A Few Dead Men

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 3

As soon as I get up, I repair the two toques I found along the way and succeed both times - this increases my temperature by about nearly 3C, now at +8C. Then I harvest a gut from that yesterday's rabbit and because the weather is perfect before noon, I head out for the second deer carcass in the direction of Unnamed Pond.

The wolf is not around today and the winds let me have the entire carcass this time. They only start to blow when I'm done, so I return to the cabin. I catch one bunny and just as it happens, the winds stop. I reckon I still have about two hours of daylight. I could make it to Camp Office.

But first things first, I need to harvest this rabbit. I'm done in less than an hour and immediately set out towards the Rail Tunnel, the meat from the rabbit still on me - I plan to cook it on the way. When I'm passing between the cave and Max's, the winds suddenly break out again in full strength and blow out my torch. I spend a match building a campfire in a protected place, cook the rabbit and wait.

The winds don't stop and keep blowing from the direction where I want to go. I can't wait for too long, the night is coming. I need to make the call: continue or give up. I choose to continue, drink a tomato soup and run - there's no other way to advance against these winds. After a while it looks like they would stop but they are only adjust direction to continue blowing in my face. The snow is blinding me but I can see a black spot moving in the distance... just as that black spot can see me.

I run back and almost think it's over because I can't quickly find a place for a fire, but in the end I build one sheltered by a tree. This is enough to save me from the wolf, but it's clear I have to return to Trapper's. I have no chance of breaking through. Three matches and a heap of calories I wasted tonight.

I return, kill a second rabbit, and go to bed. My food reserves are thinning fast, I have to move tomorrow.

[Mroz4k]

Its interesting to see of just how much of an impact it is, not having the efficient machine perk on the deadman´s run. But with the way Redux seemed to have made things easier, I guess its neccesary to keep the challenge of the old mode (not really the well fed bonus, actually like that one a lot, despite the fact that the bonus to carry weight is there, the fact that you are wearing so much more gear just depletes your calories and fatique faster, the only real benefits of it are the movement speed and ability to carry more up the rope, Id still say it is important to choose not to take some equipment you wont need on various runsl What I dont like that much about the buff is the added health and bonus to wildlife protection as a "strenght" boost)

Edited April 23, 2019 by Mroz4k

[Ruruwawa]

I'm happy to see you give it another go, @Drifter Man.  Best wishes for good loot and logistics!

22 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

I get a heart attack from the "wolf board", a wooden board that looks a bit like a wolf on the snow and scares the hell out of me every time I pass through this climbing area.

Me too, every time I come from the MT direction!

2 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

The winds don't stop and keep blowing from the direction where I want to go.... After a while it looks like they would stop but they are only adjust direction to continue blowing in my face.

For @BareSkin it's the stim collection game.  For me, it's the sentient wind that keeps me from playing Deadman (and TLD in general, quite often).  This heavy-handed mechanic isn't interesting or immersive for me -- instead it's more like a tax, and about as fun.

[Drifter Man]

1 hour ago, Mroz4k said:

Its interesting to see of just how much of an impact it is, not having the efficient machine perk on the deadman´s run.

I definitely feel about 10% hungrier and 2C colder. As for well-fed buff, haven't got it yet... maybe tomorrow 

13 minutes ago, Ruruwawa said:

Me too, every time I come from the MT direction!

Good to know I'm not crazy!

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 4

I leave Trapper's late in the morning when the weather is good. I am leaving two deer hides and seven guts behind, curing on the floor. I cook-eat two pieces of rabbit meat on the way and drive a deer in front of me as a decoy for the wolf that turned me back yesterday. It works - the wolf gets the deer and I have free passage, at least so I think. But there is a second wolf and I have to build two defensive fires to get rid of that one. I also forfeit the search of the corpse and containers at the Rail Tunnel. A third wolf patrols the railroad at the Camp Office, I manage to slip by.

