The Black Meridian — A Gonzo Weird West Folk-Horror RPG

Six-guns, grave dirt, bad omens, black trains, hungry gods, cursed silver, laughing coyotes — and the awful knowledge that the frontier was never empty.

Read the Rules
From the Ledger
Boon

Roll 3d6 and keep the best 2 dice. Boons and Banes cancel one for one.

From the Ledger
Bane

Roll 3d6 and keep the worst 2 dice. Boons and Banes cancel one for one.

From the Ledger
Blood

8 + Grit + class bonus. Your ability to avoid dying from violence. At 0 Blood, gain a Wound and reset Blood to half maximum.

From the Ledger
Nerve

6 + Presence + Grit. Your ability to withstand horror, panic, despair, and supernatural pressure. At 0 Nerve, roll a Breaking Point.

From the Ledger
Doom

Starts at 0. Measures how much the supernatural has noticed you. At 6 Doom, clear it and roll a Doom Mark.

From the Ledger
Wound

Gained at 0 Blood. Roll 1d6 on the Wound table. At 3 Wounds, a character dies unless saved by immediate aid, miracle, bargain, or terrible luck.

From the Ledger
Devil's Grin

A natural 12 on the dice. You succeed and gain an extra benefit.

From the Ledger
Snake Eyes

A natural 2 on the dice. You fail and something worsens.

Chapter I — Core Rules

Everything Runs on Six-Sided Dice

The world is dangerous. Combat is fast. Monsters do not fight fair. The dice do not care about your backstory, but your backstory may explain why the dice hate you.

The Basic Roll

2d6 + Attribute  vs.  Target Number

Dotted terms like , , or can be tapped anywhere on this page to consult the ledger.

Difficulty Targets
DifficultyTarget
Easy6
Risky8
Hard10
Grim12
Impossible, unless clever14

Devil's Grin — a natural 12 on the dice. You succeed and gain an extra benefit.

Snake Eyes — a natural 2 on the dice. You fail and something worsens.

Attributes

AttributeUse It For
MightStrength, melee, lifting, breaking, grappling
QuickShooting, dodging, riding, sneaking, quick draw
GritEndurance, pain, poison, fatigue, survival
WitsPerception, tracking, repair, tactics, lore
PresenceCommand, charm, lies, intimidation, faith
WeirdHexes, spirits, omens, occult devices, curses

Boons and Banes

A means roll 3d6 and keep the best 2 dice. A means roll 3d6 and keep the worst 2 dice. Boons and Banes cancel one for one. Try them yourself with the dice in the corner of the page.

Attribute Points

  • Start all Attributes at 0. Spend 6 points among them.
  • No Attribute may start higher than +3.
  • You may lower one Attribute to −1 to gain 1 extra point.
  • No Attribute may ever go below −2 or above +5.

Derived Scores

ScoreFormulaMeasures
Blood8 + Grit + class bonusYour ability to avoid dying from violence
Nerve6 + Presence + GritWithstanding horror, panic, despair, supernatural pressure
Defense7 + Quick + armorEnemies roll against this to hit you
Carry8 + MightSignificant items carried without being slowed
DoomStarts at 0How much the supernatural has noticed you

Chapter II — Character Creation

Name Three Things: Someone You Owe, Someone You Fear, and Someone You Buried

Making a Character

  1. Choose a Calling, your class.
  2. Assign Attribute points.
  3. Choose one Background.
  4. Choose one Burden.
  5. Choose one Keepsake.
  6. Choose one General Talent.
  7. Buy or roll gear.
  8. Name three things: someone you owe, someone you fear, and someone you buried.

Leveling

Characters begin at Level 1 and may rise to Level 6. Gain XP when you:

  • Survive a dangerous expedition.
  • Recover treasure, relics, secrets, or cursed goods.
  • Protect a community from a supernatural threat.
  • Make a hard choice that changes the world.
  • Solve a mystery without burning the whole town down. Fancy stuff.

Every 5 XP, gain a level.

LevelGain
2+1 Attribute or 1 General Talent
3Class Feature
4+1 Attribute or 1 General Talent
5Class Feature
6+1 Attribute and retire, rule, die famous, or become a legend

Backgrounds

Roll 1d6 or choose
d6Background
1You were born in a dying town.
2You rode with criminals and left alive.
3You worked the rail, mine, ranch, or river.
4You were raised around scripture, spirits, or superstition.
5You served in a war nobody wants remembered.
6You came from somewhere the map refuses to show.

