Eight bullets left had Gira Cage when lost to Outlaw fires.
And eight bullets was all it took down in the Bullet Mires.

Gira Cage had flown out one dark and dismal day.
To gather some supplies she saw along the way.
When bullets fired from down below shot her from the sky.
And she fell into the marshes, where she was sure to die.
Down down down she went… in the bullet mires.

Hatch, he was an Outlaw, with madness in his grin.
And eyes without a soul, a laugh that burned your skin.
He shot Cage from the blue, her soul was his to break.
Her javelin… her Ranger… from her body he'd take.
Down down down he was… in the bullet mires.

Cage, she heard him coming, and crawled behind a stone.
Her side was torn and bloody, her leg with broken bones.
She counted out her bullets, she barely had a round.
Eight bullets 'tween her and the black funeral mound.
Down down down she went… the bullet mires.

Hatch's Gang of Seven, well, they moved in for the kill.
But Gira Cage was waiting with patience and her skill.
Though they fired a thousand times, they never hit their mark.
While Cage's aim was deadly true and sent them to the dark.
Down down down they were… in the bullet mires.

One by one those Outlaws fell, 'til only Hatch remained
With hellfire from both his guns, and bombs that spewed out flame
And when the Outlaw stopped to shout his glee all the while
Cage delivered her last bullet into his Outlaw smile.

Eight bullets left had Gira Cage when lost to Outlaw fires
And eight bullets was all it took down in the bullet mires.

Listen up, people:
We can't stop grifting Icetide crap, fine. That time of year, I guess. Rather than fight the season, we're gonna run with it. If we're going to steal Icetide stuff anyway, we might as well get all of it. Every. Last. Bit.
Everybody grab an Icetide sweater. We're going back to Heliost.

— Razorblade Hollis

"I was talking some Freelancer though a contract when the call came in. A distress beacon was activated in the area. Without a thought, I sent the team. I realized too late the call was a trap. Outlaws had killed a Freelancer and somehow rigged his suit to send out a distress signal. I know what to look for now, but the price was too high for that lesson.”

— Freelancer Yarrow

The East Gate, or Skystone Pass, is the strider lock to Heliost. It has always been a contested area, first held by outlaws seeking to hijack supplies, and more recently taken by Scars looking to do the same. Until the Scars are contained or eradicated, the gate will remain closed.

East Valve used to be a popular meeting place for outlaws, but when the Heart of Rage started, people began to go missing, and its popularity waned.

This pass leading to the Fortress of Dawn has a long history, not just as one of the Legion's defensive posts, but being the place they exiled one of their own. The Legionnaire Verithan had murdered his friend Felux out of jealously and Tarsis decided he should be banished rather than have Legionnaires spill human blood. Today, Exiles Arch is still a key location for the banished as the primary location for outlaw hostage exchange. When the authorities fail to arrive for a hostage exchange, captives are left alone at “The Hanging tree.” where they are more than likely to be eaten by wildlife.

The chill winds of Icetide have returned to Bastion, bringing a new season of time trials and the year's annual coolant harvest.

Participate in this Festive Event by completing time trials, defeating outlaws, completing the coolant harvesting event, and completing seasonal expeditions.

Plan's working out so far. Got hired on the strider. Met the captain and crew. Three adults, two children, one infant. Nice little family.

Shame about that. Even if they get past Zhim's Regulators, and me, for that matter, they're all too green for this. Their destination is some place east of Bastion. Outlaws or Scars would normally get 'em.

Anyway... just gotta keep my head down. Get them to Antium Lock. Do my job. Keep playing the emotionally distant, crabby gunslinger.

— Burn Hardigan, 2/12, 466 LV

Fought off an outlaw ambush near the Tears of Liatrelle. Nolin is passable with a rifle. His brother and wife, too. Sala and the young lad know their parts: hide in the strider's pantry, and don't come out until their dad comes to get 'em.

Actually, it's me who keeps messing up. Shared a brew with Nolin and his brother. Young Sala keeps leaving me flowers. Fresh ones. I stomp them on the floor and leave them for her to find. But they're gone every damn night, and there's always more on my pillow.

Never was too smart with my relations. I have to kill all these people when we reach Antium Lock. If I don't, Zhim'll commission a bullet for my brainpan.

— Burn Hardigan, 4/12, 466 LV

At the next roadside stop, I ran into the trees, opened my shirt, said a prayer to the Shapers, and dug my nails under that tracker Zhim glued to my nipple.

Aushkiir was waiting for me.

She said I'd gone soft, that she'd already planted a tracker on the strider. That Aushkiir would kill the family herself.

