Recent Town History - A Brief Summary

The years following the Uprising have seen many changes for Steel Horse Crossing. Most of the area’s infrastructure was suddenly up for grabs: a naval base, the harbor, a rail hub, mines. All were quickly commandeered by various interests who moved in as the Ironworks crumbled. Their business boomed, making the settlement quite attractive as a remote trade and research hub on the Great lake, away from the oversight of large cities and ethics boards. Underneath it all was a settlement just trying to keep itself together.

The Steelblood mercenaries who had negotiated their way into town in exchange for defense took advantage of their numbers and the sudden power vacuum to take control of Steel Horse Crossing. At the same time, the fascist New United Kinship Movement was worming their way into all levels of the Steelblood hierarchy and furthering their own goals. Unsurprisingly, many of the locals were… displeased, leading to a protracted and ugly conflict that literally split the town in half with the Steelbloods controlling the ‘other side of the river’.

That was the situation Steel Horse Crossing lived in for years without real resolution. Skirmishes. Posturing. Sabotage. Murder. Secret Alliances. Unsecret Alliances. Martial law. Bombings. Assassination. All with stretches of uneasy peace between. It all kind of blurred together into a shit soup that just became part of life, easy enough to ignore as folks still had to keep going on with their day. 

The extra problems kept piling up though, and eventually they outweighed the benefits. Steelblood infighting. Rodger’s experiments. Fermi’s experiments. Fungus. Radiation. An abundance of dangerous wildlife. Rumors of Archons. Giant squid monsters in the mines. Aliens. Near Mortis collapse. Saltwise Raids. NUKM. More radiation. Actual Archons. 

Despite that much of it has calmed down many folks have already decided to seek their fortunes elsewhere including many Steelbloods.Some have returned home to the larger cities. Some have joined newer settlements forming further afield hoping their situations to be less volatile and less of a target. And some have simply ceased to exist, rendering some parts of SHC a ghost town with many buildings and homes now standing empty.

ARCHONS/OUTSIDERS/GOO-THULHUS

These nightmares were discovered in the area the year before last. The good news is they didn’t seem to be feeling aggressive toward us or intent on destroying us. The bad news is they don’t seem to regard us remotely as a threat and have been studying us like we were particularly interesting ants. They appear to have left since those encounters but there is no real way to be sure. There are more ways to defend ourselves these days and much more information available, thankfully. It doesn’t make them any less concerning.

DOCTOR RODGERS

His experiments with Strains and the Mortis were dangerous and utterly immoral. There isn’t time enough to list off all the shit he did. Anyway his location was given up by one of his own assistants in the end and the town descended on that bunker like a swarm of angry velocigeckos. Word has it that the things that go bump in the night circled up and had a little murderdive party as well but either way, he’s super dead. These fancy new Byproduct syringes were found in the bunker so that was pretty dope. Just don’t think too hard about how the science behind them went.

BLACK FUNGAL DISEASE

BFD ran rampant through town for a while, owing to the terrible shape the Mortis Amaranthine was in after a combination of Rodger’s experiments, Archons, and a few other factors. Thankfully the town got that under control, more or less.

FERMI CHADWICK

The brilliant mind behind Project Arrowhead, determined to bring cheap and plentiful energy to the wastes. Great idea. Terrible execution. The last efforts involved building a nuclear device inside of an Abyssal Stitch procedure to rip open a portal to the home of Archons, believing that it could be harvested as a power source. Fermi was dead by the time the town showed up to stop the process, leaving them to try solving the problem from his notes alone. In the end it was too late to simply shut it off and they were forced to redirect the device’s power into the Mortis itself. Actually removing the device and cleaning up took several months while it continued actively irradiating the entire region.

THE ARCHIVISTS

No one ever tries to ply them for the knowledge stored in their extensive libraries any more but these pains in our collective asses have become strangely popular in recent days, now that this order of Final Knight monks are known to be the source of the best cheese in the Midwastes. They flat refuse to share the secrets of its production but have been open to having it sold in town.

BERTHA HARDWOOD AND HER TEAHOUSE

The be-tentacled Host of Sensation Bertha Hardwood runs the brothel across the river. Her entertainment palace hasn’t seen any loss of profit, customers, or rumors, regardless of what hits the town. As a busy business woman she may not be seen often these days, but her associates may be and she would never say no to a letter.

