"The war for memory is won. But the lands we forgot? They've had time to forget us too."
—Verana, at the Border Gates of Dustreach
+35 Days After the Ashen Vault Defense
Location: Stormwatch East Wall, Newly Restored Sky Gate
The gate creaked open for the first time in forty years. Beyond it lay the Dustlands — a sun-bleached sea of cracked stone, rusting towers, and dry silence. Few remembered what once thrived there.
But Jag wasn't leading this expedition for nostalgia.
He was leading it for conquest.
And for truth.
[System Update – New Regional Access: Dustlands Opened]
Terrain: Arid Badlands, former trade hubs, derelict towers
Key Hazards:
• Memory Fog Remnants
• Dustwoken Scavenger Clans
• Echo Beast Activity (unclassified)
Objective: Establish 3 Outposts across Dustlands perimeter
Optional: Reclaim relic structures for passive upgrades
Bonus: "First Mover" advantage – build limit +1 for Stormwatch
Squad Composition – Dustlands Recon Unit Alpha
• Jag – Commander
• Ashra – Recon Captain
• Rain – Echo Specialist
• Verana – Tactical Archivist
• 80 soldiers from mixed allied factions (Hollowpath, Sable Fangs, Steelpact)
They moved in tight formation, crossing old war paths marked only by bleached bones and half-buried signs.
Ashra scouted ahead. "No tracks. No vultures. But something's watching."
Jag knelt, running a hand through the sand.
It vibrated.
Slightly.
Rhythmically.
"Marching pattern," Rain muttered. "But no echo trail."
Encounter 1 – Forgotten Battalion
As they crossed the Dryward Basin, the sand erupted.
But it wasn't a beast.
It was them — soldiers in rusted Stormwatch armor, faces blank, limbs stiff.
Ashra gasped. "They're... ours?"
Verana scanned. "Echo-bound. Memory-stuck. They never left the last war."
Rain activated a pulse.
The ghost-soldiers flinched.
And remembered.
They screamed. Not in rage — in relief.
They dropped weapons, fell to their knees. One croaked, "The Prince… you came back…"
[Lost Stormwatch Battalion Recovered – 17 soldiers join the cause]
Bonus: New ability unlocked – "Memory Stir"
• Revives scattered soldiers lost to echo drift
• Can only be used in zones where Jag is present
Outpost Alpha: Dustreach Beacon
They erected the first outpost on a high ridge. With power stones from Steelpact and Hollowpath watch glyphs, they carved a new name into the map:
"Dustreach Beacon – Stronghold of the Returned"
Ashra took the first night watch.
Rain installed a long-range pulse dish.
Verana opened the first recovered ledger.
Jag addressed the squad.
"This isn't just ours to take. It's ours to fix. We were erased from this place. Now we write ourselves back in."
Subquest Triggered: "Echoes of the Dust"
Objective: Track the origin of residual Memory Fog anomalies
• Unlock deeper regions of the Dustlands
• Interact with ancient beacon spires
Reward: "Dustlink Protocol" – permanent communications array between Stormwatch and Dustreach
Encounter 2 – The Dustwoken
Day three.
A line of figures emerged from the southern ridge. Clad in tattered cloaks and bonded with bone sigils — survivors of the old wars who adapted through memory corruption.
Their leader spoke in a guttural hybrid tongue.
Rain translated.
"They call themselves Dustwoken. Survivors who gave up memory for instinct. They think remembering kills."
Jag stepped forward.
"I'm not here to kill your way of life."
"But," he continued, drawing his blade just slightly, "I'm not here to forget mine either."
The standoff stretched.
Then the leader threw down his bone-spear and said only one word.
"Trade."
Alliance Subquest: "The Dustwoken Pact"
Status: Tentative Trust
• Complete 3 trade missions
• Help them recover a memory totem in the Sandhollow Ruins
Reward: Access to Dustwoken stealth techniques and pathfinding
Midnight Echo – Rain's Discovery
That night, Rain stood alone near a ruined beacon tower.
He activated a weak pulse. It hit something massive beneath the ground.
He didn't call for backup.
He whispered to himself.
"There's more here than we thought."
[System Warning: Unknown Signal Interference – Dust Node E7]
Suggestion: Deploy sensor array before further expansion
Threat Level: Pending Classification