Synopsis

Mort, Orm, Lilly

Mort and Orm were sent to confirm potential entrances to the New Dawn mines. They met Lilly, a tinkerer also seeking the base, and the three joined forces. While camping, they discovered robed figures performing a ritual, who were then attacked by wolves wreathed in strange purple glow. The trio intervened alongside surviving ritualist Jim, driving off the wolves. Jim revealed the wolves had never attacked before and that other followers had recently gone missing toward the mine.

The trio abandoned their camp and headed for the mines. Mort successfully led them to a garbage chute, and they all climbed inside, despite Lilly’s fungi phobia. Assuming miners' roles, they passed guards at the main entrance. Following another tunnel, they discovered a prison cell containing two prisoners: Dave, a traumatised cultist, and Dug, a designer obsessed with his rejected logo. Orm picked the lock and freed them.

The trio then found a workshop, knocked out a sleeping artificer, and stole supplies and a schematic before depositing him in the prison cell. Continuing their mission, they returned to the entrance. This time, they knocked out the guards, took their uniforms, and dragged them to a dorm room.

Gathering the sleeping artificer on a donkey and the two freed prisoners, Lilly attempted to disable the main door but only opened it, revealing six guards. Through quick thinking and a silver tongue, they isolated and subdued another guard before successfully disabling the door. The lead guard, suspicious of Lilly's attempt to impersonate the artificer but accepting the others' guard disguises, led them away from the mine. Once out of sight, Orm unsuccessfully tried knocking him out, but the outnumbered guard accepted his fate, abandoned his post and equipment, and agreed to head to Auschental City. The group escaped toward Auschental with their rescued prisoners and captured artificer.

Ray, Brenda, Ringo: From the Abbey to Scorpion Jack

Ray, Brenda, and Ringo fled the Abbey District through sweltering late summer heat after successfully stealing Blessed Unguent from an Overseer's quarters. They carried two jars of the precious healing paste, both cracked from their violent escape. Pausing briefly to treat Ringo's plague with the medicine, they discovered it would leave him unfocused for hours. Battered and fatigued, the trio pressed onward seeking sanctuary.

Their exhausted flight proved clumsy as they stumbled down the road. Desperation drove them to seek refuge at the first house they found. Their honest plea moved the resident, who allowed them inside for tea. Ray began repairing furniture whilst Brenda and Ringo offered money for food and lodging.

An insistent knock shattered their peace — an Abbey representative had arrived. Brenda threatened their host against answering, but as the knocking grew persistent, she reluctantly let him respond while the fugitives hid upstairs. The resident skilfully navigated the Abbot's dangerous questioning, deflecting by mentioning concerns about the Ashworth house. When the Abbot noticed multiple teacups in the wash-up bowl, their host cleverly explained his preference for fresh cups. Satisfied, the Abbot departed.

After a comfortable night's rest, one of Agnis Moonshaw's informants arrived offering equipment and a letter for bandit groups. Choosing stealth, they travelled through the woods but met a bandit ambush. Ringo suffered severe wounds, although Ray's medical skills stabilised him. Only one bandit survived their counterattack and revealed Scorpion Jack's gang operated from The Badlands.

Two days later, they reached Rustler's Roost, which appeared deserted. Suspecting a trap, they called out taunts instead of advancing. The psychological pressure worked — the weakest would-be ambusher cracked and revealed the gang's presence. Scorpion Jack stepped forward for negotiation rather than violence. Through quick wit and liberal swearing, the group praised Badlands freedom over city oppression, appealing to his pride. The flattery succeeded — Jack agreed to provide his gang for the fight against New Dawn in exchange for better equipment, transforming their desperate escape into a crucial alliance.