NEW UNITED KINSHIP MOVEMENT

Despite the Rover supremacy organization enjoying a degree of acceptance or tolerance in the past due to finessing their way into all corners of the Steelbloods, they have largely been driven into obscurity. No doubt there are some remaining in town, but they know better than to claim to be a member or openly wear the NUKM knotwork.

STEELBLOODS 

The loss of a single strong leader can be devastating. Dr Rodgers, Zane, Magnolia, Junior Black, amongst many others are all either dead or missing and unsurprisingly it has utterly destroyed Steelblood cohesion. Whole factions like Apex have simply left town. Even many of those that represented the organization just last year in negotiations aren’t around anymore. Other factions have fractured, splintering into smaller families and crews. The ones that remain are ones who genuinely wanted a place to settle down and have been working with the non-Steelbloods on the other side of town to keep things stable. While some cling to the Steelblood name for identity and mutual support, as a monolith force in SHC they are largely defunct. A few Steelbloods came over during the last winter trade, trying to help us with information about the frozen zed swarm.

HUNTERS LODGE - A group of sport hunters and nature lovers have been scoping out new hunting grounds and have been marveling at the largely untouched possibilities around Steel Horse Crossing. They joined up with other local hunters and conservationist groups to better manage activities in the area and protect the ecosystem.

ASTOR & FRICK

One of the firms who invested heavily in the railroads as trade and business restructured. The perceived decline of stability and profit to be found in Steel Horse Crossing has made them nervous. The assassination of one of the Fricks at the Winter “Fuck It, We Ball”, the Labor Union ‘fiasco’, sabotage, and other events this last year have made them exceptionally skittish and ready to withdraw entirely. Rumor has it the Bank is maneuvering to snatch up their remaining assets in the area.

LABOR UNION

Just dealt with a massive worker strike over mine safety. It got kinda heated in the middle. The owner of the Tallywish mines got himself dead after he sent union busters at the strikers. Some say he was mailed explosives. Some say his kid ganked him. Negotiations quieted down real quick after that.

THE LITTLETONS

They’re “Fine.”

THE MORTIS AMARANTHINE

It’s “Fine.”

TOWN GOVERNMENT

Another election. Our new councilors and bribery targets are Canary, Liberty, Miette, Sev, and Wayra. The judges are Jimothy and Michelle; and our sheriffs Alex and Gene. 

Hey, did you hear? - October Rumors

The gossip heard around town:

Hopefully Gala crawled out of the Morgue safely after last month. Some are saying the Apple Tribe is still hopeful about the harvest ritual. Maybe Seasons folks can talk some sense into her now about that poison orchard of hers.

The Gorger Parliament had a successful Blutnacht, I heard. Nobody died except a couple of ‘Mericans (and some interloping Yard Dogs stirring up trouble), and the Gorgers didn’t even have to lift a finger for that to happen! Just called in the Sheriff, so it must’ve been legal.

What’s it called when you go thugging? Lookin’ for donations? Asking for some Steel Bloods…

A graverobber once told me that the gravemind has as many faces as there are people in town, and how you think of it changes how it behaves. Load of bullshit if I ever heard any!

Commander Magnolia made a rare appearance in town last month, and based on how he got chased out, gonna bet he don’t come back too quick either.

Them Saltwise finally pulled anchor and left harbor. Wonder how much they took with ‘em that they didn’t pay for…hope they’re gone for good.

The last thing this town needs is another mad scientist, but I will take the Darwin variety over another Dr. Rodgers ANY DAY.

Disease-Related Plot

Given Everything(™) these days, we felt that this was an important time to discuss with you Diseases, and Disease-related Plot, within the Dystopia Rising Universe and how it relates to our local plot specifically right now. The intent of this blog post is to provide both some transparency as well as needed clarifications going forward. Much like in-game Injectibles, Brews, and Faiths, creating Plot that involves a horrible Disease in a post-apocalyptic world with zombies is a complex process that should involve creating a strong Fourth Wall barrier of separation and disbelief between In-Game and the Real World. Just as we avoid In-Game Drugs based on Real Life Drugs, we also try to avoid In-Game Diseases based on Real Life Diseases; hence we have things such as Bad Brain, or Psionic Disresonance, or the like. And like any other new In-Game Thing, a good custom In-Game Disease writeup should be there to support the current story and Plot. Generally speaking, custom or new Diseases are another tool used to encourage players game-wide to work together on a larger or community scale against an existential threat. Some other types of large-scale tools in the horror genre may involve external threats (such as "War Plots" or the recently encountered Archons), while others may utilize more existential or other types of threats.

