SpoonyMass Presents The Nomad

[SpoonyMass]

Hello Survivalist!  SpoonyMass here, 

The Long Dark is becoming more of a game than an experience of exploration and survival.  Though it retains the latter beautifully, with the introduction of feats, skills, and challenge objectives and goals are seemingly pointed out to the player; an end game if you will to a certain degree.  Though the Road to Desolation Point is on a bit of a hiatus because of such efforts, my adventures in The Long Dark are far from over..., 

In this series, I take the challenge of The Nomad, a Hinterland special which tasks the player to spend three days/nights in several specific locations that dot the entirety of regions presented in The Long Dark; from Mystery Lake to Desolation Point and everywhere in between.  Survival is paramount and situations in the game can change as frequently as the weather.  One slip up, one bad day and it's game over.

New episodes every Monday at 12:00PM CST/1:00PM EST starting in August

 

[SpoonyMass]

Episode 1 "The Dreadful Dark"

I write these words because I haven't recourse but to do so.  Should my end come, perhaps these tangents of pen and ink will be enough to tell my story to those that might find it, if there is anyone left out there to find it.  Such dark thoughts are perhaps the reason to write, perhaps in saying such things it would be better to picture an end that can be easily indexed; catalogued by my own twisted psyche enough to allow me peace.  To simply ignore that which grows ever so darker in my soul.  A simply unquenchable fact..., 

..., I am alone now.  

It's notions like this that keep me awake at night, forcing me to listen to the howling wind that beats upon my home like an eternal nightmare.  Everything is dead, dying, and my domicile has become not only my coffin, but an effigy to the life I had before.  Reminders of the wife and children whose fate I know not of.  There isn't evidence to dissolve into my conjecture, Diane and the kids weren't here, and there isn't reason to speculate that they aren't still in Richmond; sheltered somewhere with Diane's sister and her family.  The farmhand, Ben, is also absent, abandoning the farmstead or simply buried in the snow.  I haven't found a body, and any potential tracks that might be evident would be swallowed at the first snowfall.  

My options are growing thinner, the pantry and the reserves are dwindling with each passing day.  Truth be told, doing something productive now seems better than the alternative of waiting to die.  For a long time that seemed to be my only option, the one true equalizing choice that I had in all of this.  An easy choice to be sure..., 

..., but I'm not going to die.  

Tonight I'll gather supplies, search the outlying areas I know of before..., before..., before I find another bridge to cross.  

[SpoonyMass]

Episode 2 "A Roll in the Hay"

Ben may be alive.  His truck is parked in the barn and his daughter's car is trapped in the snow not too far away.  Signs of life as fleeting as it is, it gives me hope that someone else might be out here.  I'll stay at the Barn for a couple of days in the hopes that whoever is potentially using it as a shelter will come back.  Everything is cold, dead, so a measure for how long the vehicles have been here cannot be ascertained, I can't even afford a guess at this point.  But it's something to hold onto..., at least for a couple of days.    

[SpoonyMass]

Episode 3 "Fumbling in the Dark"

I've decided it would be best to stay here for a couple of days, give those that could possibly be still in this area a fair share.  I can see for miles on a clear day from here, a full 360 view and I see nothing but white.  The only footprints I can make out is that of animals, wolves, deer, hare, footfalls that are not made by human feet.  I've ventured further out, further out than I needed to all the while gathering supplies for my nights yet to be spent at the Barn.  By the time I'm situated, I should be relatively comfortable.  One will soon be an issue however will be food.  1000 calories a day is general, but I'm not hitting near enough.  I do have a reserve of energy, but I can surmise with utmost assuredness that I'll burn through it in travel and exploration.  

I know of Signal Hill, not too far from where I'm at now.  Perhaps, weather permitting, and before I get too weak, I'll try to venture there, see if there aren't any supplies worth taking.   

[SpoonyMass]

Episode 4 "Bearings" 

I found a body today, frozen near a torn up pavilion.  It wasn't Ben.  I recognized his face, but, for the life of me, I can't remember his name.  It's a burden to die, but far more so without anyone knowing who you are.  This man could have been a father, husband, or simply a hermit out here.  It was unsettling to shuffle through cold pockets, scavenging what I could from the corpse.  I did so quickly, but I couldn't help but remember his face, and those frozen white eyes that stared at me as if to accuse me, to blame me perhaps.  

The wolves have migrated into this area.  The deer I did find in foliage was spooked by the howls and my own footfalls seemed to echo as if to be a beacon, or perhaps a dinner bell.  I might make a trip soon, very soon, to Signal Hill in hopes that I will find better equipment.  I'd feel better if I had a rifle to go with these few bullets I have found.  Beyond my knife and hatchet, all I have are swear words.   

[SpoonyMass]

Episode 5 "Whiteout"  

I've seen that abyss that people talk about.  That vice that gnaws at you when everything says in blaring red letters that you're simply going to die.  Things change out here at the drop of a hat giving you that false sense of security.  I knew I was on the right track, was confident in my footing to tredge my way up to the Radio Control Hut at Signal Hill.  In moments that the weather came in I could see absolutely nothing.  I was close, I could feel it, but with everything in a blaring howling white out, the hut might as well have been on the moon.  I went immediately into panic, not thinking, desperation fueling my steps and burning my calories.  The wind bit and the snow was relentless.  I had to stop, bundle, and fire, hoping that those tugs of death could be hindered by the warmth of the flame. 

[SpoonyMass]

Episode 6 "Epic Loot"

Very rare does a trip pay off and I arrived tired beyond myself after reaching the summit of Signal Hill.  The hut there afforded me shelter and equipment that will greatly affect my survival for however long my journey continues; which, brings upon further thoughts on just how far I'm willing to go.  

But in comfort I sleep knowing that there is a rifle by my side, marginal food and water in my belly, and warmth until the next venture back down the hill.  

[SpoonyMass]

Episode 7 "Smelling The Roses"

Clear sunny day and mild snowfall I travel back towards the Barn in the continued hope that someone might come back.  I saw the Rose twins, their derelict cabin showing signs of rubble; cast aside and dark like the nature of the birch forest I tredge to see.  They were both dead, frozen in the depths of a fresh snowfall.  Perhaps my hope that those I love is false.  A bear's footsteps lead me to reclaim shelter, the Barn, where I hope to stay for a couple of nights.    

[SpoonyMass]

Episode 8 "Moving On"

With three nights out in the Barn, I've decided it's best to leave.  I've decided to stay at Signal Hill, the Radio Control Hut giving me much more in the way of comfort.  The lands are a bit denser with game and the wide area of sight afforded to me by it's vantage makes it even that much more suitable.  

[SpoonyMass]

Episode 9 "Seeking a Signal"

Disregarding better judgement, I ventured out at night giving up any advantages I might have had between myself and the local wildlife.  It was a clear night, the moon and the stardust sky filling illumination to the bleeding white snow cover that was fresh and brilliant.  But the wolves were out, and my close encounters with a pack of them was still too close for comfort as I made my way up to Signal Hill.