[HOE] The Librarian's Almanac for December 4th

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

YUMA VILLAGE, ARIZONA- Boxcar Joshua, a scout of some repute, is announcing
the discovery of a small farming settlement in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Located high in the northeastern portion of the California-Arizona border,
the village of Aurora is looking to open trade routes with other
settlements. They are offering food, rough leather clothes and purified
spring water in exchange for farming implements as well as firearms.

NEAR TUCSON, ARIZONA- a scout from the northern Mexico wastes logs a report
with the local Librarian concerning an attack on a Combine tribute caravan.
Ferdinand Gutierrez was three days south of Near Tucson when he witnessed a
large bandit gang ambush the caravan that had just left the remains of Santa
Cecilia, a small enclave known for trading items left over from the many
factories and assembly plants in the area. Ferdinand observed the caravan
entered a small canyon along the old Mexican superhighway and into a
well-laid trap. It seems that at least three witches and a pair of Sykers
froze, stunned or immolated a number of the ground troops and then held the
rest at bay while a large number of people wearing animal skins looted the
trucks. They took most of the tribute goods and burned the rest. Locals are
warned of either a Combine retributive strike or to be on the lookout for
people sporting puma tuxedos.

SANTA FE FORTRESS, NEW MEXICO- a scavvie crew from Albuquerque logs another
warning concerning the ruins of Socorro, New Mexico. The crew was making a
sweep of the old mines and Technical College in town when the weather got
bad in a hurry. Cloud cover swiftly became overcast and then near twilight
darkness followed as the sun was blotted out. The few survivors say that a
rolling cloud of low black fog billowed out of some of the buildings in town
and surrounded their position. Nothing seemed to be happening until their
resident Syker attempted to illuminate the fog with a Syker ability. It took
on deep crimson shades, emitted a deep bass rumbling sound and enveloped
them. Two of the remaining witnesses swear they saw the Syker start bleeding
from the eyes, nose and ears, followed by a rapid collapse. The rest of the
normal crew started having convulsions and screaming fits.  The other member
whispers that while his buddies were dragging him out, he saw his friend's
bodies start to get back up with their visible skin turning a bloodless pale
color and their eyes glowing red.