The Camp Office offers very little food, of note are a box of matches a magnifying lens, although neither of these address my most urgent problems. I search the building quickly, warm up and move out to the lake. Two wolves are blocking access to the lake and I consider taking a detour via Lake Trail to access the far end. Then I decide that my best call is to forget the lake entirely and get on with my journey. I start climbing the hill towards the overlook.

I quickly process the deer carcass up there, collect some sticks and grab the mountaineering rope - I already have the well-fed buff, so it's easy. I warm up at a fire in the cave, then leave fast because weather is getting worse and the night is coming.

Winds begin to blow harder again and I sprain an ankle. That's inevitable in this kind of terrain, although I was hoping for a wrist.

Once I reach the river, I decide quickly to visit the Hunting Blind. Yes, I have a sprained ankle I cannot "cure", I'm tired, it's late and I could meet a wolf, but there could be a bedroll too and I really need it now.

Winds blow very hard now and my torch goes out, but I see no wolf and press on. I am rewarded for my persistence...

There is also a prybar at the blind but I leave it in place as I already have one. I only pick rosehips for next time (or even this time?) when I sprain something - now I finally have enough for a tea.

I return to the river and continue to the trailers. My temperature bar is running out and I'm exhausted and encumbered. I decide to take my chances with the wolf and go straight for the trailer.

There is no wolf to greet me but take a small condition hit during the final meters to the door. I suppose that's a fair price to pay - I covered a lot of ground today. I remain at 84% condition, including the well-fed bonus.

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 5

Morning means repairs. I'm quite successful and fix my jeans, underwear and windbreaker jacket. A little more sleep and then off to the Ravine, straight away. No stop at the Dam, no checking of the other trailer or the car. In the Ravine I stop at the deer in the first cave and harvest it completely, leaving the hide and guts in the cave to cure along with three birch saplings. Then I sweep the near part of the map - no great finds apart from a few cattails, even the loot in the derailed car is not worth mentioning.

Winds strike again the second I start a fire at the second carcass. I limit myself to the meat this time as I cannot burn fire safely. Instead I drop a few items to have lighter load, deploy the rope I brought from the ML overlook, and descend into the abyss. I take the usual flare gun, my last but quite reliable line of defense, which saved the day so many times. Then I completely harvest the deer at the cave in the basin. I'm nearly exhausted and the three deer carcasses were barely enough to fill my stomach, for I started the day out hungry and spent lots of calories harvesting.

Blizzard hits at midnight and forces me to start a fire early. My fuel reserves are sufficient but this is going to make a big dent in them.

[Hotzn]

On 4/23/2019 at 12:02 PM, Drifter Man said:

I return, kill a second rabbit, and go to bed. My food reserves are thinning fast, I have to move tomorrow.

Ah, the sense of urgency and impending doom such cliff hangers convey... 

6 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

I cook-eat two pieces of rabbit meat on the way and drive a deer in front of me as a decoy for the wolf that turned me back yesterday. It works - the wolf gets the deer and I have free passage, at least so I think. But there is a second wolf and I have to build two defensive fires to get rid of that one.

It's strange to think how weird such phrases would seem to the average layman, uninstructed in the arts of TLD. To us, they are wonderful insights, a murmur of wisdom from one TLD survivor to another. Yay, verily, cook-eat the rabbit and build that defensive fire twice. Then shoot over your shoulder, and the invisible swordsman shall appear and guide ye (lest ye accidentally shoot him over your shoulder).

[Mroz4k]

25 minutes ago, Hotzn said:

It's strange to think how weird such phrases would seem to the average layman, uninstructed in the arts of TLD. To us, they are wonderful insights, a murmur of wisdom from one TLD survivor to another

Just a healthy amount of TLD bush-talk  
 

5 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

My fuel reserves are sufficient but this is going to make a big dent in them.

On the brighter note, less weight to drag up the rope out of the Ravine  Less fatigue lost, too.

[BareSkin]

The bedroll is too critical to be so rare. I chose to drop the loot tables, but man this is tempting. Just for the bedroll. Never understood why you can't sleep on the floor anywhere.

