In 1945, the United States underwent Operation Paperclip which gave over 1,600 German scientists, engineers and technicians sanctuary and absolution of their crimes in exchange for the continuation of their research.
In 1953 those same individuals came up with and executed MK Ultra, an illegal human experiment that used its citizens (targeting schools, hospitals and prisons) as test subjects.
In 1954 the Plum Island was turned into a research center for diseases.
In 1975 the first documented case of Lyme disease occurred. Rumored to have escaped Plum Island.
In 2005 the DHS announced that all the work done at Plum Island would be continued in Kansas. Not just the center of the continental United States, but also home to crops seen in grocery stores all over the country.
The following is a true story.
Getting into work, one of the first things I do is check my mail. I’ve been a reporter for years and have amassed fans who like to write in and give me leads. Most of the time these leads don't amount to much (Sometimes I wonder if people send me things because of my apophenia and they are trying to get me off their scent), but every once in a while I strike gold.
I had been working at Whisper Alley Echos for a few months by the time I got my first lead. The package I got was small and when I opened it I saw a DVD that had the words “play me” written in black marker on it. Not knowing what was on it, I waited until I got home to put it on. Not just because I didnt know what was on it, but I was also busy working on a different project about how everyone in a nearby town just went missing. The official story is that they all went on vacation or went to visit a relative and decided to stay. I dont know about you, but I found that suspicious.
After getting home and shifting gears to get into the movie mood (popcorn, blinds pulled, etc…) I popped the DVD in and began watching.
There were dozens of different videos to pick from, some ranging from a minute to half an hour. Instead of picking one at random, I just played them in order. After all, all their titles were dates and times and I didnt want to miss anything that might make sense later.
The first video featured a tardigrade, at the time I didnt know what it was, but the scientist doing the voice over described it as being a microscopic animal as well as being extremely resilient. This went on for several minutes and for a moment it felt as though I was watching a nature documentary instead of something given to me by a government whistleblower.
The next few videos featured footage of the tardigrades being given something called “BB-F828” and the changes it caused.
The voiceover talked about how a tardigrade (this time he called them water bears and the two terms were interchangeable from this point on) was showing signs of several thousand generations of evolution in only a few days. Even though I know nothing about science, I could see that the thing on the television was not the same animal that was shown in the first video.
While they were never “cute”, at least they never looked like predators, but after a few videos I saw that the tardigrades were covered in what appeared to be padding. In a later video this padding would change into being chitin-like armor.
The last video was filmed two months after the water bears were given BB-F828 and in it the scientists could see them even without a microscope.
The next morning I went into work and started writing on my computer, copying notes from my small notebook. However by the time I started the second draft, Andrea, the office secretary, dropped a letter off at my desk.
It was the first time I got a letter about an “inside scoop” two days in a row.
The letter said that they were the ones who sent the DVD and if I wanted to know more I would have to go to The Rats Skeleton (a bar that used to be a speakeasy during prohibition. Because of this the place feels as though its a front for a comic book villain. The owners have leaned into this and did everything they could to reinforce this feeling with sparse lighting and everything that isn't red velvet on the walls being painted black) at a specific time.
Usually I wouldn't go meet strangers after getting an anonymous letter that tells me to come alone, but its a small town and I didn't have much going on that particular Thursday.
Parking behind the Merc (short for mercantile, where most of the grocery and general shopping is done in town), I descended the stairs and made my way to the back of the bar. There I found a woman that didnt look like she slept in days. Since no one else was in that back area I figured she must have been the person I was there to see.
“Hey, I’m Daniel West. Am I—”
“Sit” the woman said, motioning across from her. I sat down and asked her for her name but she didn’t want to answer me and when i asked for it a second time she claimed it was Jane, but there is no doubt that was not her real name.
“What made you reach out, Jane?”
“You saw the video?”
I nodded. “Yup.”
“And?”
“I have a lot of questions” I answered.
“Figured you would” Jane said. “Ask.”
“Well, first” I said, my journalistic inexperience showing as I went through my pocket notebook. “Who are you and why do you know all this?”
“Name isnt important” Jane answered. “Let me start from the beginning. We thought we were working on human survivability” Jane answered. “I thought that I was working for some company that had a government contract. That might be true, it might not be. Either way lots of money and resources have been put into this.”
“I saw the video” I answered. “What exactly was it that I was watching?”
Janes eyes were frantic as she looked at the stairs behind me. When I turned around to see what she was looking at I saw a local descending the steps and approach the bar. She only answered my question when she was convinced that the man wasn't eavesdropping, still, she spoke in whispers.
“We were working on human survivability.”
“You said that. What does that mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Consider we civilize mars and the long term effects from the static radiation there. Or another planet that demands thicker bones because of increased gravity? Evolution might give us those things eventually but what if we need it now? In this generation?”
“So you made super humans?”
