Pinwin: Winthrop Security Suit Type 72

Recent Pinwin Shipment: 

   We at Winthrop Corporation are extremely proud of the brainchild of Chan Pinwin, a brilliant engineer and fashion amateur who came on board not four years ago. His new line of Pinwin are one piece jumpsuits made of a kelo-silk weave which has only recently been improved upon by our R&D. They seal in the front, communicating with an implanted NUINT to know when to release and allow the wearer to remove the suit and when to stay sealed. They are long-sleeved and have a round collar which fits snugly around the neck. 

   These new Pinwin protect the wearer from small arms fire, including slug and plasma weapons, quite effectively. They also protect against extreme weather, breathe well and are waterproof, of course. They are light, flexible and self-cleaning and a new feature allows our Pinwin to self-repair as long as materials are available for consumption. These new generation Pinwin can stop a kinetic pellet from an AnEphine and ConEphine although the wearer will not feel very peppy after impact. Unfortunately, they can only stop a couple of these rounds before the suit will begin to fail. However, Winthrop Corporation is working hard to overcome this weakness and believes the average user is unlikely to face such weapons often.

   Pinwin have top of the line adaptive camouflage and any wearer moving slowly or remaining still is extremely difficult to distinguish from their background. The suit changes to any coloration the wearer desires, even clear for those more adventurous types. A wearer of a Pinwin can see all other wearers who are distinguished by a white outline unless suppression technology has been added to the suit. We strongly recommend this feature, however we understand that your budget does not allow for this at this time.

   Pinwin can be worn for a maximum of two weeks, the wearer can both urinate and defecate in the suit, these materials are used to repair and maintain the suit, they are absorbed and the wearer is kept clean. The sensation of soiling one’s self is not pleasant but a wearer gets used to it and the suit will clean them quite thoroughly. The Pinwin shipped to HF-629 do not have the waste recycling function which allows food and water to be made from feces and urine, this is unfortunate but the company did not feel the expenditure was worth it in the case of HF-629. It is hoped that soon budget constraints will allow for the upgrade to these new types as well. We would like to remind you that higher investment up front can save money in the long run.

   Also, it should be noted that Sano-Lieber H&R has been cited three times for backwards engineering and our reps have cautioned to keep careful watch for any indication this is occurring. You at Sano-Lieber are important clients but even so, we cannot allow you to try and take advantage of our relationship. I am sure you can understand our cautiousness and not become offended by our wish to protect the integrity of our design.

Yours Respectfully,

Enrique Hemenez

Vice President of Customer Relations

Winthrop Corporation

Straken, by Willim Hiamshire, amateur naturalist and gentleman scholar.

   For most, the mere mention of Straken evokes feelings of dread and terror. Even though the dangerous creatures are rarely encountered in civilized lands of Gloe, the grim results of those few encounters are enough to make them the most feared creature in all the land. 
   The name Straken is a melding, or some would say bastardization, of the longer and older name Stone Kraken.  The original name is apt for Straken are like the many tentacled sea creatures found in the oceans of the world. Survivors of Straken encounters describe them as jelly like and having dozens of tentacles. Although the number of tentacles may be an exaggeration, it has been confirmed that all Straken do not have the same number. The very few Straken that have been successfully killed had between 8 and 16 arms branching off of a central body which houses the brain and all other organs. 
   Straken possess the extraordinary ability to considerably alter the shape of their bodies. The limbs, torso, brain and organs can all be flattened to a width no thicker than a centimeter, allowing it to move using natural cracks in stone. Many mistakenly believe that Straken can swim through stone as a fish swims through water, but this is simply untrue. Indeed, I have witnessed a Straken emerge from a crevice in the wall of a mine and then seek refuge in another crack when surrounded by fire (fire is the best method known for harming and driving off Straken) lit by the miners to keep it at bay.
   Beyond the shape of their bodies and their dangerousness, little is known. What we do know is this, they come in a variety of colors but this does not seem to indicate a difference in sex or species. They consume stone and reproduce by laying eggs. Egg clusters have been found in the deepest areas of natural caves and sometimes miners have accidentally broken into an egg chamber with disastrous results.

