A blood-red sun rose over the ashen badlands of southern Alerar. Here, the air smelled of brimstone and windswept sand glittered like glass. Deep in this wasteland, the only wagons for a hundred miles passed each other on the road. Going west, a ramshackle wagon held together with rope and prayers carried a mismatched trio of travelers. Going east, a trio of sturdy armored carriages.

No words were shared between the travelers, just suspicious glances from behind barred windows. None could miss the emblems engraved on the three carriages – a runed anvil, three gears, and corked vial. The sigils of the Artificers, Engineers, and Alchemists, the Three Guilds of Alerar.