Like any other Plot, Dystopia Rising gamerunners recognize that people may have individual past traumas that may not be easily accounted for when organizing a game for a large number of people with different interests and life experiences. Our game and its culture has had for a long time a mechanic for assisting players in avoiding Plot they are not comfortable Roleplaying, often referred to as Opting Out (or sometimes colloquially, "Noping Out"). DR: Wisconsin fully supports your right to Opt Out of plot that you have no wish to partake in, and game-wide Disease-related Plot is no exception. Whether it's giant Spiders, creepy Clowns, or Diseases that cause people to bleed black ichor and explode into clouds of fungal spores, feel free to let your local gamerunners, or the Guide running the Scene, know that you'll be Opting Out. We will not only understand, but we will thank you for taking care of yourself, as a player, first and foremost.

There have also been a lot of misunderstandings, both among players AND some gamerunners across the Network, about Black Fungal Disease: how it works, and what to do about it. We'd also like to provide some clarifications there. Black Fungal Disease, as well as other things you sometimes see at Premiere Events such as Archons or even the Ottoman Collective, exist within various Plotkits available from National for Premiere Event use; a Plotkit is a tool that we often use, often containing mechanics or other self-contained story, in order to facilitate shared or similar stories between different games. The various elements encountered at our recent Premiere game were not National “Plot”, but they did include elements of several Plotkits available to and tied into the greater DR Larp Network. The Plot, however, was very much local. Each chapter can choose to Opt-In to the Plotkits they wish to use; “National Plot” or Plotkits are never forced upon a given chapter. Traveling to a chapter that does not use a given Plotkit also means that that thing essentially does not exist while there. So if your character contracted Black Fungal Disease while visiting a chapter that was using that Plotkit and running a related Plot, but then travels to a chapter that is not, the Disease is assumed to "not exist" while visiting that game. While this may seem a little weird from a player perspective in terms of continuity, it is critical for ensuring one chapter does not dictate plot or its direction at another chapter without that chapter's consent and collaboration. 

Due to the complexity of some of those Plotkits, there was an initial misunderstanding, even among various Dystopia Rising chapters, that Researching the various Stage Cures involved a complex process utilizing ABCs (a National Society Currency). This is not the case. Researching what is needed to cure the various Stages of Black Fungal Disease only requires the Research outlined in the Dystopia Rising Rulebook on Page 193. To quote the most relevant section, "Characters may first inform Logistics and then Active Role-Play examining a patient with a Disease by using Lore: Medical. This may include checking the patient's heart rate; interviewing them; checking their sign for any signs of rash, blisters, or other anomalies; and checking for other symptoms. After 20 minutes examining the patient, the doctor may spend 5 Mind points to learn more about the Disease. For each 5 Mind point spend the doctor may learn vectors of transmission, stages, and treatment conditions."

It is important to note that this method of Research primarily applies to learning what it takes to Cure that Stage. Other information about Black Fungal or its relation to current plot may involve other methods of Research, such as calling in favors and collaborating with the Ottoman Collective, and it is these other avenues of Research that have likely helped cause confusion and recent misinterpretations.

Curing any Disease may be, and often is, significantly different depending on the Stage of the character who is Diseased. The Basic Medical Skill allows you to determine if a given character has any Diseases, but as written the skill does not necessarily state that the player being examined must state which Disease it is or at what Stage. Many players will give this information freely anyways, but the skill does not require it. Much of the original design philosophy behind how to utilize Diseases in-game involve makeup or Role-play requirements for each stage of a given affliction, and thus create a more Visually Interactive scenario where a doctor could, through visual cues and actual diagnostic puzzles, examine a patient’s symptoms and prescribe the appropriate treatment based on that person’s current condition. 

In summary:

- A Player may choose to Opt Out of any Plot they are uncomfortable with, and Disease-Related Plot is not an exception.

- Diseases are related to local plot, and thus do not exist at other games unless that chapter choose to partake.

- Researching how to Cure a Disease, even Black Fungal, follows the mechanics in the 3.0 Rulebook. Other information, such as how a given Disease ties in to local stories, may involve other forms of Research.

Diseases are an important part of our horror genre and a useful tool in telling story for our game, but also one that requires delicacy, care, and understanding in how they are portrayed. Players are always encouraged to Opt-Out when encountering Plot that will affect them negatively (as Players, not Characters). For those who wish to participate in that Plot, however, we hope that these clarifications will give a better and clearer path forward for your characters, as well as providing avenues of engagement with current story.

