AUSTIN RECLAMATION ZONE, TEXAS - Amy Harwood, manager of the reclamation project, has called for a temporary halt to the salvage effort. On a routine tour of the mapping camps, Harwood and a few guards found two separate crews murdered and staked out on poles amid the ruins. Twenty-seven salvagers and guards had been savagely beaten and crucified with bits of salvage. Harwood found a message carved onto one victim's back. In rough slashes it read, "Thieves will not be tolerated."
YUMA VILLAGE, ARIZONA- Dalton Barker, Law Dog for the Arizona-New Mexico region, is currently under house arrest pending the investigation into the murder of his fiancé, Melody Arkham. The former Head of the Yuma Guard Corps was found at home by Dalton yesterday evening. Arkham had been assaulted and died as the result of a slit throat. Word has been rushed to other Law Dogs for an investigation; Judge Miles Fargo is en route from the Shattered Coast and "Hardcase" Curtis has left the Santa Fe Fortress. Complicating matters further, the Asphalt Avalanche road gang has been spotted heading south from the outskirts of the Phoenix Metroplex ruins.
February 14
TUGWELL BASTION HAYS, KANSAS- Christian Tugwell, administrator and owner by birth of the Tugwell Bastion, is issuing a warning to all wasters concerning the stretch of I-54 running from the ruins of Platt and heading eastward through Wichita, Fredonia and Pittsburg. Scouts from the Bastion are reporting that at least three major road gangs are in the midst of an extended grudge match. From spotty recon reports, the Razorbacks cycle gang is camping in the ruins of Platt and staging ferocious battles with a gang calling themselves Hell's Cavalry. The Cavalry seems to be repairing their armored cars and vans in the remains of Pittsburg. From somewhere in the burned buildings of Fredonia, the third gang involved is the aptly named Ghost Marauders. The number three contestant seems to have perfected the art of surprise attacks while the ?Backs and Cavalry are swapping paint on the elevated roadways of Wichita. The battles have been reported as lasting through the daylight hours and have been going on for nearly a week. Most fights have been confined to the remaining stretches of freeway in and around the suburbs. Local Law Dogs as well as the Tugwell administrator are offering a substantial reward for any information concerning where the gangs are getting such a large supply of ammo, spare parts and Spook Juice.
BUTTE FALLS, OREGON- Timothy Magee, a caravan navigator by trade, is reporting the discovery of six deceased Schismatic Doomsayers. The corpses were found along the Union Pacific rail lines north of Mount Shasta in California, three days east of the ruins of Canby. One of the fallen Glow Priests had kept a small journal. The final six entries mention a plan to follow the rails to the coast. Each night, the owner has written of recurring dreams of a distant echo of a train whistle on the horizon. The final entry mentions a nightmare of something Hellish thundering out of the night. The entry is unfinished.
WEST FORK, ARKANSAS- Emory Barnes, the mayor of West Fork, is entertaining a few distinguished guests. Flying Horse, Scalps His Kills, Red Braid Mother of Seven, and Great Angry Thundercloud are four envoys from the Sioux Nation with a trade proposal. The Nation is offering homegrown food in exchange for the return of relics and bones of their ancestors lost years ago. Anyone who is willing to recover Indian artifacts, bones lost to grave robbers/archeologists and tribal symbols from museums across the country will be paid generously in food and other natural trade goods.
STATION ROCK, UTAH- Malcolm J.D. Rawlings is announcing the first annual Screaming Steel
competition. The competition is a no-holds-barred 12 day race from Station Rock, Utah to Boise, Idaho with the winner of each category being given their choice of prizes available at the finish line. The Categories are as follows:
Light Vehicles- nothing larger than a 250cc bike
Low-medium Vehicles- up to and including estate sized cars
High-medium Vehicles- up to and including V-8 vans and hummers
Big Rigs- with one ton of cargo in trailer
Super heavyweight- special request as needed
Entrants are to present themselves with the Vehicles to be driven in the race to the judges panel in
Station Rock before Noon on February 28th. Starting pistol will be fired at dawn the morning of
March 1st. (Submitted by Brother Dominic, Journeyman Librarian - based on an idea by the Loco Marshal on the HOE listserve.)
February 16
APACHE JUNCTION, ARIZONA- Piper the head technoshaman has placed the following message on a public board in the Engineer's Society Compound for public scrutiny. Any comments or questions should be directed to the nearest friendly Junker or Librarian:
Freelance Fugitive Apprehension Specialists are now available for commissions. Plunkett and Rogers can be reached at the following Net Address:02/66-45#-576-886-hunter++cracked into the Librarian Palmcorder network by "The Glowing Ghost" BTW your lines in the hunting grounds are no longer secure, DeNvEr is watching your transmissions
MOUNTAIN HOME, IDAHO- Renowned scouts Preston and Childs have located the mysterious blue pick-up reported in a previous Almanac post. One occupant was found inside suffering from severe bruises and lacerations that resembled either teeth or claw wounds. Preston reports that then figure seemed to be able to communicate telepathically, it relayed a message to him that "the storm is coming and it ain't too happy about what was done to the father". (entries submitted by the ever-prolific Brother Dominic, Journeyman Librarian)
BROWNSVILLE REFUGE, TEXAS- "Steel" Zachary is issuing a proclamation for anyone in the southwestern portion of Texas. Two days ago, scouts from the village of Big Bend arrived with a warning concerning the Mexican warlord called the Blood God. El Sangre Dio has put together a large force under his command and has the entire mess moving north. Law Dogs are issuing a warning extending from Brownsville to the Laredo ruins to the Del Rio enclave. Anyone traveling in this area is should be warned. At last report, the Blood God could field over a dozen jeeps and light trucks, over one hundred and fifty mutant foot soldiers, and at least one junker-modified tractor-trailer. Reports of a helicopter are at this time, unconfirmed. Law Dogs are looking for anyone with any information to report at Del Rio or the Brownsville Refuge. High on the priority list is: the location of the warlord's spook juice reserves and confirmation on the rumor that there are Sykers and Witches with his ranks.
CANNON FALLS, MINNESOTA- The tiny village of Cannon Falls is reporting a very unusual robbery. A maniacal individual behind the stick of a Northern Alliance hover tank held up the town food storage depot. In the early morning hours, the guards raised the alarm when something huge plowed through the north wall of the village. The mayor and sheriff were appalled when the tank's speaker system popped on and the pilot demanded the town's food supply be deposited in front of the vehicle. A shell was fired into the opposing wall of the town for emphasis. The townies did as ordered and a small animatronic arm pulled the foodstuffs inside. The tank then vanished back into the night.