“Talks between Whykin and a Kingsdale village, Larmay, about control of farmland broke down.”
Negotiations between Whykin and Kingsdale for farmland control have fallen apart, sending the dispute, and perhaps the future of the Ark Missouri Protectorate, into war.
The Whykin Council of Authority, this month agreed to destroy to stop Larmay citizens from converting nearby land for farm use.
The issue is critical to the well being of Whykin because farmland and water near the Missouri river, feed the Whykin rural communities. Losing land to Kingsdale to the north would significantly decrease the growth of Whykin into the next decade.
Authority Council members said they were outraged that Kingsdale agreed outside of negotiations to set up a defensive encampment on the disputed land.
“It’s a really critical issue for us,” said Authority Councilman Jaspian. “We’ve been negotiating this for the past three years, and I thought it was going to be resolved peacefully.”
| In This Issue | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tales from the Wastes |
| 1 | NA Out and About |
| 2 | The Rave |
| 4 | NA Roundup |
| 5 | NA Sports |
| 5 | NA Classifieds |
| 5 | Spoon Views |
Welcome to the very first installment of Tales From the Wastes. I hope you will enjoy listening to the stories of the wilderness and I hope you will learn something of this great, yet terrifying, world we have been handed. The purpose of this column is to capture the legends and rumors that make their way around campfires and taverns and to re-tell them for all those who would never hear them otherwise. I am making no real attempt to verify the stories I will tell here. Why? For two reasons, first it would be impossible to check the facts of the story without going to each of these sites myself, and second, I feel it would take away from the legends themselves. This is not a travel log. This is a culture log. Each of these stories hold great meaning if only for the flavor they give an area.
In an effort to attract more waste Landers, Northern Gun, has unveiled new design plans on wasteland vehicles. Ranging from modified motorcycles to bizarre hybrids, Northern Gun PR wasted no ammo on promoting their Wasters Rover Line.
After last month’s diabolical attack on Tolkeen Refugees, Lord Coake has stepped up efforts to provide safe passage to the refugees. Hiring several Sky Castle ships from Larsen’s Brigade, an airlift is now being organized. But fears are still strong; many refugees look for the skeletal helmed murderers to strike again.
To Life, Profit and Survival.
Heads up all. I aint eloquent, I aint poetic, hell, I don’t even want to write this, but I will. Why am I writin this? Cause it may save your hide if you ever show in my old hood, and I have seen enough bite the big one without adding to it by being lazy! So, pay attention and you may learn enough to stay alive long enough to learn how it works.
I am starting with home, good ole chi-town (I know its not capitalized, it don’t deserve it!). I was born in this over sized tin can, the tunnels of it to be exact, so I know what I am talking about. It is the mother of all cities, and if you can stay alive on these down sides then you are either real lucky, a native, or real smart. Sometimes even these won’t help ya, but it makes the odds better. Part of being smart is reading this and not skipping to the end, so heads up!
The downside of the city is dark, dank, and a lot of fun. Here you can find any service you could ever want, and any danger you couldn’t. There are a ton of restaurants, most of them on the bottom 5 levels are owned by one criminal or rebel faction, or another. See, there aint much of what you would call an economy down here. The only ways you make money is by doing something illegal, and believe you me, it is almost all illegal. Anything fun is illegal anyhow. The restaurants are usually semi-legit fronts for the various factions that run these streets. I am not going to tell you every bloody restaurant/bar/club down here. Just keep your head down, ears open and never, ever, look cocky!
The other way you find entertainment is by playing the local game of, harass the officials. The rules are simple, do the one thing that will get your profile on the 6 o’clock state news. Points are given for the…
Farmland continued from page 1
Kingsdale Officials originally agreed to convert land east of the disputed zone three years ago. But tensions from ways of life between the two kingdoms stopped that plan when Whykin and Kingsdale entered into a brief state of war.
Negotiations fell apart at a meeting earlier this month, when Larmay’s mayor was found murdered in his quarters. Both kingdoms decided to fight it out on the field. CS officials indicated they would support the kingdom of Whykin, causing Kingsdale to send a general notice of hiring mercenary companies.
