The Amazonian Empire: Tristan District (Part 2)

“Let us get back to the explanation of the starting area.” Miss Fujiwara stated and there were murmurs of agreement.

“OK, and if there are any other aspects you don't understand don't hesitate to ask.” I declared, and spun out the world once more... “As I was Saying...”

...Fortunately though there are greater dangers out here they are rare and the colony has a unit of the Imperial Guard stationed in it until the area becomes more pacified, armed with ultra-tech weaponry such as Concussion Pulse Cannons and Phase Pistols, which keep most of them in check: but that doesn't help YOU very much because you are in the business of leaving the near paths and heading 'into the wilds', where you salvage food and other supplies the colony needs.

The Tristan District still occupies only a single fairly typical 'mansion' area of colony space, and has only a single 'door' in and out. Not having found any more 'Colony Keys' to expand with nor been deemed a high enough priority to be awarded any by the national treasury. This limits it's opportunities for trade, living space, and storage, but it's people bear up under these conditions well, keeping a 'stiff upper lip' and enduring privation and hardship with determination and fervor. Though it is only a small village by the standards of the modern world, housing only 75 people counting the 10 person squad of the guard, yourselves, the rest of it's one and only salvage team, and all of the officials of the government, both national and local, and everyone else in the colony, which as with most new colonies is fairly crowded. It is something of a boom town with a new person or two arriving each week hoping to trade for fresh salvage, because the local area is not 'played out' by having been stabilized to provide 'roads' to access other colonies and 'special' doors, or to the sub-basements or Trans-Attics. Rare goods and easy to find here, working computers, bullion and coins, swords, sets of knives, artwork, 'Images', 'Frames', and 'Shutters', type 1 bronze keys, these and all manner of other treasures are scattered profusely among the rooms of the world in the vicinity of the Tristan District, and you and yours have exclusive access to them, for the moment.

Each time you go out salvaging it's an adventure, hosts of monsters have opposed you, as well as wild beasts and the so called 'morlocks', the twisted stunted apelike beings that boil up from the sub-basements sometimes to attack the settlements of right thinking folk and kill or enslave their inhabitants. You know that soon enough your successful ventures will attract rival salvagers, who will contest your unopposed access to the best areas and the treasures within, but until that happens you will live high on the hog with more food, clothing, and money than you know what to do with out here, but not enough to really move up in the world.

As the chief sources of food and other necessities for the colony your actions are tightly circumscribed by the government, you have priorities you must adhere to in what you bring back. Food, salt, and new spices or ones the colony is low on first; then household goods like clean toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, or printer paper: toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, razors, and so on: and dozens piled upon dozens of other needful items. Next comes Clothing, especially socks and underwear still in their packages: needles, thread, quality scissors, zippers, buttons, elastic, and cloth for making new clothes and reupholstering furniture: speaking of furniture any 'memory foam' mattresses and and pillows you find you are instructed to give high priority, even over food so long as the pantries are above 50%, because food is consumed and then gone, but a memory foam mattress can last up to 50 years if well cared for: Similarly 'futons' are accorded the same high value, because The Amazonian Empire is well versed in 're-blocking' them as required so they provide good support and comfortable sleep for as long as the memory foam mattresses if not longer. After that comes weapons, armor, and ammo of any type, from knives and electric cattle prods to swords and axes, pistols to **** rifles, crossbows to javelins and throwing stars, ammunition of any type, from .22 bullets to arrows and quarrels, and armor from heavy padded leather jackets to USMC battle rattle, in roughly that order: but above all any ultra tech weaponry or armor such as laser guns, **** swords, stunners, and powered **** armor and the 'energy cells' that power them. Next on your list are working; server decks and blades, connector cables, routers, buses/splitters, laptops, desktops, power cords, monitors/TVs, mice, keyboards, flash drives, external hard drives, modems, tablets, smart phones, and other cell-phones: in that order. Following that are tools and non-consumable supplies that the colony lacks or is low on: planes, specialized knives, and 'carving blades' for making furniture: canning jars and rings for canning fresh produce that is in excess of what can be eaten the same day: trashcans, brooms, dustpans, mops, vacuums, scrub brushes: books; novels, technical manuals, educational books, textbooks, spell-books, and more: but better yet than that: printing presses, movable type, re-melt and re-cast-able lead plates: saws, hammers, nails, zip ties, screws, screw drivers, and any kind of working power tool: and a hundred hundred other types of tools which the colony could use or trade. Last of your lists of appointed items comes what people would traditionally think of as 'treasure', silver, gold, copper, gems, jewelry, coins, and so forth: only after you have thoroughly searched a room and found that you have gathered up everything that the colony can use from each of these categories in the correct order are you allowed to salvage ANYTHING not on these lists: for which one of you carries a huge 3 ring binder filled with baseball card sized lists like these in little sleeves enumerating the exact order of precedence and exemptions to it for each salvaging trip that you are required to consult when gathering the things to take back. You are sure at least one of your porters and one pair of door minders are government spies who report if you follow the instructions, so perforce you do, because the penalties for not doing so would wipe out your profits.

Just to add insult to injury of all of these things that you are tasked with recovering you are not allowed to keep any of them except a certain cut of the food, clothing, weapons and armor, and 'treasures' you find: the government takes it all to 'distribute' where it is 'needed' and pays you a 'salvage fee' from which and their savings each member of the full team is allowed to 'Take An Option' on any ONE item brought back: but the income for the 'finders fees' are a pittance compared to the costs of the 'options' on any item worth having.

Thus it is that you live nearly hand to mouth, you and your 6 door minders, 8 porters, and 3 other 'Team' members surviving but not really making much in the way of progress towards a higher status than the lauded and relied upon but poor and **** salvage team of a hick burg on the borders of the Empire, either in terms of improving the lot of 'the town' or moving up to bigger and better things...

“What this means in terms of character creation is the following: As you all were told you may not have any kind of rank above 1, status above 3 or bellow 0, Wealth greater than 'comfortable' or lower than 'struggling', and must all take the 'Sense of Duty: Party' disadvantage and 'Ally Group: door minders and porters' advantage which cancel each other and are not counted towards your points limit of 250 with up to 50 points of Disadvantages and 5 points of 'quirks' as per 3rd edition.” I explained, and stood ready for questions...