Survivor communities outside the known world

[snotra]

What of the possibility of refurbishing these vessels with molten salt reactors based off Thorium? The overhaul would probably be even more immense, but I guess some of the newer vessels might be built with such reactors in mind.

[Sunflower]

What of the possibility of refurbishing these vessels with molten salt reactors based off Thorium? The overhaul would probably be even more immense, but I guess some of the newer vessels might be built with such reactors in mind.

Once again, I'm afraid I'm going to swoop in and redirect you.  There's been extensive research on this topic already, here and
here:  http://ssssforum.pcriot.com/index.php?topic=289.0  (Operation Tyr's Hand)

[BreezeLouise]

Having a vessel lug around all the facilities needed to safely exchange the actual fuel in the reactor would be suboptimal - they have the entire reactor exchanged.

I didn't find any information on how much stockpiling they do, but considering the ratio between 27 different reactor designs and (only) 500 reactors ever going operational, having them made ahead of time doesn't seem to make much sense.

At least the ones working with enriched uranium should have a limited shelf life as well (like actual warheads do), though that'ld possibly still be measured in decades ...

Okay, that makes a lot of sense, thank you. I agree, it really wouldn't make sense to stockpile them. Making new ones is out of the question, so that'd limit carriers to being just a way to ride out the initial storm. Even that would still be very valuable though, since it would give the inhabitants years and years to prepare and to look for a good place to settle. And as a bonus, they'd have a near limitless supply of scrap metal when they finally do find a new home~


EDIT: I am an idiot. I should have at least checked the last few pages too. I'm sorry. x_x

[Koeshi]

I'd say that if there was a surviving carrier near the end of its lifespan the best thing to do would be to beach it at the right location.  You then have a very sturdy pre-built fortress to live in that will be extremely difficult for enemies (human and non-human) to get inside.

[BreezeLouise]

I'd say that if there was a surviving carrier near the end of its lifespan the best thing to do would be to beach it at the right location.  You then have a very sturdy pre-built fortress to live in that will be extremely difficult for enemies (human and non-human) to get inside.

As awesome as that would be, I'm not sure how great conditions inside would be without any kind of power. It seems to me like there would have to be a lot of ventilation going on. You would also regularly have to leave for food and water, so it might be preferable to aim for a more normal settlement eventually anyway. It might be better to gather metal from the inside, make fences/houses, then use what's left as a kind of emergency shelter.

[Koeshi]

Ventilation could be arranged through primitive systems with relative ease, the bottom decks may become places rarely visited except in emergencies, but the upper levels would be fine.  The flight deck is large enough to serve as farming ground for a small population once you have added lips to the edges.  Beached in the right place you will have easy access to freshwater, just aim for a river.  No matter what kind of settlement you have, you will need to leave for food.

[BreezeLouise]

Fair enough. I'm not sure how practical setting up a farm on the flight deck would be, especially if the ship is tilted, but I don't really know enough to make an argument. There are facilities that would need to be set up outside anyway, though. Fences and outposts at first to keep anything from getting too close and to keep even the short river trip safe. Extra land for farming and housing eventually, too, though how quickly that will become important depends on how many people survive the journey. It could be a good short-term solution, but in the long-term, expansion is going to have to happen.

[Daéa Reina]

I'm really sorry if the subject has already been approached, but what about South America? I've been thinking about it, and I think most of the countries would be really devastated, given the tropical climate and the extensive fauna, but there could be a few isolated communities.
In Brazil, for example, there are two arid areas that have almost no vegetation (mostly in the central and northeast regions), like deserts, with little place for trolls to hide and make nests. If the communities there could find a way to survive the first decades, they could hunt and exterminate the trolls quickly (and here I'm thinking about desert scouts and troll hunters, and getting really excited ).
In Patagônia (at the extreme south of South America), we have an extremely cold area, where communites could survive similarly to the nordic ones.

I'm just wondering about it. Maybe you guys will shot down my theories with your science in a second, I don't know.

[snotra]

What would the chances be for uncontacted tribes that are so remote from everything only beasts might venture into the rainforests and other zones where such tribes live?

[Daéa Reina]

What would the chances be for uncontacted tribes that are so remote from everything only beasts might venture into the rainforests and other zones where such tribes live?

Good question, Snotra! What if the rash illness never got to them in the first place? I mean, they never had contact with other human communities.

[Sunflower]

Good question, Snotra! What if the rash illness never got to them in the first place? I mean, they never had contact with other human communities.

But mammals other than cats can carry the Rash.  It would be like Ebola, Marburg, or a lot of other emerging diseases -- all it would take is one animal bite or catching the wrong "bush meat" and the Rash would leap into humans.

I know infected animals turn into Beasts, but they probably have an incubation period of no/mild symptoms in which they wouldn't look suspicious to people.  Also, if these are truly isolated tribes, they'd have no advance notice that seemingly harmless, "mangy" animals are now vectors of a hideous disease.  And while wild felines (jaguars, I guess?) would be Immune *and* notice the presence of Trolls, if they aren't domesticated they might not provide good warning like Known World pet cats in Year 0.

[Snommelp]

You know, my first thought was that the Amazon would quickly be overrun by trolls and beasts, but now I'm wondering... there's a fair amount of non-mammalian life in there. Including some terrifying non-mammalian predators like anacondas, caimans, and wandering spiders. And of course jaguars and cougars, which are big cats and therefore immune.

[BreezeLouise]

That is a good point, there would be fewer varieties of beasts than I imagined at first. You'd have to deal with all the normal dangers on top of everything else. And infected monkeys, which would be the most terrifying thing. Relatively small, nimble, and able to swoop down on you from above. And if you spend all your time looking upwards, you'll trip and fall into a spider nest or something. I think I'd rather take my chances in a city.

[Snommelp]

...ohgod, infected howler monkeys. I have just imagined a new level of fear. I blame you, BreezeLouise! 

...

 

[Daéa Reina]

You know, my first thought was that the Amazon would quickly be overrun by trolls and beasts, but now I'm wondering... there's a fair amount of non-mammalian life in there. Including some terrifying non-mammalian predators like anacondas, caimans, and wandering spiders. And of course jaguars and cougars, which are big cats and therefore immune.

That is a good point, there would be fewer varieties of beasts than I imagined at first. You'd have to deal with all the normal dangers on top of everything else. And infected monkeys, which would be the most terrifying thing. Relatively small, nimble, and able to swoop down on you from above. And if you spend all your time looking upwards, you'll trip and fall into a spider nest or something. I think I'd rather take my chances in a city.

...ohgod, infected howler monkeys. I have just imagined a new level of fear. I blame you, BreezeLouise! 

...

 

Ughh... I already hate monkeys on their natural form. Now you made me imagine them as beasts.. *shudders*
Also, can somebody draw that, please? Now I'm curious.

That's why I haven't even mentioned Amazon. As I said, most of South America would be swarmed with beasts, and a thousand times scarier than any colder places out there. So if we think about the possibilities of survival communities, we must narrow down to the few places that have more inclement weather.