Freelance Doctor is more important than you thought. [Episode 2 Spoilers]

[Fuarian]

Think about it, why would Great Bear Island have access to proper healthcare? It's cut off from the mainland, so aside from small clinics which likely closed down there's no medical centres. And if someone falls ill they'll have to resort to other means to get medical help. And a freelance doctor is a good way to deal with that. Whoever is sick in Perserverance Mills likely hired Astrid to come and help them. And considering it's all the way in Great Bear and she's willing to fly there, I'd bet this person doesn't have the sniffles. It's probably something more serious and enough for a town-wide quarantine if it spreads. And the contents of the case is probably some illegal medical cure or a gun. 

What do you all think?

[Nervous Pete]

I have a theory, it could be bunnies.

No, wait. 

I have a theory. I think there's a bunch of folk who saw the geomagnetic storm coming along with the crash of civilisation, and they've prepared a refuge in Great Bear Island to ride it out. These people are scientists, perhaps some convinced government types, and are organised by an acquaintance of Astrid. The box contains something they need, not necessarily medicine, but something that might be life or death for the refuge. Astrid is a Doctor, but has fallen in with a group who know a new ice age is rolling in, along with the geo-storms. That's why its unusually cold. Thats why she's so tense.

I don't think the storms are going away. I think they're all over the world.

I look forward to being spectacularly wrong.

[Fuarian]

18 hours ago, Nervous Pete said:

I have a theory, it could be bunnies.

No, wait. 

I have a theory. I think there's a bunch of folk who saw the geomagnetic storm coming along with the crash of civilisation, and they've prepared a refuge in Great Bear Island to ride it out. These people are scientists, perhaps some convinced government types, and are organised by an acquaintance of Astrid. The box contains something they need, not necessarily medicine, but something that might be life or death for the refuge. Astrid is a Doctor, but has fallen in with a group who know a new ice age is rolling in, along with the geo-storms. That's why its unusually cold. Thats why she's so tense.

I don't think the storms are going away. I think they're all over the world.

I look forward to being spectacularly wrong.

I highly doubt anyone saw it coming. If Methuselah didn't see the aurora coming then nobody did. The collapse of civilization was inevitable but like Methuselah said, "Nobody knew the world would end this way". Some people knew it would end, just not how. And I kinda like it that way. But there's no riding out the quiet apocalypse. The light isn't coming back. 

And I see people thinking it's an ice age. The aurora didn't stop the rotation of the planet... there's still other seasons, just been getting worse and worse over time. We just don't have seasons in game.

Also the whole idea of government or authority being involved it just way too cliche. I'd hate to see something like that. It doesn't fit The Long Dark.

The kickstarter provides a lot of good background information and while it's not completely up to date I'd say it's still enough to go off of. 

[Nervous Pete]

You've got a point in the big government secret ark thing being cliche, I was more thinking in terms of a small research group of government space-weather forecasters, who'd failed to convince others of the upcoming danger. I'll have to read up on the background info you mention, I can't recall it! 

Whichever way Long Dark plays out so long as it doesn't go fantasy or sci-fi I'm happy. I like its grounded realism. I also like the hint of 'Magical Realism' that Methuselah provides, which is different from fantasy and used brilliantly in the old Powell & Pressburger and Terrence Malick films. 

Everything is neatly summed up in the phrase "The Quiet Apocalypse", so I'm confident the overarching story is going to be my cup of rose-hip tea.

[Jolan]

I was assuming it was Diptheria or something like that.  That Astrid was actually bringing the antitoxin and/or vacine to Perseverence Mills.  With the collapse, Great Bear would be just the sort of place the disease would make a comeback in.  Both the vacine and antitoxin are highly controlled.  I don't know about in Canada but in the US doctors can only get the antitoxin by reporting the disease.  Think Balto.

[Dan_]

Judging on how much she stills mourns the past and the tense exchange she had with McKenzie after all these years, I'm guessing she wouldn't go to Great Bear regardless of how much money was on the line, or how terrible a disease outbreak might look. Motivation to face ghosts in the past like this only comes from deep personal connection.

She's either there to settle a dispute(by force perhaps) or to retrieve something, might be some information from a patient in his/her deathbed. I can see a story arc on which she unveils details on McKenzie's acts in regards to the situation with their son and turns against Will. 

[Ape88]

Whatever it is, I have no doubt it will be a huge thing she's doing.

[MarrowStone]

On 12/28/2018 at 7:41 AM, Jolan said:

I was assuming it was Diptheria or something like that.

No, it is totally zombies.

Joking. Diphtheria fits fairly well because of how dangerous it is to children. Will and Astrid seem to have lost a child so it makes sense for her to go out ofher way to save some children in an act of "Redemption". This doesnt explain why the contents of the box are kept secret so It at this point in the story it could be anything.

[Anarchyantz]

Bunnies, bunnies it must be bunnies!...........

 

Or maybe midgets.

[Jolan]

On 12/30/2018 at 12:53 PM, MarrowStone said:

so It at this point in the story it could be anything.

It could.  I don't know how common it is in Canada, but in the US the only way you can get the anti-toxin is thru the CDC.  And a number of European countries don't even keep any on hand.  I'd been thinking in terms of the US - in order to have that much anti-toxin available, you'd basically have to steal it.  Otherwise, the person carrying it would be all official - though probably not wearing the orange (or blue) bunny suit.

[MarrowStone]

8 hours ago, Jolan said:

It could.  I don't know how common it is in Canada, but in the US the only way you can get the anti-toxin is thru the CDC.  And a number of European countries don't even keep any on hand.  I'd been thinking in terms of the US - in order to have that much anti-toxin available, you'd basically have to steal it.  Otherwise, the person carrying it would be all official - though probably not wearing the orange (or blue) bunny suit.

Thanks for that nugget of info. Would've guessed that something of medical importance almost a century ago would be easy to acquire now. It sort of makes sense, however, because diphtheria is very rare in developed countries due to vaccinations. Distribution of unneeded antitoxin would be inefficient. Great Bear is pretty susceptible to epidemics for reasons stated before.