Dren's Crime

Dren’s exile stemmed from a desperate act. A skilled mechanic in his former village, he had secretly tampered with a Creche guardian, overriding its safety protocols to harvest rare components from its internal systems. The parts were worth a fortune, and he had intended to use the proceeds to fund his escape from village life.

But his actions had caused the Creche to malfunction, leading to the collapse of a crucial irrigation system. Crops failed, and the village suffered weeks of hunger before repairs could be made.

Dren hadn’t been motivated by malice. He had simply felt trapped—trapped by the endless cycles of labor, by the weight of expectations, by the constant reminder of humanity’s past mistakes. He had wanted freedom, a chance to start fresh somewhere far away. But the system was unforgiving, not in its judgment but in its clarity. The harm he had caused required restitution, and so he had been sent to the Wastes to stay.