Hey, Did You Hear? - May's Rumors

“Lots of families are getting desperate with the war going on. It’s almost done killed some whole families out all the way.”

“Looks like the radio tower is up and running on shaky legs.  The Helldiver’s Society got the electric bits going, and have a signal!  Word over the air is that the ground’s going hot up north a way through he raider lines.  Looks like we’ll need a plan to make it northeast, towards the lake!”

“My brother saw one of them Damned Knights walking around behind the lines last night. They's all skulking around, preaching about how we's all in hell and such. Real creepy.”

“Looks like Zell-Ann ain’t gonna get that morgue moved after all.  Wonder how pissed she’s gonna be?”

Printed in a Mill City gossip rag found on the train: The Wasteland's most famous beekeeper, Abbe' Collins has been rumored to be making their way to Steel Horse Crossing to investigate a possible new strain of bees and assemble a team to acquire some for research and development.

“Some scientist was poking around south of town in the foliage.  Said he was from Bloom Industries, looking at some plants?  That seems to be an odd thing to do, running about in a forest poking at random greenery.”

“I sent Little Jimmy out to scrounge up some vittles and he came back with a slimy foot. We ain't no nasty Lasscies, so we dun wanna ate it.”

Hey, Did You Hear? - March's Rumors

Action Report: CY-F0226-UF

Militia lines breaking on western front.  Collateral damage to auxiliary units.  Raider on raider violence increasing to compensate.

The logistics of the area being what they are, even the RPM and the rail lines can’t keep up with the consumption of lead and steel.  Constant flows of material seem the call of the day.

“Best thing I’ve heard come out of the Ironworks for business is the new work orders.  Should get my shop in profit right quick with making and selling some of those pieces they’re looking for.”

“Seems relatively safe, as best as we can expect, for a war just outside the doors.  At some point, the military goes home.  What happens then?”

“One o’ them dragoon types come set hisself up on the front of the house, comfy as you please, leaning like a slab o’ beef on m’wall.  I come out to figger what he’s up on, and he takes off his helmet with a hand as big as a ham, and that face… that face.  It’ll haunt me til I’m gone the last time.  Let that’un sit against that there wall as long as he wanted, to be sure.”

“War is bad for health, but good for trade.  Food has been shipped into the area to keep the chill at bay, and people keep coming and going to head to the front lines.  Means we keep fresh hands and pockets cycling through.”
“Beats the last few years.  Having this much food available means no one is going hungry, which sure as hell I won’t complain about.  Nor the new, full pockets.”
-Overheard at the train depot

[pm fvb jhu ylhk aopz, hzr hil mvy alu sbn] – a note passed around the bar one night

“The Snowfoot clan keeps chattering about the Hodag.  Looks like they may have found the real thing this time.”
“I wonder how many will be dead before the give up on that thing?”

“Sounds like the Helldivers are planning to find a way to clear the radio tower so they can assess the damage and see if it’s still in working order.  Bet they end up having to pour a lot into that sucker after this long.”

Hey, Did You Hear? - February's Rumors

The Ironworks have dispatched one hell of a force headed north.  What’s so important that they sent more than one unit of Dragoons?

“I heard one of ‘em told the gas brains up there that they needed to give ‘em their land and their right to self-govern or some nonsense?”
“How’s that work?  Them folks want to try and take the land from the Ironworks?  Sounds a bit like treason, y’ask me.  Where was the Works on their radio?”
“Ain’t nobody told the works they had their radio – just up and made demands and such.  M’friend Ansel had ‘em read the whole transcript, word for word!”

They say those secretaries of the Ironworks were making deals with folks, but how many people actually know what they were asking for?

Sounds like all types of folk were available for any number of things.  It seems Septima was everywhere at once, making promises.  Think she can keep them all, or did she just sign her own life away?

When is the last time you heard of a town working with raiders to achieve a common goal?  The answer is usually when half the town is ok with bad brain.  Guess that’ll make way for new folks with clearer heads.

“Reports from folks left up north scouting say the land has been shelled so hard by the navy that everything is a bit out of sorts.  Hills and valleys, trees cleared away for days, rubble everywhere.  Hear they’re trying to keep all the buildings standing, though?”
“Not just standing, but intact best they can.  Suspect they’ll need some repair after all that.”

