Editing Dead or Alive

{{TErow| 1 | Part I - [[Dargem]]| Like many such places founded by desperate people willing to do anything to turn their lives around, [[Burton]] had its darker moments. One was trade with pirates—not [[Regna]]ns, but outcasts shunned even by this lawless empire. They were sold ship fittings, gun barrels, cannonballs, and other supplies for their unsavory trade. The payment was made in certain rare substances, their origins never inquired about. That lasted for a short time and only was done out of desperation, but there was no getting away from that piece of history.<p>As soon as things got better and legal sources for covering provisions and other necessities sprang up, the dealings with [[pirate]]s came to naught. Chagrin wasn’t nearly strong enough a word to describe the sea rovers’ reaction to this development; they absolutely blew their tops.<p>“Maybe we're keen on becoming honest traders, too! But nay, cor blimey, turns out our mugs aren’t nice enough for that!”, one band’s ringleader, a particularly disagreeable character named [[Dargem]], was seething. “Alrighty, just you wait," he growled. "Time to show these landlubbers that disrespecting business partners carries a price.”<p>[[Dargem]] was as good as his word; several pirate bands had conspired to cut off all of [[Burton]]'s trade routes and began to plunder the supply wagons. The situation was becoming critical.</p>}}

{{TErow| 1 | Part II - [[Boyd]]| An emergency meeting was called to find a way out. There, I heard many stories from the townsfolk about the atrocities committed by [[Dargem]] and his cronies. Some were positively chilling, despite the scorching [[Jadame]]an sun! There was a tale, however, that really piqued my interest; one about a certain [[Boyd]], whom [[Dargem]] had allegedly put to an extremely cruel end, even by pirate standards. There were several versions, but they all agreed that a young fellow named [[Boyd]], an adventurer and maverick, had once joined the crew of a brig that flew the jolly Roger, yearning for new thrills to add to his collection. A natural at telling hilarious stories and singing lewd songs, he quickly became the life and soul of the crew—except the brig's captain, [[Dargem]], didn’t like that very much. Himself still quite young for a pirate top dog, he had thus far only mastered one way to keep his crew in line—through fear and threats, that is. He knew air magic, so his threats were not empty; no one wanted to anger him and suddenly die of asphyxiation or, conversely, of ruptured lungs. However, he was also capable of making his ship run faster, using magical whirlwinds to inflate the sails, and of blocking arrows and cannonballs with his air shield. Thanks to that, his men rarely were without rich booty, so there never was a shortage of candidates eager to replenish his crew.<p>One of them was [[Boyd]], who had so carelessly impinged on the cruel captain’s authority. Was it plain jealousy or something else, [[Boyd]] was doomed. There were many theories as to what had eventually caused the conflict, but an old innkeeper, who had once had the displeasure of having to treat the grim brig’s crew to a feast on the house, overheard a story. According to it, a hapless pirate was made to dance the hempen jig in the blazing sun, but not before making sure the noose would not suffocate him right away. Ensuring that was a small challenge for a skilled [[mage]]. So he hung there, feeding the seagulls, and when the brig called at [[Jadame]]'s shores, [[Dargem]] traded his bones to some grim-looking gangrel for a hat feather. It is not known what the latter did to them, but since then, rumors have spread of travelers encountering the [[skeleton]] of an [[undead]] pirate shouting [[Dargem]]'s name in the night. Some eyewitnesses even added that the [[skeleton]] brandished a cutlass, arcane flames burst out of his eyes, and the earth he rode on moaned and swelled. Fear takes molehills for mountains, I thought; but maybe I should try and seek out this [[undead]] avenger. As they say, the enemy of my enemy is my... no, not my friend. I'm not keen on being friends with no dead men! Let's say... an ally.</p>}}

{{TErow| 3 | [[Eeofol]]| As immigrants arrived, the first news of the [[demon]] invasion reached our distant lands. [[Eeofol]] has been destroyed. Ravaged. Not one blooming garden left, not one clear lake. Only endless ridges of new mountains, spewing flames and stinking smoke, with hordes of ruthless [[demon]]s hiding behind it. I had seen the possessed [[Xarfax]] and the soldiers of his garrison with my own eyes—a horrible and disgusting sight; but it seemed that the devils were ultimately unable to subdue the minds of the other [[Erathia]]ns. Maybe they had learned to defend themselves, or maybe the [[demon]]s were simply not as strong as we thought after our first skirmishes with them; whatever the reason, the celestial guests were unable to leap the borders of [[Eeofol]]. Even the [[Fire Coast]] remained under [[Erathia]]'s control, though the awakening volcanoes gave it trouble. Talking to those who brought the news, I voiced my rejoicing at the trouble having not claimed thousands of lives in [[Erathia]] and [[AvLee]], contrary to our dire predictions born of ignorance—but my heart cried out in pain. It only wondered about one thing: why [[Eeofol]] and not [[Erathia]]?}}