Burdens

Roll 1d6 or choose
d6Burden
1You are hunted by a lawful power.
2You hear the dead when it rains.
3You owe money to someone who owns graves.
4You killed the wrong person.
5Your family name is cursed.
6Something wears your face in another town.

Keepsakes

Roll 1d6 or choose
d6Keepsake
1A bullet dug from your own body.
2A wedding ring from a spouse you never had.
3A cracked saint medal that grows warm near graves.
4A bone-handled knife that whispers in sleep.
5A wanted poster with your face but another name.
6A pouch of red dirt from a place you cannot find again.

Table Tool — The Drifter Mill

Roll a Stranger Off the Stagecoach

Uses only the rules on this page: 6 attribute points capped at +3, derived scores, and 1d6 rolls on the tables above. Pick your own Calling if the mill deals you a bad hand.

Chapter III — Combat

Fast, Brutal, and Unfair

Initiative

  • Each side rolls 1d6. Higher side acts first. Ties mean simultaneous action.
  • A side with an ambush gains +2.
  • A side caught completely unaware does not act in the first round.

On Your Turn

You may move a reasonable distance, take one Action, and speak, drop an item, draw a weapon, or interact with something simple.

Common Actions: Attack • Aim • Reload • Fan the Hammer • Grapple • Shove • Dash • Take Cover • Cast a Hex • Use an item • Help an ally • Do something clever and probably stupid.

Attacking

Melee: 2d6 + Might  vs.  Defense
Ranged: 2d6 + Quick  vs.  Defense ± range & cover
Range Bands
RangeExamplesModifier
CloseAcross a room, alley, wagon+0
NearStreet, barnyard, saloon balcony+0
FarDown a road, ridge to ridge−2
DistantSniper country−4
Cover
CoverDefense Bonus
Table, fence, wagon wheel+1
Stone wall, boulder, engine block+2
Murder hole, trench, iron stove+3
A skeletal gunslinger against a blood-red sky, revolver in hand
The dead reload faster than you think

Damage & Wounds

When hit, roll weapon damage and subtract armor. At 0 , gain a . After gaining a Wound, reset Blood to half maximum, rounded down. At 3 Wounds, a character dies unless saved by immediate aid, miracle, bargain, or terrible luck.

Wound Table — roll 1d6 when you take a Wound
d6Wound
1Bleeding: lose 1 Grit each round until treated. If you are not treated within 3 rounds, you die.
2Broken: Bane on Might and Quick until rested.
3Rattled: lose 1d6 Nerve.
4Scarred: permanent visible mark, +1 Doom.
5Crippled: movement halved until properly treated.
6Near Miss: no extra effect, but something important is damaged.

Weapons

WeaponDamageNotes
Fist, bottle, boot1d6−3Minimum 1
Knife, hatchet, club1d6−1Concealable
Saber, axe, spear1d6Good melee weapon
Heavy axe, maul1d6+2Two-handed
Derringer1d6Close only, hidden
Revolver1d6+1Six chambers
Heavy revolver1d6+2Six chambers, loud
Shotgun2d6 keep higher +2Close or Near
Scattergun2d6Hits two close targets on Devil's Grin
Rifle1d6+3Far without penalty if aimed
Buffalo rifle2d6+2Slow reload, brutal
Bow1d6Silent
Dynamite3d6Area, loud, unstable
Moonstone gun2d6Adds Doom on Snake Eyes

Armor

ArmorDefenseDamage ReductionNotes
Heavy coat+01Common
Boiled leather+11Quiet
Mail vest+12Rare
Steel breastplate+03Bane on sneaking
Warded duster+11Reduces occult damage by 2
Shield+11Melee only unless braced

Remember: when hit, roll weapon damage and subtract the target's Damage Reduction. At 0 Blood, gain a Wound and reset Blood to half maximum, rounded down.

