The settlement—if you could even call a pile of crumbling rubble that—was still Liam's home. And lately, things had only gotten worse. The Corps Guild left weeks ago, taking with them any chance of earning creds or finding food. Even thieving from nearby settlements and shops wasn't yielding enough anymore.

But today, a fiery preacher had appeared in the town square, his voice booming with passion. Despite everything else being terrible, the man's words held truth, and Liam found himself staying to listen.

Hours later, Liam stood in line to sign up for the crusade. The reverend had convinced him—he would join the cause to purge the unbelievers from this wretched part of Hive Mortis. He was already armed; in Hive Mortis, you had to be. But the thought of joining the Redemptionists and receiving even more weapons and armor filled him with anticipation. His heart pounded as he neared the front of the line, ready to pledge himself to the crusade.

Just as he pressed his fingerprint onto the dataslate, the world exploded. A massive fireball erupted from the nearby Administratum building, lighting up the ceiling of the hive. Then, from beyond the flames, came a soul-chilling roar. Chaos descended in an instant.

Liam couldn't remember much after that. He found himself clutching his pistol with blood-soaked hands, surrounded by pools of gore, dismembered limbs, and countless bodies. He crouched behind an overturned food cart, struggling to make sense of what had happened, his mind reeling in the aftermath.

A man appeared and helped Liam to his feet. He introduced himself as Hans, though it would take Liam hours to remember that detail. Together, they regrouped with the reverend and what remained of the able-bodied survivors. Order had to be restored, and they would find a way to reclaim what they had lost amidst the chaos.

Cycle one - Rules

• There are no special rules in effect during the first cycle
• Order is in Ascendance during this first cycle
• All gangs start out with three territories, of one is a Settlement (unless you are a Chaos Cult, Corpse Gringer Cult or Enforcers, the other two are randomly generated
• Income from the territories are generated in step 4 of the Post Battle Sequence of the first game
• There is NO income generated during any other battle during this cycle