Written by Rahujo :3
Okay, I'm working on documenting the setting of the Aerandir project, so people don't have to either a) ask, or b) make stuff up: b being worse since we do actually have a fairly well-defined setting already in mind sweatdrop
Here's what I have so far - suggestions and comments on what I'm missing are welcome! Note that although these details aren't final, they're probably okay to use in RP. If in doubt, of course, just poke one of us 3nodding
A very quick summary for those who don't want to read the whole thing:
THIS IS NOT BARTON TOWN. There is little electricity, little water, no internet, no TV, no cellphones, no beautiful semi-detached suburban houses with all the amenities. Plenty of food, though, and gorgeous views 3nodding
Geography:
I'll leave this one for Aly to fill out, since he has a better idea of where the island is and what its terrain is like wink
Incidentally, when I mentioned making things up earlier, this would be because I've been poked for doing it: at one point Rahujo was sitting on top of a high sandstone plateau on the northern island, apparently the highest point on the island. These are volcanic islands, so they're made of granite, and the highest point is the massive dormant volcano that dominates the north island sweatdrop
Weather:
- Tropical rainforest climate:
-- Average temperature at least 18 degrees C (64.4F)
-- No real seasons
-- Extremely humid
-- Rather wet: on average at least one day of heavy (but warm) rain per month
-- Length of days varies little throughout the year
-- Sun sets very quickly
- Sea:
-- Clear shallow water is dead water
-- West beach is pretty shallow, and mostly devoid of life.
-- East beach slopes right out to deep water, which has more sea-life
-- Water always warm
-- Water is less salty than 'normal' cold seawater as found around the US or UK
Food availability
- The Centre holds enough food for several weeks' survival:
-- Dried rice and pasta
-- Dried, canned and preserved supplies
-- Ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, oil, condiments, spices, herbs etc etc)
- Fresh food is also available from the Centre:
-- Fish and occasionally game from Osero
-- Sometimes bread baked by Alyosha
-- and whatever supplies came in on the last supply run.
- If a specific food is desired (for instance, tofu) write it on the noticeboard in the Centre kitchen and it'll be ordered for next supply run.
Infrastructure
- Roads
-- Only one paved road, from the jetty to the Centre.
- Water
-- The island's water is limited. There is plenty of drinking water, but not enough for lengthy showers or baths.
-- There is little-to-no piping.
--- Drinking water available from Centre in large barrels
--- Other water usually from rain
-- Each house has a shower area, with a tub for sluicing
- Electricity
-- Centre is only source of mains electricity
-- Generator, solar panels, perhaps small hydro plant
-- Very little in the way of distribution!
-- Electricity around the house can be obtained:
--- Solar panels
--- Batteries (disposable, or recharged at the Centre)
--- A small generator (for which fuel must be fetched!)
-- The above are enough to run:
--- a laptop
--- a few lamps
--- a stereo
--- or various other low-power devices
-- Not enough to run anything that generates heat - use gas for that.
-- Probably not enough to run an air conditioner, but enough for a fan.
-- Probably not enough for a big fridge/freezer, but a little fridge could run off a generator.
- Gas
-- Again, no distribution: gas is provided solely through bottles.
-- Used for heating water, cooking, possibly lighting.
- Sewage
-- Chemical toilets / septic tanks
-- Human waste is reprocessed at the centre into biogas and slurry which is shipped off the island
-- Waste water is filtered, sometimes re-used as 'grey water', then locally discarded.
Communications
- The centre has a satellite uplink for phone and data: expensive, unreliable, relatively slow.
- Radio links between permanent island installations
- Field radio for archaeological outposts
- Ship-to-shore radio at the Centre
- There is no mobile phone mast!
- A carefully tuned radio can pick up broadcasts on shortwave.
Buildings
- The Centre
-- White concrete prefab main building, designed to withstand hurricanes
-- Leantos, extensions, shacks, garages etc mostly made from local material
-- Flat-roofed, with equipment mounted on the roof:
--- Satellite uplink
--- Water tanks
--- Radio mast (ship-to-shore, inter-island, field radio, satellite, weather instruments)
--- Solar panels
-- Well in basement for fresh water
-- Full kitchen with fridge and food storage (see Food Availability, above)
-- Well-equipped bathroom
-- Hot springs outside (accessed through bathroom)
--- Note: divided by a screen into Male and Female pools
--- Males found in female pool will be disciplined, and vice versa wink
- Northern Outpost (on Ar'Idil)
-- Concrete block-house and container complex
-- Uninhabited unless a ship is in dock
-- Block-house contains s2s radio and inter-island radio, plus basic facilities
-- Jetty with refuelling facilities for ships and boats
-- Diesel / gas pumps for refuelling vehicles
-- Containers:
--- Storage for >50 gas bottles
--- Spare equipment and supplies
--- Diesel storage
--- Sewage tank
Transport
I'm not sure about the method(s) of transport to and from the island - ship, ferry, seaplane, etc - since I can't remember how far out the island is from land sweatdrop
Supplies
The northern island, Ar'idil, is the most favourable island for docking large ships. A supply ship docks there every month or so, drops off supplies, any requested equipment, gas and diesel, and picks up sewage.
Since Cetalu is quite remote, any bulky objects must be booked in on this ship, and may take quite a while to arrive.
Vehicles
Alyosha owns a battered pickup truck (possibly converted to gas or electricity) which is occasionally used to cart supplies around the island.
The archaeologists own several pickups, vans and 4x4s, plus several small dinghies/launches used for ferrying people between the islands, and a larger cargo boat which carries vehicles and supplies from the Ar'idil dock out to various islands.
There are a couple of canoes dragged up on the west beach.
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