PART 2: THE DEAD CITY

After a few days, the expeditionary force reaches the Dead City.

Underneath the Dead City's vast central pyramid lies a vast, cavernous underground city. This is the place the Queen has ordered them to investigate.

On the precipice of the underground city, the members of the force break up into smaller groups and set up camps. Shaharada needs her forces rested for the next phase of the expedition.

Once they are rested, Shaharada sends her porters to explore the vast, cavernous underground city. While she needs some of them for the return journey, they form a largely expendable vanguard to map out the under-city and trigger any possible threats. If the Queen's suspicion about what they might find here turn out to be true, Shaharada is sending the porters into almost certain death...

Rightfully scared, hundreds of porters begin to cautiously explore the under-city...

The Militia on the precipice watch as the underground city is suddenly illuminated by blue lightning.

After a few hours of waiting,  none of the porters have returned, so the militia are sent in next. They are hesitant and fearful of what awaits them.

Eventually, they find the porters...

While the Militia are still in shock, death comes for them out of thin air...

Most of the militia die before they can even lift their weapons.

Horrific automatons - semi-sentient war machines from the wars of the Great Collapse - step out of the shadows!

The automatons engage the remaining Militia forces and slaughter them at close range.

The Palace Guard have secretly followed the Militia, using them as bait. While the automatons cut down the inexperienced Militia, the Palace Guard manage to flank them and join the fight...

Ultimately, the Automatons are defeated, but at a high cost. Hundreds of porters have been killed, the militia has been completely wiped out and the Palace Guard too, has taken heavy losses. And this was an encounter with only a few dozen Automatons...

Pushing deeper down the tunnels of the underground city, the surviving Palace Guard finally find the secret of the Dead City...