Icerust - Update 6
Long Winter Y100.M7: World Does Not Weep
The Motors Parliament
The Parliamentary Garage grew twice in size over the course of one month, as PM sent a call across Old Ottawa ruins, inviting people to join the resurgent Motors Parliament gang. The tales of her achievements had surely spread far and wide by that point, and hundreds of refugees flocked to the Garage, many of asking for a special permission to partake in the construction of yet another beautiful patrol car, this one being the “L’Amerique Prit'' variant with two grenadiers in the passenger seats. Meanwhile, almost two hundred garage crewmen were dispatched across the city’s surroundings, hunting wildlife and gathering pinecones across Old Ottawa in order to feed the swelling settlement. Prime Motor herself, however, had a more fitting task to attend, venturing in her re-crewed “L’Amerique Pleur” car far east, past the Exec Way and through the land that had previously defied her ambition. Careful not to be noticed by another territorial pack of pseudowolves, she instead chose to navigate the rough, anomaly-ridden terrain of crushed ice in the middle of the Ottawa River, eventually making her way to a safe clearing in the Oz. The safe site was an icy passage under a half-collapsed highway bridge, attracting plenty of nomadic ice fishers and surrounded by a relatively intact village ruin with rusty remnants of a highway traffic jam. Having mapped her way, PM returned home to the garage dwellers’ applause, only to discover some of them whispering that Highwaymen are starting to learn about the Motors Parliament’s achievements as well.
(The Parliamentary Garage: +14 Grub, +37 Junk, +2 Guzz, -3 Plush, +298 Proles)
(The Motors Parliament: -2 Glory, +1 Notoriety, +1 “L’Amerique Prit” Patrol Car w/ Grenadier Squad, Highway discovered: Ottawa River (Expanse: 200, Openness: 330, Perils: 50), Site discovered: Hawk’s Bridge (Population Growth: 5, Fertility: 4, Deposit: 4, Fossils: 0, Protection: 4, no anomaly))
PM’s challenge: Syrup of Fast Life
Aflush with the newly gained glory, Prime Motor herself directed her garage crew to concentrate on developing the garden of Fast Life trees inside the Parliamentary Garage’s rooms that get the most sunlight after insulating them from the freezing cold of the outside. Apparently, the inspired new joiners of the Motors Parliament were more than happy to lend their labor this awesome enterprise that may yet see the first drop of Syrup harvested soon. (Investment: Labor 167/300, Expertise: 4/4, Finesse: 1/1, Award: +3d4 Plush (5% chance/turn), +1 Glory (one-time gain))
Mommaz Boyz
Less than three months had passed since the legend of the early Icerust, Ol’ Bunger himself fell victim first to his old age and then to his deviant lieutenant's gastronomic choices. And yet, while Grandma Ultraviolet lived (and she was quite lively indeed), the old epoch of nomadic car gangs seemed to be still living with her. Unbeknownst to her grandkids, however, she already had her doom chasing her. It started as yet another daring series of exploratory expeditions, in which Grandma and her three top drivers took the cutie-quads in four different directions in a search for a salvage-rich site. As usual, Jerry the Race Car Driver took off ahead of everyone and… was never heard from again. A story from the grandkids joining the family later that month claimed that they saw a man fitting Jerry’s description stuck on a road, trying to clean his cutie-quad from a rust locust infestation with machine oil. Another couple of new joiners said that they passed by his frozen body on their way to the Crib, alleging that he probably froze to death while trying to carry the remnants of his quad (mostly the tiers) back home. John Fisherman, accompanied by two of his favorite huskies, Neiz and Meesh, headed east, where Jerry was greeted by an aurora wall a month earlier, only to face a massive mindbender, through which even the stoic Fisherman couldn’t pass, eventually returning to the Crib, confused and disturbed. More luck was met by the braggart Pierce, who was sent north to find a way around the aurora wall that had blocked Grandma Ultraviolet a month ago. Pierce later claimed that he indeed chopped through the shining wall with his fireman’s axe (which he, in fact, had left in his shack), but one way or another, he did navigate the Highway 380, littered with rusty remnants of old-world cars, until reaching an abandoned hamlet sitting in the middle of snow-covered agricultural field, with a single machine shack standing on a hill, full to the brim with well-preserved fuel canisters. With this knowledge, Pierce came back, only to discover Mommaz Boyz in the midst of grieving (and some, secretly celebrating). From the newly arrived grandkids, they learned that Bubblegum Ultraviolet was ambushed by