Is it true, raiders can build their own shacks?  I thought they were just mindless creeps.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Have a friend moving out in the morning that’s joining the corps of engineers to get water and power established back home, at least in a temporary fashion.

“We may be heading back to life as usual, huh?”
“Mayhap with a lot more raiders to deal with.  Whole town’ll have to be more worried about dangers now, what with all those raiders getting bold enough to make a real threat.”
“Organized raider armies – who’da thought that was a thing, anyway?”
“Ain’t like that Chez fella and Badda Boom haven’t been fightin’ each other for a few years now.  Raiders don’t make a big show of fightin’ each other if someone ain’t pointin’m some way.”

Hey, Did You Hear? - November

“Well, with the Thrill Kill season out, now all we gotta worry about is the winter raven feedings, that dark stalker, some kinda super bees, the starving season, the insane amount of raiders north of us, or the ‘Works finding something wrong in town because someone done fucked up.”
“Still, it could be worse.”
“Damn it Leroy, that’s not somethin’ you say!”

"Somebody said sumthin about a brothel opening in town. Nothin says civilization like a good ole whorehouse!"

“What’s an ‘unregistered’ psion, anyhow?”
“Around here?  One you won’t see again.”
“How ya register then if ya don’t want to get carted off?”
“Why?  You a psion?  There’s a reward for that, y’know…”

"I heard a buncha folks are all pissed that some rover who ain't even from Steel Horse tried to talk on behalf of the town. Bet they ain't gunna get much hospitality from here on out."

[Errant Note in Town]
“Roses are Red, Your Scarves are Blue, Just like Your Face, While I’m Choking You.”

“Soemthin’ got the RPM stirred up it seems.  Couple’a new faces around the edges of town.”

“I wonder how many people realize that this trade is actually closer to the Nemesis holy day than last trade?  Most folks don’t think in backwards timeframes.  That’ll be a mistake.”

"My sister said The Works has been cracking down on illegal drugs lately. Man, I hope it’s just a fine and not actual arrestin'!"

"Folks say the HFC crew dropped a mine last trade and all kinds of bugs came out of the ground. Hell, I ain't seen this many bees my whole life. Why're bees coming out of the ground?!?"

[Posted in Town]
All verifiable Fortunate Sons may be claimed for bounty at the remote depot in town for 5 Lugs per capture.  Must be alive, per Ironworks law.  Dead Fortunate Sons are broken laws.
 

Hey Did You Hear? - October 2017

“That big meet up 12 knots way seems to have made a big fuss in the Wastes.  Rumors go that the Chancellor had someone up and disappear on her?”
“Well hell, that’ll make her REAL endearing to Rovers I’m sure!”

“Fights in town with prizes?  I wonder how that’ll turn out.  Wonder if that kinda bettin’ is legal?”

“Dis gon’ be good…”

“Someone said something about that Septima gal going on a murder spree?  Did those Fortunate Sons wash off on her?”

“Nah, probably just a Pure gone stir crazy out in the fresh air.  They like to be all kept pretty and uptight indoors too much for this kinda livin’.  Bound to happen at some point.”

“End of fall, and we haven’t seen a single raven for the season?  Either they’ve got real stealthy, or they’ve gone off and cleared out.  I’m worried about only one of those.”

“Why do we keep hearing about that Merican with his crazy experiments?  I mean, I understand that we’re in a town that appreciates some science, but that man trying to trap murderous things and poke at them doesn’t seem right in the head, science be damned.”

“Hear he did say he wants to make a cow that gives off hooch instead of milk, y’know?”

“Huh, never mind I said anything.  Seems like a good enough scientist.”

“Ironworks census taking seems to be a reasonable enough thing.”

“Unless you’re a psion that hasn’t registered, or a ‘free slave’, or some other fool thing.”

[Posted on a Sign]

“The more you ignore the late night, the worse the coming last fight.”

“Fortunate Sons been mighty quite this year by comparison.”

“Ayuh, heard they keeping it low until that Coleman feller takes his butt south for the freeze.”

“Why him?”

“Seem they got them a score fer settlin’ wit them crows.”

“I posit that Nemesis are like the psion manifestation.  Similar to having more psions in a place attracting more of the waking dead, so too the Nemesis threat is created with more people in one place.  I further hypothize that the population of untrained Telling Visionists doesn’t help this particular situation.  I theoretically will be staying indoors, despite Steel Horse having yet to experience a true ‘Nemesis Season’ as reported by other outlying settlements.”

