Ten Ways to Protect Yourself From Marauders!

By Tom Topptin - FNF Staff

Marauders. Screaming maniacs who can pour out of a gate at any moment, thirsty for carnage and blood. They take no prisoners. They leave only death in their wake. How many of our people have been dragged screaming through a gate, to be sacrificed in their blasphemous rites? They could strike anywhere, anytime. Are YOU prepared? We at the Fringe News Feed have compiled these potentially lifesaving tips to help keep you safe.

1. Arm Yourself - Most folks on the Fringe keep a weapon or two around the house, but you should have a weapon handy at all times. Forearmed is forewarned!

2. Move in Packs - You rarely see a Marauder without 5 or more others with them, either running and screaming obscenities or hiding in the shadows muttering dark prayers. You should do the same! (The grouping up, not the obscenities or dark prayers) The more of you, the more likely you will be able to fend off a quick raid... or buy time for a rescue party to show up.

3. Know Your Foe - Marauders are hard to miss, but for people who haven't seen them before, here are some common traits:

• Screaming incoherently
• Kit-bashed armor scrawled with symbols, usually a spiral. Some Marauders will have armor surgically embedded in their skin - a deranged arrangement that leaves them in constant pain and rage.
• May just be spattered with blood or decorated with the bones of their victims.
• Often bleeding from self-inflicted cuts. They are known to slice away any tattoos or identifying marks of their former lives
• Some Marauders actually speak in coherent tones. These are cunning and often much more dangerous than the usual bloodthirsty screaming maniac.

4. Dress for Success - Marauders are a dour lot, what with the black clothes and the blood and the screaming and all. Since they hail from the dark reaches of the Epherium, it would behoove you to look like a creature from their native environment. Bright colors that clash could confuse a Marauder, thinking that you are one of the many Epherium-spawned abominations that infest the dark corners of the Web Ways.

5. Run, Don't Walk - If you are caught out and about without knife, group, or bright yellow duster, RUN! Run as fast as you can and don't stop until you are surrounded by highly armed allies, or they stop chasing you. Be prepared to run a LONG way.

6. Don't Hesitate by the Gate - If you are traveling, and can manage it, keep yourself as far away from the local Gate as possible. The occasional "planet roving" bands of Marauders do happen on Eclipse, but most of the time they come screaming directly out of a gate. They have even been known to come out of a gate that was not aligned! The farther you are away from the Gate, the farther they will have to run to get to you. When was the last time you saw a Marauder drive a transport?

7. Unseen is Unmurdered - Unless you are standing right by the Gate when the Marauders emerge (see #6 above for why you shouldn't be), you should be able to hear the unholy howls well before they could spot you. Use this to hide yourself and your family! Don't choose obvious places like under the bed, or in a closet. Marauders also love to wreck things and will be sure to flip and smash anything they come across. Really think outside the box. How about hiding in the rafters, or in an attic? (Be sure to cut the pull cord!)

8. Cardio - All this running and hiding and possibly fighting can take a toll on the fragile body. Keep it healthy with regular exercise and no more than 2 binges a week.

9. Pray Away - The Marauders are rumored to worship Ni'dregg. Get yourself right with the gods and perhaps they can help you in your hour of need. Besides, it couldn't hurt, right?

10. News You Can Use - Stay tuned to your local news feeds (and the Fringe News Feed) for announcements about imminent Marauder incursions, actions of local authorities, and (COMING SOON) further investigation of the Marauders in general. Forewarned is forearmed!