3-1: Hangin' at the Hub
After a wild journey from the tech hunter town World's End down the west coast through Obedience, Shem, and Vain, the gang has reached the relative safety of the Border Zone. As the day wanes, they drag their weary bones toward a nearby town they've spotted atop a hill: The Hub. With any luck, they'll find sanctuary there.
The Hub is actually where the default game start begins. It's close to the Shek Kingdom, the Holy Nation and Vain so as to give a new player a bunch of different places to go and factions to meet right off the bat, the bandits in the area aren't all that strong, and there's nothing that'll eat you alive. It's a relatively chill place, though not harmless by any means. Nowhere in Kenshi is completely safe from consequences.
The Hub may have been worthy of the name once. Numerous buildings the right size to have been houses, shops; perhaps a former seat of government in the near left of the screenshot. All reduced to piles of rubble now. Nearly all that's left standing is the bar and a tower at the back of town where the Shinobi Thieves reside.
Whatever happened here, the gang is glad to see the Thieves, their sole allies in the world since Jam, Riddly and Ells bought a membership back in Sho-Battai. They pile into the tower, the wounded heading straight for the beds to rest and the others launching right into thief practice on some of the training equipment.
Jam squares up against the assassination dummy while Riddly and Burn practice their lockpicking. This leaves Horse as the odd man out, not wounded enough to feel like resting and no room left on the training floor, so he decides to take a nighttime stroll around town.
While the sun was up, this place seemed nigh-abandoned but for the Shinobi Thieves. At night, though, the warm glow emanating from many of the derelict buildings tells a different story. Curious, Horse takes a surreptitious peek inside: Three people huddle around a campfire, their meagre possessions kept out of the elements under slabs of collapsed wall. Many of the buildings here bear a similar scene. The Hub is more alive than first glance might betray.
What's less alive is the Holy Lord Phoenix statue that once stood in the village square. Headless, armless, and laying in the dirt, disposed of like all the other scrap the gang keeps walking past on their travels. Good riddance.
As he walks, Horse passes a small intact shack, its wholeness marking it as an oddity here. No one noticed him snooping earlier; why not check it out?
There's no one here. In contrast with the rest of the town, everything's neat and tidy, arranged on shelves or tucked away in a chest. On a high shelf behind one of the beds stands a little wooden Holy Lord Phoenix statuette, at odds with the ruinous state of its much larger brother outside.
An interesting conundrum; Horse is determined to get to the bottom of it. He picks the lock on the chest, finding a set of cups and bowls, a still-ripe greenfruit, and a crisp stack of documents. Taking a furtive look to make sure he's still alone in here, he sits down next to the torch and starts reading:
Ludin's Report I
Part of an official report with the Holy Nation seal:
“High Paladin Ludin reporting his patrol.
As ordered by commander Nix, we investigated the Hub, fortunately there was no sign of enemy troops. It appears they have all deserted the region, but, before doing so, the blasted fools sacked the settlement and set it ablaze. The Hub is nothing but ruins: Most buildings are ready to collapse, entire sections of the walls have been destroyed.
Retaking the Hub would be effortless but resettling it will prove most difficult. It appears their troops occupied the town for some time given that no bodies were found inside, but we still don't know what made the Shek savages abandon the Hub.
Further investigation is required.”
Ludin's Report II
Part of an official report with the Holy Nation seal:
“High Paladin Ludin reporting his patrol.
During our patrol on the southern border, Paladin Lusac's hound spotted shadowy figures atop the hill on which the Hub sits. At this point, the day was getting late and Okran's light had almost fully passed the eastern hill so that we could not clearly see who the intruders were.
Lusac's hound grew increasingly more agitated until it eventually managed to escape his hold and chase after the intruders inside of the ruin. We followed, but during our ascension we lost sight of them. The Hub itself was still empty, but it appeared that somebody had indeed been there: Doors were opened and items had been moved, for example.
The hound could not be found anywhere within, most likely it was killed during the chase. It is my belief that the Shek may have sent scouts to see if the Hub was retaken. We couldn't see anyone retreating down the southern rampart so they must have set up camp in a nearby cave.
I suggest we send patrols deeper south to prevent any further incursions. I also recommend that Lusac be sent home for a few days, the loss of his hound has been a blow to him.”
Ludin's Report III
Part of an official report with the Holy Nation seal:
“High Paladin Ludin reporting his investigation of the Hub.
As instructed, we reached the Hub under cover of night. We heard voices when we got close to the walls, both female and male, but once past the gate, the voices vanished and the Hub was silent again. Again, there had been signs of movement inside but after thoroughly searching the place we found no one.
However, it was when I was investigating the bar that I heard Sentinel Amphetio's scream. We looked everywhere but couldn't find him, nor could we find any sign of fighting; not even a drop of blood! It was as if that damned place itself had swallowed him. We didn't stay any longer and quickly withdrew to the outpost.
That place is cursed, the darkness has taken hold of the town, and it must have been this darkness that killed the Shek soldiers and Lusac's hound. I previously reported the presence of potential Shek scouts but I know now that the shadows were in fact wraiths. The Hub must be torn down and scorched to purify the hill and to cut off the corruption's spread!”
Horse scoffs at the idea of wraiths, here, among so many people and a flourishing Shinobi Thieves chapter. Those god botherers see wraiths and demonic corruption in every shadow. It's hard to tell whether or not this place ever was set on fire as per Ludin's recommendation—it's wrecked enough that it could have been, but the damage could just have easily been all from Shek Kingdom soldiers. As Horse turns the page, anticipating the next chapter of the saga, he's a little disappointed. The last two documents here seem to have different authors.
Priest Varloo's Note
High Priest Varloo gives his opinion on the Hub's abandonment:
“As history has shown, the Hub cannot be held.
Everytime we try, we inevitably lose it within months. The recent loss at the hands of the Empire was proof of that: Narko shook the world and made two entire sections of the southern wall collapse. And, no later than this week, wraiths have appeared and taken one of our holy brothers.
As long as Narko's darkness covers the place, we cannot hold it. For too long have we fought with the false enemy! We must redirect our attention to the Dark Demoness' first minions, only by destroying the dark ones can we weaken her influence.”
Priest Tyluig's Note
High Priest Tyluig gives his opinion on the Hub's abandonment:
“While brother Varloo is right on the fact that the Hub cannot be held for now, he is mistaken as to the reason why. Narko's power did not increase significantly in the last years; it is Okran's light that has been wavering for some time now.
Our faith is the conduit that allows Okran's grace to be bestowed upon us. We have let our society fall into decay and debauchery and none but we are to be blamed. Women acting with ignorant brazenness, children shaming their fathers, men forgetting the deeply rooted traditions of our holy society...
It is not the Dark Demoness' minions that have been covering the light, it is we. If we are to avoid our lost brother's fate, we must purify ourselves! Only then can we save this world from damnation.”
Horse tucks the documents back in the chest and creeps back outside without taking anything. He's still not sure who owns this little shack, but of all the people to steal from, this ain't it. From its pristine state in a town of people reduced to sleeping under rubble, he guesses a Shinobi Thief with a penchant for record-keeping: The sort of person he'd rather keep as a friend than make an enemy.