A half-skull gunman in a duster, smoking a cigar
Fan the hammer — count your ones

Gun Tricks

Quick DrawWhen combat begins and your weapon is holstered, declare a Quick Draw and roll 2d6 + Quick. On 8+, draw and fire before normal initiative. On 10+, gain a Boon on the shot. On Snake Eyes, your gun catches, drops, or fires into something expensive.
Fan the HammerOnly with a revolver. Choose how many chambers you fire, from 2 to 6, and roll that many d6. Each die showing 4, 5, or 6 is a hit dealing 1d6 damage. If two or more dice show 1, your gun jams, misfires, or goes empty at the worst possible moment. You may spread hits among Close or Near targets.
Dead Man's AimSpend your whole turn aiming. Your next ranged attack gains a Boon and ignores 1 point of cover. If you are hit before firing, the aim is lost.
Called ShotTake a Bane to aim for a specific effect: disarm, shoot the hand, shoot the leg, break a lantern, cut a rope, or knock a hat off, if you are feeling theatrical and insufferable. On success, deal half damage and apply the effect.
Suppressing FireSpend 3 bullets. One zone becomes dangerous until your next turn. Anyone crossing it must roll 2d6 + Grit against 8 or take 1d6 damage.
Empty the GunOnce per combat, when reduced to 0 Blood, you may fire every loaded chamber before taking your Wound. Every shot has a Bane. Afterward, gain +1 Doom.

Melee Tricks

ClashWhen an enemy attacks you in melee, give up your next Action to Clash. Both roll 2d6 + Might. If you win, you avoid the hit and deal 1d6 damage. If you lose, the enemy hits you and deals +1 damage.
GrappleRoll 2d6 + Might against Defense. On success, the target cannot move and has a Bane on attacks against anyone but you.
Dirty FightingThrow sand, smash a bottle, kick a knee, bite, spit blood, or use a chair like a civilized person. Roll 2d6 + Quick against 8. On success, the target has a Bane on its next roll.
Last KnifeIf disarmed in melee, you may reveal one hidden blade or small weapon once per session.

Chapter IV — Fear, Nerve, and Doom

The Supernatural Is Watching

Fear, Nerve, and Horror

When facing supernatural terror, massacre, impossible sights, possession, or folk-taboo violation, roll:

2d6 + Presence or Grit

Target: 8 for unsettling, 10 for horrifying, 12 for soul-breaking. On failure, lose 1d6 .

At 0 Nerve, roll 1d6 — Breaking Point
d6Breaking Point
1Flee until safe.
2Freeze and lose next turn.
3Scream, sob, pray, or laugh. Attract attention.
4Attack the nearest threat recklessly.
5Gain +1 Doom and keep acting.
6Become cold. Restore 1d6 Nerve, but gain a permanent scar of the mind.

Nerve returns after rest, comfort, drink, prayer, confession, music, or human kindness. The last one is rare on the frontier, but it works.

A pale wraith woman in funeral dress reaching forward with clawed hands
Target 12: soul-breaking
A bearded frontier occultist in a wide-brimmed hat against a red wall
Something has mistaken you for family

Doom

measures supernatural attention. Gain Doom when you:

  • Cast dangerous magic.
  • Break a taboo.
  • Use moonstone relics.
  • Bargain with spirits.
  • Survive when you should have died.
  • Spill blood in a cursed place.
  • Desecrate graves, shrines, bones, or old boundaries.

At 6 Doom, clear Doom and roll 1d12 on the Doom Mark table. Marks are permanent unless the table says otherwise. The low numbers change how you live. The high numbers change how you die.

Doom Marks — roll 1d12
d12Doom Mark
1Latelight Shadow: Your shadow moves a heartbeat late, and spirits know it for a loose thing. Any attempt to pin, nail, or bind your shadow succeeds automatically.
2Beast-Marked: Animals smell the grave on you. Bane on all riding and handling rolls, dogs announce you a street away, and no stable will board your horse twice.
3Hollow Glass: The thing in the mirror is no longer you. Meet its eyes and lose 1d6 Nerve. It has started practicing your smile.
4Moonlit Blood: Your blood shines under open night sky. Supernatural creatures track you without a roll after dark, and you take a Bane to hide from them until dawn.
5The Collector: A dead person knows your name and has opened an account. Lose 1 Blood at every dawn until you learn what it wants and pay in full.
6Grave-Cold: The warmth is leaving you an ounce at a time. Resting at camp no longer restores Blood. Only medicine, miracle, or another person's hands can mend you now.
7Salt-Scorned: The wards of decent folk no longer count you among the living. Salt lines, thresholds, and blessings bar you as they would the unquiet dead, and holy rebuke bites you the same.
8The Family: Something old has decided you are kin. It follows at a distance, watches while you sleep, and kills what threatens you, including friends who raise their voice at you once too often.
9Spoken For: Your true name is written in a book you have never seen. Anything that speaks your name aloud gains a Boon against you, and the dead all seem to have read the page.
10Borrowed Tongue: The dead use your mouth while you sleep. Each morning, roll 2d6 + Grit against 8 or wake with your throat raw, having promised something to someone in the night.
11Death's Regard: Death has seen your face and marked the page with a thumbnail. The next time you fall to 0 Blood, take 2 Wounds instead of 1. Then this mark fades, satisfied.
12The Waiting Stone: Somewhere in the Meridian a headstone already bears your name and a date. Until you find it and break it, no talent, feature, or miracle may ignore, redirect, or undo a Wound you take.
Table Tool — Track Your Doom

Click the skulls as the supernatural takes notice.

