The city of Hardbread had humble beginnings, born as the Furian outpost Reaver, a grain and bread operation to sustain ruthless war efforts against the Dust Bandits and the Black Dragon Ninja. At some point, after installing the Reactive World mod, the number of NPCs doubled, igniting massive bandit rages, coinciding raids, and an endless Dust Bandit civil war that ravaged the once-quiet Border Zone.

Against all odds, Reaver refused to wither, shedding its skin as a war-forged outpost and emerging as a thriving city, proudly rivaling any in the surrounding wastelands.

As the last of the bandits and ninja fell to the Furian tribe, bread production soared into quadruple digits with no campaign to sustain. Now a dominant local power, the city-state's squads could range for weeks at a time, selling off their hoarded loot and a massive surplus of bread from World's End to Drifter's Last. However, the Furians were not satisfied with their prosperity and self-sufficiency, chafing at the contemptible peace as the dust of the Border Zone settled. They ventured further in search of cats and conflict.

Hardbread expanded its horizons, delving into the production of alcohol, drugs, and armaments, honing their blades for the next worthy foe in a land where dominance meant mastering not only the art of war but also the alchemy of trade and industry. In time, their hunger for war would lead them to turn their ire on Shek to the west, put the Cannibals to the sword, and lay new foundations over their sun-bleached bones.

As the sun set over a bloody war for the Border Zone, a new threat cast shadows over a scarred world from the high, jagged teeth of its canyons, setting it ablaze to light their path. And so, Kenshi marched once more on a collision course with the ever-changing horizon— but war, war never changes.