[The Quiet Year] Breathes the Sea (group 2)

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Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Spring - Week 4

quote:

How old are the eldest members of the community? What special needs do they have?

There are a handful of elders who have seen more than eighty winters, and Nausicaa nearly a hundred. Many have old wounds, from war or work, that bother them form time to time, and most sore knees and shoulders from years of clambering through the ravines and wading through the Shallows, poling boats and practicing with sword and spear and rifle. But all of them have gone deaf from the winds, and must be spoken to in sign.

Action: Start a discussion
Jiwo and Menlaos, who lead the ore-gathering crews, want to use the solar batteries to power a set of metal detectors that had broken down and put into storage several years ago, which should increase ore production. How should we allocate the solar batteries?

Projects: Fix the fleet (1)
Abundances: Courage
Scarcities: Farmland, Ore, Ships
Contempt: Fathis Munk (0), chin up everything sucks (0), AJ_Impy (0), Comrade Gorbash (0)

OOC: Can we get a link to the roll20 in the OP?
Also, I made a list of names for an Apocalypse World game, might be useful here if you need name ideas.

Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 21:38 on Apr 30, 2018

# ¿ Apr 30, 2018 17:33

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 18:26

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Discussion
The debate is spirited, but eventually an agreement is reached: enough solar batteries to power the detectors that don't need other repairs - about half of them - with the rest to the fleet. In truth, that's probably all Jiwo and Menlaos were after. A handful of the before-craft will have to be left unrestored, but Xanth� the fleet engineer says they can still provide replacement parts for the others. The possibility of an expedition to the newly found ruins has everyone excited, though plans would still need to be made.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2018 21:46

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Discussion
A lack of clear lines of responsibility cost us a great deal during the war against the Jackals. We should not repeat that mistake.

# ¿ May 1, 2018 02:11

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Spring - Week 8

quote:

Where are you storing your food? Why is this a risky place to store things?

During the war, the Jackals targeted our storehouses, looting and destroying most of them. Since then we've been storing our food in a series of small caves near our homes. At the time this was a good choice - the caves were less convenient but much easier to guard and harder to find. But our people are finding that the network of caverns is much more extensive than we'd thought, and what seem to be solid walls may merely be thin barriers separating the known chambers and the hidden ones. The revelation that they were used in the Before Time raises even more questions. We do not know what lies within, and one our most critical resources is right in the middle of that growing mystery.

Action: Start a Project

The repaired hovercraft provides an opportunity to restore our abandoned shellfish farms, since it lets us haul the needed materials and protect the workers without worrying about being stranded by the tides. What would have otherwise required a significant effort by the whole community can now be handled by Tyro's work crew alone.

Projects: Ino's expedition (3), Build a Wall (4), Repair the Shellfish Farms (3)
Abundances: Courage
Scarcities: Farmland, Ore, Workforce
Contempt: Fathis Munk (0), chin up everything sucks (0), AJ_Impy (0), Comrade Gorbash (0)

# ¿ May 2, 2018 17:09

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Before we disturb any more graves, we should explore the cave thoroughly. It might tell us who these people were, and what they wanted to happen to their remains. They may have been buried here for reasons other than custom.

# ¿ May 3, 2018 17:46

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

We need to finish the Wall and then make more ammunition to replace what was expended before we take on tasks with less certain results. Put the spindly things back in the cave until we have time to understand what they are.

# ¿ May 5, 2018 12:49

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Repair the Shellfish Farms
The return of the expedition overshadows it, but Tyro and his crews have finished repairing the shellfish farms and placed the first seed shellfish. It will be some time before the first harvest comes in, but the crews do not come back empty handed. As a welcome home feast, baskets of fresh oysters and mussels are offloaded into eager arms, the feral descendants of the abandoned harvests from the war. For one day at least, everyone eats well.

Spring - Week 12

quote:

Someone new arrives. Who?

