The party’s latest adventure kicked off with a tip of the hat from Rhangyl, a contact they’d recently pulled from the jaws of trouble. He tipped each of ’em 250 gold pieces, reminding ’em to keep a low profile if they didn’t want to catch the eye of the notorious Angelique Loveless. Rhangyl set ’em straight on their mission to track down Dash, a courier tied to a shipment meant for the wizard Ibrium, and pointed them towards a meetin’ spot near the Deadspot.
Before hittin’ the trail, the adventurers made their final preparations. Jace took a moment to switch the elemental rune on his Aldori dueling sword to a fiery one, while Stirmi fortified his defenses, addin’ a resiliency rune to his trusty Wasp Guard. With supplies in tow, the party set off on a dusty trek across the wastelands, the sun beatin’ down on their backs as they headed for the Deadspot.
When they finally reached their destination, they were greeted by a sight that would make any cowboy pause—a mile-wide circle of coal-black sand, stark against the barren land. Stirmi and Jace quickly figured out that the soil was steeped in necromantic energy seepin’ up from the depths below. In the heart of the Deadspot, they laid eyes on a small cattle camp and a wary young woman named Dash, who laid out her troubles. She had skedaddled from Alkanstar to escape the clutches of the Ledsmiths, a band of mercenaries hot on her trail. Dash spun a yarn about a shipment of supplies headed for the Deadspot that had been hijacked by a crew led by a creepy necromancer named Parsus.
The party assured Dash they meant her no harm, at least unless it was absolutely necessary. Expectin’ her friends to show up any minute, Dash asked for their help in hiding among the cattle. Scarlet, ever the clever one, nestled herself on Dash’s head, while Stirmi transformed into an armadillo, and Jace took cover in the shadows. As they waited for Dash’s companions, three ominous riders came into view on skeletal steeds, their undead nature sendin’ a chill down the spines of the living.
As the riders closed in, Stirmi urged Dash to make a break for it. Jace, brave as a lion, stepped up to confront ’em, landing a hit but catchin’ their wicked attention. A ruckus broke out, filled with Stirmi’s tactical maneuvers and Scarlet’s fiery spells, which left one of the undead reelin’. Fulminyx joined the brawl, unleashin’ electric shocks that brought one of the foes to the ground. The party worked like a well-oiled machine, with Jace and Scarlet deliverin’ the final blows to put an end to the undead menace.
Once the dust settled, Dash breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the undead had been dealt with. The party rummaged through the fallen’s belongings and found a journal that detailed delivery routes, confirm’n that Pyronite supplies had been sent to the Gunworks in Alkanstar. After makin’ sure Dash was safe and equipin’ her with a gun and some gold, the party hit the trail towards the Gunworks, eyeing the imposing Maw of Rovagug, a massive cannon standin’ guard.
Inside the Gunworks, they ran into a familiar Cyclops, the leader of the Leadsmiths, who cleared up some past misunderstandings and shared vital information about Angelique Loveless and her crew. As they roamed the facility, they noticed Shield Marshals associated with Angelique Loveless and picked up whispers of strange accidents plaguin’ the inventor towers.
Optin’ to check out the Tower of Engineering first, they met Chief Engineer Erdrik Marth, who had a hunch that gremlins were behind the sabotage. The party agreed to lend a hand clearin’ out those pesky little creatures, which led to a wild encounter with a horde of gremlins. With some clever tactics, they captured the critters one by one while dodgin’ the hazards of the workshop, includin’ a mechanical construct called the Broken Centurion.
After wranglin’ the gremlin threat, they learned from the captured ones that a larger figure was pullin’ the strings behind their abduction. With suspicions risin’ about the Leadsmiths’ involvement, the party decided to take a breather and regroup within the workshop, plotin’ to report their success and continue their investigation.