ManicManiac

@Leeanda Fair point, I hadn't considered that. I think it's good science to be done... I don't like harming Fluffy in any way, so I'd like to know if the despawning is intended or not as well.

@Leeanda I'm interested to know also... I did hear something similar from @Pencil: I will eventually make my way there again as well (even if only to look for all the recipe cards). It's something that deserves more science... perhaps @Admin might be able to help shed light on whether or not this is intended behavior.

And All That Could Have Been (youtube.com) Alternate Link: Nine Inch Nails - And All That Could Have Been Lyrics (youtube.com)

Leaving Hope (youtube.com) Alternate Link: Nine Inch Nails - Leaving Hope (youtube.com)

I spent more than half the day off loading what I packed out from Broken Railroad, thoroughly searched the Camp Office, and did a lengthy sort and stow. I don't ever remember finding a container out behind the Camp Office like this before... 🤔 Wasn't much to be found on the Lake Trail or Dave's Quiet Clearing. So I decided to goat my way up above it. The fog had gotten very dense rather quickly... but I still managed to find my way back to the Camp Office. Tomorrow, I need to start looking at gathering more cooking ingredients, and perhaps start looking into what I'll need to for a tip-up.

Venison... it's just the best. IRL: easily my favorite protein.

Yeah... I think finding kill-walls in some really unexpected places is the primary reason I've stopped trying to explore via extensive goating. The most flabbergasting kill-wall is one I found on the rock formation behind the trailer at the Train Unloading Area in Coastal Highway. As a result of losing several runs over the years due to finding instant kill-walls, I don't really test map boundaries anymore. I get kill-walls to protect the extreme edges of the map boundaries... but I'm not so keen on the ones found anywhere inside what is otherwise a part of the intended playable area.

reference: Nine Inch Nails: Ghosts I (tracks 1 & 2)

H.T.D.A. - A Drowning (youtube.com) A Drowning (youtube.com)

[metacontextual update] Real-life stuff has made it hard to get any sort of regular sessions in as of late. However, the chronicle is not being abandoned, and I'm looking to return Great Bear Island again very soon.

Heilung | LIFA - In Maidjan LIVE (youtube.com) Unable to find a good alternative link: Search out Heilung and their performances live at CastleFest 2017 (or anything else by this group, honestly). For those curious: Personally, I find Maria Franz' voice rather wonderfully ethereal.

The Four of Us Are Dying (youtube.com) Alternate Link: Nine Inch Nails - The Four of Us are Dying (youtube.com)

https://hinterlandgames.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

@xanna / @dave1122 Agreed... I think it's an impressive amount of house cleaning.

Thank you, Hinterland.

I think that generally speaking, in a lot of fiction the hyper-religious types frequently tend feel unsettling as their character tries to make sense out of things from a "metaphysical and supernatural" frame of mind... this usually takes shape of the "crisis of faith" trope (as was mentioned by another), or they may snap and double down in a warped form of extreme zealotry (like Mrs. Carmody in Steven King's The Mist). What's different in Wintermute is that unlike most religious types who tend to have to take time to reevaluate everything... instead Father Thomas displays a level of pure acceptance of whatever miserable circumstance the people of Great Bear Island (including himself) have visited upon them. I think it was smart of the writers to pen it that way... it implies that people like Will and Astrid are still more or less trying to come to terms with things, Father Thomas has been living through more than 10 years of the constant escalating hardship and suffering of the community he most likely grew up in. For us (or Will and Astrid since we inhabit their point of view)... the first flare was our first taste of the quiet apocalypse... for the people like Father Thomas who have been living on Great Bear Island... they've been living in what is essentially an apocalypse since the Great Collapse. So... I'd posit that Father Thomas' placid acceptance may at first feel off to some... I think it's pitch perfect for this character. And of course, then on the other side of the spectrum from Father Thomas... we have Molly. The two sides of the coin (so to speak)... one an "angel of mercy," the other an "angel of death."

I think that the controls are fairly well tuned... I think that when folks make mistakes, it's better for us to take the opportunity to learn and get better at it... rather than ask Hinterland to change the controls for everyone just to conform to what an individual "thinks" would be "better."

