Seeds of a New Hope

The sound of rhythmic impacts echoed from behind like the tolling of some ancient bell, every few moments the sound of metal on metal, the creaking of the wooden beam and the small grunt of exertion before the next cycle would repeat until the sound of metal on the rockcrete floor and the jangle of the metal pins being rummaged around in a pot would follow. All around smaller sounds bounced about like a strange cacophony, from the trails of voices mixed in conversation to the sound of a crackling fire or the snoring of the sleeping, all around no matter what direction one could find a new sound that told a different story to the sounds of it fellows as it bounced from corner to corner before finally becoming lost in the silence of the ruins. Closing his eyes he enjoyed the simple sounds of his family at rest as he let himself relax for a moment, his rifle sat in his lap where has been cleaning it. Every boundsmen knew every sound of every member of their family as they grew accustomed to their unique sounds when on the move, each telling a different story even when combined together to form the ’song’ of their family as a whole when on the path. Here now simply resting at the almost fully complete hide camp he could simply enjoy the sound of his fellows and kin resting and relaxing for the first time in a number of days. The sound of hammering broke the peacefulness as he opened his eyes and looked over to where his uncle was hammering a restraining plank back into place on the large cook tent behind his resting spot. “Couldn’t you just let the silence stay for another moment instead of all that building?” He called annoyed, “Not if you want somewhere to cook tonight without it falling on your damned head” his uncle called back smirking at his annoyance, “Get that next plank for me would ya?”. Putting his rifle to one side Simi stood up and stretched for a moment before wondering over to where Yasick stood waiting with his dilapidated hammer and a pot of rusted nails, a wicked grin on his face as ever. Passing him the plank from the small pile next to the cook tent Simi held it in place as Yasick hammered in another pair of nails to acts as a cross brace, “Never did get your fascination with building all the time” Simi smirked, getting a silent scowl in return from Yasick as the age old dig poked at him. “Better than fawning over that rifle of yours all the time youngster”  Yasick responded in mock hurt as Simi failed to supress a smile, both chuckling as Yasick stepped back to grab another nail. “Boundsmen needs to look after his weapon to look after his family” Simi grinned hefting the next plank into place “True, good to see your listening to your grandmother” Yasick nodded as he hammered another nail in. “Always do” Simi smiled “Surprised how well the hide here’s growing though” He added as he looked over into the camp proper. Yasick nodded as he reached for another nail, besides the cook tent and storage spots that accompanied the usual rest covers so common to hides across the nomads path this particular hide had grown into a well established camp. Fully built tents and semi-permanent structures coming together quite nicely as a small compound of sorts began to form, even the cook tent they were helping to maintain and repair while they rested here has been enlarged to help serve multiple families at once. “its like a small refuge If it keeps growing like this undisturbed” Yasick commented as he scratched the side of his head with the back of his hammer “Someone’s going to have to stay settled to look after it at this rate”.  Simi thought about it for a minute, his uncle was right on that for sure as the hide grew and grew, the refuge itself had a dedicated family looking after it and here would be no different if it kept going down the path it was travelling. Most hides could support a couple of families no problem and supply those passing by, this one though had easily a dozen families operating from it on a regular basis with new full tents being set up or shelters built with a actual built wall of sorts giving a solid perimeter. That fact alone spoke volumes as the past 6 months has seen  it go from a silent land to one teeming with roving families treating it like an extension of the refuge. “Hope finds a way” someone had said one night Simi recalled when he’d first heard of this place being cleared by the last voice, the comment had stuck with him as they travelled back and stopped her the previous night. After the disaster to the south with the venom horde and the catastrophic collapse in relations with the cellborn over the previous year the lost could do with a bit of continued good luck. Here now though his thoughts pulled at him was the seed of that very hope he mused as Yasick began hammering a particular truculent nail into place. Give it another year and potentially this hide would be fully expanded into a truly established fully compound capable of supporting the refuges efforts and being the first new permanent settlement built by the lost in generations. Now that was something to hope for Simi knew as it would signal a evolution of the lost as a whole, what that evolution would be he was unsure but it would bring them all one step closer to the great nomads example and dream of a vibrant strong & peaceful people. Something bounced off of his head that broke his train of thought as he snapped round to find Yasick glaring at him, “next plank day dreamer” his uncle grumbled. “No need to hurl nails at my head you know” Simi muttered as he grabbed hold of the second to last plank from the pile, slinging it onto the roof of the cook tent with a clatter. “No need to get lost in your own dreams” Yasick quipped back mockingly as he shift the plank to where he wanted it and began hammering on it once more, “Least I’ve still got dreams old timer” Simi smirked back as Yasick flicked two fingers at his nephew. “I saw that Yasick” a disapproving call came from off to the right of them both, an elderly women walking round the corner with a small entourage beside them “Pads” Yasick swore “just passing something to Simi mother” Yasick beamed sheepishly as Simi struggled to suppress a chuckle, “And don’t thing I didn’t hear you egging him on either youngster” she scowled at Simi who choked slightly as he caught her glare, “Sorry grandmother” He shrunk slightly. “Get finished and you can help us with tonight's meal then” she snapped her fingers “Both of you” she added disappearing into the tent, Simi and Yasick rolling their eyes once she was out of sight, before smirking at one another...

