. Like a house of cards. Then the water came. A wall of it, rushing up the street. I ran for the hills and didn't look back. When I finally stopped and turned around, the city was gone. Just... gone. Swallowed by the sea."
The Maze is Born
What remained of California after the Great Quake became known as "the Maze"—and the name fits perfectly.
Imagine jagged mesas—islands of rock and earth—rising hundreds of feet above sea-flooded channels. These towering formations are all that's left of California's mountains and valleys, now broken apart and scattered like pieces of a shattered plate. Between them, the Pacific rushes through narrow canyons and wider bays, creating a labyrinth of waterways.
From certain vantage points, you can see thousands of settlements perched atop these cliff-islands or clinging to the rubble below. Rope bridges span some gaps. Small boats and barges navigate the channels. And everywhere you look, miners are lowering themselves over cliff edges, chipping away at the canyon walls.
What are they mining for? We'll get to that.
A Deadly Landscape
The Maze isn't just difficult to navigate—it's actively dangerous:
Aftershocks continue. Even nine years later, tremors still shake the Maze regularly. Miners have been buried when cliff faces collapse. Settlements have tumbled into the sea during particularly bad shakes.
New predators emerged. When California fell, things came up from the deep. Maze dragons—massive sea serpents fifty yards long—prowl the channels, attacking ships and miners alike. Sharks infest the waters. And stranger things lurk in the depths between the mesas.
Human threats abound. Pirates raid ore barges. Chinese warlords control whole sections with their sampan fleets. The Mexican Armada patrols the southern reaches. Confederate and Union forces maintain crude harbors and fight skirmishes. And Reverend Grimme's "Guardian Angels" watch everything from Lost Angels.
The Maze earns its name in blood.
The constant danger, paranoia, and fighting keep the Great Maze at an average Fear Level of 2. When particularly brutal events occur—raids by Santa Anna, attacks by Maze dragons, or supernatural incidents—the Fear Level in affected areas jumps to 3 or higher. This feeds the cycle: more fear creates more supernatural horrors, which create more fear. It's a vicious circle with no end in sight.
The Survivors' Ordeal
Surviving the quake itself was just the beginning. What came after tested human endurance to its limits.
Stranded in Hell
Thousands found themselves trapped on the newly-formed mesas with no way down and no way out. The ground beneath their feet had become cliff-islands surrounded by shark-infested waters. Food ran out quickly. Fresh water was scarce—many of the springs had been destroyed or contaminated by seawater.
To reach the inland shore meant a harrowing journey: swimming across channels between the mesas, climbing sheer cliff faces, and hoping the next mesa wasn't another dead end. Many drowned. Many fell. Many simply gave up and waited to die.
Those who pushed forward faced additional horrors. The heat was brutal—July and August in the high desert with little shade and less water. Bodies of the dead floated in the channels. Desperate survivors turned on each other over scraps of food.
Some groups resorted to darker measures when starvation set in. Like the Donner Party before them, they made choices no civilized person should have to make.
Reverend Grimme's Flock
One group of survivors—led by a preacher named Ezekiah Grimme—somehow managed better than most. Grimme's congregation numbered in the hundreds, but he kept them fed and watered during the desperate trek inland. How he managed this miracle, he never fully explained. Divine providence, he claimed.
When they finally reached the inland side of the Maze, Grimme found a natural spring and proclaimed the site a new home for his "lost angels." The City of Lost Angels was born.
What Grimme's followers didn't know—what most still don't know—is that their savior died during that journey. The man who leads the Church of Lost Angels now isn't the kind-hearted preacher who started the trek. He's something else. Something that came back. But that's a story for another chapter.
"I was part of Grimme's group during the crossing. We all were starving, dying of thirst, but the Reverend kept saying God would provide. And somehow, there was always just enough food. Not much, but enough to keep going. Looking back now, I wonder where it came from. We never saw him hunting. Never saw supply caches. But every night, there was something to eat. I try not to think too hard about it."
The Discovery
Thousands died in the quake and its aftermath. Cities were destroyed. California as a state ceased to exist. But catastrophe brought opportunity—and the most valuable discovery in human history.