Wastes continued from page 1
This week I will tell you of the great dragon king. The scouts tell of a valley hidden just north of Xiticix territory. It is in what once would have been the Hudson Bay region of the old Canadian Empire’s province of Ontario. This is now just outside of the western-most fringe of Iron Heart.
This valley is in what is now a frozen waste and yet, it is said to always be green and lush. It is only rarely found and the Psi-stalkers say the area is saturated with magical energies. When one enters the valley you see a picturesque feudal village and a great castle perched above the houses, almost seeming to watch the people below. The people in the village are said to be afraid of outsiders and will do anything to keep them away from the castle keep above. Whether this is from loyalty or compulsion, no one knows. The legends do say that those few who have made it into the keep find an almost impossibly vast throne room just beyond the entry. The center holds a huge throne that is jewel encrusted and covered in intricate carvings of a mighty dragon. The hall has a variety of ancient, and new looking, banners and tapestries on the walls and ceiling high stained glass windows send multi-colored light streaming through the hall.
This room is fantastic enough, but legends say the true treasure lies under the great throne itself. They say under the throne one finds a seemingly endless…
City-rats continued from page 2
length of the news brief, how bad their description is, and how many times they run the story. Warning, if any game is going to backfire, it is this one! Play at your own risk. Some of the best players have gone on the public enemy list, and even had personal pleas for their capture made by various big wigs, so it has its benefits.
The other entertainment options are limited; life is not normally fun down here. You will sometimes find a group playing a game of pick-up, or get a good card game going, but that is about it. Most down here are just trying to survive, they don’t think much about fun.
So, How do you make money in the can? Well, the official type way is to get a permit for work and go to the factory for your ten hours. The prob with factories is this, the pay sucks! The conditions suck! The hours suck! And, the bosses really, really, suck! This is really true if it is a military manufacturing facility, unless your idea of fun is putting the tabs on those ready heat rations.
I hear ya, you are saying, so then, how the hell do I make my cred! I am broke girl and what I don’t want to do aint helping me, I need cash now! Ok, impatient aren’t ya? Here is the other ways to make your cred, the squeamish or legal minded need not apply. First there is the ever popular thug method, stop some slumming upsider, grab all the pretty glitteries he is wearing and take them down to the friendly neighborhood black market fence guy. It takes some time and risk to make your cred this way, but it is a time-honored method. For those with no morals at all, you can try the cyber snatch method. This is a quicker way to make money but much more dangerous! Why am I worried you say? Because you are preying on people who have cyber. If they have cyber then they either a: know how to fight, b: are mentally unstable due to forced new accessories or c: have more money then brains and are really going to miss their new toy. None of these are good things for the would be snatcher. You also must be a real sick puppy to want to do this and if I find ya, the victim will be the least of your worries.
The last popular way to make your cred is to hire yourself as a downside guide to “visitors” to our fair tin can. Outlanders will pay good money to have you point out all the ways into an area, point out the dangers, or just show ‘em where to find that certain official they really want to talk to. I am sure you can see where this is just as dangerous in its own way, but it is the most fun method.
You can also try the traditional break and enter, blackmail, information selling, and the ever popular, black-market rep options.
Ok, now ya know how to have fun in the can and get the cred to do it, so how do you stay alive long enough to do all that? Well, it aint always easy, but it can be done. First step to keeping alive is to know your enemy. The biggest enemy you have is, no not those poor excuses for soldiers! The first enemy you got is the other down siders. That’s right, we get all kinds of scum down here that don’t play by the same rules as the emperors toy soldiers. You have to be careful and keep watch for the black market first, no matter how nice they seem, they will crack ya if they think you are in the way of their profit margin. They are more ruthless then any of the soldiers could hope to be. Hell, I heard the big wigs have talked about hiring the worst of ‘em to give nastiness lessons to their goon squads!
Like that aint bad enough, we also got gangs, illegal squatters, desperate addicts, mercs looking for “a good time”, and weird things in the tunnels. No, I don’t mean the DB thing in the sewers, I mean the tunnel dwellers. They have their own codes and people, and will kill ya if you mess with them. The best way to get around these threats is to know who is in control of the area and who to watch out for. This is where an inside guide is so important for you waste Landers who want to come in and “see the sights”. Get some local help on your side, but be careful there too, some of them are fronts for cyber snatchers or worse.
