Rumors

hand.jpg (7931 bytes)

	A valley in the Ridge Range Mountains contains a great metal tower (over 40 men tall), resting on a steepled base. The tower has been unaffected by the elements for ages.
	The farther Touched get from the HiveLands the stronger their ability becomes.
	A group of renegade Terriers hunt humans in the eastern Ridge Range.
	Sage BoneTalkers can be distracted from reporting runaway humans if they are given an object or bit of information that they find suitably interesting.
	The BoneTalkers have great, hewn underground tunnels they have linked to the limestone cavern system in the South-Western Ridge Range. They use these tunnels to spy on free humans and steal away children.
	Valley which are eternally shrouded in mist are the home of Haunts.

04/01/00

Url's Village & Info: Url's village is one of the smaller ones (and most villages are unaware of each other). Url's village has about 30 people who reside in caves.

The only other settlement of which Url personally knows is the one called "The Trade", which has almost 200 people in a valley hidden by a rock outcropping and protected from BoneTalker observation by a great waterfall that fills the valley air with cold mist. Another 30-50 humans visit The Trade for trading purposes at anyone time.

The Trade is a rough and tumbled place, anarchically ruled (when ruled) by "bandit" types or the most powerful merchant. Many very valuable items of barter can be found at The Trade, but an individual needs to watch her step. It's two full days east of Url's village, "Home".

	Escaped slaves founded underground communities where the inhabitants haven't seen the light of day for centuries. They are claimed to be sorely inbred and protein deprived.
	Stories are told about a beast called a "Tunnel Squid", which resembles a Qqonar without the flying capabilities. Sometimes devastated herds of buckbeasts have been found near sinkholes--evidence of a rare Tunnel Squid above-ground attack.
	Along the banks of certain underground rivers, a type of slime mold grows that is purported, when ingested, to boost a Touch's ability to draw energy from the ancestors. Typically, the slime mold is found near crystalline, grey/metallic deposits.
	Zhombis, who have somehow escaped the influence of their BoneTalker creators (some claim the death of a BoneTalker breaks the control), live and hunt through underground labyrinths or mimic in a distorted fashion vaguely remembered activities from life.
	Demons live underground.
	Communities that tap underground water (running from the mountains) for drinking and cooking have high rates of Miner's Disease.

02/18/00

	During your walk along the river, northward, an infrequent flash of light from the Northern arm of the mountains reminded Maug of rumors among the Miners that certain escaped humans (mostly Miners and standards) have founded mountain colonies in the areas bordering the HiveLands. In these areas, they 'liberate' domesticated platypus from their compounds and pit trap the plains for HornBills and StagRunners.
	During Warmtime, the River was lower, which exposed caves and tunnels at its mountainous source.
	Vale noted small flakes of stone along the riverbank that may indicate a rich deposit of chert, chalcedony and flint upstream. Good stones for making tools.
	HornBill skin rots quickly unless properly tanned.
	Areas of the northern plains around HiveCity are plagued by the poisonous Magriette lizards, some of whom wormhole the plain with tunnels where they brood and gather attractive/shiny objects for attracting mates. Magriette lizards are rumored to spring upon marsupial BuckBeaters from covered trapdoors.

01/12/00

	The miner (GripHand),who spoke with a Questor, died of Miner's Disease before returning from the Great Desolate.
	The Standards culled for the new breeding program were last seen being led on foot through the Eastern Ridge Range Mountain Pass.
	It has been confirmed by the Crèche Seer that a Quest "safe passage/way site" symbol was found on a wall in the eastern HiveCity quarter of BlackForest. BlackForest is a walled/guarded section of HiveCity covering over 100 square miles and protects a great expanse of unusual conifers. Little is known about BlackForest, except strange creatures live within. Meat are brought within every four ThreeDays.
	HornBills have showed unusual encroachment on the settlements bordering the Vastness.
	The story of a farmer from RiverBye slaying a BoneTalker was apocryphal.
	Overseers are empty selected southern settlements and moving them North.

12/13/99

	Black Sand village has a method of patterning Cuir Bouilli so it resembles hide.
	A miner in the Great Desolate has spoken with (and has a message from) the survivors of a Quest.
	BoneTalkers in three northern villages have been culling out Standards for a new breeding program.
	HornBill beak, properly prepared and "tanned", can be made into a dagger as hard as copper.
	It snows in the Eastern Ridge Range Mountains.
	Gold nuggets have been panned from the Great River, before it enters the Vastness

11/17/99

Inside HiveCity, towards the Eastern edge of town, humans have seen the safe home/direction sigil of preceding Travelers.

A metal harder than copper has been discovered in the southern arm of the Eastern Ridge Range Mountains.

Miners report seeing free humans wandering the wastelands of the Great Desolate.

	Seers are able to recognize Touched without magical talisman.
	A farmer in the northern village of Riverbye died rebelling against an Overseer. However, he managed to kill the Overseer before he died by using a previously unknown weakness.
	Children in Red Sand River village have been disappearing in the evenings. The local Overseer has refused all requests for help.
	A metal has been found that both hinders the ability to use Touches, while eliminating the ability to detect them.
	Miners have seen the safe home/direction sigil of Travelers in the Great Desolate.
	HornBills have been found dead by the score near the Southern edge of Forest Holt.
	Red Gill mushrooms from the Vastness Swamp help Touched ones commune better with the ancestors.