The Black Rock
As survivors explored the newly-exposed cliff faces and canyon walls of the Maze, they noticed seams of black rock running through the stone. At first, they assumed it was coal—common enough in mining country. Some gathered it for fuel, figuring coal would be coal.
Then they tried to burn it.
The black rock didn't burn like coal. It burned hotter—about a hundred times hotter, in fact. It burned longer—a single lump could provide heat for days. And when it burned, it did two things that made folks sit up and take notice:
It produced ghostly white vapor that rose from the flames like spirits ascending to heaven.
It moaned and wailed with an unearthly sound—like the cries of the damned echoing from Hell itself.
The first survivors to witness this phenomenon called it "ghost rock." The name stuck.
Word Spreads
At first, reports of ghost rock were dismissed as tall tales from quake-addled survivors. But as more and more people discovered the stuff—and demonstrated its properties—the scientific community took notice. By late 1868, every major newspaper had run stories about the miracle fuel discovered in the California ruins.
Ghost rock was real. It was everywhere in the Maze. And it was about to change the world.
The Rush Begins
The California Gold Rush of 1849 was impressive. The Ghost Rock Rush of 1868-69 made it look like a church social.
The New Forty-Niners
Prospectors flooded into the Maze from all directions. Anyone who could scrape together supplies and passage headed west to stake a claim. Settlements sprang up on every viable mesa. Makeshift docks appeared along the channels. The population of the Maze went from a few thousand desperate survivors to tens of thousands of fortune-seekers in months.
The City of Lost Angels—with its natural spring and position on the inland edge—became the natural shipping point for everything coming in and out of the Maze. Reverend Grimme's settlement grew from refugee camp to boomtown practically overnight.
But ghost rock attracted more than prospectors. It attracted thinkers.
The Mad Scientists Arrive
Scientists, inventors, and tinkerers descended on the Maze like vultures on a carcass. They saw what prospectors didn't: ghost rock wasn't just better fuel. It was a completely new substance with properties that defied conventional understanding.
These "scientific types" began experimenting immediately. Within months—months!—they had created devices that seemed like pure fantasy:
- Horseless carriages powered by steam and ghost rock
- Flying machines that actually flew
- Weapons that could spew torrents of bullets
- Flamethrowers fueled by ghost rock
- Armored vehicles that moved without horses
At first, the press mocked these inventors as "mad scientists"—eccentric kooks making wild claims. But when a horseless carriage rolled down the streets of Lost Angels at twenty miles per hour, the mockery stopped. When a flying machine took to the air above the Maze, the world paid attention.
The mad scientists weren't crazy. They were geniuses—or at least, they'd found a substance that made genius possible.
The term started as an insult but became a badge of honor. These inventors work with forces they don't fully understand, creating devices that shouldn't work but somehow do. The ghost rock fumes they breathe, the strange energies they harness, the obsessive hours they spend perfecting their creations—it all takes a toll. Many mad scientists develop... quirks. Tics. Obsessions. Some go genuinely mad. But the ones who keep their sanity (mostly) can create wonders that change the world.
The Governments Take Notice
It didn't take long for the Union and Confederacy to realize ghost rock's military potential. Both governments moved quickly to secure supplies and scientific expertise.
The Confederacy Strikes First
In January 1869, Confederate President Jefferson Davis made a bold claim: California no longer existed as a Union state. The Great Maze was now Confederate territory. The ghost rock belonged to the South.
This was mostly bluster—Davis couldn't actually control the Maze any more than the Union could. But he could establish enough pro-Southern settlements and military outposts to secure a steady supply of ghost rock flowing east.
Davis immediately put that supply to use. He established a secret base near Roswell, New Mexico and filled it with the best mad scientists he could recruit—or coerce. The Texas Rangers combed the West, making offers these scientists couldn't refuse. Those who said no... well, they tended to disappear. Can't share knowledge if you're dead.
For nearly two years, Confederate scientists worked around the clock at Roswell, developing weapons and devices for the war effort. The conditions were brutal. Many went mad from overwork and ghost rock exposure. Some died in experiments. Others fled into the desert.
But by early 1871, Davis had his war machines. And he was ready to use them.
