As the reach of civilization has slowly spread across the western frontiers of America, the
era of the cowboy is coming to an end.
In its place are now automobiles, telephones, and the rule of law.
With the sun setting on the Wild West, there remains a place where the old ways still hold
true, the last real outlaw country, New Austin.
A rugged, arid wilderness, New Austin is the last remnant of the American frontier yet
to be mapped, conquered, and settled.
Trains and coaches run between the larger towns and scattered forts, but much of the
territory can still only be reached by horseback.
Here the open spaces are roamed by savage bandits and wild animals, and even on newly
cut roads or ancient trails, a sidearm is all but necessary.
New Austin is situated between the Mexican state of Nuevo Paraíso to the south and the
regional capital of West Elizabeth to the northeast.
The territory is roughly divided between four regions, Cholla Springs, Gaptooth Ridge, Hennigan’s
Stead, and Rio Bravo.
Cholla Springs is largely desert, marked only by saguaro cactus and desert scrub.
Wide open plains and low-lying hills are occasionally cut by small rocky canyons or cliffs with
jagged peaks while Lake Don Juilo is its largest source of water.
Most of the region is far too arid and dry for reliable farming, and settlers here instead
rely on cattle to make their living.
Despite its barren nature, Cholla Springs is home to one of the last surviving boomtowns
of the American West; Armadillo.
While hardly a modern settlement by any standards, Armadillo possesses an active railway station,
a telegraph office, and all the basic necessities of frontier living.
The Armadillo Saloon is the most popular establishment in town, although it has gained a reputation
as a common hideout for gangs and road agents.
Gaptooth Ridge, New Austin’s second major constituent region, is a far more rugged area,
the site of various mining operations and decaying farms.
Gaptooth Ridge was also once home to Tumbleweed, a settlement that in its day rivaled and competed
with Armadillo.
Bypassed by the New Austin’s railway lines, Tumbleweed was swiftly abandoned and now exists
as a ghost town, home to thieves, smugglers, and bandits.
Hennigan’s Stead is the most diverse region in New Austin.
A litany of creeks give way to swamps in the East while pine forests spread across the
north, and oak savannah across its interior.
The region is serviced by a minor port settlement known as Thieves’ Landing on its far Northeastern
Edge.
A fitting name, the town is largely overrun by criminals and thugs and in particular,
the Bollard Twins Gang.
Rio Bravo is the least settled region of New Austin, lacking any major settlements and
towns.
Instead, the area is strewn with remnants of the Mexican War, old forts and other military
buildings in various states of disrepair.
The largest of these, Fort Mercer, was once home to a prominent garrison, but its soldiers
have since been redeployed or turned to prospecting, and the fort has become the headquarters of
the infamous Williamson Gang.
In recent years however, Rio Bravo has seen the rise of dozens of oil derricks, a hint
of the technological future that will inevitably arrive across the whole of New Austin.
The American frontier and the promise of freedom attracted entrepreneurs and outlaws, priests
and prostitutes, vagabonds and gentlemen.
Some found wealth at the end of a mineshaft or died penniless and friendless at the end
of a gun.
Whatever lives were made out here are about to change.
There can be no doubt now that the Wild West is dying and not even New Austin can remain
free of civilization forever.
In Atlas, the Templin Institute investigates the most storied places from across alternate
worlds.
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