The Zone

Event 3 Rumours

Threats

There are still pockets of apparently zombified Zone residents wandering around. Most are long since out of ammunition but they are still trying to fire their weapons at passers-by. Rewards are offered for an explanation for this phenomenon, a working cure, or the heads of those responsible.

Small groups of Churchgoers have been seen conducting raids from a point to the north-west of the Zone into the southern half. They seem to be stealing supplies from bands of freelancers and have even been abducting people.

Bounties

The hunt for Howard Moon has yet to bear fruit, but the High Rollers are being quite persistent. Rumours abound that the bounty will be raised at some point soon, it currently stands at the original 12,000 credits.

A bounty of 8,000 credits is offered for the head of Emil Karskoff, a scientist formerly attached to a corporate team. He is believed to have fled his employer, tried to sell data to several factions and stiffed them all on the deal. His present whereabouts are unknown but he lacks the contacts to escape the Zone and has limited experience fending for himself. It is expected he has probably met his end already given his lack of experience and so a secondary bounty of 4,000 credits has been offered for suitable confirmation of death if someone happens across his body.

A bounty of 48,000 credits is offered for the head of the Churchgoer known as the Archbishop. Believed to be the founder of the faction and the figurehead of their religion. 15,000 credits is offered for the location of their main base. This bounty will only be paid out once the information has been verified.

Trade Opportunities

The market for blue and white pills seems to have died off, but rumours abound that four or five freelancers dotted about the Zone have found white and grey pills, and combinations of blue/white, green/white and grey/white in the same bottle alongside other pills. Whilst there is little or no interest in trading the actual pills currently, large sums are available for reliable information about what they do, possible side-effects and where they came from.

The trade in meat continues apace. In order to provide a little variety in the menu, the High Rollers are offering high prices for spices, seasonings and herbs.

A buyer has let it be known they are offering substantial rewards for anyone willing to work as a test subject for a series of medical tests. Apply through the Bar. Additional details are available, but very limited in scope.

The Awakened are offering higher than market rates for information regarding a series of transmissions picked up by a few of their members. As yet they have not made sense of any of them and it is unclear why anyone would be openly broadcasting data of any kind when the broadcasts are highly unlikely to get past the perimeter jamming. They need more information to arrive at a conclusion and are happy to pay.

The Outside World

Information is starting to spread of massive logistical operations on the Zone border. There are significant troop movements and some alteration of the known smuggling routes. Early analysis suggests the perimeter fencing is being moved further out, expanding the Zone by around a mile in every direction. No information has yet surfaced as to why this is happening.

Event 3 After Action Report

Rumours and news being spread among the freelancers and faction members.

The Churchgoers

It is believed that the headquarters of the Churchgoers has been located and several groups have started to take action against them. The Long Gamers and High Rollers have set up sniper positions to keep the Churchgoers hemmed in, but as yet there have been no sightings of the Archbishop and no-one has committed the resources needed for a full assault.

Alien Sightings

Rumours are spreading that an alien being has appeared in the Zone. Two freelancers camped out in a remote area claim to have seen a featureless humanoid slowly materialise out of thin air and then walk away. Most have dismissed this as palpable nonsense, but others point to the high number of dubious and amoral scientific experiments going on in the area and suggest that whilst not an alien, the figure is most likely real.

Mercy

A small corporate security team, fired by their employers and kicked out into the Zone at large, have been telling the tale of how they survived against a band of freelancers. Charged with safely transporting a scientist between test sites the four person team were all gunned down alongside the scientist, but the four security personnel were all healed and allowed to leave. The leader of the team has offered to spill the beans on the activities of his former employers but no-one has yet met what he calls “the right price”.

No Mercy

The freelancer team Raising Hell appears to have been nearly wiped out. Rumour has it they were caught in a sizeable gun battle and were mown down to a man. There seem to have been survivors who patched themselves up after the fighting was done but their location is unknown and they are not sharing any details of the fight at all. It has quietly been suggested that this was a powerplay on behalf of one of the bars, demonstrating the futility of trying to bypass their control.

Haute Cuisine

Fashion is rarely a concern of the people of the Zone, but one new trend does seem to have gripped a few freelancers. Whilst canned food is a periodic luxury for most, combining cans to greater effect seems to be catching on as an idea. The key dish seems to surrounding a solid block of spam with a moat of beans, but variants are being discussed around camp fires across the southern Zone,

Scientific Ethics

It is known that the Zone is the home of unethical science and that the only reason the corporations are here is the complete lack of oversight and regulation. If it was legal and ethical they'd be doing it in the real world after all. Lately though there seems to have been something of a surge in the number of unlicensed surgeons practicing deeply troubling and often unnecessary surgery.