Skinhouse HQReport
English：Skinhouse HQ · Locations
The big crater with the torches all around it in Sonorous Dark — headquarters of the Skin Bandits, where Savant lives. Humans who walk in end up in a Peeler Machine. Skeletons, Shek and Hivers are tolerated, but only Skeletons can join.
And most importantly, stay away from the big crater with the torches all around it. You can see it from miles away, just give it a wide berth, okay? — Tinfist
Skinhouse HQ is the headquarters of the Skin Bandits, in Sonorous Dark. Their leader, Savant, is here.
Who may enter, and who may not
This is one of the very few locations in the game where entry is decided by race, and the rules are unusually explicit:
| Race | Result |
|---|---|
| Human | At risk of being taken and skinned alive |
| Skeleton | Safe, may speak with Savant, and the only race that can successfully ask to join |
| Shek | Safe, may speak, cannot join |
| Hiver | Safe, may speak, cannot join |
The Peeler Machine strips its occupant layer by layer. Mechanically it works like a Prisoner Cage — putting a character inside counts as imprisonment and triggers the corresponding faction relation changes. It works in three stages: first it destroys worn clothing, then it deals cut damage to the limbs, and once all limbs are below 0 it starts on the vitals. It does not require the victim to be alive to keep working, and it produces Animal Skins (somehow, even from Skeletons).
Buildings and population
| Building | Count | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Skin Bandit HQ | 1 | 1 Savant, 16 to 22 Skin Bandits |
| Skin House | 5 | 8 to 12 Skin Bandits each |
That puts the resident population somewhere between 56 and 82 Skin Bandits.
What is sold here
Savant carries the Peeler Machine blueprint, and Skinhouse HQ is the only place in the game that sells the Skeleton-Human Transformation Bible.
Savant's secret alchemical formula for turning skeletons into humans.
The research is level 3 and costs nothing. It unlocks the Peeler Machine as a building and the Human Skin Suit as an armour type. If you want a Peeler Machine at your own base, you buy it from him here.
What this faction does
The Skin Bandits — also called the Skinned Ones — are Skeletons wearing human skin. They hunt humans to turn their skin into clothing, and skin rots, so the hunting never stops.
The outside world knows almost nothing. The Holy Nation's standard line — "they're Skeletons in disguise!" — reads as paranoia to everyone else. The United Cities are aware of Savant and of the skinless corpses (it is on his wanted poster) but have no idea what he looks like or what he leads. Player squads entering Stormgap Coast will mention tales of skinless bodies found in The Pits.
The Tech Hunter's Notes carry another piece: Stone-Head, the last surviving Ashland Drifter, describes running into the Skin Bandits on his group's expedition. Recounting what happened to his friend Cobby, he trails off, stares into space for ten minutes and stops responding.
After Savant dies
If Savant is killed or imprisoned, Skinhouse HQ falls into ruins, and any valuable loot left behind is removed.
Trivia: the "destroyed" overrides of the Skinhouses and Skinhouse HQ are the only FCS items of type "Town" in use that are not assigned to any faction. In practice the game still treats them as belonging to the Skin Bandits.
What it means for the player
Skinhouse HQ has three roles in the game:
- A gate on the way to the Ashlands. Sonorous Dark is the porch of the Ashlands peninsula, and both common southern routes clip Skin Bandit ground. This zone has acid rain (not the Ashlands' ash and gas), and the counter to acid is a Dustcoat.
- A special option for Skeleton characters. Only Skeletons can join this faction.
- The only source of the Peeler Machine and the Human Skin Suit.