## Military Campaign Progress

Through out humanity’s long path that has wound its way through history their has been a defining factor that has seen new people come together from the ashes of the old, common cousins drawn together to form one cohesive whole in the face of a threat or in the wake or a disaster that plants the seed for what is yet to come in the years that have yet to pass, the thoughts of a hope for a better tomorrow made manifest today. In the early days  this simple feeling would sustain those that crossed the strange wildernesses that were their hunting grounds, the idea of something better being just beyond sight driving them further and further outward until eventually they were vindicated in a new prosperous land to call home, or the discovery of fellows that would become friends and allies in those ancient times. With each passing era this basic idea of always striving for something better would see humanity push further and further forward in their pursuit of new knowledge, new ideas and a better way for the generations to come, tribes becoming hamlets, turning into villages and towns before forming the first self sustaining and governed societies that would make their mark on history. With this the first actions would be laid down that would keep hope alive as the first apocalypses for these early cultures would come and go, new societies forming and in turn thriving in the aftermath to begin the cycle anew with each passing century. Nations would fracture and split based upon the idea of a hope for something better, wars being fought over this simple thought that would birth identities that would stand the test of time as humanity settled into the nation states of modern history, common cause giving birth to a new cycle of hopes that in turn would push humanity to war once more but in turn birth new technologies in the embers that would carry human kind to the stars, that ever present old friend still with them after all of the species journey, the hope of tomorrow driving them ever onward once more.

For the Lost as a society they are the quite literal representation of this ideal as their very birth is deeply intertwined with the cyclical rise and collapse of another society, the hope of a better tomorrow driving their way clear from the chaos and anarchy of the fall and the brutal warring split from their progenitor proto-culture seeing them rise to become what they are today.  In this way the culture as a whole can be said to manifest the best ideals of a better tomorrow as it strives to once again push forward down the path set by those that have come before and in doing so set the pace for the generations to come as they make their mark on the new pages of history amongst the ruins of the old. With this the various tradesmen of the families across the entirety of the society take the cause of  bettering the lot of their family with a great pride, ensuring that those yet to come will have a firm and stable platform from which to build their own support for the generation after them, incremental improvements seeing each generations way of life improved by those before them and so seeing the society as a whole become more and more established thanks to that simple idea of a better tomorrow still to come. For the warriors and defenders of their culture the boundsmen always see a way forward through any situation, the role as both sword and shield to their people necessitating this idea of being able to see beyond that which may come, be it a disaster in any form from disease, war, conflict or calamities unseen. This basic principle of looking at the aftermath of any give situation to see the best way forward allows them to help Shepard their families through the ruins  and so ensuring that tomorrow will be a reality for those in their charge as they carry out their roles and duties with a pragmatic optimism as each day dawns.

