Phase 3 ~ Cooking up a Storm
Date: January, 2599
The Colony is understandably shaken after the death of Alex Shatter, the first fatality among them and a young one as well, barely older than a child. Gaspard deduces the cause of death to be the ingestion of the
Champignon Arcenciel plants he found earlier, these brightly colored mushroom-like specimens he finds out produce a powerful hallucinogenic effect and can produce fatal effects when taken in large dosages. Gaspard decides to handle Alex's funeral himself, believing that this young man with no relationships on the ship still deserved to be treated with dignity in death. [6] A small crowd gathers to the spot where Gaspard has buried Alex just beyond the boundaries of the colony. Gaspard, not knowing Alex personally, can not give a long speech and elects to describe him generally as a hard-working member of the colony, committed to its success before succumbing to a tragic, accidental death. Alex's plot is marked with a stone that Gaspard has engraved his name into.
Cynthia is fascinated by all of her discoveries and finds the rabbit-like milk-squirting Citrabbit deserving of an artistic portrayal. [9] While looking around for a capable artist she finds Khijang Rigzin, a Bhutanese painter. When she asks for the price of a commission Khijang insists that for providing him with a new artistic vision is more than enough of a payment. Over the course of a couple weeks, Khijang observes the Citrabbit in both a living and dead state to complete his magnum opus,
The Island of the Citrabbit, a large mural painted outside of the ship on a slab of metal. In the meantime, Cynthia changes her practices and remains cooped up in the ship and for the most part doesn't come out nor interact with anyone, spending the entire month buried in books. [Reading: 7] Cynthia pursues a book in the library and picks one up on a subject relevant to one of her fields, Biology. In this specific case it is Experimental Biology, and she reads of the efforts of scientists who have attempted to cross-breed species. This instills the idea of cross-breeding in her, could it be possible on this planet? It could either be a passing thought or inspiration for something bigger, but for the rest of the month she spends just reading more and more.
With the gift of
Street Kombat: Unleashed, Adam knows that Madalyn must be the one, who else would know to get him a present so close to his heart? [Romance: 10] For the entire month of January, Adam and Madalyn are inseparable. They stay in the ship and hardly interact with anyone else and can mainly be found playing video games together in silence. It would look strange and dull to the on-looker, with them hardly speaking to each other or looking at one another, but at least the two of them know that it is true love. When they have to go somewhere, it is together, holding hands and hardly saying anything. [Programming: 2+2] Modding ST:U is hard though, the game's code has some built in functions that make modification difficulty, and even doing a minor mod like a texture change can cause the game to become dysfunctional.
Koran and Ilyena lead the hunting party once more, taking Mahyang and Bonifo into the wilderness to hunt Hund Beinen, the most vicious beast that has been discovered on this planet so far. While Koran wants to slay them for their meet, Ilyena does her best to capture specimens alive for further research and possible domestication. [Hunting: 3+2] During the hunting trip, Koran shoots a few of the hounds but due to their nature once a gunshot goes off, the rest of the herd scatters into the swamp, so by the time he reloads Koran's next targets are out of sight. [Trapping: 4+2(Trapping Kit Bonus)] After several days of effort trying to corral the wild creatures, Ilyena finally corners a single isolated Hund into a rope trap and snags it! Once the hunting is over, the four bring back both some extra food for the Colony (as much as a handful of hunters can get on a normal hunting trip) and a live specimen. Some of the Colonists are frightened by keeping one of these dogs, even if it is kept in an improvised cage.
[+.2 Months of Food added to the Colony's supply.]
With months going by and no way to apply Cook-Fu, Mao worries that his skills may be dulling and the worst possible scenario may come where he loses his ability and his family's ancient martial arts system ends with him! Committed to preventing that from happening, Mao goes about teaching the art to those interested during his free time, killing two birds with one stone by allowing him to simultaneously practice his techniques while spreading his teachings to others. [General Interest: 9] It turns out that a sizable portion of the colony, around forty or so, want to learn the art of Cook-Fu for various reasons, some to defend themselves, while others just want to develop new skills. [Cook-Fu Training: 2+2] However, the actual teaching part is a big mess and it appears that few of the colonists have the natural ability to use the wok, the saucepan, or even the large spoon as a weapon. Many of those who were originally interested drop out in only a few days, frustrated with their lack of progress and how unorthodox the whole system is. Some of them outright doubt its practicality as a way of defending themselves against a threat.
In the meantime, Mao works on new recipes based on the newly discovered life on Lustrum:
Mao Discovers Citrabbit Asian Stew, Azurechidna Rolls, Dried Rockorn and Rainbow Mushroom Soup, & Sauté "Hund Beinen" with Noodles![4+2] The Citrabbit Asian Stew is tasty, tender and sweet, but is not hearty enough to provide a full meal. It finds its place as an appetizer.