I fought her. Somehow got her gun. But she stabbed me in the thigh with that glowing, green, nine-inch dagger of hers and ran. I ripped that tracker clean off. Made up a story about outlaw ambush and got everyone on the road again, double-time.

I just made an enemy I can't afford.

— Burn Hardigan, 8/12, 466 LV

Got Nolin to take a weaving route to the Antium Lock. Made up a story about outlaws chasing. They've got no idea how bad it truly is. If that huntress and her Regulator buddies catch us, our bodies will feed the wolven.

I kept the stab wound a secret, but it's turning funny colors. Might be imagining it, but I'm having trouble with my eyes. It's all gone so wrong.

Trying to focus on finding the tracker. Maybe she put one on the strider, maybe it's a bluff. Somehow... I have to get us through the Antium Lock. Somehow. Before Zhim's thugs catch us.

— Burn Hardigan, 9/12, 466 LV

Recovered by Freelancer Rythe from an outlaw camp where former Engineer Alata “Chaingunner” Dalgren had built a makeshift forge; she was constructing javelin armor for her band to use against Sentinel patrols.

Rythe left the outlaw forge in pieces too small for the fort Arcanists to study. Dalgren's tools have been released to the Enclave following a thorough examination.

Can someone verify whether or not Heliost is still holding Icetide celebrations? We're getting mixed reports via radio.

— Madwolven Kernon

Hey, the boss wants everyone to quit with the Icetide crap around camp. Especially the singing. Razorblade Hollis' gang does not do Icetide songs.
Also, whoever keeps leaving the creepy little stuffed korox around, just stop already. First of all, nobody's bringing a bunch of outlaws presents. And second, the whole idea that a miniature korox is always watching what you do and reporting to some higher gift-authority is disturbing. Who comes up with this stuff?

— Madwolven Kernon

It was a supply mission to Heliost and a vicious group of outlaws had the path blocked. Four Freelancers were sent out and discovered the outlaws had built a blockade that stopped striders cold. But the outlaws didn't account for grenades that could be bounced into position and then ignited. When the defeated outlaws tried to escape, they ran into a herd of korox that had been frightened by the noise. There was one outlaw who survived. He never told a soul what happened that day—but the Freelancers did.

Bex!

I have a javelin! It's a rusty old Ranger, but there is a guy here named Prospero who will help me find spare parts. I just need to do odd jobs for him. Life is so exciting right now.

You must feel relieved to know that Outlaw scum was caught. The world is safer now. Does it make you smile?

I love you.
Teenen.

Antium News [Archives].

— Tragic news of yet another outlaw attack on a passenger strider between Antium and Fortuo. The ruthless gang was tipped off that smugglers had stuffed a hoard of major crystals under the floorboards. Although the thieves only wanted the crystals, Freelancers discovered most of the passengers dead in a gruesome scene. The outlaws spared only the children, who were taken to an farm near Pontiex.

— Congratulations to Freelancer Thetes, who celebrated his birthday by winning the Venter Race in his custom Interceptor. Since no one admits to letting the veteran win, we must assume his victory was fair and square.

— Icetide is expected to begin in the next month or two. Harvest missions will be run out of the Freemark enclave this year. Freelancers from all areas are welcome to join.

Tarsis News, Current Edition.

As Season of Skulls is upon us again, it's the proper time for a reminder not to let the misty gloom get you down. There are plenty of cheery activities to raise your spirits. If you are feeling grim and grumpy, don't forget to reach out to a friend. Or go see Max and Amal in the bar, not for drinks, but because they're great listeners. Brave Season, everyone!.

A young orphan from the Pontiex area is being celebrated as a hero for tackling a notorious Outlaw thug as the murderer boarded an outgoing passenger strider. Grateful members of the Royal Family of Antium had already boarded. The young hero has been generously rewarded for saving all aboard from inevitable violence.

Said to be the place where notorious outlaw Gemma “Blondie” Dane and her opponent Kellye Belgat were found mid-gunfight and attacked by a pack of Brutes. The Sentinel and the outlaw had to work together to survive, hiding out in nearby caves until the brutes passed. This cooperation sparked their doomed love affair, the inspiration for a storyline in the popular radio show, “The Crimson Lancer.”

To whoever keeps taking the Icetide decorations out of their crates and hanging them around the camp:
I will find you, and gut you like a phiranix.

— Razorblade Hollis

Tracking outlaws. Rumor has it a few have banded together to survive. Might have weapons. My javelin's been acting up since I flew through that night vine. This is not a safe area.