The first handful of days of the new season would pass to the steady sound of an army organising themselves as the last voice continued to recoup its strength like a limb finally free of its cast after a long time. Having returned to the refuge after it successful march into the newly scouted lands to the east in the previous season the army as a whole had welcomed the return home as it rested into the large sea of tents that made up the eastern side of the refuge proper. Here and there the sound of laughter and content people wafted between the tents, various families making rest stops by the refuge to drop off discoveries or restock on certain supplies spending time to sit and socialise with the army as a whole. In other parts of the army’s encampment the sound of crafters hard at work would wipe out any other sound as the grinding cacophony of forging wheels screeching and the sound of hammers on metal filled the air around them. This mixture of sounds that accompanied every army at rest since the earliest days of human history would carry the time away with it as the end of that first week passed by to its chorus. In some ways some notice the extra rest that the army as a whole had experienced over the last few months was a welcome reprieve as they seemed to finally pass through the last vestiges of the storm that had been the ‘venomed war’ as a few had begun to call the conflict with the swarm so many seasons ago. For the first time in memory the lost has managed to settle and successfully keep hold of new steading lands with no sign of an mutant presence and a lack of encroachment from any others, in part this likely was what had them in such good spirits some openly voiced as they sat in their tents during one low evening. The following days would see this sentiment shared by a number of the army as those who had lived through the ordeal shared their tales with the steady trickle of new faces joining the army, fresh faced members of the last voice listening to the lessons from the older; quite literally scarred, veterans of the lost army. All this reorganisation and shared relief would in some ways put a spring in the step of a number of more military minded boundsmen amongst the force as come the morning of the second day of the third week a number of families woke to a odd seen, a number of tents has been pulled down a reset up off to one side, effectively closing off one of the tent roads that wound through the refuge to clear a large area, utilising random bits of scrap and large crates some boundsmen had built  a series of mock buildings and crawl spaces and were sat listening to a pair of elder boundsmen. Gathering a crowd over the next few hours this odd group would begin to practice going from building to building, clearing it and checking it over in repeated series. This odd sight drew a few smirks and chuckles from other boundsmen from outside the army as normally the lost way of war relied on large scale skirmishing and movement, lightly armoured but fast warriors darting between places and attacking enemies before disappearing back into the ruins, ‘Guerrilla warfare’ the ancients had dubbed it. But here these 30 odd boundsmen were acting like some parody of the hive-sec soldiery one wizened tradesmen chortled to themselves as the boundsmen swept through the mock buildings they had built. Hearing the comments one of the veteran boundsmen crossed over and asked the assembled crowd why they think they had been so brutally beaten by the swarm in the first place, some just shrugged or let out sounds of confusion as the boundsmen waited for an answer with an irritated expression. Turning back to point at the mocked up buildings they answer the question for them, “We fight like we are dealing with caravan raiders or marauders, not a large single entity that wants to do nothing but utterly kill and devour us” they spoke, “Our warriors are brave and dedicated but each has different experiences or training, we have to set a standard if we expect to survive another show down with the venomed kind”. At this simple statement a number of the crowd look at each other with an understanding as to the mocked up buildings, as the original truculent tradesmen stood grumpily. The following few days of the rest of the week would see another pair of these ‘training sets’ built with warbands of boundsmen working through them as they practiced tactics or tried to incorporate lessons from veterans of the venomed war into their fighting style before being put up against one another to see how well they had learnt these new ideas. Come the months final days the entire force would begin to gather in predetermined groups to put themselves through this new ‘training’ with those fresh faces amongst the assembled warbands being run through it first followed by the rest of their parent warband. An unexpected offer to enlarge this simple training would emerge during the very last day of the season’s first month as the refuge family themselves were seen shifting an entire stock pile from one of the large covered areas, empty crates and boxes being turned into a replicated version of the smaller training sets on a far larger scale. Meeting with the army elders the last voice would take up the offered assistance with gusto as the dawn of the next month come into view, the sound of training warriors filling the refuge.

The dawn of the second month and the following days would pass by to this continuous activity as the army as a whole begin to set a rhythm to their training as after the previous couple of weeks the first warband would head out side of the refuge to one of the larger tower blocks that formed the outer most perimeter and begin to put their new training to a test as they split into two sides and tested themselves more vigorously against one another, only returning come the evening of the sixth day of the week with tired but enthusiastic faces. The next week would see more and more bands joining them in this as they settled into the mock practice being put to the test in more realistic situations whilst the rest of the army began to feel completely whole once more. Some would put this down to a shared sense of optimism that had been spreading through the force since the establishment of the new hides and central camp in the territory to the east of them, whilst others would pragmatically point to the simple fact that in terms of numbers the army was back to full strength once more. On top of this during a meeting between the army’s elders during the morning of the 5th day of that second week into the month news would reach them that a new Vas-shah and Caraventeer had been elected from amongst the families that tread the green path and where expected to return to the refuge in the coming days. At this a number of the elders privately collected on shared thoughts they had with the more steady reinforcements that had been arriving likely being the handy work of a newly placed Caraventeer. Others more openly hoped the new Vas-shah would bring back some sense of purpose to the army as well as they knew the new hope running through the assembled warbands couldn’t last forever. They would have a chance to put these queries to the two new leaders just a few days later as the collective families of the green path arrived back into camp during the late evening during the midst of the third week. Settling back into the refuge the two new leaders would rest before calling together the various elders and warband leaders into a large scale meeting to explain what they had seen and learnt during their expedition alongside finding out the state of the army proper from the elders and warband leaders themselves to see what was lacking and where the most effort would be required to assist the revitalisation of the lost’s army. The revelation as to the identity of the demon entity that had plagued the expeditions of the cultures for so long gave some of the elders pause for thought as they listened to the tale from the caravanteer’s excursion into the dream space of the neural network, whilst the new Vas-shah spent their time getting to know their effective seconds in command through the army over the course of the day, visiting the new training mock ups that had been built as they travelled back from the agri-dome. The rest of the month would see a bigger step put into the army’s stride as the news spread of the new leadership taking up the reins spread across the army as a whole, the tentative training ideas being further reinforced by an army wide exercise as the Vas-shah put these ideas into practice over the course of 3 days of mock battles and practice sessions. For the various families camped or resting In the refuge away from the army the spectacle provided a sort of entertainment, as well as an opportunity to see the lost as they never had before, gathered together in one cohesive force that few families outside of those within the army itself ever got to see. At this a number of smaller families spot a few places where they might be able to help and dart off back into their tents to raise eyebrows from their fellows as they rummage through stock bags and pulled bits and pieces out that they had gathered on their travels, before heading off once more towards the last voice’s camp proper to present their gifts to their fellows. Amongst the small extra backs of supplies, medical parts and useful bits of map information one family had come across an old fortified house of sorts, squat and ugly the paint on the sign on its front had long rusted away leaving small flecks of blue and white paint in places. Searching through it they had located a couple of boxes in a back room that had been left untouched, cracking them open they had found a number of radios and charge packs that no one had touched in years. Checking them over they found most after a few minutes tinkering to be workable and the sight of the army training and had sparked their memory, now they presented these radios to the army hoping the better communication would help in some way.