Psionics, Mental Endurance, and You

A recent clarification occurred regarding which level of Mental Endurance to use for which Psionic skill calls.

That clarification states that all Psionic Calls are counterable by Basic Mental Endurance, with the sole exception of Master Pyrokinetics. Master Pyro is, of course, only counterable by Master Mental Endurance being already in effect.

There had been some initial confusion, initially caused because of the Master Pyrokinetics exception, and so we would like to let players know that BMV and AoE Psionic Calls are, in fact, still countered by Basic Mental Endurance. This also includes the Agony effect, even if they are not strictly Psionic in nature, which is also countered by Basic Mental Endurance; Agony is defined in more detail on the Lexicon page at http://www.dystopiarisinglarp.com/lexicon.

The catch? Not all By my Voice or Area of Effect calls may be psionic in nature. An environmental call such as “Sound of my Voice, Earthquake: Knockdown” wouldn’t make sense if you could counter it with Mental Endurance, and Avoid does not work against AoE or Sound of my Voice calls; but in this case, Balance would! Area of Effect or Sound of my Voice calls that are psionic-based, and thus defendable with Basic Mental Endurance, should have the word “Psionic” in the call. For instance, Basic Telepathy (even though it is a single Target attack) has a full skill call of “Psionic Suggestion: [Three words]”.

This makes the full skill call even more important than it had been. Some of the skill calls are, for better or worse, rather lengthy and memories can fail in the moment while you’re watching your friends die. It’s happened to all of us. But not only is the length of the call part of an inherent balance in Big Impactful Master Skills taking a dramatic amount of time, the words in that call really are super important. Particularly with Psionics, you usually shouldn’t be whispering the words or stringing them so fast together it sounds like you’re singing along to songs you don’t actually know the lyrics to; you’re visibly bending the world around you in ways that it doesn’t bend in real life. Say those words with conviction, loud and proud!

Going forward, we’ll be striving to better and more accurately be using the full skill calls as intended. And likewise, your characters will be better able to respond to dangerous situations accordingly.

COVID-19, the Delta variant, and August

We were recently asked if we were still having game next weekend, what with everything going on (The Delta variant, the recent pandemic case surge, etc). The short answer is yes, albeit certainly with extra precautions than we had planned a few weeks ago, let alone when we started thinking about this over a year ago. But it was also felt that a longer answer, with supporting logic and information, was probably warranted.

First, we're an entertainment company. The only medical advice we can ever really give is to consult with your medical provider. Data and guidance throughout this entire pandemic has changed frequently as more has been learned and new data studied; sometimes it seems almost daily. We respect, encourage, and support you, the players, in deciding what level of risk you are willing to accept for yourselves. No business, let alone a LARP, will ever be able to remove 100% of the risk at this point from attending. However, there are things that we can all do from both a Gamerunner standpoint and a player viewpoint to help minimize those risks for everyone as much as we can. But the unfortunate truth is that, like any and every thing else in the world, we'll never be able to remove all of that risk and we want players to make the informed choice that is correct for themselves.

One of the major concerns with the Delta variant is its transmissibility. Current data (that I've seen so far) implies that this variant likes to initially hang out in the nose, throat, and upper airways before proceeding into the lung space like most of the previous variants. Because it wants to start replicating as soon as it can, which means those initial contact areas, this makes it more likely to be transmissible and passed along early on before the immune system's antibodies have really had a significant opportunity to attack it. It is hypothesized that this may be what is causing some of the "breakthrough" infections with vaccinated individuals: Infection and symptoms (and therefore transmission) occurring before the immune system has really had a chance to get at it properly.

Conversely, most of the COVID-19 related deaths have occurred due to the virus building up and replicating in the lungs, which are (obviously) really important to the human body, and the immune system being unable to successfully fight it off once it's lodged there. This is also part of why the vaccines have been so successful at preventing hospitalization, deaths, and the likelihood of asymptomatic cases that we saw with previous variants in unvaccinated individuals. [https://www.statnews.com/2021/07/30/what-delta-has-changed-in-the-covid-pandemic-and-what-it-hasnt/]

It is super important to note that while this week's news headlines have focused on "breakthrough" cases with vaccinated individuals and leaked CDC information, they are still relatively uncommon and not necessarily a significant amount of the current case surge. To use WI for an example, many of the state's counties barely have a 50% vaccinated rate. Toss an even more highly transmissible virus at the general population, and yeah you'll most definitely see a huge surge in cases while everyone's taking their masks off and pretending that everything is “normal” again. The approved vaccines have never been 100% effective at preventing COVID-19, and early studies with previous variants suggested that vaccinated individuals were pretty unlikely to spread the virus (because transmission relied on the virus replicating itself inside of the lung's airways, where the immune system was more likely to prevent combat it directly and prevent it from digging in).

