The Matrick Family

"Steel is power. Money is power. But of all the things in all the worlds, words are power."

The Family Words

History

An Excerpt from City of the Future: A People's History of New Lamberton by Kristof Namsouh

No one quite knows where he came from, few know what he looks like and even fewer know his real name, but people know the mark of The Proctor and the Matrick family. Reader, this is one of the more strange stories. Given that records about the head of the family are so hard to obtain, I mean we don't even know his real name. So this may be a-bit general, unfortunately, but I think it is important to create as much of a record as possible. So, be aware that much of this will rely on speculation and rumors. 100 years ago, just before the Violet Dawn, the city of Lamberton began experimenting with the now commonplace locomotive technology powered by Lift. Crazy to think, that something we interact with so readily used to be at the forefront of artifiery, and not even that long ago. The city of Lamberton had grown in size, wealth, and power over many years and transportation between districts in the city was getting more and more challenging. One lab, the Centrum labs, was extremely close to bringing their locomotives to market. It is around this time though that records become extremely fuzzy due to its proximity to the Violet Dawn. In fact, the sheer drop-off in information around this time was something I had never seen before. But those who were around then will remember the tragedy that had struck Centrum labs. An absolute slaughter occurred within the walls of this lab leaving no survivors and leaving the locomotive prototype in absolute ruin. It looked as though an explosion had originated from inside of the train prototype, although there were some inconsistencies. Bloody footprints all around the factory, a used blade found inside the conductor's station. The decapitated head of the chief engineer, Marsten Centrum, dangling from a chain affixed to the ceiling. Benyl, focused on projects elsewhere, left it to the parliament to facilitate the investigation who then left it to the authorities and The Blue Core. The train reaching production so that tracks could start being built was of paramount importance, so an investigation was ramping up quickly. Then the Violet Dawn struck and everything changed. The remains of Centrum Labs fell into the chasm and the investigation was put to the side as the city entered into a state of emergency. It took several years for even a minor state of normalcy to return and at that time, the case had gone cold. It wasn't long after the Violet Dawn that a new player appeared on the field, Mentral Matrick who founded Mentral Labs with the funding of a mysterious benefactor known only as the Proctor who seemingly appeared from nowhere. 5 years after the Violet Dawn, Mentral had an entirely new design for the locomotive system. Mentral's expertise as a Battle-Smith lead to a breakthrough in the development of a new use for Lift. He was able to use it as a means to use the stored arcane energy towards generating mechanical forces at the cost of the Lift's longevity, something that had been long sought but never achieved at scale. His breakthrough came when he managed to minimize the amount of lift needed for such use cases while ensuring a suitably long lifespan when used to power various tools and technologies. Once this art was perfected and manufacturing was put in place, the Locomotives were released under the organization known as Proctor Consists, spearheaded by their flagship train The Train From Nowhere. Such a notable figure, you would think he would be well regarded and well known throughout Lamberton. However, he is a deeply private man. The few who have met him in person, seem to have difficulty recalling what he looked like and his name is not publically known. It is thought only high-ups in the Matrick family and maybe Benyl himself actually know his name. His effect on the city is well known and his base of operations, another peculiarity, while hard to reach is known to everyone. Located on one of the cliffs facing into the chasm, those who visit take one of the lifts designed by Mentral Labs, you would arrive at a clean looking laboratory. At the lower levels, where much of the secret R&D of Mentral Labs takes place, it is a known oddity that you can still see the remains of the Centrum Labs, glowing faintly below.