Red Hare Courier

The **Red Hare Courier** was a monthly publication that contained informative articles created by the Snake Tong and written and distributed to its members and trusted associates from 1903 to 1950 on a quarterly basis via volumes. The Red Hare Courier was established by Romano Vargas, a member of the organization and an aspiring columnist. By 1903, the organization was able to acquire a publishing company, renamed "Rusca Printing", in its campaign of establishing “clean businesses” during the American Colonial era. This allowed Vargas, a grizzled veteran of the 1890s, the opportunity to settle down a bit and pursue his childhood aspirations of creating and distributing a publication. He named it the “Red Hare Courier” after Red Hare from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As Red Hare was said to be capable of traveling 1,000 li in a day, the publication was expected to be able to go as far as 1,000 li (500 kms) in a day via messenger familiar birds. And while that boast was possible, it was mostly distributed to members in their territories in the capital and adjacent provinces.

Vargas took the liberty of interviewing the different members of the organization, as well as multiple people from different backgrounds, from the local locksmiths to American expatriates. All of the information he deemed useful for its members were compiled into articles and published on a monthly basis. The first issue of the Red Hare Courier contained articles on magic, a guide for flipping butterfly knives, the “hidden shortcuts” of different cities such as Manila, as well as reviews for different weapons in the organization’s arsenal at the time, provided by different members.

For the next three decades, the Red Hare Courier became a method of distributing tidbits of different information, and even entertainment via “bonus pages” featuring short stories written by Tong members with a penchant for fiction. Vargas funded the project with his own salary and payments from taking in contracts, and considered it a labor of love, and was simply content in the idea that people are reading what he wrote down. Other members would also submit their own articles or stories for the bonus entertainment section thanks to encouragement by Vargas.  Vargas passed away from old age in 1935, but printing of the Red Hare Courier was continued by fellow Snakes who showed a fondness for the publication and its departed creator. Printing ceased when World War 2 came to the Philippines, but continued after the war until 1950, when no one else showed interest in running and funding the publication.

In 1989, the Red Hare Courier was revived thanks to the technological medium of MagnaOS, with new articles written by different members being released. Despite no longer being a monthly publication, and most articles are posted individually instead of compilations, members who wish to provide information or written entertainment can submit their works to the Information Division and have them be posted in the network, which allows other members to read them with their enchanted phones. Because of the digital medium, Romano Vargas’ claim that the Red Hare Courier can reach people as far as 1000 li became a reality.

## Articles

* The Vesting Rituals of the Knights of Peñafrancia - Volume 1, Issue 1
* The Art of the Knife, and why it is Important that the Chéngshì Shé Must Cultivate it - Volume 1, Issue 1
* The Four Pillars of the Forest Fist - Volume 1, Issue 2
* Ruminations for my Beloved - Volume 1, Issue 4