| abstract
| - Buckthorn would develop out of the previous courier group in Timber Lake, the Plains Service, who had operated since 2162. They would be almost completely destroyed by the Harrison clan, a family of trappers and raiders who claimed the building as their own in 2180. Three Servicers were off on trips at the time and wouldn't find out about their layoffs for several days. Arriving back in town a few days apart, the trio would meet up again at Finn's, to talk about their plans. They would disagree the entire night finally splitting up around 1 a.m. and parting in the morning. Aaron Weddel would stay in town and find work with the Harrisons, who employed him as their runner. Their time together would be pleasant if not initially icy. When Weddel told them of his plan to start a new courier service, they gave him their blessing. Weddel would put a desk and two chairs in his home and buy a carved sign, opening Buckthorn Deliveries for business. He would wait for a week and a half for a package, his solitude finally broken by a Harrison member. She told him they needed a letter delivered to relative outside Pierre, but couldn't go themselves. Eager to eat, Weddel accepted, gathered some supplies and left promptly. Almost from the moment he left town he would encounter trouble; a migratory pack of Growlers were crossing the highway in front of him when they smelled him and began to chase. A few shots from his 9mm would ward them off, but they would be the least of his troubles. Soon afterward he would be accosted by a band of highwaymen who demanded all his possessions. He would start to comply before yet again drawing his 9mm. He would kill the first before the other two began to fire, with Weddel taking two rounds before killing the bandits. He had packed a stimpak, which thankfully closed his wounds and allowed him to continue on. He would spend the next week almost freezing from constant rain showers, with the howls of tribals off in the distance. These would be pleasantries compares to his time in Pierre. He reached the outskirts of the ruins a few weeks after he left Timber Lake. His first contact inside the city would be a scavenger that offered to Jackie Harrison. He would end up in the middle of a slaver camp, the scavenger being a lookout of theirs. Beaten and stripped, Aaron sat in a cage for two days awaiting a buyer. He would be freed briefly by an attacking raider crew, but return to chains shortly thereafter. The raiders would conscript him into their crew, and while this allowed him to keep his gear and the letter, it also forced him to stay near the others or else he would be shot. he would run with them for a month, forced to clean their equipment and dispose of the travelers they killed. When they attack another band of slavers, Weddel saw his chance. positioned near the back of the group, he would wait until the battle was in full force before he shot the two raiders next to him, and shot at the backs of the rest. With the raiders in confusion, the slavers saw their chance and pushed, routing or killing their attackers. They found Aaron waiting for them, who explained why he was in the city. This would be his first fortunate break on the trip, as the slaver chief was Jackie Harrison. She took the letter and briefly skimmed it, before declaring Aaron an honored guest. He would stay with them three days before Jackie sent six men to return with him to Timber Lake. After the story of his trip began getting around, he would see a few daredevils and gunslingers sign up at the office. The next deliveries would be cakewalks comparatively, but that wouldn't shake the reputation they were developing as rough-and-tumble postmen. The next far delivery would come in 2184, and require they send someone to Williston. Not being able to turn down the caps offered, Weddel put Jerri Larrix on the job. A pyromaniacal reject from the Badlanders, Jerri rejected the mask and collected names, viewing them as more intimate. An unlikely occupation, Jerri found it preferable to raiding as it gave here the chance to see new things to burn. She left on March 18th, and would return four months later, clinging to life and full of stories. That would secure the connotations of dedication in Buckthorn Deliveries, and the people of the region would continue to retain their services well past Aaron Weddel's death in 2216. Jerri would take over that year, having mellowed out after her last trip, but things remained the same until 2224. That year an envoy from the Plains Militia entered the office and wanted to retain every courier they had. Having heard about the popularity of their movement, the tribal agreed and would notify her runners when they returned. The eleven men and women had mixed receptions to the announcement, but all would accept their assignments as they came in the next few weeks. At first easy trips, they would begin to be targetted by raiders and other enemies by the end of the year, with two couriers dying. Jerri would maintain the contract for the next year, but with the death of Pinch in an "emergency" December delivery, she canceled it the next spring. Down to four runners counting herself, Jerri and others would be busy rebuilding for the rest of the decade. They would suffer a somewhat fortunate accident in the fall of 2228, when Jerri would be ghoulified. Though deeply shaming the tribal, it would remind people of their nature, and by 2246 they were back at their height. The next four decades would see them grow or shrink as the circumstances were, but besides a 'change' in leadership they would remain the same. This would be only an aesthetic change, with Jerri killing a raider chief and taking her name. Outside of this, they are the same reliable bunch of couriers that Timber Lake has relied on.
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