[HOE] The Librarian's Almanac for August 22nd

[Michael Cone <Michael.Cone@apollogrp.edu>]

Bonhomme Boudreaux, a trader Baron based in the ruins of New Orleans puts
multiple reports of horsemen bandits running down his caravans in the
northwestern portions of Louisiana and the northeastern sections of Texas.
The only thing missing from his wagons is shipments of salt.

The wandering Librarian called Nomad arrives in the El Paso ruins with a
report of the appearance of a strange graveyard in the Mesa range of
mountains south of the city.  A scout from Las Cruces, New Mexico shows up
with the same report days later, but the field of shallow burials is ten
miles closer to the ruins than what the bookworm was saying.  

Jeremy Smokebreather, a gunslinger from out west arrives in the fortress
town of Old Mesilla, on death's door from all the wounds covering his body.
He says that he was riding herd on a party of scouts and scientists that
hired him in Hobbs for an armed escort to old Mesilla. They said they were
from a secluded corporate research station in the Grand Tetons mountain
range, near the old Rattlesnake National Park. The purpose of the research
station was solar power studies. The scientists wanted to run power lines to
some of the nearby enclaves in exchange for supplies and were hoping to open
negotiations. Jeremy swears that a well-armed road gang ambushed the caravan
and everyone was deliberately taken prisoner. He also whispers that there
someone wearing a purple robe in the background while the scientists were
taken away.

Scouts from the Yuma Township arrive at the Engineer's Society in Apache
Junction with tales of packs of refugees arriving from down south. Those
that can still talk despite some really horrifying disfigurements are full
of disgusting tales of being experimented on by a group of mutants based in
one of the old resorts down on the Baja Peninsula. They describe several
rooms of advanced medical equipment and regular shipments of new "raw
materials".  Piper, the head of the Society, doesn't like this one bit.

Three heavy combat cans in a bad state of disrepair arrive looking for help.
They were friends with a lady named Dr. Stephanie Malcolm. Dr. Mal was a
skilled cybernetics specialist and was fixing them up in return for guards
and assistance in scavenging ruins for salvage. Three weeks ago in the
burned ruins of Tucson, a warband of Anti-Templars ambushed the Cans and
made off with the good doctor. The cyborgs are falling to pieces and have no
way to make repairs. They say that the Black Templars were immune to their
gunfire and were riding some bikes that gave them a clean getaway.

Dumas the Storyteller is looking for an escort to the Northern Reaches of
the United States. He is a regular figure in the southern states but now
says that he needs to find some new stories and new audiences for them. On
the trip, he confides that he is also searching for some one to teach the
trade to. Ol' Dumas has got a bad dose of the glows and ain't got much time
left. Anybody ever tried to sniff out an actor before?