"The CDC reported 6,587 Covid-19 breakthrough cases as of July 26, including 6,239 hospitalizations and 1,263 deaths." [https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/31/health/fully-vaccinated-people-breakthrough-hospitalization-death/index.html] Those 6,587 breakthrough cases are total, not daily. The week before that, on July 19th, there were 5,601 total breakthrough cases; an approximate increase of 900 reported breakthrough cases over that week. For comparison, the CDC also reported almost 47,000 new COVID-19 cases just on July 26th alone, with the US having approximately 2.5 million active, ongoing cases at that time. Approximately 3/4 of those breakthrough cases were in senior citizens over the age of 65. The chances of a fully vaccinated individual contracting the Delta variant and transmitting it to others, while more possible than it was a few months ago with previous variants, is overall still currently pretty low. Not impossible, but low. Obviously, the primary danger, and vast majority of new infection cases, is coming from unvaccinated individuals. Wisconsin overall still only has about a 51% vaccinated population; some states in the USA only have a ~35% vaccinated population. That leaves a lot of people to get infected, and very quickly, with this variant, so it is definitely not surprising that the state is going to have a surge of active COVID-19 cases.

So, the relevant risks aren't zero by any means. They are, however, still relatively low, but again this is something that individuals need to make decisions on for themselves. So what can we do, as both players and Gamerunners, to help keep those risks acceptably low for each other?

Masks? Masks are still super important, and always have been. Vaccines? Also still super important. Both of these are required per policy at DR: Wisconsin Events, and are likely to remain required for a very long time, but they still only do so much. We're also taking steps on the Gamerunner side to help with infection control, such as more cabin space while retaining the option for tent camping (already done; Yay, new site!), instituting a 1-shift wait time for sanitation controls on NPC costuming to dry, providing longer rest periods for more healthy sleep, and even doing laundry for NPC costuming on-site! But I also want to talk about things that I still don't hear enough talk about: Hygiene and the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO, for short).

WASH YOUR HANDS. Often. Hand sanitizer doesn't do nearly enough most of the time. Use warm water, use soap, scrub while you sing campfire songs, and then use the paper towel to open the door while you exit. Don't wipe your nose on your hands. Cover your mouth with a handkerchief (or at least your elbow) when you sneeze. Before or after (probably after) NPC shift is also a great time to grab a shower; the two buildings are right next to each other, so it's super convenient to just bring your towel and a bar of soap with you.

FOMO has probably gotten as many of us sick as anything else in the history of conventions and gaming. With the lessening of mask restrictions in the US, colds and other respiratory illnesses have started to spread again, not to mention seasonal allergies and the currently-present polluted air from ongoing forest fires. Please don't come to game if you're not feeling well. There’s always Non-Attending tickets for Home players if you don’t want to miss out on the XP. If you start not feeling well at game, please go home; just let us know, hand in your sheet, and head on out. Nobody wants to ditch out on their shift or other responsibilities. Nobody wants to feel like they're ruining game for their friends by telling their carpool buddies they need to leave in a hurry, but trust us: everyone at game would much prefer you head home and get some real rest without getting the rest of us sick, too.

Remember to take into consideration the little things: Communal eating, washing dishes, giving hugs or otherwise physically touching those you care about, and proper social distancing. ASK for consent before hugging or doing close-proximity Roleplay. If we can suspend our disbelief that the liquid in a can with its label covered isn't really Kickstart, I'm pretty sure we can suspend our disbelief enough that zombies don't need to actually be right in someone's face to gnaw on them. All of these things, added up, can help reduce the relevant risks for the whole game.

This isn’t just about the COVID-19 virus. For too long, many “nerd” events (Not just LARPs, and certainly not just DR) and their attendees have turned a blind eye to ways we could have done better. We accepted that “event crud” was just part of going to the event. Sometimes we used “immersion” as an excuse; sometimes we didn’t even bother making an excuse. This is our chance to do better. Let’s do better. Cover your vegetables in melted cheese if you must to make them more palatable, but at least wash your hands before and brush your teeth after. After the last two years, we can no longer give the old ways a pass. This personal responsibility belongs to each and every one of us, and we all need to own that.