The storm finally blew itself out around noon. Upon first glance, the yard looked clear... so I took the chance. I'd packed up the cooking supplies of course... and then as many of the tools as I could without slowing me down too much. All told, my pack was about 44-45 kg when I stepped through the doorway into the yard. I admit that I was far more interested in just getting to a good spot to unload my pack that I did leave a couple of footpaths unexplored for now. Better to go find a new place to make an encampment and find my footing first. I knew I'd be back again one day... even if only passing through when I eventually set out for the Far Territories. By the time I'd made it beyond the Poacher's Camp my pack was up to about 48.5 kg... each step was getting slower, the more I began to get exhausted. If I was caught off guard by anything now... there would be no escape. And of course, there ahead was a bear. For the first time in a couple of years, I loaded my weapons... just in case. When it came time that I had to get low... I was only able to move at a snail's pace (felt like just a centimeter at a time). However, I was able to give the bear a wide enough berth to slip past. Once I felt I was far enough past... I got back up and continued to trudge onward. I was very slow going now. I still had to make it to the Camp Office. There was still a long way to go (considering how weighed down I was). Every slow step was a trudging agony... but I had no real choice but to keep pressing on. Finally... I'd arrived at Mystery Lake's Camp Office. Despite the cold temperatures... it still felt like a warm homecoming.

I did get ready to escape Broken Railroad... but Great Bear Island can be a cruel place that sometimes feels like bears a grudge against us and our Human plans and intentions. I'd packed up (my bag weighing in at about 44 kg.) but the weather was threatening a blizzard. Now, most of the time when it starts to look threatening... I steel my resolve, spit in the eye of fate, and press on any way. However, this time I decided to go take an hour nap to warm up and see which why the weather was going to swing. As it turned out... playing it safe this time was the right call. Considering that I'd only taken a one-hour nap, means that this blizzard probably would have likely hit while I was out in the middle of the stretch between here and Forlorn Muskeg. It was the better choice this time to play it safe. Again, I have to wait out a blizzard and hope it blows over with enough time to make the trek through Forlorn Muskeg to Mystery Lake... otherwise, I have to spend another night here. Of course, that also means that tomorrow the yard could be swarming with wolves again... I guess I just have to wait and see.

The following morning, I heard a blizzard raging outside. This turned out to be something I could take advantage of. At least I knew that the Yard was most likely going to be clear (at least as long as the storm was bearing down). Having found what I was looking for... I was also starting to freeze to death. My clothes were still not very warm yet, so I'd have to wait out the storm before I could venture out again. In the meantime, I decided to take another thorough search through the Maintenance Shed... I was glad I took a second look because I'd managed to find a few supplies that I'd missed the first time around. I also spent time in prepping more water (also of course a great source of warmth). Once the storm broke, I was able to head back for the Cave. The wolves from the Yard had apparently relocated to prowling around near the stream. Rather than make a beeline for the Maintenance Shed, I decided to take the long way around in order to hit a couple of other points of interest. The day was already waning, so I decided I would take the opportunity to see what else could be found... spend one more night there at the Maintenance Shed and finally leave Broken Railroad tomorrow. As I got ready to settle in for the evening... ... I noticed the telltale signs of an aurora were churning up and spreading across the sky. Before too long it was churning at full power. I managed to get two Buffer Memories that evening. After which I bedded down for the evening. Tomorrow, I think I will see how much I will be able to haul out with me... and head for Mystery Lake. It's a good place to get organized and find my footing.

When I got up the next morning, I finished up prospecting in the maintenance shed. When I took a look outside, I found that four wolves were prowling close to the vehicles and around the perimeter of the yard as well. Considering all that... I decided I'd be better off wasting a day and hoping that the wolves would move on by tomorrow. I had decided that the best way while a way the day would be to go and prospect at the bottom of the small ravine nearby. I deployed the rope and quickly made my way down. By the time I'd managed to get back to the frozen stream, the fog was lifting. It hadn't seemed so dense while I was down in the ravine, but after I'd made the hard climb back up... it was cause enough to keep low and stay cautious. With the fog abating, at least I could better see the way ahead. Speaking of which... I decided it might serve me well to find good vantage point before heading back into the yard. The wolves seemed to be keeping mostly to the front of the yard.... so, I went back the long way around and slipped in the backway.

@Leeanda 🤭 I just meant it to answer your question... that was the Balrog in the Mines of Moria; and of course, Gandalf the Grey fending it off for the rest of the Fellowship to escape.

@Leeanda

@TheLongDarkTeatimeOfThSoul Welcome to the wilderness... though I see you're no stranger. Also... good to have another Dirk Gently fan out there on Great Bear Island.