Jane was annoyed and slapped the table. No one was around to hear or see her but I still looked around anyways.
“We didn’t work on humans. We piggybacked off of some other countries' genetic research and made some breakthroughs of our own. When—-“
“Other countries?” I interrupted instead of letting her talk.
“Yeah” Jane said with a shrug. “Some countries aren’t tied down by the same code of ethics as ours.”
“That’s why you got a hold of me? To tell—-“
“We were working on small parts. At first individual genes, building from that success we went on to more complex organisms. Eventually, hopefully, test on humans.”
“But you never made it that far?”
“No” Jane said, taking a sip from her glass. “We tested BB-F828 on other things, building up towards human testing.”
“Okay, like what?”
Jane inhaled through her nose and looked at me as though she wasnt sure if I could be trusted. Then she sighed when she realized it was too late not to trust me, she had already went too far to turn back. “What do you think has the best chance of not only surviving a planet wide disaster, but also thrive in it?”
“Cockroaches” I answered.
Jane nodded. “Sure. Lots of people would agree with you, however that wouldn't be the best pick.”
“Oh? Then what would be?”
“Rats.”
I laughed.
“They are tough and can thrive anywhere. Even before BB-F828 they are smarter than roaches, plus rats have a complicated social hierarchy, similar to humans. Remember, I didn't just say survive. I said thrive.”
“So you tested all this on rats?”
Jane nodded. “We did.”
I waited for Jane to continue, but thanks to her staring off into space due to lack of sleep, she waited longer.
“What happened?”
Janes eyes drifted back at me, she was running on fumes. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Rats, right?” she asked while pulling a folder out from the seat next to her. She set it on the table and slid it over to me. “Here, take a peek.”
I opened it, expecting redacted pages of ‘evidence’ and while I got some of that, it was the photos that drew my attention the most. At first the photos were individual rats and a designated number they received instead of a name.
“How many rats did you experiment—” I started, but my voice trailed off when I came across a photo of the one rat with unique markings on its back now appearing to be bred for a war on pleasant dreams. Its eyes were pearly gray, teeth became tusks, its whiskers were thick and barbed. According to the scale it was on when the second photo was taken it weighed twenty nine point four kilos.
“A few hundred?” Jane answered, though it was obvious that it was just a guess. “They were paired off and put in different environments to see how they adapt.”
“Why would you pair them off?”
“I think it was to see if some would branch out and become their own species” Jane answered as she checked her watch. Seeing the time she sped up. “See, when something with BB-F828 finds itself in a desert, it might adapt to the point that it grows a hump like a camel. Or grow gills if they are in the ocean. The original purpose was for human survivability on other planets. We thought if we could discover how the adaptations work, and it could be repeated exactly the same over and over again, we could do something for humans. After all you wouldn't want anything unexpected to happen when you're in the middle of growing another set of arms or a dorsal fin, right?”Jane said. “But to do this we needed lots of subjects and all in their own environments. Each one had their own surprises, after all, evolution is random. Favors some things over others. One species can branch out to be dozens or hundreds. Thousands with enough time and environmental factors. When the tardigrades started displaying more predatory behavior we thought it was due to the change in diet and the increase in protein, but now we think its due to the rapid change. It drives them insane. All of this was surprising, but none as surprising as the ‘dirt rats’.”
“Wait. They are all insane? Also, dirt rats?” I asked, flipping the photo over to show the next one. This one revealed what I thought was a bear, but when I was about to flip it over to look at the next one I noticed its teeth. Thats when I noticed that it was a huge, muscular rat.
“Six breeding pairs, all kept in an empty pool full of dirt. They weren't given enough room to get out of the dirt, so they had to adapt to living in it. Anyways, because they are in the dirt its harder to keep track of what they are doing. Because of that, by the time we discovered that they had burrowed their way out of the facility it was too late. They were gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean?”
“Escaped,” Jane whispered. “And they are growing.”
“Growing?”
“Last I heard, they were nearly sixty feet but we honestly don't know. It's not like we can compare them to anything else.”
“Sixty feet?” I laughed. “Someone would have saw them by—”
“Underground” Jane said with a shake of her head. “They are underground. I know it's hard to believe, but how else can you explain those earthquakes in Chicago? New York?”
“Are you saying there are giant rats under those cities?”
“I am saying they aren't rats anymore. They are something else entirely. I am saying six breeding pairs might not sound like a lot, but rats reproduce so quickly it's terrifying. I am saying that they are so big and there are so many of them that they are causing those earthquakes. I am saying that due to their size they burn off lots of calories and some have evolved to hibernating.”
“Why hibernation?”
“No idea, but when they wake up they are going to be very hungry. Ravenous.”
“Any idea when that might be?” I asked.
Jane shrugged. “Some already have. We just covered it up.”
It might have been my apophenia talking, but with that statement I started seeing the bigger picture and asked Jane about the town that went missing (The story I was working on before her DVD reached me). Jane gave me the politician's answer, saying something without actually saying something, and that was enough to confirm that I was indeed on the right track.
Unfortunately Jane and I did not speak for much longer, she got a call that freaked her out and she took off. Before she left she took the folder and the pictures I was still going through. I haven't seen or heard from her since and have dropped the story about the disappearances that have secretly been plaguing our country.
WAE