a gang of Czech Mates somewhere in the north-east. The gang consisted of two beautifully reconstructed classic old-world Czech recon motorbikes with a cost-effective European engine, a sidecar and a machine gun team each, followed by a couple of three-wheeler minicar replicas of a classic urban zoomer, with a mediocre "Barnacle" engine, a semaphore signal installation, and an anti-armor rifle on each. Despite the shots being fired, Grandma could still make it out alive, but her path was intersected by a roaring open-wheel Formula race car with a turbocharged gran turismo engine and a vicious combination of low-set warscythes and articulated mechanical saws. Trying to escape the cackling raiders, Grandma turned off the safe road and into a wild field full of Oz anomalies, one of which sucked her in and threw hundreds of feet into the sky, where she exploded in a cloud of blood and gore (as for her cutie-quad, it was damaged, but got later recovered by a rescue expedition). The mourning didn’t last too long, as the same witnesses stated that the Czech Mates were becoming more certain of the Crib’s location and prosperity. Taking over Grandma, the grim Candyman ramped up the production of his narcotic confections and dispatched a truly massive hunting party across the Ruins of Five Seasons - an action that hadn’t resulted in overhunting yet, but might in the future. To prevent this, Candiman (true sadistic managers as he is) enrolled many migrating “ferals” into the Mommaz Boyz and sent them to the construction sites for two protein pools, hosting colonies of edible cockroaches. Uncle K-9, the leader of the mechanics’ faction, did end up persuading Candiman to also agree to produce six more cutie-quads for the Mommaz Boyz needs, giving the jacks the much needed sway in the family’s affairs.
(The Crib: +230 Grub, -10 Junk, +21 Guzz, +139 Proles, -2 Clouts, +2 Protein pools)
(Mommaz Boyz: +1 Glory, +1 Notoriety, +5 “Peekaboo Puffy Paws” Cutie-quads, 1 “Peekaboo Puffy Paws” Cutie-quad is disabled, -2 Commanders (Grandma Ultra Violet, Jerry the Race Car Driver), Highway discovered: Three-Eighty (Expanse: 180, Openness: 110, Perils: 350), Sites discovered: Shady Grove (Population Growth: 1, Fertility 4, Deposits 1, Fossils 4, Protection 2, no anomaly))
Stepdad’s challenge: Barter with the ferals
With the demise of the legendary Grandma Ultraviolet, her past favorite, Candyman, put a much greater emphasis on diplomacy over adventuring. This saw some more effort dedicated to courting the nomadic “ferals,” with some more primitive trade stations built and manned at the very edge of the Five Seasons’ fog. (Investment: Labor: 40/60, Expertise: 4/4, Finesse: 6/8, Award: -1d20 Grub, +1d20 Junk (10% chance/turn), +1 Glory (one-time gain))
Stepdad’s challenge: Mommaz Boyz no more
Grandma is dead. Long life to the Stepdad! Grandma Ultraviolet was the binding glue of the Mommaz Boyz’ family throughout her messy life, and her equally messy death paved a way for a necessary change in the family affairs. With Jerry gone, John Fisherman recovering from a deep trip through the mindbender, and Pierce being just too busy telling his cock-and-bull stories to the gawkers, Candiman is poised to rise to the role of leadership. However, if that were truly to happen, the Mommaz Boyz would have to become something else entirely. Many grandkids are seen asking: what should their family be called? What should it stand for? What would define it in the wild blizzard of Icerust? (Investment: Labor: 0/60, Expertise: 0/20, Finesse: 0/5, Award: +2 Glory (one-time gain), +1 Notoriety (one-time gain))
Mid-Apocalypse Chaos Carnival
Promoting her Madhouse Circus, Rignmaster Vanessa took her impressive “Lion Tamer” on the road, riding south of the Carnival Ground in her first venture outside of Shelby Carnarium in a long while. Without encountering any issues, the single-car tour went south along the snowed-over highway, densely overgrown with pine trees and bushes, until reaching a quaint campground inside a coniferous wood, nested between three frozen lakes. With the news of this discovery, she returned home to enjoy the well-earned prestige. In her absence, the carnival crew scouted Carnival Ground for scrap and fuel, but the main effort was put into finishing Shelby Carnarium’s long-awaited power plant. Upon her arrival, Vanessa added another construction to the bill: Crusty The Clown’s tavern, in which the Chaos Carnival’s visitors could relieve some stress. She also put her expeditionary experience to good use, helping design a new, cheaper vehicle fitting the rugged terrain her battle hatchback had just covered. Named “Battle Bugg,” it’s designed as a skeleton-frame buggy with an “it-will-do” “Boomer” engine, Gatling gun installation, and seats for the two-people strong shrapnel troupe of shotgun warriors.