Our children are not the only ones to arrive. With them comes Makaeda, an old warrior and explorer who claims to have come from a distant land, far from the waters, a windswept grassy plain, dotted with ancient ruins. He says he ran afoul of a local leader and was exiled. Eventually he settled in a town known to us, well leeward. This town was able to seal itself off from the Jackals during the war, so we lost contact with them. Makaeda explains that after this, a sickness came upon the townsfolk, eventually wiping them out. He proved immune, and after burying the dead, left that place. It was then that Ino's expedition came across him. Ino vouches for his skill with sword and pistol, and his survival skills. For his part, Makeada merely asks for a place among our warriors and no special treatment.

Action: Start a project
Though difficult to reach, the ore pit Ino's expedition discovered is worth exploiting. But it will almost certainly play out quickly, which means the community's need has become dire. Apparently having half expected this outcome, Menlaos and Jiwo come forward with a new plan - to mine the Derelict. It's the surest source of metals in the area; it had been ignored until because of how far away it was, but the one part of the Derelict itself can be converted into a secure base - practically a fort - while crews break the rest of the ship. With few other options available, plans are finalized and survey crews sent out to prepare the way.

Projects:

Build a Wall (0), Repurpose the Spindly Things (5), Establish a mining operation on the derelict (6)
Abundances: Courage
Scarcities: Farmland, Ore, Workforce, Ammunition
Contempt: Fathis Munk (0), chin up everything sucks (0), AJ_Impy (0), Comrade Gorbash (0)

# ¿ May 6, 2018 23:52

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Discussion
We should not turn them away, but neither should we ignore the danger. Give them food and supplies and quarantine them in a dry, safe cave for a few weeks. Once we know the sickness is not among them, then we can welcome them fully.

Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 14:25 on May 9, 2018

# ¿ May 9, 2018 14:22

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

The reason they still plague us is we've never been able to find their lair. Find that, and we can root them out once and for all. So before we commit our forces, we should send out scouting parties.

# ¿ May 11, 2018 17:33

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Summer - Week 4

quote:

A headstrong community member decides to put one of their ideas in motion. Start a foolish project.

Ever since her return, Ino has obsessed over the strange readings beneath the ruins. She's certain something important is down there, and is impatient to go back and find it. Finally she forces the issue. Even as we prepare to deal with the Jackals, she diverts effort to preparing one of the hovercraft to haul a mining derrick out to the ruins, and to carry enough fighters to protect it. Ino does this without asking, and when confronted only promises to wait until the raid is carried off before leaving. There isn't enough support to make Ino and her followers give up, but the distraction leads to some hard words and hard feelings, which we can ill afford on the eve of battle.

I think I should take a contempt token for this? I'm still not clear on how those work.

Action - Discover Something New
As we finalize our preparations for our raid, a scout named Teucer returns in great haste. Her news is shocking - the Jackals are building a fortified watch tower overlooking the half-bridge. It's an excellent place to monitor our comings and goings, and to interdict much of our activities. Fortunately, it's unfinished. We have a chance to take it out now before it becomes a true danger - and perhaps capture one of the warriors manning it. From them we might learn the location of their lair.

Projects: Repurpose the Spindly Things (2), Establish a mining operation on the derelict (3), Gather supplies for a raid (1), A New Expedition to the Ruins (5)
Abundances: Courage
Scarcities: Farmland, Ore, Ammunition
Contempt: Fathis Munk (0), chin up everything sucks (0), AJ_Impy (0), Comrade Gorbash (0)

Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 16:34 on May 13, 2018

# ¿ May 13, 2018 16:32

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

They stole our icons, the symbols of our revered ancestors who watch over our community. We recovered some, but not all of them. The tragedies that have befallen us might have been avoided if that protection had remained.

# ¿ May 21, 2018 16:14

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Summer - Week 8

Establish a mining operation on the derelict
The work on the Derelict is complete. The stern has been converted into a safe and defensible, if not yet comfortable, fort, and the miners have begun breaking up the rest of the ship for scrap. The first shipments of usable metal have already begun to arrive.

quote:

Introduce a mystery at the edge of the map.

