[OL - AMRCA] Le Terreur

[Keymonus]

15 hours ago, Bodi said:

Very nice build, the offset plates on the wall look really good, interesting technique, I also like the alternation of green and tan,and that hairy cow, looks hilarious.

Thank you! To be honest, credit for the hairy cow goes to @Ross Fisher, I had tried with different hairpieces but using the Wrestler’s one was the best solution!

12 hours ago, NOD said:

I had overlooked this topic so far because it is from April 18th. I only noticed now that it's a sequel story. But now I was able to read a whole book with Google Translator. You are a gifted writer. Exciting and interesting story, plus lots of nice photos. I only took a closer look at the photos after reading them because I didn't want to be distracted. Really very nice builds that fit the story.

 

Thanks a lot! This is the greatest issue with AMRCAs, that is building-driven long stories... they “sink” very fast from the first page, and you often lose some great things!

12 hours ago, Mesabi said:

Absolutely excellent @Keymonus, and this is perhaps my favorite AMCRA that's currently running. The story is excellent, and every build has a unique character, and looks amazing. I love your portrayal of the Isle of Tam, it's exactly how I'd imagine it existing, and it's honestly perfect, both with story and builds.

Additionally, I'm always glad when someone explores the oft-unnoticed corners of the Brick Seas. We get so many builds with Palm trees, I'm so glad to see a story with some ice!

Keep it coming, and I can't wait to see how this one turns out!

(side note, the Erebus and Terror Arctic expeditions are some of my favorite moments in history, so I might be a bit biased! )

Thank you! I’m a great fan of the first artic expeditions too, and I had thought about something similar for a VERY long time before actually started.

8 hours ago, Khorne said:

Yes, the search for the Northwestern Passage continues! Another excellent build! Like Mesabi said: it is nice to see the lesser known corners of the world. The sheep look great and the absence of wood and bountiful use of stones in construction accentuate the story's claim of Tarn being a wind blasted island.

Thanks! At first I planned building also a small wooden house, but then I decided that in Tam wood is likely a rather expensive commodity, imported from “woodier” places. I’m glad you noticed that!

4 hours ago, Bregir said:

Excellent set of builds and nice to see some out of the way places explored and described (and so well!)

What input do you need from COR?

As for joining up, I think COR would love to send a few scientists along. I'd love to get involved myself, but can't really make any promises. Having a semi-passive scientist character along I can use should I ever have the time would be fun, though, and Corrish scientists seems like an obvious choice if you'd have them :)

Thanks a lot! If you (or anybody else) want to join, for instance with a semi-inactive character (and a build now and then, but without any constraints) it would be very nice! The prolonged stop on Tam surely gave time to anyone to arrive and join!

About the input... I’ll be clearer finishing the story (something I still have to do ) but in very general terms the expedition would have four aims:

-finding the Northwest Passage, if it exists, and reach the Western Ocean

-finding out the fate of the previous (lost) expedition

-exploring for exploration sake (and depicting a little of that side of the world)

-establishing commercial connections from the brick seas to the great alliance states (if things go wrong) or to the western ocean (if things go well), with the latter option involving a lot of valuable exotic goods. In any  case, Yeldo is the westernmost (EGS) port in the North, so an obligatory stop for the (hypothetical) trade route. So I would need to know 1) the position of Corrington about a trade route established by Oleon, but that would bring advantages to both nations (I don’t think the EGS world should actually be extended west, but Yeldo may gain some bonus if the AMRCA goes well). 2) Is it ok how I’m describing Yeldo administration? 3) I planned to “meet” the governor and the Chiefs (a third, and possibly last, build in Tam), but I think that deciding on my own their opinions about the possible trade route (and about having an Oleander guest) would be too much.

1 hour ago, Fraunces said:

Very nice countryside build, something other than the usual Brick Seas topics! Very good execution of a scottish-based-part in our world

Thank you a lot!

[Bregir]

I think Corrington will happily support the expedition with a contingent of scientists, and trade routes for mutual benefits sounds perfectly reasonable. How such a bonus is manifested in the EGS I am sure we can figure out base don what the outcome and exploits of the expedition ends up being.

As for the Tam administration, I am perfectly overjoyed with your depiction.

There seems to be a bit of confusion as to some locations, though - we consider this island the isle of Tam, while Yeldo is placed on an island much farther east, north of Mardier. Have I missed some source material, perhaps? Or may you have misunderstood something?

[Keymonus]

On 10/27/2020 at 8:02 PM, Bregir said:

I think Corrington will happily support the expedition with a contingent of scientists, and trade routes for mutual benefits sounds perfectly reasonable. How such a bonus is manifested in the EGS I am sure we can figure out base don what the outcome and exploits of the expedition ends up being.

