Looking for familiar faces and market benches I found place after place empty, only some tattered scraps of leather and bones marking locations.

It seem some trading activity still holds on, fitfully. Gone are Dawnevea’s Bunker, Wanker’s General Stoar, and the Tradepost Outlet.

However, a new Wasteland Tradepost is up with a range of items, located in The Wastelands. Destini Miles has a store, simply named Destini’s Store, in Fissure. In Fort Stygian a new store can be found underground; Polo and Nab’s Salvage. Traperos has kept their doors open in Malady, although they are offering goods made to order, prices on request. Syrrus has a store Sledgepile open, in the Wastelands.

I have been away for a while, and my sight is not what it was.. I may have missed some merchants. Please forgive that, stay tuned for the next Market Report, in 4 moon cycles.

Photo by Destini Miles.

Wastelanders converged Wednesday morning as residents Raze Rapine and VoidTraveller Seetan announced they would combine three shards of the orange crystal using the salvager located in the central Wastelands bunker.

Arriving as the sun approached just about directly overhead, Wastelanders Raze Rapine, VoidTraveller Seetan, Banrion Constantine, Skeleton Ghost and Destini Miles met in the dank recesses of the bunker to witness the event.

Receiving a splintered piece of crystal from VoidTraveller, Raze also placed two pieces of his own on the salvager table in an attempt to see if the machine would yield any significant product.

Three shards of crystal provided by Raze Repine and VoidTraveller Seetan

Their anticipation waned briefly as initial attempts did not yield results from the ancient machine.  However, after applying his own brand of repair to the device, VoidTraveller suggested that Raze try again.  In doing so, the salvage unit began its work processing the materials.  All those present held their breath hoping for the best (and to avoid blowing up half of the world as we know it) as Raze hunched over the salvager, until finally the bulky tradesman announced they had created a Fire Crystal, similar to the crystal seen at Gill’s tent, in Fort Stygian.

” (It’s) much bigger,” Repine asserted.  Even so, the question remains as to what purpose the gem serves.  Previous comments from the old man Gill show he believes it is a ‘memory crystal’, used by the tin folk.

VoidTraveller Seetan comments on the Fire Crystal

“Apparently if I am to understand Gill’s rantings, the crystals may hold many build sequences for all the items the machine can churn out,” says Seetan.

Speculation over the crystals has been widespread ever since their first appearance some weeks ago.  They caused much discussion and consternation amongst residents as some endeavored to cooperate in an effort to further understand the use of the crystals, yet others chose to keep what they had found to themselves.

Subsequent discussions between Repine and Press columnist Patrice Cournoyer indicate that Repine intends to allow Gill an attempt at retrieving information from this crystal, although similar attempts with smaller fragments have thus far been unsuccessful.

Repine also suggests it may be time for Wasteland Residents to come together once again to discuss their findings as well as potential courses of action in light of this discovery.

Raze Repine and the Fire Crystal, photo by Patrice Cournoyer