{{TErow| 3 | [[Sentinel Automaton]]s| I was no longer helping [[Frederick]] in his workshop, as I had my own thing to do now. I didn't even notice how it happened, but at some point everyone began to refer to me as [[Burton]]'s scoutmaster. Still, I maintained interest in my old friend's progress and knew that he had designed and built an improved steam engine. It was too big and heavy to be mounted on an airship, but perfect for a factory powerplant; it helped multiply the torque on the metalworking machines’ shafts. Now the factory was building itself: improved machines helped create new structural elements, and the facilities kept growing and expanding.<p>[[Frederick]] was now fully devoted to the energy sector, and had no time to pursue his other old projects. Many of those, however, saw development in the hands of newly arrived [[artificer]]s. One, a somewhat odd-looking gray-haired man named [[Todd]], took it upon himself to put [[automaton]]s into mass production. He spent a good month locked up in a hangar with the prototypes [[Frederick]] had brought from [[Eeofol]], a few assistants, a variety of tools, and a huge basket of [[armadillo]] jerky. When he finally emerged from this voluntary confinement, he looked as if he had never slept a wink in a month—but he was glowing with joy. Beside him, two fully assembled models presented their gleaming, polished sides, and he leaned proudly with his elbow on a pile of blueprints and flow charts. It’s funny to remember how at that moment, my takeaway started and ended with the fact that the pile of papers was noticeably taller than I was—even if I'd stood on my tiptoes.<p>I had, of course, already seen the [[automaton]]s preparing our airships, but the other residents of [[Burton]] were very impressed when they were put on display in the square. Imagine a metal contraption on six mechanical legs, almost the size of a full-grown [[armadillo]], looking like a mix of a crab, a common sight on the shores of the [[Ravage Roaming]], with a carnivorous spider from the [[Murmurwoods]]. There was a gurgling sound coming from within the mechanism, and thin jets of vapor escaped from the numerous valves; its steel frame trembled and its joints creaked slightly. The [[automaton]] seemed as hot as a water boiler—although it was, in fact, very much a boiler itself; the powerful grip protruding from a sort of head had a very menacing appearance, and the [[Burton]] youths, eager to impress their girls, kept running up and putting their hands into the metal spidercrab’s jaws. Little did they know that its superheated steam-based powerplant in itself posed much more danger to others than any kind of jaws or extremities... [[Frederick]] told me in confidence that [[Todd]] hadn’t been able to fully solve its little reliability problem—he only limited the machine’s standard power, but kept the option of switching to the supercritical mode. It was, however, impossible to turn off once engaged. Naturally, the assembly responsible for this feature was taken off the model on display, but I still preferred to keep my distance.</p>}}

{{TErow| 90 | News about [[Catherine]]| Today we met a merchant captain from [[Erathia]]. The war continues, but it seems that there is still hope! [[Queen Catherine]] is gathering troops to retake the capital, and she has already chased off several armies of [[demon]]s and [[Nighon]] [[Overlord]]s! Moreover, according to rumors shared by the same trader, [[AvLee]] and [[Bracada]] intended to offer assistance to [[Erathia]] in its struggle with the demons.}}

{{TErow| 150 | [[Steadwick]]'s Liberation| A merchant from [[Antagarich]] brought good news: [[Steadwick]] had been liberated! Demons and subterranean creatures are being chased all over [[Erathia]], and allegedly the land will soon be free of them.<br>The trader also shared some bits and pieces of information about the conflict with [[Tatalia]] and [[Krewlod]], and the backing that [[Gavin Magnus]]'s troops had provided to [[Erathia]] there, but I wasn't listening to him anymore...<p>I no longer thought of the [[Kreegan]]s as invincible. I still woke up screaming at night when I saw the celestial invaders’ ugly countenances in my dreams, but if humans and elves were able to fight them, maybe we too could get even with them someday. It was, however, neither the time nor the place to think seriously about it. [[Burton]]'s needs demanded the full extent of my energy.</p>}}

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{{town row|102, 56, 0|purple|Cove}}

{{town row|82, 14, 0|purple|Necropolis|nofort=y}}

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{{hero row|26, 7, 0|teal|Frederick|Artificer}}

{{hero row|67, 6, 0|teal|Henrietta|Mercenary}}

{{hero row|12, 90, 0|purple|Bess|Captain|image=Anabel}}

{{hero row|15, 99, 0|purple|Evadne|Navigator|image=Astra}}

{{hero row|102, 56, 0|purple|Malathi|Navigator|image=Miriam}}

{{hero row|107, 75, 0|purple|Zeytoss|Navigator|image=Manfred}}

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