Flamfjord, 1878, Week 1
1 Gather Wood (automaton) (+1w)
1 Construct Sawmill (-3w)
2 Gather Steel (+2s)
1 Construct Beacon (-2s)
1 Send Expedition to Supply Ship (-2f)
Surlington's LogbookMidday Observation : Visibility Decent. No Precipation. Temperatures continue to decline, measuring -25 degrees at present. Windspeeds are neglible, improving visibility and temperature. The conditions in the Fjord however continue to decline. Without the wind pushing them out to Sea, the ice floes continue to accumulate.
Expedition notes :
Our new Sawmill makes hellish noises as cuts through the frozen trees. I inquired of this with the foreman, but he ensures us that this is normal. I does not appear to bother the men, if anything, they seem to rejoice the introduction of the industrial sounds so familiar to them. Personally, I'm glad that the observation post is located some distance from city.
In other news, the beacon has been successfully deployed. For now, it is but a simple light, but with the addition of some simple instruments, it could provide a wealth of information on the current climate catastrophe. Unfortunately, we currently lack the workspace and tools to make the carefull calibrations needed.
The pine shudders as a metal leg plunges into the base of it's trunk. Mechanisms click, a puff of steam emerges from the machine, and then wood shatters suddenly. With a loud smash, the tree crashes into the forest floor. The Automaton takes a moment to clear it's of wooden splinters, before it bows over the fallen tree, grabs it underneath it's carriage, and trundles onwards towards the city.
Located at the outskirts of the city, the Sawmill faces the full onslaught of the frost. Little more than a shed to hold tools and a few areas to store logs and processed wood, it provides little shelter for the elements. The machinery is primitive, but in this harsh environment, that is not a weakness. Cold can make metal fragile as the finest China, and a shattering circular saw can ruin anyone's day. The machines build here may not be able to cut as fast or fine as those in the grand factories back in the Empire, but they're rugged and will cut through ice without complaint.
In other parts of the city, workers hurry to salvage metal and beat it into shape. Though most of the parts for the beacon survived the journey from London intact, a large and heavy section of the frame had been left behind on the ice. With the expedition now on it's way to recover as much as they can, it is essential to get the back up into the air. Without it, the expedition and it's supplies could easily be lost to the Frostland.
Expedition's LogbookDay 1: We've taken the sleds, gathered our supplies and set course for the Fjord. Following our own trail, we should be able to reach it in a day and a half.
Day 2: The temperature plunged suddenly. Were it not for our clothes and the fire we got going, I fear some of us might have suffered frostbite
Day 3: The frost is a burden, but also a boon. As we reached the fjord, we found that the recent frost had strengthened the ice sufficient to allow to make good pace across it.
Day 4: The ship rises up from the ice ahead of us. The ice around it has been stripped clean of supplies. It's a mystery that is solved rapidly, when a voice calls down from the vessel. Sergeant William Baxters, Royal Marines. Apparently, when they got lost on the way to the city, he commandeered his fellow survivors, then the ship, and it's supplies. They'd been working on creating some makeshift sleds to make a second attempt to reach the city, which should be easy with our guidance.
Day 5: It's strange, being back in my cabin. I hadn't expected to see it ever again. I doubt I ever will again. The ship is encased solidly in the ice, it's hull bend and straining under the pressure. In places, it has already shattered. We're taking as much as we can loading food, fuel and steel stripped from the ship. We've even recovered the bridge's navigation core. The boilers and turbines would be a grand gift, but they're too heavy to move.
Day 6: It's hard work, carrying the sleds uphill in this frozen weather. But we can see the beacon now, shining in the distance, and this seems to make the work all that easier.
Day 7: Total resources recovered : 2 Food, 2 Coal, 1 wood, 2 steal, 1 Steam Core, 1 Royal Marine Sergeant
Choose 5 Actions + 1 action for your Automaton (Note which)Indoor
Indoor activities are actions that can be taken by people operating indoors. Typical indoor activities are research, constructing things in factories and other such things.
Outdoor
Outdoor activities are actions that occur outdoors. Typical activities are construction, gathering and exploration.
