Gilded Sands

Gilded Sands is a campaign set on Aureate that follows the story of a squad of misfits thrust into the war as a recon unit and deniable asset for the Dodonan Tribunal, before defecting and becoming an independent squad operating out of Vedro. The events of this campaign lead to the creation of the People's Republic of Aureate.

This campaign shares a setting and timeline with the one-shot Gilded Sands: Gaiden, and is chronologically preceded by Gilded Sands: Cobalt Revolt.

Player Characters
The player characters in Gilded Sands are part of Spearbreak,


 * Iskra Garomedon (Hero), callsign Stork. Pilot of the One-Winged Hussar.
 * Nandi Tin (Hierophant), callsign Bear. Pilot of Mama.
 * Skoryy Feldspar (Ace), callsign Ripshaw. Pilot of the Ripshaw.
 * Zoya Gabbro (Infiltrator), callsign Urchin. Pilot of the Mimic.

Spearbreak have also been assisted by some substitute player characters:


 * Kladi Demos (Bureaucrat). Pilot of an APC.
 * Zbinya Cinnabar (Technician), callsign Pigeon. Pilot of the Batraz.

Allies

 * Kai
 * Leila
 * Oksana Jade
 * Tanja "TT" Tuff

Rivals

 * Asterope Yehedarhed
 * Toporik Jet

Supporting Cast

 * Atreus Falx
 * Beryl Mask
 * Dunyasha Sand
 * Kaleidos Green
 * Kladi Demos
 * Springfield Autumns
 * Stem Tromara
 * Zbinya Cinnabar
 * Olenka Electrum aka Blue Phoenix

01 – TORN PAGES
Main page: Gilded Sands 01 — Torn Pages.

Played on 27 August 2020. The squad is enlisted to retrieve Stem Tromara—a former Narkissos Branch scientist—from The Scholars-Errant, who are taking her to Pesok Station. Dodeka successfully retrieve her, and fights off Kaleidos Green in the process, but not before he can sow doubt about the morality of their mission among the squad.

02 – MARGINALIA
Main page: Gilded Sands 02 — Marginalia.

Played on 3 September 2020. In their first downtime, the squad splits up to pursue a variety of goals. Iskra has a fateful meeting with Beryl Mask, and makes contact with the Terrenon rebels The Broken Crown. Nandi enlists Dr. Atreus Falx to 'help' her develop her own neural link with Mama, and makes a deal over ouzo with Kladi Demos. Skoryy and Zoya have a rowdy night out. Skoryy tries to track down Kaleidos Green, then sweats off her hangover. Zoya gets interrogated, searches for Pasha Marble, and has a fateful meeting with her old 'friend' Egon Shale.

03 – COUNT DOWN
Main page: Gilded Sands 03 — Count Down.

Played on 10 September 2020. Iskra, Skoryy, and Zoya take on a mission from Dunyasha Sand to steal a rocket from Stervat Services. Posing as freelance scavengers, they smuggle the One-Winged Hussar into their base to act as distraction and defence, while Skoryy and Zoya flee in a truck loaded with the rocket. A harrowing massacre ensues that sends Skoryy into a traumatic flashback, and Iskra slides down the side of a mountain in the Hussar to save herself. At the rendezvous point, Dunyasha takes Zoya aside, and lets her in on her plan to make Aureate a better place for its people—and it starts with taking on the Toporik Syndicate.

04 – IGNITION
Main page: Gilded Sands 04 — Ignition.

Played on 17 September 2020. In their second downtime, the squad joins forces to settle their grievances with the past, and take hold of a brighter future. Iskra takes Zoya along to see a spirit medium, and wins the Broken Crown over with a generous gift. Nandi takes Iskra to a farmer's market, commits an act of terrorism with Skorry, and begins work on a training facility. After recovering from her injuries alongside Zoya, Skoryy takes her along to meet with Kaleidos Green, before committing a small highway robbery. Zoya sneaks around a Toporik casino, and invites Skoryy to a quiet oasis.

And in the end, the tables are flipped. Dodeka Graft is reborn as Dodeka, an independent squad.

05 – LUNAR CONJUNCTION
Main page: Gilded Sands 05 — Lunar Conjunction.