“PURGE…..”

Hey Did You Hear? - September

“Hey, did you see all of those people who tromped out of town last trade? I wonder where they were going.”

“I heard something was prowling the woods at night last trade. Lil Bobby said he found some animals with their heads all torn off.”

“The guy talked like a doc and had a name like one… what was it?  Dr. Snyder?  Robert maybe?  Well, he looked like a doc for sure, but it was in his eyes.  That certain brand of crazy that you just know ain’t right.  Had something for eyes, starin’ on like that.”

"Dixie Rose and Sophie just about killed some fancy pure with pink hair. How much you wanna bet that ain't over yet? Make some popcorn!"

“If it wasn’t for that stupid witch baby, I’d have won that carnival prize too! I hope the Gravemind swallows him whole.”

"My brother said there's a feud between a bunch of rovers in town. His buddy said it was just a fight between Corvids & BFG. Either way, that ain't gunna go good."

“I heard someone’s quartermaster got thugged out near the new Depot. Pity. I tried to tell them that the old location was safer, even if it was a bit of a hike.”
"The Drunken Donkey Bar & Lounge opened up and has been real busy. 'Bout time we got a bar that ain't a murderhouse!"

“Ran into a trader that just sailed in. Said he came across a spot in the woods where some critter with 6 feet ripped apart a whole group of raiders. Said there was raider parts everywhere, but all the faces was gone. Now, I’ve seen some weird stuff out in the wastes, but I ain’t never seen a 6 legged critter that eats faces. Least one that’s blue.”

"Ricky said all the Kishwaukee done turned into raider-witches and came into town to kill folk, starting with Septima!"

“Ya gotta wonder, if the problems kept getting taken care of, you think less things’d pile up and cause double extra trouble?  Seems like problems only get short term solutions.”

"Been asking around, but nobody who went to the Helldive can say if they vented it proper or not. Nobody seems to be talking about it, which makes me real worried. Hell, I heard the only real Helldiver Steel Horse got decided to retire!"

"My Ma said some doctor put their baby-makin' bits into that sick, goopy tree and that's why we's got all kinds of sick going 'round town now."

"I heard a Lascarian family came into town while everyone was out at the 'dive and were asking to move back into town. Didn't they kill everybody last time they's lived here?"

"Coupla scarves came in and said there was some folks going around stealing last trade. They heard it was some kids, but I overheard some other folks sayin' it was folks who live in town!"

Hey, Did You Hear? - May

• “Heard people made out real good at DeeCee. Lemonade stand, Jones’, & Corvids prolly real rich by now. Hope summa that makes it into town cause the rest of the folk are real poor still.“

“Wonder if some of that won’t even make it back into town at all?”

“Whatchya mean?  Ooooh….”

• “Fuck me, she actually got the letter?  And she’s responding?”

• “Iron Works is looking to crack down on illegal slave trade.  You a slaver you best have your paperwork in order least they check you.  Rumor has it they just cut you down where you stand you sell slaves without a license.”

“Course real slavers came into town again over last trade with some unusually skilled slaves.  Not much business to be had though.  And people wonder why real slave auctions don’t happen?”

• “Looks like folks are starting to feel a lot better.  Guess the doctors found the cure to that plague that’s been going around. Just in time too, who knows how much worse it could have gotten.”

• “I heard the Final Knights are trying to take over the town, made the hostel holy ground and everything. I say we just let them have it, can’t be any worse than what some other folks have been doing.”

• “Shshsh, I hear lotsa people been learning about the Gravemind from one or two people. I wonder how long it's gonna take before anyone realizes they're all gonna go crazy?”

• “Poor Marcy… her wedding was going to be so beautiful.  Nothing stops the horde though, those zed rolled through and left naught but bones.”

• “My ma told me this guy new to town named Farmer Charlie died trying to save a fancy pureblood. Ma said he crawled outta the ground and everybody made fun of him and almost let him die a second time. What kind of people do that?”

• “Things is heating up, almost time for the vents to start burping up fire again.  You know what that means, all sorts of flaming critters.  Hell, I even saw a flaming yeti one year run by, and it’s best not see that again.”

• “Sounds like the Action Committee had to sign some kind of contract to be recognized by the Works. I wonder if they hang when townsfolk break the law? That'd be one way to get rid of ‘em!”

