Science Seat Backlog (S14/F15)

--- 55/AT Backlog ---
--- S2014/F2015

Implemented:

• Project: Mist Veil Pt.1: Can be counted as the biggest achievement of this term's season and implementation of a first long term project to date. Ever since the discovery during year 2013, the concept of Mist Veil's exploitation was occupying council's and town's boards. After a year long planning, scouting and resource consolidation, the first part of the project was deployed within a span of one month, thanks to our active volunteers. The work resulted in a secured, remote outpost, a safe haven away from Four Cannon which can safely house work crews, Cannonites, within well heated, semi-mechanized mountain-halls - remains of the diamond dog outpost that were restored for our use. The outpost harbors clusters of secured tunnels, valuable resources and possibly useful wild life, all of which are currently being addressed and are being looked through in ongoing development phases. Site's safety is being provided by Guards and Vault's staff. Additionally after negotiations with Equestrian officials, their guard forces authorized patrols of northern sectors that lie along the route that leads to the outpost as well as assist the site militarily if an emergency will arise. Besides resource benefits, project's implementation provided data about town's capabilities in spheres of management of remote sites, logistics. maintenance and efficiency of safety protocols for persistent outposts, data that will be used to optimize chain of command, modes of transportation for goods and manpower, defense and long-term survival methodology. This should help us better our ways for organizing work and living conditions in environments farther away from town's support grid.

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• Education: After year-long data collection and processing available information, staffed, persisted courses were organized and deployed within school house. Number of courses became available to all citizens of Four Cannon since the beginning of October. All courses are free of charge, though staff welcomes donations for expanding reading base for courses. Currently provided list of courses:
> Equestrian, Basic			2 weeks;
> Equestrian, High			1 month;
> Farming				1 month/incremental
> First Aid				1 month/incremental
> Physician/Surgery [Anatomy]		1 month/incremental
> Arcane Practices:
## Initiation Courses: Basic preparation for Arcane Practices. Dates might vary depending on individual's mastery.
## - Horn	 			4-6 months/Covers: Light, Touch [Base TK], Grasp [Improved TK], Fundamental Three Mastery
## - Wing				2 months/Covers: Cloudswalking, Grasp the Wing. Requires physical readiness and a decent command over wings/flight.
## - Body				1 month/Covers: Body Attunement
## Thaumatology, Pt.1			1 month;
## Vocal Casting			1 month/prerequisites assessed;
## Telekinesis [H]			1 month/incremental
## - Thermal:				1 month/each/quirky
## = C-Grade: Ignite Fire, Seek Fire, Extinguish Fire, Shape Fire, Fireproof, Heat, Point Heat, Cold, Resist Cold, Resist Fire
## = M-Grade: Create Fire, Deflect Energy, Flame Jet, Fireball, Explosive Fireball

## - Central Nervous System:		1 month/each/quirky
## = C-Grade: Keen Sense (Sight/Hearing/Taste/Smell)
## = M-Grade: Alertness, Rear Vision, Foolishness, Daze, Mental Stun, Sleep
## = F-Grade: [Consult with Archivites]

## - Earth				1 month/each/quirky
## = C-Grade: [In Preparation]
## = M-Grade: [In Preparation]

## - Aqua				1 month/each/quirky
## = C-Grade: Create Water, Shape Water, Frost (A/T/W)
## = M-Grade: Drown Compound

## - Miscellaneous			1 month/each/quirky
## = M-Grade: Tazer/Stun (Electricity), Sense: Life
## = F-Grade: Numbness, Surge: Negative Energy

* C-Grade - Civilian Grade: Encouraged to be learned by every aspiring thaumaturge
* M-Grade - Military Grade: Designed to bring harm and disabling effects, both temporary and permanent. Supervised.
* F-Grade - Fringe Grade:   Haven't been thoroughly tested, experimental in nature and might bring a long lasting harm to users

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• Anti-Magic & Law Enforcement: Growing number of incidents that involved both benign and lethal magical threats urged Science Dept. to implement measures to address related issues, both on a domestic and external levels. Using contacts and acquired data, the team was able to secure two types of means to pacify active and passive sources of magic, with both toolsets transferred into possession of Guard Dept. Hopefully said means will open options to minimize needless injuries and loss of life in future encounters. Further preventive measures are being actively devised to thwart magical threats on individual, group and town's scope.