— Freelancer Parion

With the cold coming, a lot more traffic will be heading to and from Heliost. Most bands would take this opportunity to hit as many striders as possible, but most outlaws, as you know, are idiots.
We will ignore the strider tracks and go straight for the loading docks. With so many new people coming and going from the city, no one will even notice us. We walk in the front gate, unload cargo straight into our own strider, and leave with no one the wiser.
I want everyone cleaned up and looking respectable. We start when the frost hits.

— Razorblade Hollis

If my intel is good, one more hit should take out the last of Heliost's Icetide supplies. Which means I want to see everyone in a damned sweater and the strider repainted one more time before tomorrow morning. Let's finish this ember-plated holiday off with a sucker punch.

— Razorblade Hollis

They put me on the other side of the wall, those fools, they think that will stop me. The Shapers whisper in my ear, the Shapers told me to do it, and I will ascend like a wolven. They are sending wolven to help me sing the song, sing, I am singing, I am singing. They think they know, but they don't. They call me Outlaw. I will survive. I will feast. I am a wild animal and am finally free. I am master of the wild. I am the chosen of the Shapers.

Outlaws are hardened, violent criminals who were cast out of society because they threatened public safety and security. Once exiled, they must attempt to survive outside city walls without armor or weapons. This practice has been the subject of much debate, though scarce resources and concerns over violent crime have provided steady support for forced exile.

Say a man has slain his kin in cold blood. What are the rest of us to do? Isolate him? Provide him with meat and grains that we risk our lives for? If we cannot trust him to live peacefully within our walls, then let him survive beyond. Shapers keep him as they see fit, and may he return to us through the great wheel a changed soul.

— From Dialogues

Banishment is a brutal consequence and the last resort for those ruthless few who prove themselves incapable of living within organized society. A final, terrible step that hangs heavily on any who bears the burden of judgment. Yet, some exiles survive. Some even prosper. Now judgment must reflect the fact that the banished may find a place among the outlaws and continue their crimes.

— Commander Vule, Fort Tarsis

Nice work on the first heist, people. Everyone except for Chaingun Morro did a great job of blending in, and we got the strider out with only a small complication caused by Chaingun screaming like a terrified child and throwing a crate at a bunch of Sentinels as we left. That crate comes out of your cut, Chaingun.
The bad news is that most of the loot seems to be Icetide decorations. We'll get in touch with some Regulators and find someone to buy all this seasonal crap.

— Razorblade Hollis

An organized criminal group that deals in smuggling, gambling, theft, extortion, and other illegal activity. While not as ruthless as outlaws, the Regulators are still dangerous and operate outside civil society while manipulating others for profit. The recent closings of strider locks and a downturn in the safety of roads has limited legal trade and made the Regulators rich.

So… uh… I guess the festivities are still going? Our contact inside the walls took two hours to answer our radio call because she was out caroling. So that happened.
The boss might be having a breakdown. I'm gonna talk to him, and if anybody hears missile fire coming from the office just… run, maybe.

— Madwolven Kernon

Okay, the boss says we're going back to Heliost for a second heist. Everyone needs to be ready to pass themselves off as dock workers. We repainted the strider to make sure the Sentinels don't recognize it, so nobody do anything weird this time. Let's get some real valuables this time!

— Madwolven Kernon

Hey everyone, one last update:
Nice work getting everything loaded and unloaded so fast! It seems like the Sentinels aren't chasing us, which is good. Whoever gave the little stuffed korox to the boss: That was a smart move. He seems much calmer now. If someone could keep an eye on the weather, that'd be great. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am all Icetided-out. I could use some sun.

— Madwolven Kernon

Built in 207 L.V., this strider port was built specifically to keep skorpions from migrating over the mountains into Heliost. Though the inscription reads, “May our paths go ever on together in peace,” the Skystone Lock has seen its share of violence and, in 392, outlaws captured the lock for a hijacking during the busy trading days of the great expansion. Scars captured the Lock again in 464; they hold the Fort Tarsis side of the lock, while the path to Heliost on the other side is guarded by Sentinels.

Compounding the hardships that had fallen on Fort Tarsis was the closure of the Skystone Mine. The key source of metals and resource revenue for the area had become unstable, and the managers chose the safety of the workers over money, but the fort suffered greatly, now having to import yet another resource from far away. Most miners left the fort, and those who stayed either fell into poverty or turned to life with outlaws outside the wall to survive.