(Shelby Carnarium: -17 Grub, +1 Junk, +7 Guzz, +1 Heatcatcher, +1 Smilo joint)
(Mid-Apocalypse Chaos Carnival: +1 Glory, +1 Design (“Battle Bugg” Utility Vehicle w/ Shrapnel Troupe), Highway discovered: Seventy-Fiver (Expanse: 120, Openness: 60, Perils: 170), Sites discovered: Rigged Valley (Population Growth: 4, Fertility 4, Deposits 0, Fossils 0, Protection 4, no anomaly))
Ringmaster’s challenge: Madhouse Circus
Ringmaster Vanessa’s tour south was a great promotional opportunity for the Madhouse Circus. Meanwhile, at home, the carnival crew worked hard on putting together a tented arena, while the jacks figured out the lighting, the music, and the logistics of future shows. (Investment: Labor: 50/100, Expertise: 4/4, Finesse: 0/6, Award: +1d4 Plush (15% chance/turn), +1 Glory (one-time gain))
Restless Spirits
The recent schism proved to be lethal for the cult of the Restless Spirits. With Dame Clara Eden losing her followers quickly, the sect’s cohesion evaporated, paving way for her past challenger to return to Auto Bastille and start his proselytization in secret. By the month’s end, the orthodox cult followers found themselves a minority, and soon the schismatics all but took over. Their interpretation of the original faith was much more apocalyptic, believing that Icerust was but a hellish punishment for the souls of past sinners, making them get reborn into the frigid hellscape over and over. The resolution, they preached, was the Wild Hunt, an apocalyptic event in which all souls of Icerust could be freed from their flesh prison in a carnage of automotive slaughter, breaking the loop of rebirth and placing them to rest once and for all.
(Restless Spirits: game over)
The Wobblies
While many factions across Icerust turned their gases to expansion, the IWW organization continued looking at the inward improvement. With the heatcatcher plant fully operational, first potato farming greenhouses were built on the patches of land thawed by its heat pipes and the shy summer sun. Of course, no harvest could be gathered from those, as a potato plant can’t grow to full harvest in merely a month, but this source of food was supplemented with hunting the animals attracted by the power plant’s warmth, and the hunting teams were joined by scrap gatherers as well. In the meantime, Grand Foreman Chandra Gardener spread the word across Old Northside Chicago that the gates of the commune are open for new joiners. She also encouraged the incoming proletariat to help with the scrap metal drive, and the resulting bounty of metal junk surpassed all expectations, being enough to put the foundation of the Wobblies’ first scrap chowder facility that stood half-finished by the end of the month.
(Ravenswood Commune: -115 Grub, +101 Junk, -20 Guzz, -4 Plush, +100, +1 Scrap chowder (45/90))
(The Wobblies: -2 Glory)
Grand Foreman’s challenge: Gob rigging (Completed)
With the qualified working hands finally freed up from the completion of the power plant, Ravenswood Commune could concentrate on finishing its humble publishing house with an operational ‘gob rigger’ printing press. By the end of the month, the survivors inhabiting the Windy Ruins were surprised to discover packages of freshly printed copies of “Icerust Worker” at every avenue corner, spreading the word of the IWW’s ascendency. (Investment: Labor: 60/60, Expertise: 20/20, Finesse: 5/5, Award: +2 Glory (one-time gain), +1 Notoriety (one-time gain))
Grand Foreman’s challenge: Literacy program
“Icerust Worker” was a great success… among the few that could read it. Ironically, the ones reading it were, for the most part, the ones having written its articles, so Grand Foreman Gardener had to do something to help her people keep up with the news of their own struggle. Thus, the IWW literacy program was born. The idea was driven by Ravenswood Commune’s working intelligentsia, who readily contributed their time and skill to developing a fairly robust teaching program. However, soon it became obvious that for the literacy program to be successful, the proletariat’s contribution was also needed - at the very least, the students need to sit through the classes, during which they can’t contribute their labor. However, with enough investment, the Wobblies may establish a society in which even its lowest members could at times enjoy the luxury of reading for entertainment.