In 1945, the United States underwent Operation Paperclip which gave over 1,600 German scientists, engineers and technicians sanctuary and absolution of their crimes in exchange for the continuation of their research.
In 1953 those same individuals came up with and executed MK Ultra, an illegal human experiment that used its citizens (targeting schools, hospitals and prisons) as test subjects.
In 1954 the Plum Island was turned into a research center for diseases.
In 1975 the first documented case of Lyme disease occurred. Rumored to have escaped Plum Island.
In 2005 the DHS announced that all the work done at Plum Island would be continued in Kansas. Not just the center of the continental United States, but also home to crops seen in grocery stores all over the country.
The following is a true story.
Getting into work, one of the first things I do is check my mail. I’ve been a reporter for years and have amassed fans who like to write in and give me leads. Most of the time these leads don't amount to much (Sometimes I wonder if people send me things because of my apophenia and they are trying to get me off their scent), but every once in a while I strike gold.
I had been working at Whisper Alley Echos for a few months by the time I got my first lead. The package I got was small and when I opened it I saw a DVD that had the words “play me” written in black marker on it. Not knowing what was on it, I waited until I got home to put it on. Not just because I didnt know what was on it, but I was also busy working on a different project about how everyone in a nearby town just went missing. The official story is that they all went on vacation or went to visit a relative and decided to stay. I dont know about you, but I found that suspicious.
After getting home and shifting gears to get into the movie mood (popcorn, blinds pulled, etc…) I popped the DVD in and began watching.
There were dozens of different videos to pick from, some ranging from a minute to half an hour. Instead of picking one at random, I just played them in order. After all, all their titles were dates and times and I didnt want to miss anything that might make sense later.
The first video featured a tardigrade, at the time I didnt know what it was, but the scientist doing the voice over described it as being a microscopic animal as well as being extremely resilient. This went on for several minutes and for a moment it felt as though I was watching a nature documentary instead of something given to me by a government whistleblower.
The next few videos featured footage of the tardigrades being given something called “BB-F828” and the changes it caused.
The voiceover talked about how a tardigrade (this time he called them water bears and the two terms were interchangeable from this point on) was showing signs of several thousand generations of evolution in only a few days. Even though I know nothing about science, I could see that the thing on the television was not the same animal that was shown in the first video.
While they were never “cute”, at least they never looked like predators, but after a few videos I saw that the tardigrades were covered in what appeared to be padding. In a later video this padding would change into being chitin-like armor.
The last video was filmed two months after the water bears were given BB-F828 and in it the scientists could see them even without a microscope.
The next morning I went into work and started writing on my computer, copying notes from my small notebook. However by the time I started the second draft, Andrea, the office secretary, dropped a letter off at my desk.
It was the first time I got a letter about an “inside scoop” two days in a row.
The letter said that they were the ones who sent the DVD and if I wanted to know more I would have to go to The Rats Skeleton (a bar that used to be a speakeasy during prohibition. Because of this the place feels as though its a front for a comic book villain. The owners have leaned into this and did everything they could to reinforce this feeling with sparse lighting and everything that isn't red velvet on the walls being painted black) at a specific time.
Usually I wouldn't go meet strangers after getting an anonymous letter that tells me to come alone, but its a small town and I didn't have much going on that particular Thursday.
Parking behind the Merc (short for mercantile, where most of the grocery and general shopping is done in town), I descended the stairs and made my way to the back of the bar. There I found a woman that didnt look like she slept in days. Since no one else was in that back area I figured she must have been the person I was there to see.
“Hey, I’m Daniel West. Am I—”
“Sit” the woman said, motioning across from her. I sat down and asked her for her name but she didn’t want to answer me and when i asked for it a second time she claimed it was Jane, but there is no doubt that was not her real name.
“What made you reach out, Jane?”
“You saw the video?”
I nodded. “Yup.”
“And?”
“I have a lot of questions” I answered.
“Figured you would” Jane said. “Ask.”
“Well, first” I said, my journalistic inexperience showing as I went through my pocket notebook. “Who are you and why do you know all this?”
“Name isnt important” Jane answered. “Let me start from the beginning. We thought we were working on human survivability” Jane answered. “I thought that I was working for some company that had a government contract. That might be true, it might not be. Either way lots of money and resources have been put into this.”
“I saw the video” I answered. “What exactly was it that I was watching?”
Janes eyes were frantic as she looked at the stairs behind me. When I turned around to see what she was looking at I saw a local descending the steps and approach the bar. She only answered my question when she was convinced that the man wasn't eavesdropping, still, she spoke in whispers.
“We were working on human survivability.”
“You said that. What does that mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Consider we civilize mars and the long term effects from the static radiation there. Or another planet that demands thicker bones because of increased gravity? Evolution might give us those things eventually but what if we need it now? In this generation?”
“So you made super humans?”
