Garyn Steelholt [Ragnarok] – Google Docs
Garyn Steelholt
City: Gary, Indiana
Population: 22,000
Controls: Gary city limits (part of the Chicago Mayorality)
Government: Strongman (satrap of Chicago)
Problem: Factions
Heroic Opportunity: Trade Goods
City Aspect: Religious
Gary only still exists because Chicago moved quickly to secure the Gary Works steel mill after the Serpentfall. The survivors traded independence for a Chicagoan overlord and regular food supplies, and mostly considered themselves fortunate. The situation today is actually fairly tolerable; while Gary ‘mayor’ Murray Humphreys does not rule with a overly light hand, the streets are safe and his rules are fairly enforced. As long as the steel mill keeps shipping product to Chicago, Humphreys and Chicago do not care what the locals get up to.
However, over the last two years a new religion called The Order of Saint Garyn has spread through the town. It started off as a Catholic Marian cult, got mixed with a female anthropomorphized version of the city of Gary itself, and then somehow incorporated a remarkable amount of mysticism and lore about steelworking. Today, roughly 70% of Gary and its environs are now followers of the Lady of Steel, and the percentage is still increasing.
The Order considers the Gary Works (which they call Garyn Steelholt) to be the spiritual center of their faith, and by now they fully control its operations. The Humphrey regime tolerates this because the Order does not stint on steel production, and because the Order’s religion is not ethically pernicious. For its part, the Order does not particularly like Chicago; but at the moment it cannot directly hold off the Mayorality, and Mayor Humphreys does not interfere with the Order’s business. The situation is deemed stable enough.
One complication in all of this is that regular members of the Order of Saint Garyn have begun to operate outside of Gary’s city limits. In a world where guns become harder and harder to maintain every year, the Order’s steel-clad, spear-carrying fighters are beginning to come into their own. And Saint Garyn has definite views about serfdom, slavery, brigandage, and piracy. Views that do not always mesh well with Chicago’s. As Garyn Steelholt grows in power and strength, this conflict may become more relevant in the years ahead.