(Investment: Labor: 0/100, Expertise: 12/12, Finesse: 0/2, Award: +1d12 Plush (5% chance/turn), +1 Glory (one-time gain))
Greylaw
For once, Conan the Snowflake had an uneventful month, during which he could put his sharp mind to good use guiding Greylaw through necessary internal development. Inspired by the recent humble victory of the People’s Republic of Arboretum, many survivors from Central Michigan wasteland flocked to Thunderbolt, where they joined the salvaging and hunting rookie teams sent to comb through Greyhound Den. In the meantime, in Thunderbolt itself, the heavy and light industries expanded once again, with a meat rat colony being built right next to a loud scrap recycling facility.
(Thunderbolt: +18 Grub, -90 Junk, -30 Guzz, +2 Plush, +100 Proles, +1 Protein pool, +1 Scrap chowder)
Alfa-Alfa’s challenge: The Greycoats
Alfa-Alfa really liked the idea of legitimizing his gang by dressing them in a uniform. With Thunderbolt swelling on the news of the Arboreals’ raiders’ defeat, a primitive textile sweatshop was put together with the newly gained labor, and now the Betas and Alfas need to figure out some of the production-related issues before it starts spewing out legit-looking grey jackets, pants, boots, and hats.
(Investment: Labor: 60/60, Expertise: 10/20, Finesse: 4/5, Award: +2 Glory (one-time gain), +1 Notoriety (one-time gain))
The Speed Freaks
In Joe’s Pitshop, construction of the Speed Freaks’ two protein pools producing edible moss was completed this month, as the Speed-Ace aims to make his growing cult self-sufficient. This time hasn’t come yet, as huge hunting parties were dispatched across Buried Sod, and some metal salvagers scanned through the Old Sudbury ruins. The latter venture was particularly successful, as many deer and moose were attracted by the heat generated by Joe’s Pitshop’s new power plant.
(Joe’s Pitshop: -65 Grub, -174 Junk, -20 Guzz, -2 Plush, +2 Protein pools)
Speed-Ace’s challenge: Speedfest (Completed)
With maniacal enthusiasm, Joe One-Toe went about preparing the upcoming, (yet) non-automotive Speedfest. Instead of turning it into a competition of individuals, he chose to resurrect the Speed Freaks’ team spirits, arbitrarily dividing them into four teams: Frostdogs (Team Colour: Blue | Symbol: Howling Dog), Rotworms (Team Colour: Green | Symbol: Screaming Worm), Rustbulls (Team Colour: Red | Symbol: Charging Bull) and the Painsnakes (Team Colour: Purple | Symbol: Slithering Serpent). The Speedfest itself was divided into three event challenges. The most common one would be the Solo Race, where each team would be represented by one athlete competing against others. In the Team Race, four representatives from every team would co-op race each other on sleds, skies, ice skates, and whatnot. Finally the much awaited Death Race pitched four representatives from each team against all others in a racing game that allowed injuring or killing the opponents. To preserve the manpower, the Death Race was to be scheduled only from time to time, but the interest it generated was enormous. After all, a few human lives are a small price to pay for fun and team building, are they not? (Investment: Labor 100/100, Expertise: 2/2, Finesse: 2/2, Award: +1d3 Plush, -1d2 Proles (5% chance/turn), +1 Glory (one-time gain))
Speed-Ace’s challenge: Scrap-mania
Scrap-mania’s time would come, Joe had promised. That’s pretty much how far that project advanced through the month. (Investment: Labor 0/60, Expertise: 0/4, Finesse: 1/4, Award: +1d8 Junk (20% chance/turn))
Order Implacable
Recently, life in Hammertown was getting better and better. With Order Implacable ascendant, people were flocking to the growing settlement in droves. Hunting and salvaging parties combed through Old Milwaukee ruins, bringing rich hauls back. Some leaders of these parties distinguished themselves enough to be elevated to the position of jacks, while the existing mechanics worked on an unarmed variant of the "Giftgiver" moto-carlet with a more spacious trunk and additional anti-boarding spikes. One of such vehicles, named “Mule,” was being produced in Hammertown’s car shoppe, along with yet another “Zard” bike and “Giftgiver” artillery carlet, while Hammerhill’s slope was crawling with construction workers building the Order’s first bunker. However, all this happy buzz was interrupted, when a minor warband of local Highwaymen appeared crossing the Old Milwaukee ruins through a secret highway. Three of the attacking vehicles were naked armature-framed limousines with an enterprise engine and a spar torpedo at its front each, crewed by a vicious band of Greeko-Viking-looking warriors armed with clubs and butcher knives and carrying their land drakkar’s banner. These vehicles were escorted by chopper-mounted myrmidon warriors and their squires, also outfitted with personalized banners and trophy collections of enemy skulls and limbs. Having heard the alarm raised by the sentries, Sir Ducati rushed to the garage and assembled his humble