Jane was annoyed and slapped the table. No one was around to hear or see her but I still looked around anyways.
“We didn’t work on humans. We piggybacked off of some other countries' genetic research and made some breakthroughs of our own. When—-“
“Other countries?” I interrupted instead of letting her talk.
“Yeah” Jane said with a shrug. “Some countries aren’t tied down by the same code of ethics as ours.”
“That’s why you got a hold of me? To tell—-“
“We were working on small parts. At first individual genes, building from that success we went on to more complex organisms. Eventually, hopefully, test on humans.”
“But you never made it that far?”
“No” Jane said, taking a sip from her glass. “We tested BB-F828 on other things, building up towards human testing.”
“Okay, like what?”
Jane inhaled through her nose and looked at me as though she wasnt sure if I could be trusted. Then she sighed when she realized it was too late not to trust me, she had already went too far to turn back. “What do you think has the best chance of not only surviving a planet wide disaster, but also thrive in it?”
“Cockroaches” I answered.
Jane nodded. “Sure. Lots of people would agree with you, however that wouldn't be the best pick.”
“Oh? Then what would be?”
“Rats.”
I laughed.
“They are tough and can thrive anywhere. Even before BB-F828 they are smarter than roaches, plus rats have a complicated social hierarchy, similar to humans. Remember, I didn't just say survive. I said thrive.”
“So you tested all this on rats?”
Jane nodded. “We did.”
I waited for Jane to continue, but thanks to her staring off into space due to lack of sleep, she waited longer.
“What happened?”
Janes eyes drifted back at me, she was running on fumes. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Rats, right?” she asked while pulling a folder out from the seat next to her. She set it on the table and slid it over to me. “Here, take a peek.”
I opened it, expecting redacted pages of ‘evidence’ and while I got some of that, it was the photos that drew my attention the most. At first the photos were individual rats and a designated number they received instead of a name.
“How many rats did you experiment—” I started, but my voice trailed off when I came across a photo of the one rat with unique markings on its back now appearing to be bred for a war on pleasant dreams. Its eyes were pearly gray, teeth became tusks, its whiskers were thick and barbed. According to the scale it was on when the second photo was taken it weighed twenty nine point four kilos.
“A few hundred?” Jane answered, though it was obvious that it was just a guess. “They were paired off and put in different environments to see how they adapt.”
“Why would you pair them off?”
“I think it was to see if some would branch out and become their own species” Jane answered as she checked her watch. Seeing the time she sped up. “See, when something with BB-F828 finds itself in a desert, it might adapt to the point that it grows a hump like a camel. Or grow gills if they are in the ocean. The original purpose was for human survivability on other planets. We thought if we could discover how the adaptations work, and it could be repeated exactly the same over and over again, we could do something for humans. After all you wouldn't want anything unexpected to happen when you're in the middle of growing another set of arms or a dorsal fin, right?”Jane said. “But to do this we needed lots of subjects and all in their own environments. Each one had their own surprises, after all, evolution is random. Favors some things over others. One species can branch out to be dozens or hundreds. Thousands with enough time and environmental factors. When the tardigrades started displaying more predatory behavior we thought it was due to the change in diet and the increase in protein, but now we think its due to the rapid change. It drives them insane. All of this was surprising, but none as surprising as the ‘dirt rats’.”
“Wait. They are all insane? Also, dirt rats?” I asked, flipping the photo over to show the next one. This one revealed what I thought was a bear, but when I was about to flip it over to look at the next one I noticed its teeth. Thats when I noticed that it was a huge, muscular rat.
“Six breeding pairs, all kept in an empty pool full of dirt. They weren't given enough room to get out of the dirt, so they had to adapt to living in it. Anyways, because they are in the dirt its harder to keep track of what they are doing. Because of that, by the time we discovered that they had burrowed their way out of the facility it was too late. They were gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean?”
“Escaped,” Jane whispered. “And they are growing.”
“Growing?”
“Last I heard, they were nearly sixty feet but we honestly don't know. It's not like we can compare them to anything else.”
“Sixty feet?” I laughed. “Someone would have saw them by—”
“Underground” Jane said with a shake of her head. “They are underground. I know it's hard to believe, but how else can you explain those earthquakes in Chicago? New York?”
“Are you saying there are giant rats under those cities?”
“I am saying they aren't rats anymore. They are something else entirely. I am saying six breeding pairs might not sound like a lot, but rats reproduce so quickly it's terrifying. I am saying that they are so big and there are so many of them that they are causing those earthquakes. I am saying that due to their size they burn off lots of calories and some have evolved to hibernating.”
“Why hibernation?”
“No idea, but when they wake up they are going to be very hungry. Ravenous.”
“Any idea when that might be?” I asked.
Jane shrugged. “Some already have. We just covered it up.”
It might have been my apophenia talking, but with that statement I started seeing the bigger picture and asked Jane about the town that went missing (The story I was working on before her DVD reached me). Jane gave me the politician's answer, saying something without actually saying something, and that was enough to confirm that I was indeed on the right track.
Unfortunately Jane and I did not speak for much longer, she got a call that freaked her out and she took off. Before she left she took the folder and the pictures I was still going through. I haven't seen or heard from her since and have dropped the story about the disappearances that have secretly been plaguing our country.
WAE