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• Research Capacity & Technical Base: Passed months were fruitful in this regard as both expeditions and several contacts allowed to secure larger quantity of equipment, primarily connected with fields of chemistry, alchemy, thaumatology and general knowledge base, allowing town to expand options in performing expanded chemical analysis and basic alchemical transmutations in the future. Inclusion of donated artifacts, both organic and inorganic ones, findings and exotic ore-types in town's possession enable us to expand production of fringe, experimental devices, both defensive, offensive and utilitarian in their nature.

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• Medical: Several concoctions and compounds were devised and used for medical purposes:
> Glowdew Extract: With a year long testing cycle coming to the end, the Glowdew Extract is scheduled to be released for public medical use. The arcane extract acts as a potent relaxant and a nootropic agent, able to temporary improve cognitive abilities of a consumer, before inducing a relaxing, serene haze;
> Glophium: A compound mix of a Glowdew Extract and Pseudonita Diluculum. A C-Grade sleep inducing agent;
> Medical Cement: Made to last and keep those bleeding wounds well stitched. Long term preservation from the point of creation till the point of drying out is still being looked into. Batches of the agent were tested and proved to last for at least 2-3 days in a moisturized storage before needing replacement - an ideal solution for short-term expeditions or medical emergencies within close vicinity to town's perimeter.

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Ongoing:

• Project: Herodotus: The flagship project of the Science Dept. that was initiated since the formation of the team. Project Herodotus, designation 'PH' (labeled as 'Project Horizons' by some within the sphere) concerns thorough preservation of humanity's heritage via data elicitation, archival and arcane means. The project is split up between cultural (languages, history, geographic, cultural descriptors, works of fictions, names, political theory and many many factoids connected with humanity as a whole) and technical (natural sciences, theoretical and practical technological base, technology of both ancient and modern world). The biggest, but tentative breakthrough during this term was acquisition of an arcane artifact which enables to work directly with user's memory. Currently tests are being performed directly under supervision of artifact's holder and Science Seat.

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• Mist Veil Pt.2: While the first part allowed town to lay down foundation, next step will turn the outpost into a productive center which aims to develop sulfur, volcanic stream, cluster of crystals, 'Alots' aka "Rattlecats" (A breed of eyeless, long tailed cats that possess extremely sharp tail's tip [able to make scratch marks against granite] and claws. A colony of 'Alots' currently resides in Mist Veil and were proved to be able to adapt to town's life. Mass domestication is being looked into) and side resources. Close cooperation with Engineering Dept. and Mining Company is expected to be initiated in the beginning of spring.

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• Remote Site Surveillance & Development: Four Cannon is surrounded by numerous sites of interest that with proper planning and development can yield many benefits for town's economy and well being. Mist Veil was one of such site that was chosen due to its relative safety, infrastructure and close proximity to 4C... but there are many more documented places left to be explored and exploited. Science Dept. pin pointed more than eight sites for prospecting projects and currently performs routine scouting checks combined with dev. planning for the future. Three sites were highlighted as current priorities. Ponies of the town among Miners, Pathfinders, Guards and those who worked at Mist Veil are encouraged to prepare for future expeditions.