If the August game was not 100% vaccinated (which we can now definitively say it will be), or we weren't wearing masks indoors for extra safety, we would likely say the risk would be too high for playing in-person again. But with those two factors in place as a foundation (and only a foundation), and everyone doing their part to be conscientious about the fact that we are still living in a pandemic and not just "going back to normal," we feel that we can currently move forward with in-person gaming for August. We will, of course, be monitoring new data and adapting as proven science continues to learn new things about a virus that also continues to mutate and evolve, and will update and change our policies and procedures to provide the best game experience that we can.

We hope to see you next weekend. But more importantly, we’d rather see you when we can.

Hey, did you hear? - June Rumors

“I heard that Cotts paid a small sum to Sterling Controls to GTFO of Steel Horse proper last trade. Has anyone tried that with the Steel Bloods yet? Wonder how much it would cost to just buy off the whole lot them?”

“GLTC had Captain Hammer shipped down to Mill City to serve punishment for piracy. How does that work anyway? Iron Works is gone and so is the Furnace, or at least that’s what them Bounty Hunters is saying....when they’re not busy giving the stink eye to that Buggy Baywalker from Seymore.”

“Nice Nuke Fam folks showed up last trade with a deed to some property. Anyone find out what business they is in? They don’t look like farmers or fisher folk ta me.”

“Haven sure shook up one of those Steel Blood fellows last trade after Effie poked an anthill and got dead. Steel Blood fella looked a bit...stunned, with the Corvid hand coming down on him. Not sure the message got through to ‘em clear, but only time will tell. At least they ain’t stealing railroad ties no more.”

“Rovers are still buzzing about possible Portaguer/Norske pairings and the Matchmakers are already nodding their heads at the possibility of meetings and trial marriages this summer. But does anyone know if Nokken has given his blessing to any of this yet?”

“Doctors Without Boundaries has started up a chapter in the Steel Horse area. Bertha’s Brothel has started making housecalls on both sides of the divide. Profiteering isn’t a crime, and everyone’s wallets and stomachs are full. Looks like war is good business for a lot of folks.”

“It’s starting, jus’ like I said it would! All that talk about avoiding the Burning season around here, and then today I went out to the pasture and, no surprise, my entire garden is sunk in two feet in the ground and STEAMING!”

“My son done got educated, can you BELIEVE it? An’ he didn’t even have to go to Madtown to do it. Somebody who carries a library in their head isn’t one to mess with. Heard he’s making his way to Steel Horse on Saturday afternoon if you wanna catch him for a chat or a lecture, whatever them smart folks call it..”

“If you are looking for something special, finding your way to Steel Horse for the afternoon of this trade is a good idea. Both Desi and Bootes are trying to sell off a whole lot of wares before the railroad brings more competition.” 

“Third time this week I heard of someone stumbling back from the Gravemind, saying someone cut their arms off and murdered ‘em dead. A horror story, and it ain’t even Nemesis season yet! The description of the suspect is hazy, but them FBI that hang out around the trade offices near the docks might know, if anyone has the stomach to investigate. Town has a few Sheriffs who might be asking around, too.”

“Astor and Frick could be shaking hands with the GLTC if they could divide up some of them trade routes right. Looks like they might be talking to money brains around dinner hour on Saturday, with some runs needing bodies and drivers shortly after.”

“It’s finally happening! They got the old depot nearly cleared out and operational and train’s getting put on the track down in Mill City, though not before this trade. Perhaps the engine will pull into Steel Horse just in time for a Sunday ribbon cutting?”

Hey, did you hear? - May Rumors

“Portageur clan...what are they famous for, other than being river rats? No matter - Haven Corvid is organizing the Moot, so whatever the clan is lacking, Corvid hospitality should make up for it. Now about that Norske hospitality though…”

“Doc Hamilton aka Judge Hamilton and a few of the Merchant Marines hauled back a wanted pirate from the camp after last trade. Captain Hammer has more than a few angry sailors demanding their shipments back, and there’s folks saying that not all them helpers was happy about just doing a good deed. They’ll prolly be looking for their share of the goods, too.”

