PRELUDE It has been 600 years since the Great War. Humans survive in little pockets located in protected valleys as family tribes. The evidence of the terrible battles remains as stark reminders of the horrible energies released by the nuclear bombs. Some of the old cities of the Before People still glow an evil blue at night. The human race was changed, there are a few mutants born each generation, some of them have become permanent parts of The People. Mind reading is fairly common and vampires are an accepted group among The People. Less common are the mystics and the shifters, none of these mutations are evil, just different. Most of the violent mutations, like cannibals and Were folk are rare, except for the Wherries, but they live only in the sea and have little to do with those who live on dry land. Ogres are a "mixed breed", related to the vampires; they are mighty warriors, shunning humans and vampires alike. Most Family Clans of the People have ancestral lands where they live, depending upon the seasons. The birth rate is still very low and infant mortality high, children are precious to The People; to harm a child is a criminal offense, usually resulting in the death of the offender. One such Family Clan is the Grengo People of the High Desert. The Grengo are led by Jacob, The Elder, they migrate from the high valleys to the low desert each fall, where the weather is warmer and return to the high mountains again the next spring. It is fall and winter is fast approaching, Jacob is leading his folk along the ruined roadway of the Before People, headed for the warmer lands of the desert floor. They will spend the winter along the banks of the Sal River, fishing and relaxing from their labors of spring and summer raising corn and vegetables in the rich soils of the mountains.

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