Played on 24 September 2020. In their third mission, Dodeka take on another mission from Dunyasha sand: aid and extract a group of Two Moon Cry members holed up in an abandoned hospital in Qaibo under fire from Dipsos Root—preferably also retrieving their hostage, Kelp Idrotas. Nandi provides sniper support from a radio tower, Skoryy and Zoya launch a surprise attack, and Iskra—together with Kaleidos Green and Branka and Eik of the Broken Crown—assaults the enemy in a head-on battle. The extraction is successful (albeit with Nandi sustaining major injuries) and the squad is introduced to the independent community of Vedro... and their new base of operations.

06 – ПОЕХАЛИ!
Main page: Gilded Sands 06 — Поехали!.

Played on 1 October 2020. Open war breaks out between the Terrenon Dynasty and the Dodonan Tribunal. Meanwhile, out at sea, the squad regroups in Vedro and steel themselves for their most difficult mission yet to come. Iskra stirs the hearts of Vedro's resident Satellists, works on repairing the Hussar, and asks Two Moon Cry to repay the favour. Nandi recovers from her wounds, but keeps working on her project of building a mech testing facility. Skoryy works with Zoya and TT to reverse-engineer Zoya's optical camo, heads to Vow to ask her surrogate mother Oksana Jade to help her build an intelligence network, and then inquires for the help of Dive-Captain Springfield Autumns with that same project. Zoya provides Nandi with bedside company, learns the truth about Pasha Marble while reminiscing with Dora Tourmaline and TT, and asks Egon Shale for another big favour.

07 – BASTILLE DAY
Main page: Gilded Sands 07 — Bastille Day.

Played on 8 October 2020. In their fourth mission, Dodeka's past sins come due; they and Kaleidos Green must punch into the Dodonan capital of Kleidos and recover Stem Tromara from the tender care of a high-security Iris prison. Again lacking Nandi (as a result of her injuries), Iskra, Skoryy, and Zoya enlist the help of Kladi Demos and Kaleidos Green as they infiltrate (mostly) on foot. The stealth mission goes wrong quickly, and a firefight erupts in the facility's central hub, while the Dodonan military unleashes a clone of Kaleidos to chase them down. They retrieve Tromara—now implanted with emotional dampeners—and make their escape, but the final run for the fence demands many heavy sacrifices. Iskra is almost shot to death but makes a turn for heroism, Skoryy takes a hit and loses a leg (again), Kladi suffers a touch of survivor's guilt, and the waves of Zoya's past come crashing over her.

08 – MESSIDOR
Main page: Gilded Sands 08 — Messidor.

Played on 15 October 2020. After a rough mission, Dodeka regroup in Vedro to lick their wounds. Iskra (freshly disarmed) gets a new prosthetic, works on physical therapy with Nandi, and is given a "pep talk" by Beryl Mask. Nandi (finally fully recovered) sets up her testing facility, sees a Taimu priestess about a ghost, and wires herself up to Mama. Skoryy (in a wheelchair until TT can get her new legs) tries to study a Dodonan railgun, hashes things out with Kaleidos, spreads propaganda, and throws a party in Dodeka's quarters. Zoya (still suffering from tehoma poisoning) has her new condition explained by Tromara, gets on the wait list to see Pasha Marble, and has a strained-but-positive conversation with Dora as she trades for a new mech. In the end, Skoryy and Zoya affirm their feelings for each other.

09 – GOLD RUSH
Main page: Gilded Sands 09 — Gold Rush.

Played on 29 October 2020. In their fifth mission, Dodeka are enlisted by Beryl Mask in a mission to win the favour of the Slag Knights. With a still-injured Skoryy taking a back seat, the squad is joined by Dunyasha Sand's loyal technician, Zbinya Cinnabar. Their mission is to free a group of serfs from a House Nessen mine near Breakstone, a small town in the Osskil Highlands—and should they be able to implicate another Terrenon squad in the attack, all the better. It's an all-out assault on the gate as Dodeka ends up pinned between Nessen's defences and a surprise appearance of Asterope Yehedarhed, back from the dead. Zbinya first-hand witnesses the chaotic nature of a Dodeka mission, as Nandi suffers tremendous damage and stress in the standoff, Zoya endures a series of poor choices and strange psychic interference, and Iskra brings it home with brute strength and heroic spirit.

10 – MOTHERLODE
Main page: Gilded Sands 10 — Motherlode.