The Battle of Washington (February 1871)
The Confederate attack on Washington D.C. in February 1871 caught the Union completely off-guard. General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, backed by ghost rock-powered war machines, smashed through Union lines and seized the capital.
For a brief, glorious moment, the Confederate flag flew over the White House.
The victory didn't last. Ghost rock devices are temperamental—they malfunction, run out of fuel, or simply explode at the worst moments. As the Confederate war machines broke down, Union forces under General Grant counterattacked and retook the city.
But the message was clear: ghost rock changed warfare. Whoever controlled the supply and the scientists would control the future of the war.
In early 1872, a Union force called the "Flying Buffalos"—led by veteran officer Jay Kyle and Sergeant Amos—raided the Roswell base. They stole many of the South's best designs, killed key scientists, and destroyed much of the facility before escaping. The raid crippled Confederate mad science for years. But it also ensured both sides now had access to ghost rock technology. The arms race was on.
Ghost Rock Spreads
While the Maze contains the richest deposits, ghost rock has since been found across North America—just in smaller quantities. Prospectors strike veins in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and even as far east as the Dakotas.
The Great Rail Wars
After retaking Washington, President Grant made a fateful decision. He offered an exclusive government contract for ghost rock transportation to the first company to build a transcontinental railroad from the Maze to the Eastern battlefields. The Confederates matched the offer the next day.
Six major railroad companies answered the call. What followed became known as the Great Rail Wars—a bloody competition where the rail barons fight each other as viciously as the Union and Confederacy fight the Civil War. Sabotage, raids, hired guns, and outright warfare between the companies continue to this day.
We'll cover the Rail Wars in detail in the next chapter. For now, understand this: controlling the rails means controlling ghost rock. And controlling ghost rock means controlling power.
The Ghost Trail
Before the rails reached the Maze, the Confederacy relied on overland mule trains to haul ghost rock from California to their base at Roswell. This route—called the "Ghost Trail"—runs through Apache and Mexican territory, making it incredibly dangerous.
Each caravan consists of 15-20 wagons loaded with ghost rock, escorted by two companies of troops, cavalry, and sometimes steam-powered war machines. Even with heavy guard, caravans get lost to raiders. The trip takes two months under ideal conditions—longer when things go wrong.
The arrival of a ghost rock caravan in any Confederate town is a major event. It means fresh supplies, news from the west, and the promise of continued war efforts.
The Maze Today (1877)
Nine years after the Great Quake, the Maze remains the most contested territory in North America.
Multiple Powers Vie for Control
The Union maintains Pacific fleet elements scattered throughout the Maze. They hold more territory than the Confederates but can't force the issue without risking everything.
The Confederacy has a smaller presence but fights fiercely for every mesa. Ghost rock is their lifeline—losing access would doom their war effort.
The Mexican Armada controls the southern portions of the Maze. General Santa Anna has designs on California and the resources to pursue them.
Chinese warlords arrived with immigrant labor and stayed to carve out their own territories. Their colorful sampan fleets and disciplined forces make them serious players.
Reverend Grimme rules the City of Lost Angels as a sovereign state. In late 1877, he declared independence and forbade rail lines from entering his territory. His "Guardian Angels" enforce his edicts with brutal efficiency.
Pirates and raiders prey on everyone, striking from hidden bases and vanishing into the Maze's labyrinth.
The result? Constant low-level warfare. Skirmishes between factions. Raids on mining operations. Ambushes of ore barges. Everyone fighting everyone else for control of the ghost rock.
Boomtowns and Settlements
Despite the danger—or perhaps because of it—settlements continue to spring up throughout the Maze. Some perch atop the mesa-islands, reached only by rope lifts. Others cling to rubble-shores along the channels. A few brave (or foolish) souls build on floating platforms.
Every settlement lives under the constant threat of:
- Aftershocks toppling buildings into the sea
- Raids by pirates, competitors, or military forces
- Attacks by Maze dragons and other creatures
- Starvation—food is scarce and expensive in the Maze
- Claim-jumping and violent disputes over mining rights
But where there's risk, there's reward. A single rich ghost rock strike can make a miner wealthy beyond dreams. Towns that secure good deposits grow into thriving communities—at least until the vein runs dry.