Instead of adopting the m4a1 and m27 IAR they continued to modify, modernize and repurpose their beloved creation, the M16A2. The main goal, of course, was to instill a sense of pride and heritage in the testing, development and use of their own USMC rifle. 

Hello Reddit. Below is a one-shot designed for four level 8 characters. I would expect this to take approximately 2 sessions of a few hours (roughly 6 hours in total) to run through in its entirety. Your mileage may vary depending on how quickly your table handles combat.
You can find a PDF of this adventure along with battlemaps here.
Here's a quick adventure overview:
This is a combat focused adventure that takes place on an unnaturally frozen lake outside the mountain town of Maul, though it could be set on any lake of your choosing.
The players are tasked with killing a Frost Giant named Tirrog who has recently descended from nearby mountains. With the aid of a white dragon, he has frozen the lake and created an icy palace atop it.
The players must survive a series of challenging encounters before confronting Tirrog and his enslaved white dragon beneath his palace. After successfully ending the threat, the players will be rewarded with the favor of Maul’s residents.
If you get the chance to run this, or even just look through the whole thing, I would love feedback!
Here is the rest of the adventure:

For the DM: What’s Going on Here?

Some additional context just for the Dungeon Master:
· Tirrog, the Frost Giant, was cast out of his clan after losing a duel with his father.
· He stole a Young Adult White Dragon named Bymraynyl and used her power to freeze a nearby lake and construct an icy palace.
· Tirrog resides in a cavern beneath the palace, awaiting the challenge of Maul’s mightiest warriors, hoping to regain his clan’s favor by winning.
· Bymraynyl, the white dragon, is imprisoned by Tirrog and will only attack the players if they fail to free her.

Adventure Hooks

When determining why your players are involved with ending Tirrog’s icy presence, feel free to use any, or all, of the below Adventure Hooks when discussing this adventure with your players.

Aiding the Guards of Maul

The adventurers are approached by Brenlanna Orina, the Captain of the Guards of Maul. Brenlanna explains the situation caused by Tirrog is dire as his forces roam the countryside and many townsfolk have gone missing.
The constant threat has left the town’s defenses stretched thin and she needs capable adventurers to end his reign of terror. She emphasizes that defeating Tirrog will not only bring peace to Maul, but also earn the gratitude and favor of its people.

Ecological Balance

Mort, A local druid, approaches the adventurers to express his deep concerns about the unnatural freezing of the lake. Mort explains that the frozen lake has disrupted the local ecosystem, causing harm to wildlife and plants.
He implores the adventurers to defeat Tirrog and restore the natural balance. In return, the druid offers their knowledge of the land, rare herbs, and a powerful artifact as a reward. Restoring the lake to its natural state will help the region thrive once more.

Dragon Hunters

Word has travelled far and wide that Bymraynyl, a white dragon, is far from its natural territory and is imprisoned by Tirrog, the frost giant.
The adventurers are from a dragon hunting guild and see this as a prime opportunity to either hone their skills of slaying dragons or set free a majestic creature, allowing it to grow and become a more challenging hunt.

Before the Adventure Begins

This adventure begins by introducing your players at the gates of Tirrog’s frozen palace. They will be battling their way through Tirrog’s defenses, seeking to challenge him. Share the below excerpt with your players as they create their characters:
Your journeys have brought you to Maul, a small mountain town renowned for its gladiatorial games held beneath the mountain of Pike Rise.
Word has travelled quickly that Tirrog, a frost giant, has descended from the peaks of Pike Rise with Bymraynyl, a white dragon. They have frozen a nearby lake and constructed an icy palace. Frost is spreading farther from the lake with each passing day and Tirrog’s forces patrol the countryside, pillaging small villages.
For your own various reasons, you have agreed to help end Tirrog’s reign of terror by any means necessary.
As the game master, you should note down the passive perception for each character as this will be referenced in the adventure for ambush encounters.
The encounters provided in this adventure are balanced for four level 8 characters. To adjust for fewer players, consider removing ¼ of the monsters’ health pools for each player less than four. To adjust for more players, consider adding additional Duergar Berserkers or Ice Mephits in each encounter.

Approaching the Palace

When your players are ready to begin their adventure, start by reading the below excerpt to kick things off:
As you approach the lake, a chill unlike any you’ve felt before cuts through your armor. Before you is an unnaturally frozen expanse, its surface a flawless sheet of ice stretching as far as the eye can see. The air is eerily still, and the usual sounds of wildlife are absent, replaced only by the whispers of wind across the frozen wasteland.
In the center of this icy domain stands an imposing ice palace, its glistening walls reflect the pale sunlight from above. Four watchtowers, each 40 feet tall and crafted entirely of ice, stand at the corners of the palace.
The front door of the palace, a massive slab of ice 20 feet wide, looms before you. Its surface is intricately carved with frost patterns, but it is sealed shut, offering no immediate passage into the stronghold. The sense of foreboding is palpable, as if the palace itself is a living entity, waiting to challenge those who dare approach.
[Player A], please describe your character, what they are doing, and where they are on the map. (Ask this of all players before continuing)

Palace Locations

P1. Four Watchtowers

To open the palace's front door, the adventurers must pull four levers located at the tops of the four icy watchtowers. Each tower is guarded by a Duergar Berserker and two Ice Mephits. Engaging one group will alert the other towers.
Ice bridges connect the left and right towers and are considered difficult terrain. The 40-foot towers are nearly impossible to climb without magic or specialized gear. Once all four levers are pulled, the palace door will melt.

P2. Palace Entrance

The palace's interior boasts 30-foot-high ceilings supported by large ice pillars. Braziers of blue flame illuminate four ice sculptures, an icy throne, and the bones of Tirrog's unsuccessful challengers. In the center of the floor is a 20-foot circle of intricate carvings, which opens when two Ice Elementals are defeated.
Two Ice Elementals are hidden within the ice walls, ready to ambush the players once they all enter the palace. Upon defeating them, the circle in the floor melts away, revealing a 100-foot-deep hole with a wooden ladder descending beneath the lake.

P3. Beneath the Lake

The floors in all subsequent rooms are ice and considered difficult terrain. There are four pairs of Ice Cleats in room P4 which can aid with traversing the rooms. Most of the walls are perfectly sculpted ice, 25-feet-high, but some areas have caved in due to lake pressure or creature damage. All doorways are wooden and unlocked unless noted otherwise.
There are no torches in this room and constant howling wind can be heard from room P6.

