Kasperian Expedition

The Kasperian Expedition is a scientific exploratory mission chartered in the spring of 1731 by the Kingdom of Moorland as part of the greater Moorland Antarctic Expedition. The objective of the mission is to seek out the ruined remains of Riponian settlements on Hypernostria, ascertain if any materials can be salvaged and/or what is of archaeological significance to preserve, and map out natural resources for management. In V.1731, the expedition set out from Bee Haven with a complement of 52 personnel under the leadership of Commander Domhnall Cruine. The planned route would follow the Honey River to the village of Honeoye, head west to the Dyvel Hills, and then pick up the remains of the old Riponian road south to the ruins of Dyvelsten. Once outside of the Dyvel Hills the team will be entering uncharted territory not seen by man in two-hundred years.

Route of the expedition

Spring 1731

After gathering supplies and equipment in Bee Haven, including three Snow Cruiser's, one equipped with a biplane, the expedition set off south along the Honey River. After a trek of roughly 5km they reached the seasonal village of Honeoye, where they checked their stockpiles, took on additional fuel, and restocked with any additional provisions deemed necessary. The group made camp at Honeoye for the evening and rested. Early the next morning they began the arduous trek east over rougher highland terrain towards the Dyvel Hills. This stretch would take longer, at roughly 10km, over untrodden terrain with no discernible paths or roads. Along the way the group also made occasional stops to collect samples of soils, rocks, plants and mosses. The group also used GPS to chart the landscape for geological mapping.

Summer 1731

The expedition reached the Dyvel Hills without incident, taking a final inventory before heading south beyond the boundaries of Beelandia. Here the terrain became much more difficult. Bare ground gave way to permanent snowpack and it took the better part of a day to traverse the roughly 3km to the ruins of Dyvelsten. The city had not been seen since its abandonment over two-hundred years prior, and it quickly became evident why as the snow quickly increased two depths of 7m or more. The weather also became increasingly difficult as harsh winds, blustery squalls and outright blizzards impeded the expedition's advance. But eventually the ruins slowly came into view. Although they expected to find the ruins of a city, what they found was nonetheless shocking. As they approached, tall grey edifices began to emerge from the wall of white haze. As they inched closer, battling unstable snow and deep crevasses, the grey blurs solidified into spires of dark granite rock hewn into massive buildings. The scale was enormous, beyond anything the expedition had expected, and spoke to the greatness of the Riponian civilization who tried to tame Hypernostria. As they approached, the years of abandonment began to manifest themselves on the features of the city. Whole buildings had cracked and collapsed or stood teetering at odd angles. Navigating the vast battlements that had kept the icy climate at bay, the group slowly entered the city.

As they gained egress, they began to search the abandoned buildings for any records left behind by the Riponians. As luck would have it, they happened upon an administrative building of sorts and discovered some written records sealed in vaults. These records, although broken and haphazard, recounted Riponia's tragic history of trying to settle Hypernostria and its losing battle with the Antarctic climate. According to the broken narrative, the Riponians had built these giant walled cities as bastions against the extreme climate. They had then invested in giant particle accelerators that would power a radiant heat system piped through the granite, heating and warming these cities to make them livable. But something had gone wrong somewhere - and here the records became more broken and indecipherable - and the Riponian reactors failed, causing the abandonment of the island.

Using old maps, the expedition tracked down the accelerator chamber. The towering domed structure appeared to have survived the city's collapse and intervening years of neglect. Carefully checking the area with dosimeters, it proved to be clear of synchrotron radiation, assuring the crew that no leaks had occurred and that the accelerator had not suffered a critical meltdown. Entering the structure, they found the large collider rings and a series of smaller cyclotrons that must have powered various other apparatus. The viability of the system was immediately questioned, as well as its strategic importance, and the MAF command station in Bee Haven was immediately radioed and a recommendation made to post a security asset at the site. After consultations with command, it was agreed that the expedition would make camp in the city until a MAF brigade arrives in a week to establish a permanent security presence. In the meantime, the expedition would continue to study the city, accelerator, and search for any records as to why the city and island were so suddenly abandoned by the Riponians. Especially in consideration of the significant investment they must have made to create such vast outposts.

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  Approaching Dyvelsten

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  The Dyvelsten Particle Accelerator

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  Inside the accelerator chamber

Fall 1731

Once a MAF contingent was in place at Dyvelsten to secure the particle accelerator, the scientific expedition disembarked for the final leg of the journey. This final stretch took the group deep into the snowpack where only a few crags of bleak grey rock served to break up the monotony of white. Portable radio wave emitters were brought along to scan areas below the snow and ice, helping scientists to see what may be buried below and beyond normal means of visibility. There was some evidence of a few things detected under the ice that suggested the possibility of more Riponian machinery, possibly mining equipment abandoned during the collapse. But the thickness of the ice prevented further analysis of these anomalies. Otherwise, the trip was uneventful and arrived in a timely fashion at the destination, dubbed Camp Kaspar.

Here the crew made temporary shelter and conducted a wider range of scans while collecting core samples of ice, as well as analyzing air quality. After the data collection was complete, the group packed up and returned north back to Dyvelsten, reaching the MAF encampment just before the start of winter. Within the next month they were back in Bee Haven to report on their findings and begin further analysis of the samples taken. In the immediate aftermath of the discovery of the particle accelerator, it became immediately obvious that Moorland should secure the site permanently, both for the purposes of research and to thwart the possibility of the machine falling into the hands of terrorists.