• “Navy patrol got hit hard, heard a few fell in the fights.  Pit stops are getting worse, someone’s gotta do something soon or it’s gonna get worse!”

• “Apparently there’s some guy going around killing local monsters. Maybe the Iron Works should hire him to go about killing all these raiders next?”

• “Those stupid Darwins hunting that Hodag were apparently chasing a rat the whole time. It wasn’t even one of them giant mutated rats or nothing!  What a bunch of idiots.”

• “Why’s a bunch of people turning into raiders all of a sudden? Was it Little Red Schoolhouse? All the raider hordes? Bad food? It's getting really bad ‘round here.”

• “Sounds like everyone’s trying to rally their friends to go after this family of killers, good luck to ‘em, I wouldn’t be caught dead goin’ out there, because then I’d just be dead.”

• “Ma also told me that the local tribe came into town to get some help in their outside church and the townsfolk left them out there to die. Maybe Steel Horse Crossing ain't as hospitable as we thought, huh?”

April's Rumors!

·         “I heard a rover got dragged out into the night by a monster and eaten alive. Heard he ain’t come back yet neither. Some folks been sayin’ that everybody could hear him screaming but his friends were too afraid to go out and save ‘im. It’s a damned shame.”

·         “It’s such a shame! Did you hear that the Wyleson Family plots got decimated? The Wylseon are hysterical! Poor Addie has been crying for days.”

·         “Story goes people have been asking for slave traders to come in through Steel Horse. I don’t know how they been saving up all that money, but I suppose folks do need some help rebuilding around here. I wonder if the abolitionists are gunna come out the woodwork now?”

·         “Healed up some folk the other night, I did.  Said they was from Pine Grove, came lookin for the Dereck brothers.  Barely paid ‘em no mind when they got in, though, so says they.  Had to give ‘em some food and such to get ‘em back to their home.”

·         “That rancid smell coming from Steel Horse Crossing is the corpses of all those orphans what went missing several years ago.  They just bury them under that inn whenever they kill another.”

·         “Lots of religious folk been coming into Steel Horse to get followers. TVs, Final Knights, always some kind of Sainthood looking to do some good. Maybe the town’s starting to wear on ‘em and they need some prayin’ to get ‘em through the hard times?”

·         “Ain’t no mistaking, that fella Zell-Ann was asking on about a while back was in town again.  Old fella in his lab coat, all bundled up right for cold.  Hear that he got his hands on some new fancy Doc, tore his eyes straight out.  Wonder if Zell’s heard?  Seems he’s a nutter now.”

·         “Can almost smell the sulfur in the air.  It’s burning season coming to be sure.  You see a hole in the ground, you best step away so you don’t get burned by the fire spouts.”

·         “That town committee thing has been waiting on approval from the Elder Council, but I hear rumors that the Natural Ones don’t feel the town helped where they were requested.  No Pitstops gone, no committee?  That’s an even split as best I can tell.  Who breaks those ties?”

·         “Did you hear that music the other night?  If you could even call it that.  Sounded like some court were getting rowdier than usual.”

·         “Some kid came into town looking for their Da, Lorra I think their name was. Poor kid couldn’t get anyone to help her find her Pa and instead the townsfolk just sent a little food home ‘cause they too spooked to leave their buildings. Everybody lookin’ out for themselves, I guess.”

·         “Rumor has it Pitstops is coming out of Steel Horse proper, like they is in cahoots or something.  I don’t believe it, but could you imagine?”

·         “People been sayin’ they got ate by a snowbank, a giant monster with horns, and that some folks didn’t even die proper-like when they were dead. I’m guessing the madness sunk in real deep this Winter. Thank goodness it’s Spring and they all can get their heads straight!”

Hey Did Ya Hear?

“I heard one of them Pures went and made a coat out of some raider skins.  I sure hope that fashion trend don’t start catchin’ on.“

“If you don’t get eaten by a giant beast while looking for food, you’ll starve to death, or die from some nasty disease.  It’s never been this bad before!”

“Sounds like that new disease has been killing people off in other towns already.  Wonder why our folk seem so resilient?”

“Words got ‘round that someone wrote the Chancellor a letter.  Said she should come visit!  Either that’s the worst idea ever, or someone wants us all dead.”

“There’s gonna be a rocket launch in two months!”

“Sounds to me more like there’s gonna be another giant crater in two months…”

“Another?!”  