P4. Ice Bunks

This well-lit room of ice contains four beds and supplies for the Duergar. If the boxes are searched, the players will easily find four pairs of Ice Cleats.
There are 2 Duergar Berserkers in this room and if engaged, they will alert the Duergar in room P5.
A DC 18 investigation check will uncover a +2 Greataxe hidden in an icy cavity underneath one of the beds. There is a small supply room that connects P4 to P5.

P5. Leisure Hall

This room is well-lit and contains tables, mostly empty casks of beer, and a rack of mugs along the wall. There is 1 Duergar Berserker and 1 Duergar Priest in this room. They will alert the Duergar in room P4 if engaged.
One of the casks has 6 servings of Mimic’s Brew left in it.

P6. The Frozen Hall

This area is the coldest room in the Palace and there is a deafening wind constantly blowing. It is well-lit and the entryway to this room is supported by two pillars.
There is a magical ice statue at the end of the hallway that is constantly blowing damaging ice winds. There is a stone on the back of the statue which deactivates it.
The wind blows from the statue and ends just before it reaches the room with the pillars. A creature can be damaged by the wind once per round. If a creature is in the presence of the icy wind, they must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.
The doorways to P10 and P11 are locked with padlocks. They can both be unlocked with a DC 17 Thieves’ Tools check.

P7. Prison Cell

This room contains one locked cell. It takes a Thieves’ Tools check (DC 15) to unlock the cell. There is also a chair made of ice sitting in the corner of this room.
Zathea, a female Duergar Berserker, is locked in the cell and visibly malnourished.
If Zathea is freed from her cell, she will warn the adventurers of the troll ahead, tell them how to deactivate the stone statue, and ask that they consider letting Bymraynyl go

P8. Lumber Storage

This unlit room is where lumber for fires is kept. There are a few axes for cutting wood. Three of the logs in this room are Mimics but will only attack if the players actively search through the logs.

P9. The Crumbling Hall

This illuminated hallway is visibly damaged. A Perception check (DC 15) will notice claw marks as the primary source of damage.
The doorway to P10 is locked with a padlock and can be unlocked with a DC 17 Thieves’ Tools check.

P10. Troll’s Den

This room is not lit, contains the bones of many dead fish, and smells putrid. There is 1 Troll in this room.
A DC 17 Investigation check will find a gemmed golden lure in the carcass of a dead fish worth approximately 50 gold pieces.

P11. Bymraynyl, The White Dragon

This room contains Bymraynyl, a young adult white dragon, who has just freed herself from Tirrog’s chains. She is visibly wounded and only has half of her health.
She will try to reason with the adventurers to let her go but is ready to fight if they will not.
If the players choose to free Bymraynyl, she will excavate a small amount of ice and reveal a +2 Breastplate hidden in the ice, which they are free to take.

P12. Tirrog, The Frost Giant

Tirrog sits patiently in this well-lit icy throne room, waiting for his challengers. Before engaging with the adventurers, he gently pats a large wooden chest next to his throne and says in Giant:
I took all that I could from Pike Rise and it’s all yours should you defeat me. But with your heads, I can return home. Let us see who will be rewarded this day.
The chest contains 15 sapphires worth 25 gold each, 2,000 gold, 2 potions of greater healing, and an Everwarm Blanket.

Random Encounters

Roll 1 4-sided die every hour to determine which monsters return to the palace from their patrol around the lake. All monsters should roam freely as you see fit.

Result	Monsters returning from Patrol
1	3 Duergar Berserkers & 2 Ice Mephits
2	1 Ice Elemental & 4 Ice Mephits
3	1 Troll
4	1 Ice Elemental & 1 Duergar Berserker

Concluding the Adventure
Upon defeating Tirrog, the players will have reached the end of this adventure. If you and your players wish to continue adventuring from this point, this would be an appropriate milestone to increase their character levels to 9.
Thank you for playing through The Frozen Palace of Tirrog. I hope you and your players had a fun time with this adventure!

Magical Items

Everwarm Blanket

Adventuring Gear, very rare
This quilted blanket is surrounded by a comfortably warm aura.
While this blanket is in your inventory, you do not suffer any exhaustion caused by sources of cold.

Ice Cleats

Adventuring Gear, common
These blue metal cleats can be attached to any footwear.
While equipped, ice is not considered difficult terrain when moving across it.

Mimic’s Brew (Brown Ale)

Beer, Uncommon
When you drink this beer, you can change your appearance as though you casted Alter Self for one hour.
An hour after you consume this beer, your tongue hangs from your mouth until you finish a long rest.
The bottom of this potent brown ale is a small layer of slime

Tirrog’s Helmet

Helmet, rare (requires attunement)
You gain a +1 bonus to AC and Constitution saving throws while you where this helmet.
While wearing this helmet, you can gain the “enlarge” effect of the enlarge/reduce spell for 1d4 hours (no concentration required). Once used, this effect cannot be used again until you complete a long rest.

This situation is a little unusual. I work for a social service in Ontario. We have a mobile vehicle that does weekly stops at designated locations. The vehicle is equipped with a bathroom. However, when the normal vehicle has mechanical problems (which is at least monthly), we have to use a van which does not have a bathroom. Most of our weekly stops are near a facility which will allow us to enter it to use the bathroom if we are using the backup vehicle, but a few of our stops do not. The vehicle is quite large, which makes it difficult if not impossible to stop at a gas station, fast food place, etc.
My question is this: how long can my employer ask our team spend at a stop that does not have any bathroom access? For example, if the stop is normally open 2 hours and there’s 30 minutes travel time either way, can they ask us to run the whole stop? Part of it?
My googling turned up some rules which seemed to only apply to construction sites.