[3+2] Azurechidna Rolls, due to the thick and spiny nature of the main ingredient, are crunchy but lack a distinctive flavor even with blue berry paste. They are not meal food either, and are closer to very plain potato chips.
[1+2] Even after boiling the Soup, it turns out that it still causes hallucinations after all, along with vomiting. It is not known whether the vomiting is just simply the fault of the mushrooms or if its due to the combination with Dried Rockorn.
[4+2] Sauted Hund Beinen Meat is has a similar taste and quality to chicken, and combining it with noodles make it a staple dish, though it isn't that different from the Chicken & Noodle dishes that Mao was cooking in the first place.
Joseph orders a much appreciated break to those in charge of creating the distillery while continuing to oversee the work on deforestation. [6] For the first time, the deforestation project makes moderate progress, but undeniable progress nonetheless as the workers finally seem to be catching onto a rhythm. Several trees are cleared away and the land is flatten and drained and by the end of the month, over a quarter of the total land Joseph wants cleared away has been completely deforested. Perhaps inducting those who had worked on the distillery, who had proven to be efficient and productive workers, into the deforestation project is the reason for this newfound success.
Joseph immediately gets the distillery to put in work and orders the production of water and a small quantity of alcohol made from native fruits. [Water Distillation: 5] A fair amount of water is produced, and with only the berries having been discovered as flora, [Brewing: 9] they make an excellent batch of locally made alcohol that has never been tasted before. With this kind of berry drink being totally new to the human race, Joseph gets the rights to its name.
.4 Months of Water added to Colony's Supply.Joseph Discovers Blue Berry Alcoholic Beverage!When not overseeing work, Joseph tends to the colony and its status, checking to see how morale is doing and if any of the groups are doing poorly. Overall, Morale is good but has been decreased slightly by the presence of the captured Hund Beinen which mostly frightens children (as well as their concerned parents) and some of the women. The groups themselves seem to be doing all equally well, though an older child named Principe speaks to Joseph and says that the older children such as herself should be allowed to work and participate in colony decisions. A few people complain about Lenny continuing to build a pile of garbage that could be a health hazard.
Regalia puts on her new dress and continues to be one of the centers of attention and more noticeable characters in the colony. A group of musicians approaches her and proposes that they form a band for the colony, to boost morale and possible start making their own income.
Lenny and his bot continue to build up their kingdom of garbage, [Scavenging: 7+2] and after a few weeks of adding to their corner of junk and uncovering an electronic multi-tool that has been somewhat damaged and dirtied but is still usable. After cleaning it up, Lenny discovers that it can function as a radio, a radar and a scanner among other functions. His robot is keen on bringing the Companion Cube everywhere.
Jakub speaks of his successes to Deidress who is happy to hear them. Now out in the open, some of the colonists suspect there is more than just a professional or friendly relationship between the engineer and the doctor. "Cook" goes on to begin working on a job-shop that will produce various goods and productions for the colony in the future. [Mechanical Engineering: 6+2] Jakub gets about a third of the work done on this new structure; while he is dedicated, there is only so much a single skilled person can accomplish in a month. Some of the colonists tell him they would help build and eventually work in this shop, but Joseph has them busy with other projects. [Mechanical Engineering: 7+2] At other times, Cook is working on attending the colony as whole by repairing devices, particularly the holo-saws cutting down the trees, and making sure that any small issues on the ship are taken care of before they get exponentially worse.
A handful of engineering colonists suggest to Joseph that Jakub be appointed to the head of some sort of construction or engineering position.
1 Month of Food & Water Supplies is consumed. An additional .1 worth of these supplies is inexplicably missing.
All of the colonists injured in previous work-related incidents recover.
2598
November:
Koran Smith - "Flying Spiders"
Ilyena - "Lustrumian Tree Borer"
Gaspard - Champignon Arcenciel
Lenny Morgan - Species of Blue Berry.
Cynthia Redguard - Citresius Arborium "Lemoon Tree" & "Springhole Shrub"
December:
Mao Zedong Liu - Blueberry Bun Snack Recipe.
Cynthia Redguard - Citrabbit, Azurechidna, Rockorn.
Koran - Hund mit sechs Beinen "Hund Beinen"
2599:
January:
Mao Zedong Liu - Citrabbit Asian Stew Recipe, Azurechidna Rolls Recipe, Dried Rockorn and Rainbow Mushroom Soup Recipe, & Sauté "Hund Beinen" with Noodles Recipe
Joseph Lenox - Blue Berry Alcoholic Beverage.
2598
October - The S.S. Primus lands on Lustrum.