[Drifter Man]

17 hours ago, Hotzn said:

It's strange to think how weird such phrases would seem to the average layman, uninstructed in the arts of TLD. To us, they are wonderful insights, a murmur of wisdom from one TLD survivor to another. Yay, verily, cook-eat the rabbit and build that defensive fire twice. Then shoot over your shoulder, and the invisible swordsman shall appear and guide ye (lest ye accidentally shoot him over your shoulder).

 

17 hours ago, Mroz4k said:

Just a healthy amount of TLD bush-talk  

Yeah, cook-eating, deer-driving and defensive fires are essential skills of any experienced practitioner of extreme interloping...

 

[Drifter Man]

17 hours ago, Mroz4k said:

On the brighter note, less weight to drag up the rope out of the Ravine  Less fatigue lost, too.

Given the subsequent developments, I'd very much prefer climbing with a bag full of sticks and coal

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 6

I sleep by the fire long into the morning, then kill the basin's local rabbit, cook-eat it and pack up. A while later I'm climbing up the rope, the weather is good. However, I really spent a lot of fuel last night and decide that I want to see myself sleeping at Rabbit Grove tonight - another blizzard could wipe me out.

Once I'm back up, I pick up the supplies I dropped before going to the Basin and bag another rabbit. This one is tough, gets knocked out under a branch, becoming un-pickable. I have to stone it a second time. Then I cross the tree bridge and safely reach the second cave, bagging yet another rabbit and a few sticks on the way.

It's afternoon now, wind has picked up and although it's still warm enough, I decide to sleep for an hour to warm up and rest a bit before I continue to CH. When I wake up, winds are at full strength and eventually transition to a blizzard. I'm in trouble - blizzards in the Ravine tend to last.

I build a fire, cook the rabbits, make water and watch the weather outside with a worried look of a deadman who knows that things aren't going well. I stand next to the fire and feed it one lump of coal after another.

When the blizzard ends, it's already night. I take a torch from what's left of the fire and make a quick run for sticks - I go as far as to the tunnel to replenish my supply exhausted by two consecutive blizzards. Fortunately it is warm enough to sleep in the back of the cave, at least for now. I'm left with 2 cedar, 2 coals and 14 sticks. Enough for one campfire, no more than that.

Edited April 25, 2019 by Drifter Man

[BareSkin]

This is scary. Legends say a deadman committed suicide nearby.

[Drifter Man]

11 hours ago, BareSkin said:

This is scary. Legends say a deadman committed suicide nearby.

True, I've almost forgotten the legend. Crows had his body but his spirit still hovers above the Ravine.

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 7

Nice weather in the morning. I use the bedroll to get just enough warmth and avoid having to start a fire. Once the temperature in the back of the cave climbs above zero, I go outside to catch the remaining two rabbits. They're highly uncooperative, using terrain for cover, stopping or changing direction the moment I throw the stone, etc. I only manage to catch one, the other just vanishes somewhere.

Then it's time for a little fire, a few sticks and one coal. I cook the rabbit, some water and prepare a can of hot pork and beans. Once it's all done, I leave the cave towards CH.

At first it all looks good, snow is falling but the winds are still, felt +1C with the torch. When I emerge on the other side of the tunnel though, a blizzard breaks out. This is going to hurt.

I run, yes, run along the trestle, covering the critical point with broken rails in three quick jumps. I've crossed it many times when I lived in the Dam.

Once I reach CH, I still have over 1/2 of the temperature bar. At this moment CH is still warm - the blizzard is only beginning there. I choose to run down the Bear Creek towards Rabbit Grove... but when the blizzard breaks out in full, winds turn in my face. I decide I have better chances getting to the trailer at Train Unloading.

I reach the trailer with the loss of only about 1% condition and head straight to bed to warm up. Then I search the trailer: a can opener, that's all. I use the rest of the day and read Wilderness Kitchen from cover to cover. Cattails for dinner. Now I'm not only out of firewood but nearly out of food as well.