Artist's sketch of Emphalian peach orchard tube

  What is also known is that Straken spend a great deal of their time building randomly but the structures they build are not themselves random. This may seem like a contradictory statement but allow me to explain. Miners and even overland travelers have found tunnels and structures built in isolated locations. The tunnels found seem to have been built for use by humans on foot or the larger tunnels for some kind of transportation device similar to a locomotive, but underground. 
   One of these large tubes was discovered recently in Emphalia and quite literally sprang into existence overnight. A peach grower went to bed and awoke to find the tube in the middle of his peach orchard. The tube stuck out from the ground, sloped at a 45 degree angle, about 3 meters high and descended beneath the ground about fifty meters before narrowing to a small fist sized hole. In Hesp, silver miners broke into a maze of arched tunnels large enough for two men to walk comfortably side by side. The tunnels led nowhere, they turned randomly and intersected one another. In all there were over four hundred meters of tunnels that led nowhere. Most sections ended abruptly, but always there was a small crack or hole through which the Straken exited.
   Why they had made these structures is unknown and until a method can be found for capturing or observing Straken we most likely never will know. Several government have funded expeditions to discover the purpose of these activities and to learn more about these creatures. Indeed, I lead the team from the University of Pyria and next year we have been granted permission to study one of the large tube sections found in the White Caps of Artengia. Hopefully, the current war will not interfer with our research.
   Straken are most heavily clustered in the Crooked Teeth, Dagger, and White Cap mountain ranges and their exact numbers are unknown. Great care is taken by the wiser of mining companies and individuals to scout for Straken before beginning a new dig. If Straken are present, there are methods for driving them away. as stated before, Straken dislike fire and will flee from it, they also seem to react badly to certain sounds and some miners use specially made bells, chimes or tuning forks to keep the creatures away.
  Straken are both beautiful and deadly and this researcher can not help but feel they have some long lost purpose. Some day, if enough effort is made, we might unlock this purpose and discover a way to either tame the Straken or harness their industrious behavior for the benefit of mankind.

The Behemoth, by Depri Andreau, Prof. of Natural History, University of Artengia

Adult Behemoth on the move.

Behemoth

    The Behemoth is unlike any other creature on Gloe. They live exclusively in the northeastern area of Gloe and are an essential part of the Orange Free Republic economy. In addition to being the largest living creatures known to exist, they are also asexual and their method of reproduction remains a complete mystery. To date, no infant Behemoth has been found yet smaller adolescents are commonly seen. The accompanying sketch is of an untamed adult specimen which was found traveling along the north edge of the Lynewood several years ago. The sighting was unusual as Behemoth generally stick to their established roads and this one was at least thirty kilometers from the nearest road.
   The typical adult Behemoth is the size of a small foothill, ranging anywhere from 30 to 50 meters tall and 100 to 120 meters in diameter. When resting they can sometimes be mistaken for terrain as trees grow on their backs and their flesh resembles densely packed soil. When traveling, a Behemoth uses it's hundreds of thick root-like legs to move. These root-legs digs into the soil and drag the creature in the direction it wishes to go. The root-legs also serve the function of drawing in water and minerals from the soil.
   A wild Behemoth lives in a symbiotic relationship with two other species. The Acadia tree and the Turnbull ant. One of the reasons Behemoth are mistaken for hills is the foliage that grows upon their backs, grass, small shrubs and Acadia trees cover the back of a healthy Behemoth. Behemoth in poor health can easily be noticed as the flora on their backs withers and dies. The Acadia trees grow in clusters, randomly spaced upon the back and grow a few meters tall. They are broad leaf trees but do not lose their leaves in the winter. Acadia trees produce red plum-like fruit which is edible and quite tasty. The fruit is high in sugar and is very sweet.
   The Turnbull ants living on and inside the Behemoth serve as both protection for the Acadia trees and produces a sap called Chisin. The Behemoth consumes Chisin as part of its diet, although what function it serves is not yet known. Turnbull ants are unique and can be quite frightening when encountered. They are easily the largest insect on Gloe, so they share a trait with their host. Turnbull ants range from half a meter to one meter in length. There are two species of Turnbull, one is solid red and the other is red and black striped. The red and black striped Turnbulls are much less common and more aggressive. Much like normal ants, Turnbulls have workers, soldiers, male drones and a queen. Workers keep the surface of the Behemoth clean and harvest the fruit of the Acadia, taking it into the tunnels they carve into the Behemoth.
   It is not known if the tunneling is painful to the Behemoth, but it most likely is not or if it is the pain is insignificant as Behemoth do not seem upset by it. The worker ants ferment the fruit which naturally produces Chisin. Soldier ants have large, serrated mandibles which can do terrible damage to those they attack. Humans can easily be overwhelmed and killed by three or four of these soldiers although the ants are only provoked when their territory is trespassed upon.
   The queen is larger than the other ants, usually eight to ten times bigger and produce eggs at a much slower rate than their smaller cousins. Whereas a typical black ant queen might produce 50-100 eggs in a day, a Turnbull queen will only produce 1-2 eggs a week. Male drones are only produced once a decade and die within days of fertilizing a queen.
  Behemoth can move up to two hundred kilometers in a twenty four hour period but seldom travel so quickly. They rest an average of 6 hours a day and spend the rest of the time moving on their easily recognized roads. A Behemoth road is an open strip of land, usually covered in short grass and about 200 meters wide.

