The Dust Covenant exists as an invisible mark burned into the soul of every survivor, written in the frontier's own dust. It is transferable - when one falls to the culling, the next survivor inherits the binding. It cannot be seen by those who haven't been tested, but burns visible to those who have passed through the meridian of judgment. The Covenant tracks every score, every decision, and renders its verdict in the eternal ledger of the remembered.

The Dust Covenant is the foundational mechanism that governs the entire Deadlands series - it determines who belongs to the frontier's story and who gets written out. Every competitor enters the frontier unknowingly signing this pact; the Covenant then tracks their worthiness through every throw and round, ultimately deciding whether they deserve remembrance or oblivion.