Lost Angels: The Hub
The City of Lost Angels remains the Maze's largest settlement and primary trade hub. Everything flowing in or out of the Maze passes through Grimme's city—and he takes his cut.
The city's survival hinges on Reverend Grimme's weekly feasts. After Sunday services, his Church of Lost Angels provides free food to all attendees. In a land where a loaf of bread costs a week's wages and meat is scarce as hen's teeth, these feasts make Grimme more popular than God Himself.
Where does all that food come from? Grimme won't say. Most folks don't ask. They're too grateful to question their savior.
Smart folks? They ask. And they don't like the answers they find.
If your work for Colonel Brennan takes you to the Maze, tread carefully. The place is a snake pit of competing factions, desperate prospectors, and things that should have stayed buried. Trust no one. Watch your back. And if you end up in Lost Angels? Don't eat the meat at Grimme's feasts. Just... don't.
How the Great Quake Changed Everything
The discovery of ghost rock didn't just create a new commodity—it fundamentally altered the course of history.
Technology Leaped Forward
In nine years, ghost rock has enabled inventions that should have taken decades or centuries to develop. Horseless carriages are common in some cities. Steamboats powered by ghost rock travel rivers at unprecedented speeds. Rail lines use ghost rock locomotives that outpace anything coal could achieve.
Military technology has advanced even faster. Gatling guns. Armored wagons. Experimental aircraft. Weapons that fire bolts of electricity or gouts of flame. If you can imagine it, some mad scientist is probably trying to build it.
The War Continues
Ghost rock gave both sides hope they could win the Civil War through technological superiority. That hope has prolonged a conflict that might otherwise have ended years ago. Both governments pour resources into securing ghost rock and funding mad science programs.
The result? Seventeen years of war with no end in sight. The stalemate continues, fueled by ghost rock and watered with blood.
New Powers Emerged
The Great Quake created opportunities for groups that seized them quickly:
The rail barons rose to become some of the wealthiest and most powerful men in North America. Their companies employ thousands and shape national policy.
Mad scientists went from eccentric tinkerers to crucial assets. Both governments court them, protect them, and fear what they might create.
Reverend Grimme built an empire on California's ruins, ruling Lost Angels as a virtual theocracy.
The Chinese warlords carved out their own territories and established themselves as major players in the West's power structure.
The Supernatural Intensified
Some theorists believe the Great Quake wasn't entirely natural—that supernatural forces somehow triggered or amplified it. Evidence? The quake exposed ghost rock in ways that seem almost... deliberate. The timing, coming just five years after Gettysburg's Reckoning. The strange properties of ghost rock itself.
Whether natural or supernatural in origin, the quake definitely increased supernatural activity in the Maze. Maze dragons and other creatures. Hauntings in the ruins of drowned cities. Strange phenomena reported by miners working deep in the rock. Fear levels that spawn more horrors.
The Maze isn't just dangerous because of human threats. Something about the place feels wrong. Cursed, maybe. Or just... broken.
The Unanswered Questions
Nine years later, mysteries remain:
What caused the quake? Was it natural? Supernatural? Deliberately triggered? The earth has always had quakes along that fault line—but nothing approaching the scale of 1868.
Why did it expose ghost rock so perfectly? The seams run through the Maze in accessible locations, almost as if designed for easy mining. Coincidence? Or something more?
What else is buried in the Maze? If ghost rock was hidden beneath California for eons, what else might be down there? Strange creatures emerged when the land fell. Ancient things disturbed from long slumber. What else might wake up?
What happened to the survivors we don't hear about? Thousands died in the quake and aftermath. But how many? Official records were destroyed. Some settlements vanished without trace. How many people are still unaccounted for?
What is Reverend Grimme really serving at those feasts? This one might have an answer. You just won't like it.
Maybe your work for Colonel Brennan will lead you to answers. Maybe you'll discover things that were meant to stay buried. Maybe you'll wish you'd never asked the questions.
But knowing the history—understanding what happened when California fell—that's the first step to surviving what comes next.
The Great Quake of 1868. The day California fell into the sea. The day ghost rock changed the world. Remember it—because the race for ghost rock shapes everything you'll face as a Troubleshooter.
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