The coming dawn of the final month of the season would come and go quietly for the last voice as it passed by to the sound of an army beginning to finally ready itself after months of preparation. Gathering together the army’s elders for a meeting during the fourth day of the first week the Vas-shah would declare the army once again officially whole as the very final few reinforcements had joined up with the army during the day previously. At this a small cheer went round the assembled leaders of the last voice, a good omen of things to come potentially a few of the older more superstitious tradesmen present nodded as the Vas-shah attempted to calm the jubilant elders down once more as even he grinned at their response. The following few hours would see the elders discuss various options and situations vying for their attention as they attempted to settle on a course of action, some calling to put their new training ideas to the true test and march south to face the swarm once more, whilst others suggested attempted to settle more land even further to the east in order to ensure a supply of materials and equipment was readily available to the refuge and the families of the green path. Come the end of the meeting the Vas-shah was left with the ultimate decision as the elders filed out of the tent and back to their families and warbands, leaving just a small handful in quiet talks with the leader of the last voice and the Caravanteer. The following couple of weeks would see scouts detached on a rolling basis from the various warbands with the necessary expertise to the east and south as the last voice weighed its options carefully before committing itself to the fray once more.  Those dispatched to the south would be the first to return as they had the shortest distance; but most dangerous, to travel as the Vas-shah had learnt of the mistakes made in the past. Sitting in their command tent they would spend a couple of days simply going over every detail the scouts had to report of the activities to their direct south, of the swarm and any signs of its presence or its potential intentions. It seemed the swarm had recoiled itself like a viper in its nest once more, though to what strength or reason the scouts could not tell as they had retreated back whenever any major pack of mutants had been spotted or made themselves known. The Scouts that had moved east ward would return with different information all together in comparison to their southern travelling counter parts. Having passed through the new lands and spent time talking with the families settling and steading their they had learnt that the territory further on was occupied but not by mutant kind. Taking a look for themselves they had pressed onward through the connecting tunnels and pathways to find a small compound like settlement nestled around an old tower of sorts In the midst of a sea of rusted outed manufactories and silos. They had gotten as close as they could before being intercepted by a small band of company warriors who had spent an hour questioning them before realising them after paying a ’trespassing violation fine’ and being escorted back to the edge of the territory and left to make their own way.  Evidently the company had placed a stake to the land further east but from what the scouts could tell it was a simple compound of a few dozen members and a handful of warriors. From what little they could overhear or make out the ’outpost’ as the company called it had dramatically shrunk in the last few months by the looks of it and wouldn’t be able to stand in their way at all if they choose to take it for the lost, though what response the company as a whole would make was unknown. The final week of the season would see the Vas-shah, Caraventeer and the elders of the army locked in debate over which direction to take, face a known and viciously dangerous enemy directly south for a unknown reward, or sweep east and break the strangle hold the lost were in but potentially rouse a further enemy in the process. Leaving the elders to their own minds the army would prepare itself for their eventual decision as the final day rolled by and the Last voice prepared to march.

