The Broken Badlands

[Mr. Pearse]

The year is 1874. It is a chance for a freshly united nation to breath a collective sigh of relief and look ahead to the first glimmerings of industrial revolution. Meanwhile, the vast Western territories hold fresh appeal for a generation of battered immigrants and alienated Southerners. Settlers set forth for every corner of the new frontier in a deluge that has not been witnessed before or since. For this diverse group, the wilds of the West promise a new beginning…and new opportunities.

Yet the West is a harsh mistress. Nowhere is this better evidenced than New Mexico Territory, a barren tract of land that stretches across modern New Mexico as well as parts of Texas and Arizona. It is a land of bandit attacks and Indian raids, where the parched remains of failed wagon trains are regular sights. Tensions smolder between native Mexicans and white settlers, and in some isolated communities the violence of the Civil War continues unabated, as if there never was that ceasefire at Appotamax.

Something else is stirring in New Mexico Territory. In the deep canyons and hidden places, those with special affinities uncover technology that could never have been intended for human hands. Some find hulking suits of armor, while others discover machines that move of their own accord. Elsewhere, other “gifted” discover new and terrible powers from within themselves. Some experience superhuman luck and intuition, while others find that the very world around them seems to bend to their wills. Although seemingly impossible, it grows harder to find a way into New Mexico Territory…and near impossible to find a way out.

This is the story of the life, death, salvation, and damnation of every last poor lady and gentleman who called New Mexico Territory home at a time when they shouldn’t have. It is a mystery, romance, high-budget action flick, and whatever else you think it should become. The tale is yours for the telling.

So tell it well.