Main: [[Campaign]] Prev: [[The Hard Winter]] # 28 Years Later _**Spring 2100, Population 284**_ It’s the Spring of 2100, a year worth celebrating as a milestone. It’s been 28 years since [[The Hard Winter]] and 29 since [[The Collapse]], and our community has grown larger and stronger. “It’s easier than the Hard Winter” has become a common saying to indicate something might be hard, but still achievable. Shaped by the quiet year before The Hard Winter, we radically rethought how to organize ourselves. There is no space in our lives for selfishness – selfish communities starve and fracture. We are strong because we are together. Our community has grown vibrant and alive as we’ve learned to make peace with the changed world. ### Home Life > _“May you be blessed to be chosen as parents…”_ Children are our future, and our future is still very much uncertain. Our tradition of allowing children the right to choose their families and participate in important decisions has become a cornerstone of our lives. A pregnant family is said to be “blessed to be chosen” by their child, and as children age they are free to find a place in the community where they feel best cared for and supported.  We all contribute to the schoolhouse in whatever ways we can – teaching, feeding, cleaning, organizing, or mentoring. The schoolhouse is the core of our community – physically, socially, and emotionally. It’s a symbol of who we are. As children reach adolescence, they are expected to begin to learn a practical profession, and many choose to sign up with one of the five major coteries to begin their practical development.  The five coteries are The Regainers Guild, The Conservators, The Lambic Hive, The Oasis Institute, and The Water Singers. A rare few individuals take after [[Achebe, Ijeoma “Strider”|Strider]] Achebe and leave the community to gather resources or information, make connections with outside communities, or eliminate threats. We call these types of people Striders in her honor. (A etymology she doesn’t seem to particularly care for.) ### Outsiders Just before the Hard Winter, we found another community aboard an abandoned Washington State Ferry. In the Spring, we towed that ferry to our pier at their request.  The people aboard were frightened and alone, having escaped from under the control of a pirate warlord who was using that ferry as their base of operations. These people eventually adopted the name The Water Singers, and they are covered in more detail below. We know there are other communities out there, but contacting them has been difficult – we are a cautious community by nature. We know a few, such as the Lummi Nation and the military base on Bainbridge managed to survive the catastrophe. We’ve seen a group of large sailboats pass by regularly and at least one active missile submarine.  But we know very little of who or what might be out there. The mainland is still presumed to be highly dangerous, as few in our community have the ability to defend against the monsters and fewer still have an immunity to the illness. Striders tell us tales and bring word from time to time, but it’s hard to separate fact from fiction. We suspect there may be dozens of communities like ours around the Sound, but making contact is frightening for many back at home. ## The Water Singers  _Those who join the Singers learn not only the practical skills of boat making and navigation, but also the practical skills of spiritual guidance for our people._ Towing the ferry to our pier in Spring of 2073 was a watershed moment for our community. At our doorstep were over 40 people who had no idea how we were going to take in, but any discussion of food or shelter stopped the moment the ferry opened and we saw what was inside. Under the thumb of the pirate warlord in 2072 life had been difficult and no caution had been paid to the spread of the illness. Every person aboard that ferry had survived the infection – those that hadn’t were thrown overboard by the pirates. Even partial immunity to the virus was unheard of, so to have 49 people show up with a natural immunity threw our tiny community into an uproar.  But that wasn’t all. A small number of Water Singers were changed by the virus. Animal-like features, altered body plans, and unusual adaptations were common among the Singers. Preferring to stay aboard the ferry, those who were touched by the illness took some time to become part of who we are. But in the intervening 28 years, some have come to live ashore and even been blessed by children choosing them as parents. There is no stigma for these traits – they are simply part of who we are, and our community recognizes them as a part of our fabric.  The Water Singers became one of the five coteries when it was discovered that they seem to share a special connection with the illness – a sense or presence that some have described as part spiritual, part psychic, and part natural. Some style themselves as witches, others as healers or quiet mystics. There are rumors that some Water Singers can speak with the resident Orcas, though it’s difficult to confirm this. Nevertheless, the Ferry has become a deeply spiritual place, and the Singers its caretakers. Some call it a temple, others have different names, but it has become a place for us to retreat for quiet contemplation. Boats of all kinds are familiar to the Singers, whose expertise comes from decades of repairing and renewing the small fleet in our community. ## The Conservators ![[Conservators.png]] *Image depicts a robotic humanoid and several humans with cats working on improving trails in a pacific northwest island, overlooking Puget Sound. Credit: [Cesár Odilon](https://www.artstation.com/oddcesar). By commission.