“Desi Rex is trying to drum up business for his “Barter Haven” with an accuracy competition Saturday morning. If you can shoot, throw, or otherwise hit things from a distance, there could be money in it for you. If that’s not your thing, he’s also looking for an artist to design a sign for his store.”

“Soren’s brother wandered out of the morgue in Steel Horse last trade, and was quickly scooped up by the Steel Bloods. Better make sure you have a few someones waiting for you if you decide to meet the Gravemind these days.”

“Justin Cretor and the Labor Union are coming through with the meat they promised last season. Just in time to feed an Army of Rovers….or Steel Bloods.”

“Spring is a great time for Rites of Passage. Maypoles are a favorite of the Tribes and the DJs have their pilgrimage to the Sacred Scrapyards. Meanwhile, the Norske will send a child out with a knife to kill zed almost as soon as they can walk.”

“Every family has the ONE family member…”

“The ice is thawed on the lake, but now sailors are reporting ghostly looking lights underwater. Could be nothing, could be Saltwise. Maybe someone should have a look-see? Hope you can hold your breath a bit!”

“The north branch of the railroad is coming together nicely. Regular patrols have been successful at keeping raiders and thieves at bay as workers lay the tracks, but that train hasn’t quite left the station yet either, so to speak.”

“That Roadblock down at camp last trade led to some real close calls. Ain’t no one seen hide nor hair of that Tainted Rabbit Clan punk since he damn near bled to death on that scrap grave. If he were a Steel Horse resident, this might very well be considered an Act of War. Does anybody formally declare war these days anyway?”

“Them bounty hunters that was sniffing around the work camp last month may have followed the trail of their prey up north. Either that, or they’re betting that a former Iron Works town might harbor more than a few with skeletons in the closet. Wonder what bounty hunting pays these days? Or if the Red Ledger is extending its reach this far.”

Hey, did you hear? - March Rumors

The yearly frost has settled over Steel Horse, sending most residents packing. It’s pretty expected by now. But rather than scattering to the winds, lots of folks are migrating south of SHC proper  to set up camp and begin work on the railroad from a middle point between the settlement and Milltown. If ya still need to get there and don’t want to hoof it, Astor and Frick have the rides, if there are enough people to drive them.

“Bootes isn’t a junk man, but if you need something, he’s got it or can tell you where to find it - for a fee. Camp’s set up a post system already. Bet you could drop him a note there.“

“Them Steel Bloods been real quiet when the snow started fallin’.  Wonder what they have been up to?”
“I heard they have been dealing with “internal affairs”.”

“Shipments are already getting through for the new railroad, but there’s going to be need for folks who are good at finding things too. And guards. Raiders love noise.”

“It’s weird to think that we’re gonna put a train back on the old rails, but we still gotta go survey every inch on foot. It’s only been a couple years since the Iron Works tanked. You’d think them rails would still be useable, but things grow wild and fast up here. And who knew so many folks would start scrapping so quick.”

“Folks have been set up for a few weeks, but camp is pretty limited. Hope the influx of new people will mean a better repair center, for one. Ain’t gonna get much work done without one.”

“I heard them Steel Horse folks will let anyone sit down by their fire. We should send Oz to test that theory.”

Railworkers mentioned there’s a family who hasn’t come by in a while, that they ain’t been seen since the start of the year. They live secluded in the woods and only Bill, the father, came to town for essentials. Maybe somebody could check on ‘em? 

“Navy Davy’s got eyes all over the coast.”
“Whatta ya mean?  He one a them Remnant folk?  I ain’t never seen one with a whole buncha eyes.”
“Naw, ya doofus, I means, he ain’t always got info just on the water work’n’s.  He gets told all sorts a good knowin’.  Good man ta have on yer right side.”

“Them silly fish-folk, don’t they know that the water’s all frozen up.  They ain’t gonna be findin’ much fish out there.”
“What sorta thing you find under the ice?”
“Trouble, more’n likely.” 

“Ever built a shipyard?” 
“Nah, me neither.”

“Tell you what, it was the darndest thing. A bird remnant just wandered up to me and said if I wore this fancy blanket I could be the king of winter. I told them they need to lay off the hooch. What will they think of next?”

“Watch your ass walking on the riverbanks. Things have been thawing, then freezing again. Lotsa ice. You don’t wanna fall in - water is colder than a Rover mama’s stare when you put your feet up on the table.”