— From History of Scars by Hanni Blythe

News from Fort Tarsis: Freelancers have defeated the outlaws holding the gate at Skystone. Striders from Heliost will be able to resume their paths through Fort Tarsis immediately. Consequently, renovation of the palace rooftop will recommence shortly.

— Transcript, radio broadcast, Antium

So, the third trip into Heliost was a resounding success. The ugly sweaters were a surprisingly good disguise. We got a shipment of greeting cards, a couple-dozen crates of baked snacks from Antium, a crate of imported cheese, a whole lot of moonshine (we're keeping close tabs on that, so don't even think about it) and a bunch of kids' toys. Yes, you can help yourself to those.
Special thanks to the guys who stayed up all night painting the damned strider yet again. You'll be getting the first of the moonshine.

— Madwolven Kernon

Okay everyone, I talked to the boss and I'm not dead! So tell Chaingun to stop going through all my stuff.
I'm 95% sure the boss has just snapped. I found Razorblade Hollis in his office just… staring at nothing. Wearing an Icetide sweater. After a few awkwardly silent minutes he said, "Well, shit, we're putting everything back."
So… yeah. That's our plan now, I guess? I'm not sure if we need to put the sweaters back on for this. Maybe? Just grab one to be on the safe side.

— Madwolven Kernon

With their tough hide and sturdy joints, striders can walk past the stars. Blast those criminals that knock my ugly beauties down for the promise of a few ratty coins.
On the line, the steps needed to bring a strider to life are beyond belief to those who have never seen it. Takes the sweat of many to ensure this world gets a little smaller and a little safer. What's more important than that?

— Gunger Ham,
Master Mechanical Engineer,
Heliost

That last heist cleaned Heliost completely out of seasonal holiday stuff. Everyone's done a great job. Special thanks to Chaingun Morro for actually sneaking into the Sentinel barracks to steal their Icetide ornaments. That was a thing of beauty. The boss is so happy, we're not only passing around the moonshine, we're breaking open that crate of baked snacks.
Everyone keep their distance from the boss, though. He's not in a shooting mood, but he's way too happy. Like, giddy? It's creeping people out, and I'm not dealing with any more crying outlaws.

— Madwolven Kernon

Good news first: The Sentinels never suspected a thing. Two of them even wished us a happy Icetide as we left with the goods. Even Chaingun didn't screw things up.
Now for the bad news: We got fifty-seven crates of Icetide sweaters. The boss is… not happy. Nobody mention snowflakes around camp for a few days. Or maybe years. Look, the timeline isn't important— Not getting shot because the boss is starting to lose it is what matters here.
Anyway, good work. We'll get drinks to celebrate—just don't tell the boss.

— Madwolven Kernon

Becoming an Arcanist means gaining a wealth of skills. An Arcanist must be a researcher, a historian, a survival guide, and an explosives expert. I'm not kidding. Knowing how to create explosives out of common camp supplies has saved many Arcanists from cave-ins, relic abnormalities, wildlife, outlaws, and Scars.

—From "Dialogues: Interview with an Arcanist"

Location of the famous shoot-out between Sentinel Gira Cage and the outlaw Hatch Gang. Cage was low on supplies, but took the gang out one by one with only eight bullets left. Gang leader Roben Hatch fired hundreds of rounds at Cage, who took cover and finished him with her last bullet while he re-loaded. The incident was later turned into a popular ballad.

Scars were poking around here. Time to talk to the boss and see about doing a little "reclamation" of our own. The bugs don't need whatever they've set up in there. Fraysse says a Freelancer is headed this way, so I'll pick this up again afterward.

—From the final entry of outlaw Moneymaker Merch's journal

We chased Malachi through to the Pistons, and as we took the small chute out, some of his cronies pushed a boulder on top of us. I broke my leg. They got away. I have to give the outlaws credit… they really know the land.

— Sentinel records

I cleared some mantikars out of the Haven, then was flying up to touch the Faithful (for luck) when an outlaw ambushed me. Bunch of tesilars jumped us while we were brawling. I went to protect the outlaw and he shot me. Not hurt, but dang! You can't trust outlaws!

— Freelancer Bloom

Mentor Kahl:

I'm writing to express my concern over your disciple, Hrenna Vale, who I saw stealing fruit from a vendor the other day. I did not go to the authorities (no need to make another outlaw), but I did pay for the wares with the understanding that I would school the child appropriately. As my mentor Negan Dell used to say, children are the responsibility of the entire community. But I am extremely kind, and realize that children are just deeply ignorant creatures who need schooling. And since she is an Arcanist, I will pass that schooling to you.

You're welcome
Zahra Tol, Chronicler
Fort Tarsis