Played on 5 November 2020. Dodeka are called to a meeting to discuss the plans to level the playing field against the Toporik Syndicate, and begin to prepare for Operation LAWBREAKER. Iskra sees Beryl Mask join her cause, goes for air hockey and too many drinks with Nandi, and tries in vain to repair the Hussar's significant damage. Nandi gets a visit from a penitent Kladi, talks faith with Senga in the kitchen, acquires a temporary replacement automata, and finds divine purpose hiding on a noodle packet. Skoryy gets her new legs fitted, talks through her worries with Nandi over beer, breaks some bad news to Zoya, and works on building her intelligence network with the help of Iskra. Zoya meets with Pasha, talks through grief and regret with TT, spends a costly amount of time recovering from a wound, and helps out around the farms. One old friend is killed; another dies, and a third puts herself in the crosshairs.

11 – REPEAT OFFENDER
Main page: Gilded Sands 11 — Repeat Offender.

Played on 19 November 2020. Dodeka—or Spearbreak, as they are now known—embark on Operation LAWBREAKER; a dual assassination/prison break mission in Bydos. The squad sneaks in while Skoryy sets up for a distraction. Everything seems to get off to a good start, but the ground team is soon pinned down by sniper fire, while Skoryy has to contend with the return of the Seleukias. Nandi heads off the extraction efforts, while Iskra and Zoya take down Apate Midnight, their target. Their victory helps buy Dunyasha Sand and her crew the time they need to launch their rocket, and Spearbreak escape to lay low in Pesok Station while they hold their breath for what comes next.

Concurrent with this session, the events of Gilded Sands: Gaiden take place.

12 – PAROLE
Main page: Gilded Sands 12 — Parole.

Played on 26 November 2020. Returning to Pesok Station after a long absence from the Boneyard and its surrounding dunes, Spearbreak lay low and recover to the best of their ability, and run into an old friend in the process. Tromara attempts to perform remote surgery on Skoryy and Iskra using Nandi's arm. Iskra heals up and reluctantly permits repairs on the Hussar back at Vedro. Nandi also calls in repairs for Mama, and gives her a makeover too. Nandi and Iskra return to the air hockey table and attempt to broaden Kaleidos' palate. Skoryy receives a threat, and weaves disloyal Toporik goons into her network. Zoya goes for street food and stories with Skoryy and Dora, then takes Dora to pick up gardening supplies. An argument over what to do with a prisoner ensues, testing Nandi and Skoryy's bond. As the squad heads to Vow to take down Toporik Jet, the Syndicate all but crumbles under the weight of Skoryy's schemes and Dunyasha's pressure.

13 – FINAL BELL
Main page: Gilded Sands 13 — Final Bell.

Played on 17 December 2020. In their final confrontation, Spearbreak launch an assault of what remains of Toporik Jet's beaten and battered forces in the war-torn streets of Vow. Iskra, Skoryy, and Zoya face off against Hack (formerly of Stervat Services) in his heavily armoured Boris unit, while Nandi (with eventual reinforcement from Iskra) takes on the Screech Drive-powered Platina Udar, piloted by Igor Slate, Toporik's own bodyguard. Spearbreak are barely able to take out Hack and turn the tide against Slate before they get the news that Vow is about to be bombarded, and in a final desperate move, Skoryy races the Ripshaw up the side of Toporik's broken and shattered tower, the Glass Needle, where she finishes him off. As the dust settles, tensions in Spearbreak are high, and it's clear to everybody this will have been their final mission together.

14 – EPILOGUE
Played on 7 January 2021. In a brief epilogue session, we see our character settle into their new rhythms in life on Vedro. With Spearbreak all but dissolved, Iskra continues to fight in their name, while Nandi heads up the Righteous Spark Brigade. Skoryy shifts focus to working intelligence, while Zoya settles down to farm. Who knows what the future will hold for Vedro, and the gilded sands of Aureate.

Gilded Dispatch
After every mission, Remi writes a recap/summary of faction events on Aureate through from the perspective of Dive-Captain Springfield Autumns. The following dispatches have so far been written:


 * GILDED DISPATCH 01 (after TORN PAGES)
 * GILDED DISPATCH 02 (after COUNT DOWN)
 * GILDED DISPATCH 03 (after LUNAR CONJUNCTION)
 * GILDED DISPATCH 04 (after BASTILLE DAY)
 * GILDED DISPATCH 05 (after GOLD RUSH)
 * GILDED DISPATCH 06 (after REPEAT OFFENDER)
 * GILDED DISPATCH 07 (after FINAL BELL)