“I just saw the darndest thing out in the woods. Some Pure was out there in some deer romper yelling orders to some Vegasian beefcakes. I didn’t stick around to find out what they were up to, mostly because she probably would have asked me to do work.“

“Ya ever hear of Bubba? He was a tamer of rides, and collector of scrap. He stuck it to the Works by dismantling their boats and vanishing like smoke. He passed away not too long ago and left behind a mountain of treasure all for himself. They say someone even knows where it’s at, but if so, they’re not talking. Yet.”

Hey, did you hear? - December Rumors

“Well, for a horde, they sure looked….festive?”

“Which Judge is in charge now when a farmer on one side of town does bad business with the other? Can folks from someplace else ever expect a fair shake in Steel Horse?”

“Folks were none too polite to that Mr. Maddox, but Sterling Controls took the hint last trade and parted ways with the Steel Bloods...or so they say. Hopin’ the bossman don’t change his mind, or at least keeps out of the way for a bit while folks settle things with the coming railroad.”

“Winter seems to have a way of changing the landscape. Season change’ll do that. Local Tribes could tell you, and even some of the Landsfolk. Not just above ground, but below.”

“Admiral Davie of the Merchant Marines is talking about getting a radio relay in place for the local ships. Finally that hulk of a radio tower might find a purpose!”

“Astor and Frick are due to make another appearance this month at the Town Hall Meeting. Surely they have an interest in how the town operates, now that they’ve made it clear they plan to invest in rebuilding the Depot.”

“The Final Knights have thoughts on winter too, interesting enough if you’re willing to listen.”

“Little late for a flotilla to be headed north, but that’s what we saw. Movin’ slow, several ships all movin’ together.. Getting caught in the ice is gonna be the least of their worries, though, if they’re not careful around Steel Horse.”

“Money Back guarantee! Not available from your local caravan. But wait, there’s more! If you act now - double your offer - one for you and give the other as a gift! Now is the season for giving! That’s right, TWO, yes two for the price of one…”

“Thank heaven all them cattle made it through to slaughter last trade. Sounds like at least one side of Steel Horse will be well stocked this winter. Wonder how them Steel Bloods made out?”

Hey, did you hear? - November Rumors

Last Harvest Fest I went to was near Madtown. They scheduled that brawling contest right after the drinking contest. Turned into a reg’lar free-for-all it did. Bet a Merican planned it.

It seems like all the faiths celebrate the Harvest the same way: with food, food and more food. Or maybe that’s just Steel Horse?

Fall used to be Nemesis season, but them Crow Eaters purged a whole lot of those TVs outta the faith a few years ago. Now what have we got to entertain us? Thrill kills. Just thrill kills.

Steel Horse’s very own Mayor is sponsoring a race. Seth’s daddy is rumored t’be a DJ, ya know? Fat lotta good that does him, considering he went and flipped the switch and became one of those Unstable. In any case, us Steel Bloods will represent, promise you that, but one of them filthy Rabbit Clan punks’ll probably cheat and win anyway.

Someone’s been talking about gettin’ them ol’ navy folks together for a kinda reunion. Would be nice if they could put all that sailor training to work somehow.

People are getting wind about that Pit the Helldivers found last trade. Someone better make sure Ripcord gets in good with one of the Judges before people start staking claims all over the place.

A few dock workers reported some of them swamp raiders are lookin’ awful froggy lately - quite literally. Green faces, webbed hands, you name it. Trade office took tha report, said they was lookin’ inta it. That was the last I heard.

A small band of Unstable have been spotted making what appear to be patrols all along the perimeter of Steel Horse. Could be they’re around for the Festival, but they seem far too disciplined for shooting games and good times. Luckily there’s only a few of them, but even so, those battle formations look fierce.

One of Bloom’s lead scientists is working on solving the Aberrant problem created by the Radio Tower. They might be lookin’ for science types willing to assist, and good folk willing to participate in the experiment. Maybe something good will come out of it for everybody.

Trixie passed the message to some friendlies that she’s looking for help to clear out that old Depot on Saturday morning. Says it will give the town bragging rights when them nice investor folk show back up that afternoon.

Las’ night, I was putin’ up the cattle before the cattle drive, and wouldn’t ya know it, all my steer wrasslin gear was missin’. I found it out in the shack later, all wet and covered in stinky seaweed, like someone had been dredgin’ the lake with it all summer long. None of my hands could answer as to why. I swar’ on my papa’s grave if it was that little Montjoy Trickleback, I’ll tan his hide myself!!