Chapter V — Magic & Rites

Power Costs

There are three forms of power. Hexcraft: personal curses, charms, blood tricks, bone magic, smoke rites. Rites: slow rituals tied to places, taboos, songs, signs, graves, weather, and sacrifice. Relics: objects that hold power, usually because something awful happened to them.

Casting a Hex

2d6 + Weird
Hex DifficultyTarget
Small charm8
Dangerous hex10
Major working12

On failure, the hex fizzles or twists. On , gain +1 Doom and suffer a backlash.

Sample Hexes

Bullet PsalmBless one bullet. It deals +1d6 to a spirit, haint, or undead thing.
Nail the ShadowPin a target's shadow with a nail, knife, or bullet. The target cannot move for 1 round.
GravewhisperAsk one question of a corpse. It answers in nine words or fewer.
Ash VeilSmear ash under your eyes. For one scene, spirits cannot easily see you.
Murder of CrowsA cloud of black birds erupts from nowhere. Gain cover, confusion, or escape.
Lantern SoulTrap a weak ghost, memory, or dying curse in a lantern.
Six Black HorsesFor one night, your mount does not tire, but it will not cross running water.
Blood CompassSpill blood on a map. It points toward what you seek, or what seeks you.
Hush the GunOne firearm makes no sound for one shot.
Borrowed FaceWear another person's face in smoke and shadow for one hour. Anyone who loves them may see through it.

Rites

Rites are not combat spells. They require time, components, and risk. A rite needs:

  • A place of power.
  • A spoken or sung formula.
  • A token, sacrifice, or taboo.
  • A roll of 2d6 + Weird or Presence.
  • A consequence if botched.
Lay the Restless DeadSalt, hymn, name, grave dirt.
Seal a Mine MouthIron nails, blood, a lie confessed.
Call Rain Over DustDrum, dance, clouded mirror, burnt offering.
Break a Family CurseThree living witnesses, one dead witness, a true name.
Bind a Crossroads DevilSilver coin, black thread, rooster bone, no lies until sunrise.

Chapter VI — General Talents

Choose One at Creation. Earn the Rest.

TalentEffect
DeadeyeOnce per combat, reroll a ranged attack.
Iron BellyBoon on poison, rotgut, disease, and bad stew.
Hard to Kill+2 Blood.
Cold Nerves+2 Nerve.
Snake Quick+1 initiative for your side if you are not surprised.
GravewiseBoon when identifying undead, curses, funerary signs, and haints.
Horse BloodedBoon on riding, calming, or chasing with mounts.
Knife Smile+1 damage with small blades and dirty fighting.
Silver TongueBoon when lying to people who want to believe you.
Black ThumbYou can identify herbs, toxins, corpse rot, and witch plants.
TalentEffect
Rail RatBoon on trains, engines, telegraphs, bridges, and dynamite.
Moon-TouchedYou may cast one small hex per day, even without a class feature.
Company TrainingBoon on paperwork, uniforms, bribes, and official intimidation.
Noose DodgerOnce per session, escape bonds, cell, coffin, or hanging setup.
Born Under Bad SignsOnce per session, turn a Snake Eyes into an ordinary failure.
Big Medicine, Small BottleHealing items restore +2 Blood when you use them on others.
Duelist's StepIn a one-on-one fight, +1 Defense.
Powder SaintIgnore the first firearm jam or misfire each session.
Whisper ListenerYou can sense when a place has a secret, though not what it is.
Old GrudgeName a monster type. Gain +1 damage against it.

Chapter VII — The 30 Callings

Drifters, Killers, Preachers, Witches, and Fools with Guns

Each Calling gives a Blood bonus, starting gear, and three class features at levels 1, 3, and 5. Pick the trouble you were born for.

30 callings

Calling No. 01 of 30

Hexslinger

Blood +1

Gunfighter with cursed bullets and smoke-black prayers.