“Kinsford, Pine Grove, Litzon and then Penn Angle.  Four towns, three local morgues gone, and all within walking distance of Steel Horse.  So, where are we going to put our next morgue?”

“Some scientist went and gotten himself eaten alive in the middle of town by zed.  Why didn’t he just go inside and let the town kill them?”

“Where’s the Navy been this Winter? They sit back and watch us starve while they play with their guns and eat fancy sammiches and cider.”

“Well, they cleaned up Kingsford after it got run through.  Sounds like they’re getting pulled all over keeping all the raiders and zed in check.  I could use some of that food though.”

“I heard the Lemonade Stand folks pissed off all the rovers and ended up having to pay for three rover weddings and give them a year’s supply of hooch!”

“Didn’t that piggy girl say she lost all her blueprints?  Wonder if that means I’ll get to eat again.”

“If the raiders are all on the same team now, are they going to outnumber the regular people?”

“All remnants have this secret code that they gotta all support each other against normal people. They all are different except they all are born with the secret language to use without anyone knowing.”

“Some folks last trade were asking around, trying to pick up some resources from out in the Wastes.  Never heard of Blood Leaves or Firebush Berry, have you?”

“Nope.  More important, who’s got the money to import random things right now?”

 “I saw a real live Postman leaving town last trade!  Maybe this means we’ll get some more trade and money flowing through town—you know, if they ever fix the train tracks.“

“Did you hear, there was some kind of glowing raider thing that blew up when it died!”

“What, with fire and explosions?”

“No, with some kind of weird radiation.  Melted the damn workbench and some other things in Zell-Ann’s place!  Just a puddle of slag when they were done.”

December's Rumors!

• Been a lot more threats on the roads lately. Even the tougher folks have had a hard time of it. Guess we better be sure to pay them guards and travel in big groups again.
• It’s been really nice for this time of year. The old ones say it’s almost past time to get the food and medicine stocked up. It’s gonna be a long winter, they say.  The closer it gets to freezing, the more desperate people seem to be to get supplies.  
• What's with the sudden influx of Final Knights and Graveheads in Steel Horse?
• People are always afraid of those goddamn final knights… maybe they’re just a smoke screen… you know, one of them damn straw men to hide the evil some of them other religions do
• Take care of one group of thugs and a new one takes their place, seems like even the Fallow Hopes are getting in on the thug routine now.  
• Somebody spread glitter all over town. IT’S GETTING ALL OVER EVERYTHING! I'm guessing some Pure got fussy 'bout sumthin.
• Did you hear there’s a group of Darwins going around collecting glow?  Apparently they’re trying to shoot themselves into the sky.  That must be what all those explosions have been lately.  
• Sounds like the Action Committee ain't got approval from the Elder Council yet. What they gonna do to help get the Natural Ones on their side? Ain't they all disappearing anyway?
• I heard the Little Red Schoolhouse beats their kids. What kind of Nuke Family value is that?
• Apparently someone’s been taking all those creepy Morgue dolls and propping them up around town.  This can’t be good.  I wonder if some of the more unusual things are stemming from this ridiculous idea.
• I heard the town’s kitchens are going to be famous—there was a bunch of travel writers in town last trade everyone was bending over backwards to please!  I just hope they didn’t see all those rats that were running around.  
• Heard the last person to do some research work on the “strange things” in town went missing.  Wonder if this whole run of weird stuff is a curse?  Hit it with a stick, I say.
• The tribe’s all up in arms about their winter champion missing, they say if they don’t find him by Saturday evening, the Yuletide ritual may not happen.
• They say it’s the season to give… I just wish I didn’t always get my brother’s hand me down socks….
• I heard a bunch of BFG came up to Steel Horse to talk about how to move forward with their new settlement and trading ties. I heard all of em from down South were raiders but they seemed perfectly decent folk to me.
• That crazy 'Merican put that dead raccoon in a jar and is still carrying it around. They really got some special folks there in town.
• Looks like that visiting Iron got caught up with the Ironworks.  There’s a big surprise, a “free Iron” running amok and getting nabbed for not having papers.  Guess the lesson is don’t assume you’re safe, huh?
• Have you ever heard of Giftmas?  It happens at the end of every year and all the raiders start thinking clearly for just an hour, long enough to leave gifts strewn about the wastes.  Gotta make sure you leave out some raw meat for ‘em though so they won’t raid your house that year!