With the first shipment, the miners also send a shocking report. Another Sentinel was spotted, and a scouting party sent for a closer look discovered that the outer shell has been damaged, revealing a way inside. The interior was dark, and reaching the hole will require climbing equipment, so they returned to the Derelict. The miners are requesting further instructions.

Action - Start a discussion
The news of the new Sentinel raises yet another challenge for the community. Should scouts be sent inside, or do we have enough trouble on our plate as it is?

Projects: A New Expedition to the Ruins (2), Raid the Jackals (1) :siren:

Use the Rumours to scapegoat the Jackals (0) :siren:

Abundances: Courage, Vicious Rumors
Scarcities: Farmland, Ammunition
Contempt: Fathis Munk (0), chin up everything sucks (0), AJ_Impy (0), Comrade Gorbash (0)

# ¿ May 25, 2018 03:21

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

The community is averse to making too many commitments at once, but the opportunity - and the danger - represented by the new Sentinel is too great to ignore. It's decided that a small party will go in, and least explore the first level that is opened to us.

# ¿ Jun 5, 2018 01:15

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

A New Expedition to the Ruins
In order to reach the object, Ino's expedition spent weeks constructing a cofferdam and pumping out water. Only then could they truly begin excavating their way down. With the war looming, she pushed her followers to work round-the-clock shifts to complete the digging. Even this furious pace only bore fruit in the final days.

What they found was a ship, buried deep in the sands. But not a ship like any had seen. It was immense, shaped like an arrowhead and smooth as a river stone. The outside of the vessel was made of a strange material, not metal, more like ceramic, which accounted for the weak signal. It took several hours to find a way through the hatch they had found, which led to a small room and another matching hatchway. Only once they had opened this did they enter the ship itself.

With little time remaining, Ino and her closest followers were able to explore no more than a tenth of the ship. But from within they brought incredible things. Strange armor, somehow both formfitting and bulky, unfaded white and orange. Tools, familiar but cunningly made and far superior to anything we can make ourselves. A collection of optics, binoculars and scopes of shocking clarity. And a crate of hand-held lights, the likes of which only the oldest among us have seen functional. All useful things she sends back to the community. They also found climbing and exploring gear, some of which they kept for themselves, to aid in their planned exploration of the new Sentinel.

But one of those who returned tells us Ino brought other things out of the ship, things in large, smooth black cases, that she kept hidden from the others. And one man-sized case covered in bright symbols that looked like our own wards against danger. Ino took these with her as well.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2018 17:17

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Summer, Week 11

quote:

Something goes wrong and supplies are ruined. Add a new scarcity.

Our community was founded here because of the spring, a natural source of fresh water. But this morning that water tasted brackish. Cleaning the pumps made no improvement, nor did anything else we tried. The problem was with the water itself. Salt water has made it to the source itself and contaminated it. We have other ways to gather fresh water - fog-condensers and desalination vats and carefully maintained filters - but they will only just suffice to provide for the community. We no longer have a margin for error.

Action - Discover Something New
The refugees tell us of a spring they passed on their way here. Scouts are sent and confirm its location, lee-by-riseward of our community, and that the water is clean and fresh. But it's too far to carry a useful amount back.

Projects: Excavate and Renovate Ino's Ship (5)
Abundances: Courage, Vicious Rumors, Explosives
Scarcities: Farmland, Ammunition, Fresh Water
Contempt: Fathis Munk (0), chin up everything sucks (0), AJ_Impy (0), Comrade Gorbash (0)

Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Jun 13, 2018

# ¿ Jun 10, 2018 18:46

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Discussion

Securing water has to take priority, but at this point backing away from the conflict would be more dangerous than continuing it.

# ¿ Jun 13, 2018 19:37

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 18:26

Comrade Gorbash: Jul 12, 2011; My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

Exploring their camp is the only way to find answers - and they might have left something useful behind.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2018 18:12

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