Starting GearRevolver, 12 bullets, black charm, long coat.

Level 1

Witchshot

Once per combat, make a shot count as magical.

Level 3

Smoke Reload

Spend 1 Nerve to reload a revolver instantly in a puff of grave-smoke.

Level 5

Name on the Bullet

Learn a creature's true name or mark. Your next bullet against it gains +2d6 damage.

Chapter VIII — Gear, Money & the Trail

Currency Is Dirty, Mixed, and Local

Money

  • 1 Silver Dollar buys a meal, stable space, cheap ammo, or a bribe to a tired deputy.
  • 10 Silver Dollars buys a common weapon, good coat, doctor visit, or week of bad lodging.
  • 100 Silver Dollars buys a horse, wagon, fine gun, minor relic, or someone's loyalty until fear arrives.
  • Moonstone is worth whatever desperate people think it is worth. Usually too much.

Starting Gear

Each character starts with class gear, a bedroll, a canteen, 1d6 silver dollars, one week of trail food, and one personal oddity.

Personal Oddities — roll 1d6
d6Oddity
1A tooth that is not yours but aches when danger is near.
2A matchbox full of black sand.
3A photograph where one person keeps changing.
4A railroad spike warm as flesh.
5A child's drawing of your death.
6A harmonica that plays by itself near graves.

Travel

The Meridian is a hex-crawl horror sandbox. Each day of travel, the Guide rolls 1d6.

Travel Events
d6Travel Event
1No event, but the land feels wrong.
2Weather turns dangerous.
3Tracks, signs, smoke, bells, blood, or bones.
4Human encounter.
5Supernatural encounter.
6Discovery: ruin, shrine, mine, wreck, camp, grave, or impossible place.

Camp

At camp, each character chooses one:

  • Rest: regain 1d6 Blood.
  • Calm Down: regain 1d6 Nerve.
  • Watch: reduce surprise chance.
  • Forage: find food or water.
  • Mend: repair gear.
  • Pray, sing, confess, or ward: reduce Doom by 1 on a successful Presence or Weird roll against 10.

Towns

Every town should have: a visible problem, a hidden sin, a local superstition, a powerful person lying, a place nobody goes after dark, and a reason the characters cannot simply leave.

Mercy Bell — Abandoned after the First Gravesmoke. Now the church bell rings underground every night at 3:13. Prospectors swear there are untouched moonstone veins below. The dead townsfolk still set tables, sweep floors, and wait for visitors.

Widow's Mercy — A cattle town where every married man dies within a year. The widows run everything. They are kind, armed, and very tired of questions.

Nailhead — A rail camp turned fortress. Every building is reinforced with iron nails. Nobody is allowed to sleep without boots on because the ground sometimes tries to swallow feet.

Little Gospel — A revival town where nobody curses, drinks, gambles, lies, or bleeds. Outsiders who break the rules are dragged to the white chapel and come out smiling.

Chapter IX — Monsters

The Awful Part

Monsters use simple stats. Defense is how hard they are to hit. Blood is how much punishment before a Wound or death — most monsters die at 1 to 3 Wounds. Morale: roll 2d6 when hurt, outnumbered, or frightened; fail and they flee, bargain, or change tactics. Special is the awful part.

Rail Wight

DEF 8BLOOD 10WOUNDS 2MORALE 10

Attack: Iron hook, 1d6+2

Special: Can travel along rail lines and telegraph wires. Hates company men first.

Skin-Thief

DEF 9BLOOD 8WOUNDS 2MORALE 9

Attack: Claws, 1d6+1

Special: Can wear the face and voice of someone it has tasted. Silver reveals its true shadow.

Winter Hunger

DEF 10BLOOD 14WOUNDS 3MORALE 12

Attack: Bite, 2d6

Special: Anyone hearing its voice must roll Nerve or feel starving, even after eating.

Coffin Saint

DEF 11BLOOD 16WOUNDS 3MORALE 12

Attack: Nail hands, 1d6+3

Special: Cannot enter a home unless invited by grief.

Dust Mother

DEF 8BLOOD 12WOUNDS 2MORALE 10

Attack: Choking dust, 1d6 and lose 1d6 Nerve

Special: Forms from abandoned homesteads and dead children's songs.

Longhorn Seraph

DEF 10BLOOD 18WOUNDS 3MORALE 11

Attack: Horns, 2d6+2

Special: A radiant mutant bull with too many eyes. Anyone who kills it dreams prophecy for 6 nights.