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• Weaponization Programmes: A priority project that was initiated to answer various town's threats via technological and arcane means. After physical encounters with swamp trolls, spiders, dragons and arcane encounters with undeath, shapeshifters, telepaths and mind manipulators, it is imperative to ensure community's safety via general readiness and counter-measures. As such, Science Dept. is looking into ballistics, bladesmaking, explosives and arcane means to maximize survivability:
> Ballistics: A direction which is split between improving lethality and combat characteristics of bows/crossbows, using both technological and arcane means and gunsmithing. Currently a magic-powered repeater crossbow is being thoroughly tested together with concept variants of muskets, hoofguns and ammunition. Those individuals who have knowledge in the matter of firearms are encouraged to join the crew which would allow town to both coordinate things better and speed up technological deployment.
> Bladesmaking: Improving ordinary melee weapons. Production, quality and manufacturing of PSU's (Personal Survival Unit) - contraptions that combine clockwork mechanisms with both lethality and assortment of survival tools, all within one unit - a concept prototype of Four Cannon's swiss knife with higher combat capabilities.
> Explosives: Improving and expanding the role of explosives within town's defensive doctrine. Current mining charges can be experimented with and re-purposed into fragmentation, flammable and chemical grenades.
> Arcane: Education and military-grade spells is one part of the solution... the other one being exploiting both magical and anti-magical effects found in various artifacts, flora and fauna for town's needs. Poisons, potent tranquilizers, highly corrosive materials, anti-magical compounds, detector-ores, extracts, as well as stimulants for boosting combat capabilities of individuals. Some of these are already deployed and being used within a number of defensive units. Number of manufactured equipment from this sphere is bound to increase within next semester.

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• Pony Preservation Project ("PPP"): The medical flagship of the Science Dept. The name speaks of itself as project concerns finding all possible ways of preserving and prolonging lives, be it either through application of drugs to lessen and treat ailments, devise measures to stabilize patients in critical condition, and looking into options for inducing a body-wide stasis/hibernation, something that would allow to treat long-term, mortal, crippling conditions. So far main directions that were undertaken concerned plantology & extract making, cultivating beneficial fungal cultures, looking into numbing agents and changeling-related sustained stasis induction techniques.

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• Scribing Services: Science Dept.'s ponies continue to expand their writing skillset - a feat crucial for duplicating large volumes of written information in a precise, clean, legible fashion. Together with issued projects, scribes provide their services for town's ponies if something is needed to be copied in a fast, timely manner.

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• Embassy Work: In the wake of changes within Royal Embassy's composition, Science Seat continues to hold negotiations relating to seat's and political spheres. Number of deals were negotiated through the course of the term, bolstering Science Dept.'s research capacities, town's law enforcement and defenses, brokered a deal to keep ice spider population under control with the help of Equestrian Guards, addressed the issue with Exweizi's (arcane abomination that haunted northern and north-eastern forests during autumn periods), and many more. Embassy work will continue to focus on creating cooperative, mutually-beneficial ties with Equestrian representatives.

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• Spider Queen 'Alive', Electric Wiring & 'Contact Telepathy': The ice spider menace that was plaguing town since November brought out a potentially beneficial ally. The neutrally oriented 'Queen Alive' of electric spiders is currently being negotiated with to provide assistance for Four Cannon. In exchange for a dwelling, company, protection and fruits, Mrs. Alive offered to trade a special variety of a strong spider silk which possesses a high electric conductivity - something that can be used for expanding town's electrification efforts, depending on material's degradation-factor. The issue and opportunity to study contact telepathic linking is also there and will be looked into during following months.

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Agenda:

• Attract professionals and amateurs alike to expand school house courses provided courses and bring in arcane script course as part of linguistics study paradigm.
• Expand town's electrification efforts using newly available materials.
• Pursue expansion of town's resource holdings: catacombs, mining and remote outpost sites.
• Begin a test run on goodberry cultivation within the fold of Ghost Leaf Forest's threshold.
• Bring in a batch of I.A. Regeneration Mk. 1 potions for emergency use. Attempt to document knowledge on manufacturing said concoctions through alchemist contacts.
• Push for bolstering and upgrading 4C's security perimeter to address newly identified threats.
• Together with Economic Seat, implement and test the Bit Exchange scheme within town's economical system. Perform test runs on currency equalization with Mainland's bit value.
• Maintain initiated programmes and general improvement of both Science and other department' functions.
• Support mining and logging sector's mechanization efforts.
• Continue data collection and archival of humanity's knowledge as well as attracting more bearers of various technical and cultural knowledge into community betterment schemes as per Project Herodotus doctrine.

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