The Shine Riders
The Shine Riders are not a faction.
They are a problem.
The name comes from a penny dreadful—cheap print, lurid ink—written by someone who never set foot in Coffin Canyon. It painted them as romantic outlaws: dust-coated devils with silver smiles, riding hard and living fast. The stories sold well. The name stuck.
In truth, Shine Rider is what people call any gang that strips Coffin Canyon for value and vanishes before the blood dries.
They don’t call themselves Shine Riders.
They don’t need a banner.
They recognize each other by habits, not symbols.
Why They Are Here
Coffin Canyon shines.
Silver in the rock.
Thyr in the dust.
Bones in the sun.
The Shine Riders are here because value exists, and the canyon has no law strong enough to stop them.
They don’t care about monsters.
They don’t care about curses.
They don’t care about who was here first.
They care about speed, profit, and getting out alive.
Where others build, the Shine Riders strip. Where others study, they steal. Where others argue about the future, they’ve already sold it and moved on.
Diablo
Most Shine Riders eventually pass through Diablo.
Not all of them stay there. Not all of them are based there. But Diablo is where silver and Thyr turn into drinks, weapons, rumors, and favors. It’s where gangs break apart, reform, and disappear under new names. It’s where the canyon exhales.
Diablo is not safe.
Diablo is not loyal.
Diablo does not forgive debt.
But it pays.
That’s enough.
How the Shine Riders Operate
Shine Riders do not hold ground.
They do not defend territory.
They do not fight fair.
They arrive fast.
They take what they can carry.
They leave traps, dust, and corpses behind.
Buildings aren’t homes—they’re resources. Claims aren’t promises—they’re bait. Other factions aren’t enemies—they’re obstacles to be delayed, tricked, or bled just enough to escape.
If a fight looks even, the Shine Riders are already gone.
Philosophy: Nothing Is Sacred
The Shine Riders don’t believe Coffin Canyon belongs to anyone.
Not the monsters.
Not the Rangers.
Not the government.
Not the dead kings under the sand.
If something can be taken, it should be.
If someone is slow, that’s their fault.
If the canyon kills you, that’s how it works.
Some Shine Riders tell themselves they’re just surviving.
Others know exactly what they are.
Both take the silver.
Relationships with Other Factions
Monster Rangers
Targets. The Rangers stockpile supplies, protect monster sites, and leave camps full of things worth stealing. Shine Riders raid them, scatter their monsters, and vanish before the Rangers can organize a response. There’s no ideology here—just opportunity.
Monsterology
Dangerous clients. Monsterology pays well and asks fewer questions than the Rangers—but Shine Riders know better than to trust them. Deals are short. Exits are planned in advance.
Liberty Corps
Avoid, delay, confuse. The Corps brings structure, patrols, and consequences. Shine Riders don’t challenge them directly unless desperate.
Shine Riders — On Monsters
Monsters are like weather.
Sometimes you plan around them. Sometimes you bait them. Sometimes you outrun them. Sometimes you die.
Most Shine Riders don’t hate monsters—and they don’t respect them either. Monsters are hazards, distractions, or tools to be exploited. A monster can guard a cache, flush enemies from cover, or wipe a pursuing patrol if you’re clever enough.
- If a monster gets in the way, it gets shot.
- If it can be lured somewhere useful, it is.
- If it kills someone else first, even better.
- Dead monsters don’t pay.
- Live monsters don’t matter. Smoke, dust, and distance are the preferred weapons.
Notorious Shine Rider Gangs
No two Shine Rider gangs are alike—names change, leaders die, and crews fracture constantly—but some outfits become infamous enough to earn a reputation that outlives them.
These are a few of the names whispered in Diablo and cursed by anyone who’s worked Coffin Canyon long enough.
The Gilded Dogs
Silver-dipped teeth, polished boots, and a habit of killing witnesses. The Dogs favor brutal smash-and-grab raids followed by public executions meant to scare rivals away from claims they’ve already stripped.
The Saffron Saints
A self-styled “holy” gang that steals relics, altars, and sacred objects, then sells them to the highest bidder. Known for wearing stolen religious symbols as mockery—or armor.
Dust Widow Cartel
Operates in small, fast-moving cells led by a rotating cast of survivors. No loyalty beyond the next score. If a Dust Widow leaves you behind, you were slowing them down.
The Coffinwheel Crew
Specialists in wagon raids and train ambushes. Their carts are reinforced, spiked, and painted with crude death imagery. They prefer hit-and-run massacres that leave nothing salvageable behind.
The Red Salt Union
Experts in salting claims with hidden charges and traps. If the Red Salt Union touches a site, it’s dangerous long after they’re gone. Entire expeditions have vanished chasing their false leads.
Los Quemados
Fire-happy arsonists who torch boomtowns after stripping them bare. They leave scorch marks, melted silver, and smoke columns visible for miles. Monsters tend to follow in their wake.
The Broken Spur Company
Former mercenaries turned bandits. Better armed and more disciplined than most Shine Riders, but just as greedy. They sell their services to anyone—until the payout stops.
The Glimmer Rats
Small, filthy, and fast. They crawl through ruins, tunnels, and boardwalk understructures to steal anything not bolted down. Often underestimated. Rarely caught.
The Devil’s Receivers
Scavengers who specialize in stripping battlefields during ongoing fights. They wait for blood, chaos, and distraction, then swarm in to steal weapons, bodies, and valuables before slipping away.
The Cinder Choir
A gang that howls, whistles, and sings during raids—using noise to confuse enemies and panic monsters. Survivors claim the sounds linger in the canyon long after the gang has gone.
What the Shine Riders Want
They don’t want to own Coffin Canyon.
They want to empty it.
Every trip is a calculation:
How much can we take before the canyon notices?
And when it does—
they’re already gone.
Choose This Faction If You…
Want to play unapologetic scum and profit from it
Enjoy speed, misdirection, and knowing when to run
Like treating terrain, buildings, and people as expendable
Prefer winning by theft, not domination
Want the canyon to feel worse after you’ve been there
Sound Strategies & Playstyle
Never fight fair—and never fight long
Treat every unit as a tool, not an investment
Force enemies to react, then leave
Turn buildings, salt claims, steal upgrades, and vanish
Victory comes from extraction, not control