force of three bike-in-arms teams and one “Giftgiver” artillery carlet. The next two days were spent in on-and-off skirmishing and maneuvers in the approaches to Hammerhill, as Highwaymen’s vehicle fleet attempted to intersect the Oz-ridden ruins and get up close and personal with the intimidating “Giftgiver,” while denying it the opportunity to fire its barrage. At some point, it appeared that the victory was after the Implacables, as the motorcycle teams were lost on both sides, but two of the attacking land drakkars were also badly damaged while trying to cross an anomaly-infected bridge. However, at the dawn of the third day the last remaining enemy limo appeared in the vicinity of the settlement, displaying Sir Ducati’s head (or was it just their helmet?) on a pike. This demoralized Hammertown’s sentries, who didn’t oppose the Highwaymen when they rounded up the Order’s salvaging party and took its haul, along with a small tribute of Hammertown’s plush. Luckily for the Implacables, the rest of the enemy warband was badly damaged, and soon the limo retreated, taking only a minor loot and letting the sentries recover the rest of the Order’s crashed vehicles from the vicinity of Hammerhill. The wounded survivors of the battle told Bishop Lamborghini and his clergy that the enemies seemed to belong to yet another militant order, originating from a place called Mars Cheese Castle. If the prideful Highwaymen warriors are to be believed, they trace their lineage to the Greek and Scandinavian families that once owned a legendary artisanal cheesery somewhere in ancient Wisconsin, and since then the warrior society of the Martians developed deep devotion to Mars, the ancient god of war and cheese-making. That, of course, raises some questions, such as where they could possibly get milk for such a long-forgotten delicacy. Some people believed the Martians must possess some cattle that’s been considered extinct for about a hundred years. Meanwhile, the cynics guessed that the only milk the Cheese Castle’s cheese can be made out of would have to belong to human mothers. One way or another, now the Martians are certainly going to return to Hammertown sooner or later.
(Hammertown: -94 Grub, +140 Junk, +6 Guzz, -28 Proles, +3 Jacks, -1 Clout, +1 Bunker)
(Order Implacable: +1 Notoriety, +1 “Zard” Bike-in-Arms, +1 “Giftgiver” Raid Carlet, +1 “Mule” Hedgehog Carlet, -1 Commander (Sir Ducati), 3 “Zard” Bike-in-Arms and 1 “Giftgiver” Raid Carlet are disabled)
Grand Master’s challenge: Carapace armor
The grim news of the Martians’ raid and the loss of Sir Ducati in battle made some people in the Order question their mission. However, Sir Ducati’s lieutenants instead dedicated their time to recreating the martyr’s iconic armor, finalizing the design that was later sent to Hammerhill’s armorers and blacksmiths. (Investment: Labor 0/100, Expertise: 0/8, Finesse: 2/2, Award: new Small Arms available only to Order Implacable in the Small Arms list, +1 Glory)
Ogayori Clan
The Ogayori Clan continued going from strength to strength throughout the month.Rich off of its fishing and salvaging runs, the clansmen and -women could concentrate much of their efforts on building up the already expansive city of Ryūgū-jō, this time adding a wood-burning power plant to its infrastructure. Several more “Yari Ashigaru” trikes were set to be manufactured in the bike stables, while Ogayori Denji used his authority to invite many more gaijin craftsmen and mechanics to settle with the Clan. However, the month’s end saw the first test to the Great Unifier’s reputation. The lone sentry tower’s garrison reported an unusual sighting on the other side of the icy bridge connecting Utsukushī Shima with Old Detroit ruins. Like meerkats of old, gun wielding observers of the Funk Brothers started popping over the ramshackled buildings, strapped to aluminum poles and observing the settlement. Eventually, the scouts showed themselves: these were recon bikers with two gun-totting crewmen each, riding underpowered sidecar bikes equipped with foldable observation poles that could be raised in a stationary position. Crossing a stretch of ice connecting the island with the mainland, they couldn’t effectively outmaneuver the sentries, so the battle soon evolved into a direct close-range shootout. Ogayori Denji opted out of riding his sole cavalry tricycle, joining the sentries instead. The blunt engagement soon devolved into a close-quarter fight, as the surviving Funk Brothers stormed the tower by using their observation poles to lift the gunmen and -women to the tower’s top floor. In the chaos of the battle, the enemy’s peep bikes were set aflame along with their drivers, but the tower also suffered irreparable damage when an ammunition box exploded inside. At the end, Ogayori Denji cut his way out of the collapsing tower with a katana in his hand, only to be the only survivor of the bloody clash. With this, the Ogayori Clan had sent a powerful message to the Highwaymen - at least, for now.