The blizzard does not end until late into the night.

Edited April 26, 2019 by Drifter Man

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 8

I spend the morning reading and sleeping - it's too cold outside. Whenever I check the weather, I can hear wolves howling in the direction I'll be headed this afternoon.

I'm worried about wolves on the road from Train Unloading to Log Sort, so I leave the road to the left as soon as I can. After a bit of goating, I find a shortcut to the lonely cabin above the road.

The cabin is empty, so I just grab all the sticks I can see and some reishi mushrooms. No rabbits or deer are in sight. I try to locate the trailers by the road but can't find them, and decide not to waste time and calories. I don't know this place well.

Instead I continue down towards Log Sort. My calories run out on the way and I begin starving. I choose not to eat my remaining food supplies - a can of tomato soup and a few cattails - and keep them as reserve for the night.

I harvest two carcasses at Log Sort for a total 2.1 kg of meat. I don't need a fire - it is warm enough, although winds begin to blow harder when I'm working on the second one. Now I need a place to cook the meat safely. I take a break in the trailer on the way to the Cinder Hills mine. Inside the trailer I find a thin wool sweater.

Eventually I reach  the mine at sunset, cook the meat and arrest my condition at 76% - that went down fast. Apart from the usual coal, the mine offers a box of simple tools and beef jerky, both welcome. I limit myself to 20 coals as I cannot carry more anyway, especially without the well-fed buff, and fall asleep at the PV exit.

My only remaining food is a can of tomato soup and one - yes, one - cattail.

 

[BareSkin]

I was so glad to leave Blizzard Valley, that even reading your adventure will be heartbreaking.

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 9

I read a book again in the morning - "Survive the Outdoors" this time. It's really cold out there. Even in the afternoon, when I finally leave, it is windy and felt -15C. Before I get to the road, I am already forced to stop and do a warming break. I approach the car at Road's End, which usually has a small treat for me - beef jerky or chocolate bar or the like - but this time it's just empty.

In much better weather now, but an empty stomach, I make my way to Derelict Cabins - this gets me painkillers and relatively safe passage up to the bear cave, but I forfeit the cattails on the river. Further up, the bear is on patrol. I avoid it easily but no stopping for the deer carcass this time. The bear would come sniffing and I'm not interested in a bear hug.

Misty Falls... two bunnies are hopping around... soon they stop hopping and begin cooking on my campfire. Once I'm done cook-eating, I let water boil on the fire while I explore the cave. I find a can of dog's best friend, which immediately becomes my best friend, a storm lantern and some fuel. I can't carry much, so the lantern stays behind - it's a cool item but too heavy, I can't just afford hauling it around.

I finish the day by moving over to the prep bunker, which is "not even full of crap", as the legends say. I check my condition - 75% - and realize that most of the loss yesterday was due to the expiration of the well-fed buff. I wonder if you can suddenly die that way. I end the day with stomach half-full and the same tomato soup and cattail as the only food left.

[Drifter Man]

4 minutes ago, BareSkin said:

I was so glad to leave Blizzard Valley, that even reading your adventure will be heartbreaking.

As you can see, I make sure to pass through PV as quickly as possible. I want to be out before you could say "blizzard".

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 10

I wake up before dawn. I spend the time harvesting some sticks into tinder plugs - I haven't been able to get many cattails, so tinder ran out. Once the sun is up, I manage to read the last chapter of "Survive the Outdoors" for firestarting level 2 and repair some clothes. Then my calories run out.

Having sorted my inventory - deciding which items to leave in the bunker, such as prybar or scrap metal - I crawl out to check the weather. Felt -21C, too cold, and just I'm saying this to myself, a blizzard breaks out.

So that's another day lost. I stay in the bunker and eat my last cattail, leaving only the tomato soup for later. The blizzard ends late at dusk. I must move - I leave the bunker as soon as I hear the wind die down. It's still very cold but I'm rested and can afford to run (it doesn't cost me any calories, either, at this point). This lets me delay the warming break until the Landing Gear.