November - Joseph Lenox becomes the unofficial leader of the colony.
December - The Colony is officially named "Novus". The Distillery is completed. The first death (Alex Shatter) occurs.
Population: 300 (230 Adults, 40 Children, 29 Elders)
Incapacitated: 0
Sick: 0
Deceased: 1
The Colony of Novus
Leader: Joseph Lenox
Co-Leader & Leader of Cooking Corps: "Chairman" Mao
Marshal of Entertainment: Regalia Hawthorne
Important NPCs:
Mahyang and Bonifo - Part of the Hunting Team.
Principe - De facto leader of the children.
Madalyn - Adam's romantic love interest.
Deidress - "Friend" of Jakub.
Projects:
Land Reclaiming Process [27%]
Small-Jobs Shop [34%]
Collective Inventory:
S.S. Primus Ship
- Food & Water Supplies [9.3 Months Remaining]
- Oxygen Recycler
- Housing
- Medical Facilities
- Excersise Facilities
- Entertaiment Facilities
- Solar-powered Bandsaw (Built by Jakub Kucharz)
Exterior Structures:
- Solar-powered Distillery
- The Island of the Citrabbit Mural
- Caged Hund Beinen
Name: Joseph Lenox (Coolrune206)
Gender: Male
Age: 44
Skills: Leadership [Level 4] Construction [Level 4]
Status: Normal
Inventory: Revolver [Family Heirloom] [Well Maintained] [No Ammunition], Top Hat, Silver Walking Stick
Name: Regalia Hawthorne (AbstractTraitorHero)
Race: Cyborg
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Skills: Fencing [Level 4] Entertainment [Level 4]
Status: Normal
Inventory: Solar-powered Jukebox [Morale Bonus] [Tons of Songs!], Frilly Black Dress
Name: Mao Zedong Liu (Nakéen)
Gender: Male
Age: 38
Skills: Asian Cuisine Cooking [Level 4] Cook-Fu [Level 4]
Status: Normal
Inventory: Ancient Wok [Family Heirloom] [Well Maintained] [Unusually Strong], Metal Spatula, Chef's Hat,
Name: Cynthia Redguard (DigitalDemon)
Gender: Female
Age: Young Adult - 29
Skills: Biology [Level 4], Archaeology [Level 4]
Status: Normal
Inventory: Prototype Area Scanner Model 9X271 [Family Heirloom] [Advanced Scanner] [Prototype Quirks], Spade, Binoculars, Hiking Boots, Electric Lantern
Name: Jakub 'Cook' Kucharz (Wozzy)
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Skills: Welding [Level 4] Mechanical Engineering [Level 4]
Status: Normal
Inventory: KSH20 Electron Beam Welder [Contains Welding Mask & 20lb. Capacitor] [Self-recharging] [Must be carried on back], Wrench
Name: Adam Red (Ukrainian Ranger)
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Skills: Programming [Level 4]
Status: Normal
Inventory: Artificial Intelligence "Oppo" within Gaming Console [Self-Learning], "Street Kombat: Unleashed" Game
Name: Ilyena (Urist Reborn)
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Skills: Big Game Hunting [Level 4] Piezoelectrics [Level 4]
Status: Normal
Inventory: Piezoelectric Bolas [Electric Weapon] [Continuous Shock], Trapping Kit
Name: Koran Smith (Greatness942)
Gender: Male
Age: 51
Skills: Hunting [Level 4] Gathering [Level 4]
Status: Normal
Inventory: Blunderbuss [Ancient Weapon] [2 Shot Capacity] [Can Improvised Ammunition], Machete
Name: Coca Bucket (Fniff)
Gender: Female
Age: 14
Skills: Stealth [Level 4]
Status:Normal
Inventory: Stowaway Pipe [Improvisable Multi-Tool]
Name: Gaspard Doucet
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Skills: Swamp Survival [Level 4] Navigation [Level 4]
Status: Normal
Inventory: Gaspard's Swamp Kit [Navigational & Survival Tool] [Comprehendable Only to Gaspard], New Fishing Rod
Name: Lenny Morgan (Vgray)
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Skills: Scavenging [Level 4]
Status: Normal
Inventory: Slightly Used Waste Allocation Load Lifter [Loyal Companion] [Cleaning/Ordering Specialization], Pile of Twigs, Pile of Blue Berries, Plastic Hairbrush, Companion Cube, Electronic Multi-Tool [Moderate Damage]
Some things have come up, but I am still committed to this game nonetheless! Hopefully these things will clear out in the near future so that this game can be updated on a more regular schedule. I apologize if this turn is rushed or uninspired. 
Author
Topic: Pioneers - Phase 3 ~ Cooking Up a Storm (Read 25184 times)