The Man Under the Floor

DEF 7BLOOD 6WOUNDS 1MORALE 8

Attack: Grabbing hands, 1d6

Special: Exists beneath any wooden floor where murder happened. Can only be harmed by tearing up the boards.

Bell Widow

DEF 9BLOOD 10WOUNDS 2MORALE 10

Attack: Silver hatpin, 1d6+1

Special: If she rings her wedding bell, all who hear it remember someone they failed to save.

Moonstone Locust Swarm

DEF 8BLOOD 12WOUNDS 1MORALE 7

Attack: Biting cloud, 1d6 to everyone Close

Special: Eats metal, teeth, coins, bullets, and wedding rings.

Saint Jack of the Crossroads

DEF 12BLOOD 20WOUNDS 4MORALE 12

Attack: Black cane, 2d6

Special: Offers bargains. Never lies. Never tells the whole truth. Cannot be shot by someone who owes a debt.

Chapter X — Running the Game

Fools with Lanterns

Adventure Structure

A good Gravesmoke adventure has:

  1. A town with pressure.
  2. A local superstition that is true but incomplete.
  3. A human villain making things worse.
  4. A supernatural force with rules.
  5. A place the characters must enter.
  6. A cost for winning.
  7. A reason guns help, but do not solve everything.

Guide Principles

  • Make danger obvious, but not always avoidable.
  • Let clever plans work.
  • Make bullets matter.
  • Make monsters follow rules.
  • Make people complicated.
  • Put treasure behind risk.
  • Let towns remember what characters do.
  • Never explain every mystery.
  • Use folklore logic. The third knock matters. Names matter. Salt matters. Dawn matters. Hospitality matters. So does breaking it.
  • Keep combat fast. If a fight is boring, something catches fire, arrives, screams, collapses, or rings a bell.

Example: The Mine That Sang Back — The town of Mercy Bell has reopened its old moonstone mine. The miners hear singing below. Anyone who sings along comes back kinder, paler, and missing their fingernails. The Rail Combine wants the ore. The church wants the mine sealed. The miners want wages. The thing below wants harmony.

Truth: The mine broke into the throat of a buried giant saint, or maybe a monster worshiped as one. The singing is its breathing.

Possible endings: Seal the mine and doom the town financially. Kill the thing and release its blood into the water table. Let the Combine harvest it and watch industry become religion. Bargain with it and teach the town a new song.


Chapter XI — Quick Reference

Nail This to the Table

Basic Roll2d6 + Attribute vs 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 / 14
BoonRoll 3d6, keep best 2
BaneRoll 3d6, keep worst 2
Melee Attack2d6 + Might
Ranged Attack2d6 + Quick
Defense7 + Quick + armor
Blood8 + Grit + class bonus
Nerve6 + Presence + Grit
At 0 BloodGain a Wound, reset Blood to half
BleedingLose 1 Grit per round; dead if untreated in 3 rounds
At 3 WoundsDead or worse
At 0 NerveRoll Breaking Point
At 6 DoomGain a Doom Mark
InitiativeEach side rolls 1d6, high side acts first
Fan the Hammer1d6 per bullet, 4+ hits, two 1s = jam

Expansion — Now Haunting the Coast

Gravesmoke: The Sunset Gate

Sword saints, spirit roads, drowned fleets, paper wards, showdown rules, eight new Callings — the West was always somebody's East.

Open the Gate →

Expansion — The Oldest Player at the Table

Gravesmoke: The Land Remembers

The Five Nations of the Bitterroot Covenant, the Powers of the land, painted deeds, thunder-herds, eight new Callings — the Meridian was never empty, and it never once forgot a debt.

Walk the Old Country →

Expansion — The Lamps Are the Fence

Gravesmoke: The Gaslight Charter

Company men, the Sleepless Eye, gangs in treaty, bottled lightning, twelve new Callings, and six chartered cities where the dark between lamps has been buying property.

Step Into the Light →

The Promise of Gravesmoke

The Black Meridian does not need heroes. It needs fools with lanterns.

It needs people willing to ride past the last fence, dig up the wrong grave, stare down the thing in the mine, and ask why the church bell is ringing when the church burned down forty years ago.

Maybe they save the town. Maybe they rob it. Maybe they become the reason the next town keeps a superstition.

Either way, the Gravesmoke rises.

Consult the Dice
They do not care about your backstory
Pull the trigger.