(Ryūgū-jō: +22 Grub, -155 Junk, +62 Guzz, -1 Plush, -14 Proles, +20 Jacks, +1 Heatcatcher, -1 Sentry tower)
(Ogayori Clan: -1 Notoriety, -1 Glory, +3 “Yari Ashigaru” Trike Cavalry)
Clan Head’s challenge:Yacht wharf
Slowly but surely, the komin craftsmen of Ryūgū-jō started to work under the supervision of the nobles and intellectuals to develop a long-lost art of boatbuilding. (Investment: Expertise: 12/40, Finesse: 4/5, Award: new structure available only to Ogayori Clan in the Building list, +1 Glory)
Monolith of Sarkic
The mad preachings of the Salvation Radio were heard in the transceivers of the few radio enthusiasts across Icerust, drawing many people’s attention to the rising star of the Monolith of Sarkic. While the Salvation Radio worked night and day to spread the Sarkic faith, the Cathedral was a hive of activity as a new biofuel plant was built on top of the dirty gutter connected with the Initiates’ Quarter. Hundreds of zand acolytes and orin initiates were dispatched acoss Still Mill, hunting and gathering for food, salvaging plentiful metal, and pumping gasoline from recovered ancient vehicles and gas stops. This influx of materials was welcomed at home, as the Monolith’s car shoppe was busy tinkering with a new vehicle design produced by Maxwell’s trusted lieutenant, the fanatical and guileful Karcist Kane. Named “Zealot,” his new interceptor vehicle was a well-powered, light-framed buggy armed with a massive armor-piercing rifle and carrying a team of semaphore signaller and kite observer, both trained at the local signal tower. Not to delay the sect’s expansion any more, the Sarkic mechanics churned out two “Zealots” by the end of the month, joining them with properly restored vehicles captured the previous month from the attacking Iron Rangers.
(The Cathedral: +16 Grub, +516 Junk, +92 Guzz, -4 Plush, -14 Proles, +6 Jacks, +1 Waste kitchen)
(Monolith of Sarkic: +1 Design (“Zealot” Militant Interceptor w/ Mounted .50 BMG), +2 “Zealot” Militant Interceptors w/ Mounted .50 BMG, +1 Commander (Karcist Kane (Ruse: 3, Tactics: -2, Spirit: 3))
Grand Karcist’s challenge: Flesh temple
Slowly but surely, the architectural blueprint of the future flesh temples was coming along, as the Sakic engineers worked on it in their spare time between prayers.
