> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.empiresbattle.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.empiresbattle.com/empires-battle-lore/awakening/resistance-archive.md). # Resistance Archive ### Report 1 #### Eastern Fields near Baobab City **Source:** patrol group “Dry Branch” Status: urgent Submitted to Resistance headquarters Reporting. At dawn, a group of steam robots was spotted approaching from the direction of the old Imperial road. Composition: three Wheels, two Mechanical Hummingbirds, one Pruner, and several small unidentified mechanisms. Their behavior was unusual. The robots moved without formation. No command signals were detected. The machines collided with one another, stopped, resumed moving, and abruptly changed direction. One Mechanical Hummingbird repeatedly crashed into a stone fence and continued striking it until its body was completely destroyed. The Wheels moved directly into the patrol's line of fire without attempting to evade. The Pruner attacked wooden barricades even though there were no fighters nearby. After the first machines were destroyed, the others did not retreat or change formation — though they had no formation to begin with. They accelerated and headed straight for the outpost gates. Such behavior is unusual for the Steam Empire's combat machines. Even damaged machines retain their basic combat behavior. These looked as though they were receiving commands, but the commands were distorted or disrupted by some kind of interference. The wreckage was sent to the military research center, directly to Ms. Astrid, for examination. **Patrol conclusion:** this was not an ordinary Steam Empire attack. The machines either broke free from control or were affected by an unknown influence. ### Report 2 #### Beastfolk Settlement “Red Roots” **Source:** refugees, confirmed by reconnaissance Status: alarming The Red Roots settlement was attacked by a group of robots around midnight. According to the survivors, the machines did not approach from the road, but crossed the swampy lowlands, where heavy mechanisms normally cannot pass. Several robots became stuck in the mud but continued moving until their boilers burst. The remaining machines broke into the settlement. They took no prisoners, did not search for Dust, and did not destroy the warehouses. The machines simply attacked everything: guards, livestock, carts, and the walls of houses. One Wheel-model robot behaved particularly strangely. It tried three times to smash through a stone well, even though there were living targets nearby. After the third impact, its body cracked, but the machine continued spinning until it fell apart. Survivors claim that green steam was coming from the robots' boilers. Traces of powerful Flur radiation were detected at the site. **Conclusion:** the robots acted without any tactical objective. The attack resembled a fit of madness more than an order from the Empire. ### Report 3 #### Intercepted Imperial Signal **Source:** radio intercept Status: incomplete fragment Part of a Steam Empire signal was intercepted. The transmission suffered from heavy interference. Transcript fragment: “...unit seventeen, return to route...”\ “...confirm order...”\ “...no response...”\ “...command model not responding...”\ “...repeat: return...”\ “...signal lost...”\ “...all units changed direction...”\ “...moving northeast...”\ “...control not confirmed...” The transmission then cut off. Several hours later, scouts spotted a column of robots moving toward the old mountain roads. Their direction corresponds with the route toward Dragon's Ridge. **Conclusion:** some of the machines may have broken free from Argo's direct control. It is possible that Argo himself is attempting to regain control of them, but the signal is being disrupted by powerful Flur interference. ### Report 4 #### Old Mine “Deaf Maw” **Source:** mine overseer Brom Status: partially confirmed Three days ago, a mining shift consisting of 12 beastfolk failed to return from the “Deaf Maw” mine. A small search party was sent in. At the entrance, they found traces of blood, a torn Dust bag, and a broken lamp. They were unable to descend into the lower tunnel: a swarm of altered bats flew out and behaved with extreme aggression, forcing the group to retreat. The bats had never climbed this high before. Flur spiders emerged from the mine after them. They moved quickly and erratically, attacking one another and every living thing nearby. One spider ran out into daylight and kept crawling even as the light burned its eyes and carapace. The creatures' behavior did not resemble hunting. They did not drag prey underground. They did not defend a nest. They did not hide. They simply kept coming out. Overseer Brom said: “In 20 years of working in the mine, I've never seen creatures behave like this.” **Conclusion:** something happened deep inside the mine. And it is driving the monsters to the surface. The monsters have become more aggressive. ### Report 5 #### Lower Passages beneath the Iron Forest **Source:** scout, callsign “Swift” Status: urgent Reporting from the northern edge of the Iron Forest. I found an old sinkhole leading into the lower mine passages. Inside are fresh monster tracks. A lot of them. Too many for a single pack. The tracks lead upward, toward the surface. I saw green spiders, bloodsuckers, and creatures I cannot accurately describe. Some were wounded. Some moved as though they could not see what was in front of them. Several bloodsuckers attacked the old shell of a robot and began tearing at the metal. Farther down the tunnel, I heard a rumbling sound. It wasn't mechanical, and it wasn't a cave-in. It sounded more like a tremor running through the rock. After that, the monsters began moving faster. But not all in the same direction. Some rushed toward the forest, some toward the old roads, and others headed for the mountain trails. **Conclusion:** the monsters have not simply become more aggressive. Something below is disturbing them. Some are fleeing in random directions, while others seem to be drawn toward the ridge. ### Report 6 #### Flooded Passages **Source:** reconnaissance unit “Wet Trail” Status: dangerous area The Flooded Passages are to be sealed until further notice. The water glows green even without lamps. Bubbles rise to the surface as though boilers were operating underwater, but no machines have been found nearby. Rust Crawlers and Flying Mollusks have been spotted. The creatures remain close to passages leading upward. Several times they attempted to climb onto dry platforms and attacked fortifications, even though they rarely left the water before. One Rusty Helmet was found in an old side tunnel, far from the flooded section. It left behind a trail of slime and rusty water. After the battle, two scouts developed headaches and ringing in their ears. The Flur crystals in their lamps cracked. **Conclusion:** the Flur distortion is spreading through the water. The Flooded Passages may become a new route for creatures to reach the surface. ### Report 7 #### Mountain Roads **Source:** long-range reconnaissance Status: critical Four different sets of tracks have been discovered on the old road leading toward Dragon's Ridge. The first — robot tracks. Wheels, heavy supports. The machines moved erratically; some left the road and crashed among the rocks. The second — monster tracks. Claws, slime, blood, fragments of carapaces. Several creatures died along the way, but the others continued higher into the mountains. The third and fourth — the tracks of armies. The Children of Light are approaching from the north. The Servants of Decay are advancing from the east. All routes converge and lead toward Dragon's Ridge. The scouts were unable to get any closer: a storm began in the mountains, the snow glowed green, and the compasses stopped working properly, their needles spinning without end. Final entry before withdrawal: > “Something strange is happening here. Robots, monsters, Light, and Decay are all heading toward the same place. We still don't understand what is drawing them there. But it could be dangerous for the Resistance. If all these forces meet in the mountains, there will be a bloodbath, and there is no telling what it could turn into.” ### Sam's Note A short note in the margin of the map. “Robots no longer behave like an army. Monsters no longer remain in the depths. The Children of Light and the Servants of Decay are heading toward the same ridge. What are they looking for? We need to assemble a small reconnaissance group. Six experienced fighters should be enough. Head for Dragon's Ridge.”