For Glory

Bernice Oiler

Adventurer

Having been born and raised in a small log cabin at the feet of the Black Mountains, deep in the wildlands, Bernice from a young age learnt survivalism and self-reliance. At the age of 18 she trekked solo across the wildlands to see Harvest for herself, becoming a public sensation when she arrived 3 years later, walking right out of the desert. Since then she has become a household name in Harvest and beyond: her extraordinary exploits and heroism gracing the front page of the news at least once a year. She is an obvious choice for the expedition, hardly anyone can match her rugged skills or her incredible experience, and for Bernice: she feels she must go higher and further each time she leaves her home, lest she fail to meet up to the public’s growing appetite for adventure stories.

Abel De Berg

Sportsman

Abel once jumped from a biplane wing 1000m above the ground to test a wingsuit of his own invention. He’s skied down enormous slopes, ran marathons across the deserts, swum between islands, and beaten any challenger at darts. A man at the peak of physical conditioning, with an iron constitution and unstoppable drive to win, he sees being the first to climb the mountain as his right.

For Myself

Simon John

Believer

A deacon of a minor sect of Nhoste that views physical suffering through exertion to be cleansing to the soul, Simon has undertaken many extraordinary expeditions in search of spiritual purity. He has travelled further south than anyone on record, solo, but refuses to disclose what he found there. His sect believes that Nhoste creates mountains such as Monte Secunda not as a warning, but as a challenge for the individual. He is frustrated by the way mainstream Bohrism avoids ‘sacred’ mountains instead of rising to meet their challenge.

David Casper

Romantic

An artist whose work is obscure among the public but adored by the art community, David finds inspiration and clarity through seeking out remote places. He is obsessed with Monte Secunda, and has visited it multiple times to paint it, but has never climbed higher than a few hundred metres due to the religious restrictions. He nominated himself for the expedition, desperate for a chance to reach the peak, which he believes will be a life changing, sublime, experience.

For a higher purpose

Anastasia Clearwind

Patriot

Few can claim to have climbed the highest peak of the Black Mountains, the Hintertusk, but Anastasia has done so: twice. A true citizen of Harvest, after she returned from her grueling first climb, she heard rumours that a climber from Saxonia had summited the day after her and removed the Harvest flag she had planted. She promptly returned to the mountain, and planted an enormous permanent metal Harvest flag - after carrying the heavy flag the entire climb. In Anastasia's modernist mind, Harvest represents the best future for the entire world. She wants to push the world into a new era by proving the nation’s superiority over the old religions of the past, by planting their flag on the holy mountain.

Bern Left

Scientist

Pioneer of high altitude medicine and physiology, Bern is also a talented geologist and astronomer. The mountains are his home and his workplace, he is the foremost expert on mountain climbing as a science and invented the oxygen system the expedition team will be using from his high altitude laboratory. For Bern, climbing higher is about pushing back the veil of ignorance; about discovering more about the natural world for the good of everyone, and about a chance to test his theories.

Mountain height and climbing speed

The highested mountain climbed so far by anyone is Huskar's Pike at 7630m. No one has ever climbed above 8000m, but it is known that the human body begins to die at that height. The main issue becomes getting enough oxygen as the air becomes thinner. It is imperative that you spend as little time as possible above 8000m.

The climbing speeds given below are estimates, considering a 30° grade.

• Monte Secunda is ~8500m by best estimates.
• The base of the mountain and base camp is at 2000m.
• Climbing speed is 300m/hr below and at 4000m, 200m/hr at 5000m, 100m/hr at 6000m, 50m/hr at 7000m, slowing to 25m/hr at 8000m.
• Expected time to summit in a perfect case starting at base is ~5 weeks (exclusing acclimatization time)

Weight limits

You will need to carry a lot of gear to make it up the mountain, but the more you carry the slower you go. It will be a challange to decide what the take and what you can do without, and organising the load between the players.

Clothes that you are wearing will not count to your carry weight, but anything above that will.

Weight guidelines

• 0-5kg - no impediment
• 5-10kg - mild impediment
• 10-15kg, moderate impediment
• 15-20kg, max weight for climbing
• 20+kg = overencumbered
• 30kg absolute limit for movement given ideal terrain

Camps and support teams

You will be spending many days on the mountain, and will need to establish camps as you progress to rest and store supplies. It will be up to you to decide where to place your camps.

Depending on the sponsor you go with, you may have support teams to help you. They can be either porters, guards, or support climbers.

• Porters: transport supplies between camps for free (no weight limit). Won't go above 6000m.
• Guards: keep away threats and keep other staff in line. Won't go above 5000m.
• Support climbers: can scout routes or do technical prep work. They can ferry supplies like porters too. Won't go above 7000m.

Altitude sickness

As you climb higher and higher, the oxygen gets thinner and thinner. This will start to cause debilitating medical issues if left unchecked, as your organs lose access to oxygen. You will need to move slower and take deeper breaths just to perform basic actions. As long as you are breathing bottled oxygen, you cannot get altitude sick.

• 3000-4000m: the "acclimatization zone". You can't start to suffer from altitude sickness at this height, but you can prepare your body here by remaining at this height for at least a week before proceeding. If you don't, you guarentee altitude sickness above 7000m regardless of any rolls. If you have altitude sickness and you return to this height, you will heal at the rate of 1 altitude sickness level per day.
• 4000m: you are now at altitude, and need to roll a d20 every day that you are doing anything other than resting. If you roll under a 4, altitude sickness starts.
• 6000m: the roll must be above 8.
• 7000m: the roll must be above 12, and from not on the roll must be made regardless of whether you are resting or not. If you did not acclimatize, you become sick no matter what at this height.
• 8000m: the roll must be above 16.

Altitude sickness effects start at level 1 and advance a stage for each failed roll/day per the height.

• Stage 1: suffer from weight effects as if carrying an extra 10kg.
• Stage 2: speed reduced by 1/2, disadvantage on all rolls.
• Stage 3: slowed to a crawl (¼ speed), all rolls capped at 10. Climbing not possible.
• Stage 4: must roll above 15 to perform any action at all, otherwise unresponsive.

Altitude sickness can be redued by 1 level by taking dexamethine but this effect lasts only 1 day. Resting with Oxygen for a day will lower it permanently by 1 level. Getting below 4000m will also cure it 1 level per day.

Temperature

It will be between -20 and -50 degrees near the summit of the mountain. Death by hypothermia and frostbite are grave dangers, however temperature won't be tracked with rules. The only things that can be done to reduce the risk of hypothermia and frostbite are to keep covered up in high quality clothes and keep moving: it is assumed that you'll be doing this anyway and you don't have to specify it.

If you choose (or are forced) to not move for a time, you will be warned about hypothermia. Likewise if you find yourself with exposed skin (say you losta glove for example). The outcome of these scenarios will be played by ear.

Random events

Each day you may be subject to a random event from the following list. You may also choose to manually roll a random event if you want.

Total weight: 0kg

Total cost: $0

Default supplies

Everyone starts with these for free, but you can choose to not bring them or to buy more

Payload

Harvest wants you to take these supplies to the summit

Supplies

Choose your supplies carefully!