(Investment: Expertise: 4/40, Finesse: 5/5, Award: new structure available only to Monolith Of Sarkic in the Building list, +1 Glory)
Mikeland
Mikeland continued to be the land of plenty, especially personally for King Mike. Ever an engineer, he ideated (and then wisely delegated to his royal engineers) the construction of two fungus-growing protein pools, overlooked by a sentry tower. The kingdom’s indentured servants, meanwhile, continued scanning the cracks of the Singing Ice glacier for squashed remnants of ancient housing and cars (they found plenty, and even syphoned some gasoline out of an underground tank of an old gas station). Hunting also continued unopposed, as the snow bisons apparently frequented the glacier as a migration route. This, of course, only attracted ever more souls that looked to join Mike’s realm - not only drawn by his crown’s rising authority, but also just joining due to Mikeland’s strong, feudal tradition. Yet, the biggest developments took place not in Popsicle Junction itself, but outside, as Captain Molly Clever and Unlucky Larry both took their buggy teams to explore the northeast and south of Mikeland’s grand capital. Larry had the easier part of the job, driving two buggies along the narrow, but relatively untouched Highway 31 and a snowed-over rural road cutting through the shrubland. This trip took him to a recently abandoned and blown-up wooden fort, constructed in the early days of the Long Winter by a Luddite cult on top of the ruins of a quaint farming village. Molly’s expedition, however, had to chop its way through one of the few still standing coniferous woods, nested in a warm highland between several glaciers and lacking any, even the most primitive trails. Molly’s feat of cross-country driving and mapping was rewarded by a discovery of a well-preserved abandoned family resort, crisscrossed with what used to be skiing lanes.
(Popsicle Junction: -300 Grub, +72 Junk, +167 Guzz, +1 Plush, +113 Proles, +2 Protein pools, +1 Sentry tower)
(Mikeland: +1 Glory, Highways discovered: The Thicket (Expanse: 380, Openness: 10, Perils: 100), Straight-n-Thirty One (Expanse: 100, Openness: 360, Perils: 200), Sites discovered: Crystal Mountain (Population Growth: 2, Fertility: 1, Deposit: 3, Fossils: 2, Protection: 2, no anomaly), Free Soil (Population Growth: 2, Fertility: 3, Deposit: 2, Fossils: 0, Protection: 4, no anomaly))
King’s challenge: Mike’s statue (Completed)
Princess Molly’s and Unlucky Larry’s discoveries were commemorated by King Mike with a statue of himself. With great pompe, it was revealed to the crowd that cheered in furor and excitement under the aim of Captain Molly’s shotgun soldiers. (Investment: Labor 100/100, Expertise: 2/2, Finesse: 4/4, Award: +1d2 Plush (10% chance/turn), +1 Glory (one-time gain))
King’s challenge: Tramp market
Some of Mike’s indentured servants are just not hard-working fellows. That’s as much as King Mike himself intimated to Unlucky Larry during another game of poker, before walking off and heading for his trailer palace. The following morning, Larry was summoned to the King’s throne booth and told that Mike would like him to consider selling some of these lazy hands to any passing merchant that’d pay. Thus, the idea of Mikeland’s tramp market was born. The question, however, remained, if the idea would ever take off. (Investment: Labor: 0/180 Labor, Expertise: 0/4, Finesse: 0/4, Award: -1d10 Proles, +1d10 Grub, +1d10 Junk, +1d10 Guzz, +1d4 Plush (5% chance/turn), +1 Glory (one-time gain))
The Republic of Sinclair
After the political and humanitarian disaster of the previous month, “Never Again” was Eugenia St. Clair’s motto in the first days of the short, cool Icerust summer. In order to prevent future famintes, yet another protein pool was built, and the food waste was reduced with the introduction of a pickling facility and a biofuel plant (alas, this didn’t give the city of Sinclair a particularly pleasant smell). Hundreds of refugees were attracted to the Republic with this display of positivity and can-do attitude, and public works were organized immediately, dispatching these new citizens to hunt the ruins of Old Cleveland for stray animals and salvage some scrap metal. The Republic’s quick rebound contrasted rather dramatically with the sad fate of the exodites of the previous month, who, according to the rumors, were ambushed by a Highwaymen gang somewhere outside the city’s limits and possibly revealed some vague information about the Republic’s growing capital.
(Sinclair: +15 Grub, -180 Junk, -30 Guzz, -4 Plush, +200 Proles, +1 Protein pool, +1 Food sizzler, +1 Waste kitchen)
(The Republic of Sinclair: +1 Notoriety, -2 Glory)
Captain-Defender’s challenge: Republican Watch
Looking to recover her shaken popularity after the last month’s crisis, Captain-Defender St. Claire tasked several Republican clerks and statesmen with starting the organizational part of the Republican Watch institution. (Investment: Labor: 0/120, Expertise: 7/10, Finesse: 2/5, Award: +2 Glory (one-time gain), +1 Notoriety (one-time gain))
Map:
GM's notes:
- The stats are up to date
- The map is published
- The next set of orders is due next Friday, 11/13