As for the Tam administration, I am perfectly overjoyed with your depiction.

There seems to be a bit of confusion as to some locations, though - we consider this island the isle of Tam, while Yeldo is placed on an island much farther east, north of Mardier. Have I missed some source material, perhaps? Or may you have misunderstood something?

Perfect the first points, thank you!

And about the position of Tam... whoops, I think my expedition is already lost, not a great start!  I didn’t notice the second small island! Please give me a moment to adjust the story, I still think that the potential trade bonus could likely apply to Yeldo anyways (it is the westernmost EGS Port, so the one that could actually have benefits), but I have to build something to fill the “little” gap in my journey (a brief stop in the “real” Yeldo or in Altonia, maybe), using the summer months between Breshaun and Tam for the intermediate stops -with the lieutenant describing the previous parts of the journey to somebody. 

Edited October 29, 2020 by Keymonus

[Mesabi]

@Bregir Dang, that's the first time I think that those areas have been defined. I was under the impression that Yeldo was Tam as well. The flickr page for it is private, so it might be one of those things that was defined but not public 

[Keymonus]

January 624. Dispatch from Lieutenant Jean-Luc Norbert to the Colonial Admiralty of Breshaun

To the attention of His Excellency Colonel Artaud.
With my greatest dismay, I must communicate that our expedition failed in its main objectives and that the Phénix is now returning to the Sea of Storms awaiting new orders. This dispatch was entrusted to the Royal Mailing Service in Northern Oleon, and sensitive details were therefore redacted. The complete report will reach Breshaun by the next month, together with the ship.

As already communicated in previous dispatches, adverse odds impaired our timely arrival in the Northern Ocean. By the time our expedition had reached the Isle of Tam, hostilities between our Nation and the Empire of Corrington had broken on the Island of Terraversa: unfortunately, the news reached the authorities of the island before we could be aware of the political situation.
Since it was not clear whether the declaration of a "limited colonial war" by the Corrish authorities included the occupied territories in the Old World, our ship was not seized, but we were asked not to leave the island until the situation could be clarified. This occurred in a matter of weeks, but the odds were not particularly in our favor. Our ship was severely damaged by a violent storm immediately before our departure, and we had to divide a significant part of the supplies stocked for the expedition with the locals, to help them overcome the harsh winter of 621, when unusually violent storms completely isolated the island from the continent.

In the first two years of the expedition, therefore, we could map in detail the Northern Coast of the Madrice Peninsula, and identify the most suitable port for a northern trade route. However, we could not collect any information about the fate of Crozier's expedition.

Our ship could venture into the Great Northern Ocean only in 622, but the report I can provide is rather discouraging. The arctic ice pack now extends at least 15 nautical miles east of the position reported in 620 for the Terreur shipwreck, and most of the coordinates reported in the documents found on the ship lay further West, dozens of miles far from the ice ridge. Whether these coordinates indicated islands, specific waypoints for the expedition towards the Passage, or locations of notable events, could not be discovered with our resources.

The only location we could reach was a rocky island, corresponding to the easternmost point on the list. Close to the coast, we found a cairn, probably erected by the unfortunate crew of the Terror. While this finding confirmed that the unfortunate expedition had arrived far west than the last sighting of their ship, it offered no further clue, as no message from the expedition could be found there.

 

To succeed where we failed, a future expedition should in my opinion be better equipped for long-range exploration of the frozen wastelands: this should include sleds, packs of trained dogs, and easy-to-carry food, possibly including canned rations. Our expedition, lacking this equipment, was substantially locked to the ship, and could only venture for a few miles inland.  

Based on what I could observe, a Northern route toward the Western Ocean should not be expected as viable for regular trade: if a Northwest Passage really exists, indeed, it could be expected to be free of ice only in exceptionally warm summers, and in the best hypothesis would be free of ice for only a few months. 
Nevertheless, I'll remain in Northern Oleon, to organize a ground expedition in search of Captain Crozier and his men, starting from the coordinates which remained inaccessible during our endeavor.

Your servant,
Lieutenant Jean-Luc Norbert

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A small vignette and a long story to officially terminate my old AMRCA. The two main wars of Era II completely absorbed my building power and time, but I liked this storyline, and I thought it deserved an honorable (temporary?) conclusion. I also call back my ship, which will be back to Breshaun by the next MRCA.

Edited February 1 by Keymonus

[Jeff of Clubs]

Good write up Key! Like the cairn and outfits a lot.

Edited February 1 by Jeff of Clubs