Next: Tame Behemoth

Obsidian: What is Known by J. Langston DGS

Author's sketch of the wall in Split

  The continent of Gloe is home to a variety of cultures all of whom interact in the way natural to nations. There are the gentrified traders of Pyria, the rigid and yet intellectual  militarists of Drury, the practical individualistic Hespians and the cultured artistic Artengians. The citizens of The Orange Free Republic represent a new cultural type, a mixture of several peoples they have a bit of everything but tend to be industrious and traditional. Then there is the tired but still prideful nation of Cantalone hanging on to the remnant of their once dominant empire. In the west, the Hunlo Empire struggles to find relevance but is a land filled with ancient wisdom and great beauty. Shinpo, the island nation that once conquered much of the civilized world, has fallen into debauched indolence, its leaders nothing more than puppets of their larger neighbor Hunlo. But of all the peoples and nations, there is one which remains a puzzling mystery. 
  The city state of Obsidian lies high in a caldera in the Crooked Teeth, a towering mountain range on the east side of the Great Rift which itself is perhaps the most magnificent natural formation known to man. Obsidian is a blank canvas upon which peoples and scholars paint their own fears and desires. It is also the place from which flows the most important commodity of Gloe, Amber. The sap of the legendary Raobob tree is refined to four different qualities whose export is tightly controlled by the ruler of Obsidian. 
  All Amber is sold in the trading town of Split, which is located on the eastern end of a narrow canyon which splits the Crooked teeth into a northern and southern half. It is from this canyon that the town takes its name. At the mouth of the canyon is a forty meter high wall made from one solid piece of stone. A massive, imposing gate is the only means beyond and no one is allowed in. All trade is conducted in the town outside of the wall. 
  Too the east of Split is an arid land which in days gone by made trade extremely hazardous. Now, two rail lines have been built and goods flow much more quickly. Amber is shipped out and gold and goods flow back in making Obsidian the single wealthiest nation on Gloe. Only Hesp, with its acceptance of Techin, approaches the wealth of Obsidian.  In addition to Amber, the people of Obsidian are skilled craftsmen who make some of the best jewelry, timepieces and works of art. Amber is traded for all things needed for living, food, clothing, building materials and luxury items. The one thing not imported is medical goods, which leads to some interesting questions that cannot yet be answered. Do they rely completely upon Amber for healing? Do they possess an inherent ability to resist disease and injury?
  As I have said, no one goes beyond the wall in Split. For nearly two thousand years the land has been completely isolated from the rest of the world. One would think that the passes over the Crooked Teeth could be traversed in order to gain entry, but this is not so. Those scholars and adventurers, including myself, who have made the extremely hazardous climb to the eastern pass have found themselves barred by an invisible and yet real barrier. How this barrier is made, is unknown but the widely and evenly spaced pylons that can be seen circling the caldera along the ridge must have something to do with it. Some claim their leader, the Oracle, keeps the barrier up, but this is uncertain.  There have been attempts to breach the magical barrier, a few made by Techin have even succeeded but none ever came back out.
  There are a few things known about Obsidian and her people. They are ruled by a powerful being, an Oracle who guides and protects them. All representatives of Obsidian are women, not a single man from Obsidian has ever been seen in Split. This has led some to speculate that the women are Techin who use some magical means of reproducing. Others believe that men rule in opulence and require the women to do all of the work. I cannot claim to know even after several conversations with Obsidian traders from a family named Hume.
  According to ancient legends only twice has the caldera been breached by an enemy. The powerful and evil god empress of Shinpo, Ng, was said to have attacked and sacked Obsidian after successfully defeating all of her other rivals. It is known that Shinpo once briefly ruled the known world, but quickly collapsed back in on itself after Ng's defeat in Obsidian. Her first attack upon the caldera was turned back but her second managed to capture and destroy much of the city.
  What happened to Ng is unknown for she disappeared during the second attack. Those few Shinponese soldiers who returned home from the campaign claimed Ng was struck down by the Oracle herself before the Oracle's wrath obliterated the victorious army. However, these stories cannot be substantiated and the only records which might exist are in Obsidian and so out of the reach of this scholar. The records kept in Shinpo have disappeared or have been hidden, for although I have made repeated requests and visited the country twice, I have never been allowed to see them.
  Obsidian, mysterious, vital and compelling. I have spent much of my academic career studying it and after decades still know so very little. Who are they? How did the nation come to be? Why do they keep themselves apart and where are the men? Someday I hope to answer these questions, but for now you and I, my gentle reader, must be patient. I can say that I am closer than I have ever been for I have managed to make certain connections that provide more insight into Obsidian.