Gather Wood- Increase Temp Wood by 1
Gather Steel- Increase Temp Steel by 1
Gather Food- Increase Temp Food by 1
Gather Coal- Increase Temp Coal by 1
Construct Workshops - Build a series of workshops, allowing you to work on more complex equipment for the city, improving your basic technology and ability to adapt to the Frost. Cost 1 Temp wood, 1 Temp Steel
Construct Hunter's Hut - Create enough equipment to allow a small amount of men to act as hunters, providing your city with fresh food. Cost : 2 Temp Wood
Construct Gathering Posts - Small posts set around the area provide some warmth for the people who have to work outside in these cold days. Cost : 1 Temp Wood
Construct Housing- Improving basic housing should provide warmth in these frigid days
Cost : 2 Temp Wood, 1 Temp steel
Construct Sawmill - A primitive sawmill, converting the frozen forests surrounding you into useful lumber Cost : 3 Temp Wood, Gives : + 1 Perm Wood
Set up the Steelworks - A facility capable of producing a small amount of Steel from surrounding deposits and coal. Cost : 2 Temp Wood, 2 Temp Steel, -1 Perm coal Gives : +1 Perm Stee
Set up Coal Thumper - Through injection of heated steam, this facility produces a decent amount of coal .
Cost 2 Temp Wood, 1 Temp Steel, Gives : + 2 Perm Coal
Send an expedition into the Frostland Choose a destination and send an expedition. Cost : 2 Temp food
Weather : Minus 20 degrees, Light snow
Housing : Lethal / Freezing / Very Cold / Cold / Chilly /
Livable / Comfortable
Indoor Work : Lethal / Freezing / Very Cold / Cold / Chilly / Livable /
Comfortable Outdoor Work : Lethal / Freezing / Very Cold / Cold /
Chilly / Livable / Comfortable
Originally a research and trading settlement established by the Empire in the north, it served as a testbed for the Generators. Dr Surlington launched expeditions from here, and so was well known to the few permanent residents. Thanks to his long-held suspicions of an imminent ice age, he had contingency plans in place to recruit the finest scientists and engineers, whilst also importing hardy laborers to work in the factories. Combining their expertise with the small amounts of advanced technology housed in the settlement's labs, he intends to upgrade the generator to something more modern, and weather the storm for as long as possible.
Flamfjord is, as the name suggests, situated in a fjord. The woods in the area are sparse, but existent, and a few seams of coal and iron are known to exist in the surrounding mountains. In addition, it served as a trading hub for the natives, who exchanged furs and reindeer meat for British goods. However, it is unknown whether any of them have survived the Frost's embrace.
Resources
Wood : 1 (2)
Steel : 0 (3)
Coal : 0 (3) [-1 Temp/Turn : Generator]
Food: 0 (4)
Steam Cores : 0 (3)
The City
Prototype Generator : Raises Housing Temperature 1 step by consuming 1 coal
Improvised Housing : Raises Housing Temperature by 1 step
Sawmill : Provides 1 Perm Wood [Outdoor Work]
Beacon : A powerful reflector allowing expeditions to easily find your city
Inhabitants and factions
Sergeant William Baxter, Royal Marines. Successfully marshaled his fellow survivors back to the ship when they got lost on their way to the city.
The City is lead by Dr William Surlington. Member of the esteemed Royal Society, and visionary climate scientist, William Surlington was the driving force behind the creation of the city of Flamfjord as the Frost covered the world. EHis great knowledge of the climate and his experience with Arctic Expeditions are great benefits to the colony, though his curiosity and fervent desire to understand the Frost sometimes drive him to take risks others do not understand.
The city is peaceful and orderly. No major factions are present, for now.
The Supply Ship We've recovered what could easily be recovered from the vessel, but there's still steel, wood and coal left within it. With considerable manpower or heavy machinery we could try to recover it's steam turbine and boilers. The constantly shifting ice is cracking it's hull however, and the vessel with not last forever.
The steam launch The cargo ship's steam launch was missing, last spotted floundered farther into the Fjord. The tiny vessel is nonetheless quite advanced, powered by a steam core.
Hints of survivors Sergeant William Baxter has shared his recollections of the voyage with you. Based on his information, you have a general area of where the rest of the colonists could be. There's an abandoned lodge near the area. From there we could prepare further expeditions.
The Telegraph Station Once this station had a direct oceanic cable to London. The link inland has broken under the weight of the snow, but the seaside station should still be connected.