Summary:

Following the previous seasons fall-back to the refuge by the last voice to recuperate and reorganise the army has regained its full strength once more and  finds itself with a quandary of which direction to proceed in once the Vas-shah gives the order. To the south the swarm coils like a waiting viper though at what strength no one is sure with out dedicated scouting, whilst to the east new lands ready for the taking sit like a glinting prize, only the potential response from its current owners amongst the company causes pause for thought even with the territory so poorly defended at this moment in time. (NOTE: Standing strength of the Last Voice now stands at 3000/3000 and its considered at full combat strength)

## A Roll of the Dice

With the recent happenings across the entirety of the ruins and within the agri-dome those families treading the nomads path have found themselves running across more and more signs of activity in one form other another, be that of fellow humans from other cultures or signs of passing mutants. Accordingly as each family encounters another or makes camp in one of the various hides spread across the ruins they spend their time swapping tales and information that eventually makes its way back to the refuge in no time at all. Some bits upon reaching the ears of the elders gathered in the refuge is simply noted down whilst other parts are left as nought but simply interesting tales. The whispers though that catch at them and tug hard come from the families treading the green path, alongside those families full settled into the new hide camp sending their own tales. Scouts from the last voice have been running too and fro in recent days as the elders finally meet to discuss the pressing tales, once seated each takes time to discuss the whispers from their interpretation before letting the next say their piece and so on until all have made their voice and opinion heard amongst their fellows. They all come to the same conclusion on the first, for numerous seasons hides scattered across the ruins and within the outer most limits of the green path have been shredded and destroyed by an unknown force. The first families to investigate found nought in their searches beyond a lone scout from a tribal band living amongst the agri-dome itself, now it would seem that once more after the families renewed their investigation a further single individual of this same tribal group has been found amongst the wreckage of another hide. From what could be made out from questioning them they were clearly not responsible but had found the aftermath that had pointed the families further onwards. “Perhaps these tribals could be parlayed with, they may know of other hides we have yet to check that they have found destroyed and perhaps found evidence of who is responsible?” One elder puts forward to a collection of nodding heads, all in agreement. Sending a runner to find a fast scout the elders agree to send a missive to the green path families to see if they could locate and negotiate with the tribal group for assistance before moving on to the other tales calling for their attention. Of these the most simple to settle would be the military situation they have found themselves in, with the last voice full reorganised and the diligent work of its scouts two routes potentially lay open, a ’rematch’ of sorts with the swarm to the direct south or to potential pull land away from the greedy company to the east . After much debating the assembled elders lay the decision down to the Vas-Shah to decide as their right as leader in war, whilst petitioning the caravanteer to gather what information they can on both options to assist in the final decision.  The last thing before calling the meet to a close that rouses the eyebrows of every family present comes from the recent developments in the agri-dome, with the missive’s received the unlocking of ancient resources to the owner of a node amongst the agri-dome places an entirely new set of options before the lost as a culture. Some of the elders argue for the establishment of some form of formal garrison into the recently secured lands to protect their people and hides there in the case the investigation comes to nought, whilst others argue for a place of healing to assist those families still reeling from the injuries inflicted upon them in the venomed war, even after all this time. In the end the vote held is split down the middle  as each side argues point and counter point, settling the vote is eventually laid into the hands of the families present within the dome by the first family to help solve the matter as a further messenger is dispatched.

Summary:

1) With the ongoing situation surrounding the hides the elders of the lost have sent a missive to the families on the green path to ask if they can locate the main group of tribals that have been encountered scouting the wreckage of the hides. If able the elders wish the families to try and open dialogue with them to see if these illusive tribals have found evidence who just who may be behind these attacks.

2) With the Last voice full reorganised and back to full strength the elders have left the decision on where to proceed to the Vas-shah as two options lay open to them though each carries their own risk and reward. To the south lies the venom swarm in unknown quantity but a potentially useful land, to the further east lies a very lightly defended set of land occupied by the company with no army in sight anywhere near, the lost if they hope to compete with the other cultures have need of new land and this could be easily taken though what the response to a military occupation by the last voice would be is unknown.

3) Thanks to the efforts of the various cultures of the ruins old systems have been brought back online within the dome that have put a new and heavy emphasis on the control of those few control nodes, each one offering now not just a bounty of food that holds off annihilation through starvation but also resources that could be turned to projects that could better the controllers lands for years to come. As such the elders have debated two potential options for the new land, with some favouring a military outpost of some kind, whilst others have favoured a healers camp. Split down the middle the deciding votes have been handed to the families on the green path to settle the matter alongside ensuring the required supplies are sent the corresponding way. (Final decision must be reported to GOD by the faction Caraventeer by Sunday at time out latest with the accompanying require materials in their inventory.)

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