The Food Situation in Maelstrom

[Alex319]

As we all know, in the Maelstrom we have been experiencing food shortages at times. While these shortages have been staved off temporarily through a timely delivery of aid from across the White Tenebrous, we may not be able to count on coordinating adventurers to make such deliveries on a regular basis. Yet, nevertheless, the fact that it is possible to transport significant quantities of food through the White Tenebrous means that this may form part of the solution. For instance, it might be possible to set up supply lines where we regularly purchase food and send it through the White Tenebrous, perhaps with the aid of people other than adventurers. I am interested in starting a discussion of possible solutions so that we can come up with a long-term plan to deal with the situation.



In order to come up with solutions it is first necessary to understand the situation as it exists now. Thus, I am interested in the answers to the following questions:

• How large is the total population that we need to feed? I observed about 20 fellow adventurers last time I was in the Maelstrom; are there other adventurers? And how many non-adventurers do we have?
  
  
• How much food (measured, say, in pounds) does each individual need to consume per day? Is it possible to operate on reduced rations in an emergency, and if so what would be the consequences?
  
  
• Is there someone in charge of the food supply and food distribution? If so, how?
  
  
• How much food do we have left in our current reserves?
  
  
• Are we currently producing food by any means? If so, how much? By what means are we currently producing food – is there farmable land underground in the Maelstrom?
  
  
• What options do we know of for producing food in the Maelstrom?
  
  
• How much food can an individual take across the White Tenebrous in one trip? Is an individual limited to what he can carry on his person, or can larger carts, etc. be transported through the White Tenebrous? For instance, what was the volume of food that was delivered to us in the shipments that we learned of at the last gathering in the Maelstrom?
  
  
• Can only adventurers travel the White Tenebrous, or can anyone? Is it possible to hire non-adventurers to act as porters to transport goods through the White Tenebrous? If so, how much would this likely cost? What is the going rate for a porter?
  
  
• How long does a trip through the White Tenebrous take, in one direction, say, from the Ceriopolis to the Maelstrom?
  
  
• When you travel the White Tenebrous, can you control where you land? Is there a risk of landing in an area surrounded by monsters?
  
  
• How much does bulk food cost outside of the Maelstrom (e.g., in the Ceriopolis, or New Acarthia, etc.?) This may be relevant if the solution involves importing food through the White Tenebrous.
  

Anyone who knows the answers to any of these questions, or has ideas of how one might figure out these answers, it would be very much appreciated.

-Andrew the Bard

 

[nothingtoseehere]

I obviously am still very new to the situation in the Empi- I mean, the Maelstrom, but I think I have the answers to at least some of these questions. I've skipped the questions that I have no clue of the answer to.

How large is the total population that we need to feed? I observed about 20 fellow adventurers last time I was in the Maelstrom; are there other adventurers? And how many non-adventurers do we have?

There is a refugee camp made up of resurrected citizens a ways away from the main hall. They usually keep separate from the adventurers as they try to reunite with their families and gather themselves. When I was there the number seemed to be in the early hundreds- maybe 2 or 3 hundred- but it is my understanding that number is growing rapidly as people start flowing back.

How much food (measured, say, in pounds) does each individual need to consume per day? Is it possible to operate on reduced rations in an emergency, and if so what would be the consequences?

Speaking as a healer, a typical person usually eats 3 to 5 pounds of food each day. This, of course, does not account for physiological differences between races. I would assume that reptilian wylderkin requires less food, high ogres more, etc. All races also have food requirements- you can't hand everyone a 3 pound block of bread and expect them to remain healthy. As in most emergency situations, rations can go below a normal recommended daily allowance and often do in times of war. However, doing do, especially for long periods of time, invites problems like illnesses and plagues that cannot be cured with magic. The last thing we need is a plague ripping through the ranks of the recently resurrected, the people are scared enough as it is. It also invites crime, resentment, and low morale, which may be just as deadly.

Are we currently producing food by any means? If so, how much? By what means are we currently producing food – is there farmable land underground in the Maelstrom?

I *heard* that the land was non-arable, but that work was being done on it. It may be just that it was covered in Elementals. The more pressing issue is that farming requires stability. I understand that the survivors have been pushed between different cities several times, and when it takes at least a year to start getting crops of any use, hopping around is not a viable option. Farming underground is also made difficult since most crops require sunlight. I suggest that local alchemists and races who are resistant to poisons start tasting and testing the local mushrooms, and possibly the ant's fungus food, to see if any are edible.

Can only adventurers travel the White Tenebrous, or can anyone? Is it possible to hire non-adventurers to act as porters to transport goods through the White Tenebrous? If so, how much would this likely cost? What is the going rate for a porter?

'Adventurer' isn't exactly a clearly delineated group (though it could be a magical distinction, maybe those under the auspice of the Lantern), but I believe that access to the mists is restricted and requires effort to get through, maybe a guide? (I heard that the group who came with the food was attacked in the mists). With the inherent danger, I think we would be hard pressed to convince porters to come through on a regular basis. I'll know more about this when I try to make it through the mists to Enerret.

How long does a trip through the White Tenebrous take, in one direction, say, from the Ceriopolis to the Maelstrom?

It varies. The mists don't work the same way that land works. You can spend years wandering the mists when you only wanted to go down the block, you can cross the entire land in an hour. Sometimes the mists don't allow you to travel at all. There's no clear answer.

When you travel the White Tenebrous, can you control where you land? Is there a risk of landing in an area surrounded by monsters?

Again the mists for the most part cannot be controlled. I have heard of people trying to travel to one land and winding up in another one entirely. Groups can be accidentally split up, you can come out from the mists in the middle of a undead camp. The mists are not a reliable form of travel, they are just the only one open to us at the moment.


It may be an obvious question, but have we tried instead taking the refugees OUT of Maelstrom to Enerret or somewhere else that is close? I had it implied to me that having the living people there was important for magical reasons- a symbolic return to life- but is that true? If they are taken in heavily guarded, small groups we would be able to keep up with the current rate of resurrections. Obviously the mists don't entirely cut off natives otherwise several of us would not be able to travel.

-Assistant Terren of Knight's Ferry