While I'm warming up and making water, the winds first get worse and then better. I wait for the 'better' part to be able to carry a torch - it's too easy to get lost here in the darkness. I eat my last tomato soup and add a tea for good measure. With a burning torch in hand, I locate Mountaineer's Hut and go in.

A new (97%) ski jacket awaits me there, along with a can of dog food - again - and a soda. It's unusually cold, felt +2C with the torch (and the ski jacket, total temp bonus +11C, which wouldn't be bad in my snowball days). I go to bed for 2 hours, then start a fire and sleep until the next morning. I'm starved down to 67% and out of food again, but with luck I can get some cattails tomorrow.

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 11

The first thing of the day is to head out on the lake and get as many cattails as I can. Fire is burning and I add some coal to it because I'm going to need it this morning. Unfortunately, there are two wolves on the lake and it's felt -39C. Nothing for a deadman to do in these conditions.

Later on, when the winds die down, I manage to slip out and grab a few cattails, plus a rabbit on the way back. As I process the rabbit in the cabin, the smell attracts a bear - I can hear it breathing and thumping around. It gets foggy in the afternoon and I give the bear some time to get lost.

While crossing the lake I'm extra careful - the bear is still close and it is throwing "Wolves of the North" all around the place. I get a few more cattails (I end up with 15 in total) and start a warming fire at the container at the Wing. The loot: pork and beans, 2x peaches, tea, coffee.

Moments later it gets very windy. My torch is blown out as I cross the fallen tree bridge above Echo. I find a sheltered place to start a fire and harvest a deer carcass on the way. The winds die down again and, again, give way to fog. Grandma fog.

I try to catch some rabbits along the way but they're highly uncooperative, always hopping away from me. I give up - I don't have time to play their games. I fail to pay attention and run out of temperature before reaching the Cave of Engines. My stomach is full tonight, mainly thanks to the 1.9 kg deer carcass, and I have a small stash of food for the next day. 66% condition.

Edited April 28, 2019 by Drifter Man

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 12

I pass through the Cave of Engines and emerge on the other side, a bit impatiently - it's too early and too cold. I still manage to catch a rabbit and cook-eat it, but another blizzard erupts later in the morning and I have to wait in the cave. I am only allowed to leave at dusk.

First I go for the rope - three cattails found on the way. It's so cold that once I have the rope, I have to build another warming fire. This allows me to listen up and I conclude that no howls come from up river, where the cattails are. So I return, drop the rope where I can grab it later, and clear the cattails in the wolf area. Then I go to the second attachment point, start another fire, deploy the rope and throw in 2 coals to warm up.

It is already night. Once fully warmed up, I decide to check out the cliff where a carcass can be found sometimes, although no crows can be heard. There is indeed no carcass. I take two shrooms and some sticks and return to my fire.

Wind reduces it soon but I can babysit, and I decide to do so because I'm not tired and I have a high frostbite risk - I haven't found any gloves yet. Not that it would make any difference if I got frostbite - my condition is 66% and never coming back - but, why not.

Once the frostbite risk (and the winds, too) is gone, I return to the cave and pass through to the Echo end. I sleep there until morning.

Deadman 13 / Day 13

I'm more careful this time. Morning is just for reading books. I need perfect weather, a warm afternoon for my next move.

And I get it. It's light fog in the afternoon, felt -10C/-13C in the wind. Still pretty cold, but I make it up the first rope, where I lose about 2% condition while trying to build a fire. Warmed up, I move across Deer Clearing - with a short stop at the cave - and eventually make it to the deer carcass below Secluded Shelf. Only 0.8 kg meat, and the winds that pick up while I'm harvesting don't even let me cook it. At least they let me finish my rosehip tea to fix a sprained ankle.

I climb the second rope to Secluded Shelf and search the cave. I only find coal and a mag lens, which I already have. Does it mean there will be no hacksaw at the Summit? The one I'm carrying has only about 50% left and I don't want to lose it...