Next, the sewer nasty critters. We get all kinds down here. I heard there is whole dog packs dedicated to the tunnels, course that is just a rumor. You can find your garden-variety boogiemen, wild…
City-rats continued from page 3
vampires, odd gelatinous moving blobs and the thing from the abyss here. You will also come across the odd rebel mage down here plotting the downfall of first the CS and second the world as a whole. If you go into the deepest areas, take a psi-hound or a stalker with you. Barring those, try for a plasma cannon and a bible, cause you are going to need it. The local black market can direct you to the right guides for the depths of the tunnels, for a price.
I guess I should mention the toy soldiers here. They can be dangerous if you piss ‘em off enough. The things to remember when dealing with the officials is stay anonymous and never, ever, make the public enemy list. Sure, there is lots of prestige to be had from everyone knowing you personally give the emperor that cute little eye twitch he gets when he is looking for some one, but it always ends bad. They have the biggest stick, and if you make that list, it will be directed right at your pointy little head. They can also get creative if they are more afraid of failure then breaking the rules. Also remember, every soldier once had a real life, so if you tick off that sergeant by stealing him blind, he may have a friend who can mess you over.
The soldiers, who are both our best friend, and worse nightmares, are the dog packs. These puppies take it real personal if you mess with them or their handlers, and they are smarter then they look. They are also the ones you want to find if you come across a “nasty thing” you can’t handle. Just get the thing chasing you and run past your friendly neighborhood pack, they will do the rest. They are also always willing to lend a hand if you should need it, as long as you are human. Just remember, if you got into the mess through illegal activities, they will help ya, and then take you down to HQ for booking on the charges. If you are willing to get locked up after the threat is gone, you might want to try it. Remember, there are worse things then prison, and you can always try and run away afterwards.
Ok, that’s it, now you know what I know. Nah, just kidding! I did not tell you it all, how slow do I look to you? That is our last lesson for today, always hold something back. It won’t do ya much good if you never have a plan b, or more info that you can use to bargain with. Have fun, lesson over, try and keep alive and I will see you on the down side.
Wastes continued from page 2
complex of caverns threading through the rocky shield behind the castle, and maybe even descending into the bowels of the earth. The legend gets sketchy here but the tunnels are said to have traps and perhaps even a dragon guarding the treasure inside.
The treasure is supposed to be everything from a hidden cache of golden age weapons to a great magical sword brought by the dragon from his home world.
All of this is legend of course, no one even tells of seeing the dragon who is supposed to be inside, but who can say what is waiting in this magical valley?
That is our story for this week. Until next time, remember, if you feel the need to find the truth of this story, please exercise extreme caution. You never know what awaits you on the wastes.
Emperor Prosek looked on with little emotion as 14 suspects were put to death by firing squad. The suspects were implicated in the terrorist attack on an Iron Heart eatery last month, causing 65 CS citizens death.
The suspects poisoned the drinking supply with Conium Maculatum Juice, which is derived from spores of mushrooms.
The ISS has further announced that the terrorists belong to Tolkeen Factions.
Citizens from the Kingdom of Lazlo gathered in Maga Square to celebrate the Summer Solstice.
NA Round continued from page 4
Many notables were attending, including famed Erin Tarn. The party barely got under way when a swarm of Xiticix descended upon the celebrators. Lazlo Defense Militia quickly expelled the swarm, but the bugs are suspected to still be in the area. This latest incursion has further fueled the controversial debate over the planned genocide of the Xiticix.
Famed Cyber-Knight, Sir Gallon of Lam, and his company were finally placed on the List of the Fallen By Lord Coake. Sir Gallon vanished in Mexico last year.
NA Sports: Sadly our sports writer was killed in the line of duty. Caught in a riot during the Pecos Playoffs, all we have is grainy footage of the terrible tragedy. Several Juicer Titans decided to play dodge ball with him, then his head. Next month we will have a new writer. Hopefully one better armed.
Classifieds: Lost during CS Raid. Damn ISS Spooks!
Spoons Views: Look for this in next month’s edition of the RIFTS Sentinel.