* _Those who join The Conservators learn the practical skills of trail building, land clearing, and cat rearing, but also addressing the need for our people to roam and experience wild places._ Just before the Hard Winter, a militia took up arms and declared themselves ‘protectors’ of our community. That evolved into clearing infection from our island and increasing the space our community has to operate without fear of vermin or infection. They patrol for and cull infected animals, and they consider The Scar and The Soup to be their core responsibility. Since the Hard Winter, the breadth of people who seek this work has widened. No longer an expression of anger or impotence at the collapse, the Conservators now take the mantle of regrowth and safe expansion. These days, Conservators attract those who want to work outdoors and who are comfortable with some risk of encounters with wild animals. But the Conservators also ensure that the community cares for and raises new generations of cats. Some Conservators rarely leave the walled area of our community and instead train and raise the cats that hunt vermin. A Conservator is rarely seen without a cat companion or two by their side. ## The Regainers Guild ![[Regainers Guild.png]] *Image depicts two people working in a barn that has been converted into an industrial workshop, with several scattered bits of technology on tables. Credit: [Cesár Odilon](https://www.artstation.com/oddcesar). By commission.* _Those who join The Regainers Guild learn practical skills in repairing, documenting, and understanding pre-catastrophe technology, and they also develop curiosity and artistry in their community._ The Regainers Guild started when [[Achebe, Ijeoma “Strider”|Strider]]’s group brought a sledge full of reclaimed solar panels from around the island. A group of tinkerers and makers within the community got them working and provided the nascent community with power and warmth. Over time, they attracted people of like mind – those who were interested in finding and regaining the knowledge from the world before.  The Regainers share their results readily with the community and collect stories of the time before. They care for not only the mechanical things of the old world, but the stories and ideas of the world that came before. They inspire creativity and ingenuity amongst people of all ages in the community.  ## The Oasis Institute   _Those who join The Oasis Institute learn the practical skills of growing food for both the people and cats in the community, and they learn to care for the physical bodies in the community._ The first people in the greenhouse joked that they had built themselves a tiny oasis on the island, going so far as to paint “Oasis” on the front doors. People came to the Oasis for food, medicine, or to work with their hands in growing things.  The community started calling the greenhouse “The Oasis Institute” as a bit of a cheeky joke, and the name stuck. Now it’s nearly thirty years later and the name and responsibilities have expanded.  The Oasis Institute cares for food for both the humans and cats in the community – ensuring everyone has nutritious meals, access to medical care and supplies, and knows how to care for their own bodies and those around them (should need arise.)  ## The Lambic Hive  _Those who join the Lambic Hive learn practical skills of brewing, beekeeping, and feastmaking, they also learn to care for the mental health of the community._ Just before the Hard Winter, the community had started a project to build a series of beehives for the community. Though the project was not completed before winter fell, the next spring they finished the hives and coaxed some bees to move in. That autumn, the community had its first taste of honey in years and all work stopped to celebrate. The beekeepers arranged a festival – the first festival since the catastrophe to celebrate. Though honey is now regularly available to the community, they still celebrate Honey’s Harvest every autumn.  Over time, the beekeepers expanded their role and attracted those who wished to capture some of the ebullient spirit from the first festival. They experimented with brewing and cooking techniques, they hosted parties and festivals and arranged entertainment for the community.  It wasn’t long before the community realized it needed more care than just festivals and parties to address their mental health. There was grief and sadness, joy and hope, frustration and confusion, anxiety and worry, and the whole range of human emotions that started pouring out once everyone realized they were really likely to survive after all.  The Hive stepped up and became a critical part of ensuring the community had the emotional support it needed.