We'll care about that tomorrow. Right now I'm exhausted to death. As soon as I reach the other end, I roll out the sleeping back and call it a day.

I regain my well-fed buff during the night, my condition is 69%. I don't think I'll be keeping it for long.

Edited April 28, 2019 by Drifter Man
Added day 13 record

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 13

Summit Day.

I eat nearly all of my cattails to keep my well-fed bonus - I may need it for climbing with loot. I finish my second copy of "Survive the Outdoors", sleep some more, then head out into the winds. The first stop is my "base camp", protected cave halfway to the rope. I start a fire there, make water, drop unnecessary items to lighten the load, and sleep, waiting for warmer weather.

When it comes, I drink reishi tea, take a torch and go to the rope. It is still very cold. I left about 6 hours of fire at the base camp - I intend to return to it while it is still burning. I climb the rope, reach the summit, and make the first stop in the cave (coal, wood, antibiotics; no need for the rope, thank you, see you again some time). A warming break is necessary because the winds blow at full strength again. The weather changes from one extreme to another every two hours or so.

My next fire is in the tail section. Quick look around the plane: no new hacksaw. My 56% one will have to do. Food first - four 31% cans, five 19% sodas. I'll eat all canned food in place, risking food poisoning, to fill my stomach. Clothes: I keep mittens (my first gloves), wool ear wrap and a ski jacket (my second). Temperature bonus increases slightly to +12C. Eight flare shells, no need for a second pistol. A firestriker. Four packs of salty crackers. One each of deer, wolf and rabbit pelt - again, my hopes for two deer remain unfulfilled.

Hacksaw is now at 26%. Should I spend 5% more on the tea and coffee? When do I find my next hacksaw - in the Barn in PV? I open the container and grab the tea and coffee.

There are matches somewhere in the crates but I'm not breaking any.

I wait again for better winds and return to my base camp, the fire is still burning. I move the rope so that I can pick it up easily on the next day. It's night already.

This deadman has had the worst rng I can imagine - in terms of hostile weather, wildlife, loot. However, I definitely feel the full force of the cold without the Cold Fusion feat. Honestly, I don't think I'm going to make it. The cold will be slowing me down and forcing me to seek fire and shelter, and I won't have time to find enough food. Playing deadman is hard.

[BareSkin]

8 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

Playing deadman is hard.

Only on unlucky day 13, it's gonna get better I'm sure!

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 13 / Day 14

The morning is used well: reading another copy of "Wilderness Kitchen", then repairing clothes, then sleep. I leave the safety of the cave in early afternoon, felt -13C. Right under the rope, a wolf attacks a rabbit, but I manage to slip by without attracting attention. A few minutes later I realize I could have taken a screenshot. I deploy the rope, check the river below - no wolves - and go down. I make a dash to the Cave of Engines and reach it just before my temperature runs out.

One hour of sleep does not get it back to full but it's foggy now and I decide to leave while the weather holds. I go down the next rope, the one I deployed two days ago, and go on until I reach the river that leads to Crystal Lake. As usual, I find my place on the river next to a fallen tree and build a fire. There are a few cattails around and I even probe downstream to get some more. Wolves guard the cattail treasure on Crystal Lake - I'm not getting it this time.

There are crows circling above the overlook. My next stop is there, and I cook 1.4 kg meat from the deer carcass. Maple sapling as bonus. The fog lifts but the weather is still good.

A few minutes later I reach Mountaineer's Hut. I'm thinking of going to the Bunker tonight. The faster I move the better. After one hour of sleep, to warm up and to get some rest, I head out, although the winds are quite strong now. I make a fire near Landing Gear but the wind turns around, forcing me to start another. I lose 1% to freezing.

Warmed up by the fire from the outside and by coffee from the inside, I move to PV and eventually reach the bunker. Fog has descended on TWM after the brief windy period, so the rest of the journey is safe. I sleep soundly into the next morning. So far so good, but my food reserves are getting low again. I only have 1-2 days' worth left.