The Floodlands from new Kenshi II concept art

Concept art has been released for Kenshi II (in latest news update).

https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/4597640/6b9dc01890b0a9d11fde8c29606374c3c0a20975_960x311.jpg

In my humble opinion, this is a picture of The Floodlands 1000 years in the past before Kenshi I, in the times of Kenshi II. Interestingly, it is full of water, and has many buildings still standing! Using this new information, I think we can actually figure out a lot of lore about the Kenshi II timeline.

It is said, that the Floodlands were the place where the skeletons were born, back in the time of the first empire. It is also known that the skeletons were not produced anymore during the times of Kenshi II, because of production ceased due to a "resource shortage" of some type after the fall of the first empire (Kenshi II is the time of the second empire). It appears at the time of Kenshi II, the factories were at least still standing. It also appears that the floodlands factories were not destroyed by being flooded, and that instead they were originally full of water, which has sense left. This water was probably used for cooling. I bet the water was from asteroids that were brought down to the planet, or that the floodlands were a lake left over from the lowering water levels caused by the terraforming actions of the ancients.

Armor king's shop is submerged in Wend, which has confused many people as to why it is located in such a strange location. Some thought it fell off the cliff, but I have a better explanation: The town of Catch, which armor king's shop was in, was on the edge of the floodlands, perhaps on a dam. The town was washed out after the events of Kenshi II, leaving it in its state we see in Kenshi I. The factories in the floodlands region were then destroyed shortly after. Maybe they overheated from the lack of coolant and exploded. The word "catch" sounds like something that catches water, ie a dam, so even the nomenclature here makes sense.

The word "wend" has a verb definition that means "to direct in one way." In my opinion, this is clear evidence that the Wend cliff river region was created artificially some time in the past. A few theories as to when, why, and how Wend was made:

1: One of the terraforing satellites was used to shoot down a powerful laser and blast out the casm, probably around the time of the fall of the first empire, done by the destroyers of the said empire in order to halt skeleton production.
2: The behmoths that were killed at around the time of the fall of the first empire were forced to dig out Wend before they were sent to their death in obedience, by humans that wanted to stop skeleton production.
3: The first empire made Wend to drain excess water from the floodlands, by using robots or one of the satellites.
4. Wend was created after the events of Kenshi II by the Orkan cult. Cat-Lon was obviously eager to figure out a way to make more skeletons (it is a common theory the Shek and many of the other races were created by him in attempts to make a soldier race to fight his enemies and keep his empire together), so I bet he is trying to re-activate the factories of the Floodlands during Kenshi II. The Orkan rebels (Deadcat and/or the early Holy Nation under the First Pheonix) take control of a satellite and create wend to destroy all chances of him succeeding. In the process, they fill the "Orkan's Pride" region with water, creating a fertile parridise for themselves.
5. The last theory is true partially, but the Wend could have already existed and was blocked off by a dam by Cat-Lon (Catch) to try to rebuild the factories, and the rebels destroyed the dam during the events of Kenshi II or shortly after Kenshi II. Perhaps an added bit to this conflict was that the dam was keeping back water, causing mass famine in the lands beyond that needed it for farming.

It is clear, though, that when Wend was made, the river system past Wend that includes Orkan's Pride, the river in The Borderlands, The Swamps, and the river past Clownsteady was created from the resulting water flow. The Swamps were said to have been a port around the time of Kenshi II. I bet, The Swamps were dry back then too.

[Samminator]

Boats confirmed for kenshi II

What if kenshi II was interplanetary between the moons.

[Ironkeg]

None of your theories are correct. The wend river, and the entire continental *crack* going from wend, the greenlands and all the way towards the swamp was made when the power source in the "Grid" exploded in a huge explosion. The explosion also made sea levels fall, let the water out of the floodlands, and the heat turned the then-above-seal-level hills around the Grid to glass.

The fact that the Second Empire town in the wend was devastated by this tectonically destructive event (buildings falling to the river), makes it so that the power source of the Grid was providing power even during the Second empire. This coincides with the fact that the Second empire fell to a famine, propably due to farming being dependent on hydroponics that required power, or the explosions residue clouding the sun.

My guess is that the Grid was sabotaged by early Okranites or other rebels the second empire was busy fighting against.