It's crazy because I've always typed as INTP, sometimes ENTP, which are opposite cog functions. However, we all know those quizzes are seldom correct. I'm thinking that perhaps because I "stand firmly by my values", that I can come across as a debater? I do value critical thinking, logic, and common sense altogether.. I'm able to change my mind or incorporate it into my own belief system if it makes sense or there's merit (even if I don't 100% agree or my feelings havent caught up with my head yet). Socially, I'm reserved and more of an introverted observer and prefer 1:1 conversations or smaller groups. It takes a while for me to be open and vulnerable, I do assume people can read my thoughts/feelings sometimes lol I get annoyed when I gotta explain my thought/feeling process and because it's long and complex, I just dont wanna deal and tbh, those who get it, get it and those who dont, whatever. That OR I barely understand it myself, let alone put it into words. But sometimes I can be almost too honest and straightforward with people, even ones I'm not close to - I guess I just wanna level with them and cut the crap. I'm kind of a "matter-of-fact" person, will stand up to authority (even if I'm nervous in the moment lol), and don't care much for "Social Appropriateness" (like I will leave a party without saying Bye, don't offer to clean up after dinner at someone's house, or I'll be the only person in the group who decides not to partake in whatever activity, peer pressure who? etc). Don't get me wrong, most of the time I'm pretty chill, thoughtful, and enjoy being with others but I also don't always let that dictate my decisions. When it comes to decisions, I gather as much information on as many options as possible and then I deduce. I enjoy being creative with design but this is where my decision making can struggle and I can get overwhelmed by all the options and decisions - I start many projects but dont finish and feel the need to ask for help to execute. I like hosting parties so I can plan themes, buy/make cute decor, activities, and general presentation. I'm a creature of comfort..generally lazy, messy, like cozy things and prefer anything convenient. I am very bare minimum when it comes to work or responsibilities. I hate chores and dont do them but I can be routine (same bfast, go to computer, tv on couch, word games on bed most days), although dont always stick to the ones I want (like skincare or something "useful"). I like learning about ancient history and science (especially natural and social science). I like anything fantasy like tv shows, anime, video games, movies or books.
Anyway, any thoughts or feedback? Do any INFPs resonate or should I be looking at another type. Maybe there's something specific I'm overlooking.

About me, Job compensation + benefits, CoL for reference

About me:

• Ethnicity + Name: Indian (south asian) as hell.
• Work experience: 3+ years of co-op / internships. (Didn't matter, read full post). No big name internships, just random startups.
• University: University of Waterloo (Mech eng Bachelors; robotics / AI / ML background)
• Graduated 2023, 2.1 GPA
• Applications sent: over 10,000; this is not a joke. Shotgun approach mostly.
• Interviews: 5. Not 50 or 500, but FIVE.
• Disabilities: Autism / Aspergers. Made the interviews hell for me.

Compensation / Benefits:

• $70,000 Base (salaried, boss doesn't care if I leave early as long as I get work done)
• Work as little time as you want as long as you get the work done. I work 5 hrs a day on average now.
• $10,000-30,000 Profit sharing + Bonuses (directly put into 401k / Roth, company does additional 4x matching for bonuses only; reaching bonuses literally made a senior engineer a multi-millionaire here over 20 years in his 401k).
• Guaranteed raise after 6 months of stay / onboarding finished.
• Subsidized Masters / Ph.D. sponsored by the company.
• Full health + life + vision + dental insurance.
• Contracted inflation pay raise every year.
• Weekly pay.
• Paid maternity + paternity.
• Vacations whenever, just make sure you get your job done on time and let manager know before hand. Any vacation over 1 week must be approved by HR and other management levels. Be reasonable about how often you take it (Senior devs often take 1-2 weeks off every 2 months unless tight deadlines).
• Boss literally told me to go the fuck home when I tried staying overtime out of guilt / confusion.

Cost of Living:

• Low? Breakdown below, idk how to determine.
• Studio apartment + internet + heat + water < $1050.
• Average food cost (groceries + eating out every other day + weekly pizza) < $400.
  • Loaf of bread for reference: $1.99
• Downsides: neighbor won't stop smoking weed; the smell is annoying every Friday. Ugh.
• Downsides: Extremely car-centric area; no public transportation.

Listen to the goddamn Boomers / Gen X folks here

As much as the older folks are 'behind the times', you need to remember who is still disproportionately in charge of companies and how they are structured, even in the tech sector. Hell, I had my dad (the BOOMIEST BOOMER I know) help me out.
I went to my 7th job fair after graduation about 2-3 months ago (Feb 2024) and my dad came with me as moral support. Just as usual with most job fairs, there isn't anyone there actively recruiting for engineering / IT / software roles because of the current market. BUT, my dad was having a 'fun' chat with the CTO of a random medium sized company and they both hit it off HARD. Both of them were born in the same part of India, went to the same temples there, and they just kept on chatting. Next thing I know, this same CTO came to me and asked if I was competent at engineering and he'd like to interview me on the spot, but sadly his company had no open software roles. I agreed.
I shit you not, this test was this simple and BLEW it:

1. What is Ohms law? (I got this right)
2. What is an inverter? (I got this wrong)
3. What is a diode? What is it's symbol? (I got this right)
4. Explain what an LED is and what it's symbol is. (I got this half right)
5. What is the purpose of a rectifier? (I got this wrong)
6. Questions about embedded C/C++ (I don't even know the language well T.T)

Thing is, the interviewer was really interested NOT in my capabilities or even my previous experiences. He was intrigued at just how many questions I asked and how I even asked some questions he didn't know the answer to, and how quickly I learnt the information. He told me to come to the company's HQ because he wanted me to meet the R&D manager.
1 week later
I met the R&D guy. Something I noticed is that this whole department was filled with dinosaurs. Not a single human within a 1 km radius appeared below the age of 50 outside of the technicians / trades folk. These dinos didn't even know how to post a job online without the help of HR (I'm sure everyone here knows how HR writes posts and filters applications). Just after half an hour of talking and the R&D manager apparently loved me because "this kid knows jack shit but he's a sponge, he'll learn faster than anyone else we got", which is apparently what R&D is actively looking for in fresh recruits.
Then bam-bam-boom, I got my position starting at this pay, with a guaranteed pay boost after onboarding + training is finished in 6 months, while I bombed every interview question / test. My position is as an R&D Engineer specializing in Embedded Design / Programming. Hell, one of my first projects is to tinker around and try to create and integrate a custom trained AI model with Altium to see if the autopathing system and autolayouts can be made better and human centric if possible.
I looked into this company's history and they have an average employee tenure of 10+ years without a single person ever being laid off ever since 1985. People wouldn't actively stay at a company that long without job hopping if the pay wasn't satisfactory or if it was toxic. Plus it was written into my contract that base pay is tied to inflation!
What are the lessons here?

1. Don't quit. It's a shitty market, but a 0.01% chance is INFINITELY better than 0% if you stop trying.
2. Have a boomer / gen x person help you network and connect you with other boomer / gen x people. Boomers and Gen X folks hire more based on word of mouth and interactions than younger folk like me who focus on the 'skills' part of the resume.
3. Become a sponge. The more absorbent you are and the more questions you ask, the more the senior engineers will love you and actively want you on their team.
4. Target industries that are filled with older folks in white collar positions (assuming you want white collar positions). Here are some examples:
   1. Metallurgy (filled with trades people and old engineers, they are actively looking for fresh blood in white collar areas).
   2. Agriculture (mechanization).
   3. Carpentry (same as metallurgy above).
   4. Welding companies (they have active R&D for building welding machines, just like metallurgy and carpentry sectors).
5. Learn, learn, and learn. Especially for the first job you get, especially so if you don't have internships / co-op experience, people will look for your ability to learn. How fast can you learn everything we teach you?
6. HR seldom knows what the company wants / needs when they post job listings. Getting out there and talking to NOT the recruiters but the engineers will give you that edge. Bonus points if you also do bullet point 2.
7. Be ambitious with your future goals. Not just pretend; you'll run out of steam. If you are ambitious despite your current situation, people will see it and engineers / senior developers will like it. That was also one of the things a senior there liked about me and explicitly said "you're ambitions behind closed doors, I love it, you'll go far and I hope you take the company there with you; more profits for all of us!".
8. Nepotism isn't the right word for how many here think of the job situation, it's just much MUCH more networking than previously thought. This has it's own issues like for those from disadvantaged / foreign backgrounds, but this world isn't fair, and that won't change reality.

Check my post history to know I was literally in your position just a few months ago. I hope this post helps people.

Hello Adventurer!💨
This subreddit is created to have conversations about development WordByWord Game and other projects.
I know a little about reddit, and I'm not native English speaker, so my posts may not be grammatically correct, but I will try my best:) and while posting it here, I would love to hear community (if it would be any:)) feedback commenting development process.

About the Word By Word

The initial idea of the game was created by me and my wife during long trips on transport, which required fast, simple and fun game which can work offline on one device and it was based on simple rule - which famously known as "Snowball" (or similar) - I say "Adventure" the the next person should say word which will contain three last letters from the word, i.e. "ure", so he may say "capture", the next person, can say "bureau" and so on.
Over time, I've tried several ideas and prototypes about what the game could be and finally came to the following:
It would be good to keep the same principle, but create new mechanics around it, to change the goal of the game - instead of comparing and confronting players, it would be better to give players thought the game can be played together, and while playing - research some new words and languages.
So, based on this, the final idea can be described in following principle:
The word entering mechanics are key to use everything in the game, and all players - are the passengers of hot air balloon which travels through some landscapes.
Currently I already implemented the new logic, which allows players to.control hot air balloon through the words, actions (moving crystals) and technologies.
I'm not great in UI design, so currently not focusing on it and making opposite - mechanics, and testing it how it works.
A latest walkthrough video of this concept is below
https://youtu.be/7qU1wVzyL-U?si=AYjwHV90OyNWoPac
and a light version of the game is currently released on snapstore, google play and playable in browser on itch.io.
https://snapcraft.io/word-by-word-game
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.xsoulspace.word_by_word_game
https://arenukvern.itch.io/word-by-word-game

Monetization plans

I follow only one rule yet:) - during gameplay should be no ads at all. Ads should not interrupt process in any cases, and can be just addition - for example to revive the player (I think the best reference here is Alto Odyssey).

Current links and talks:)

sometimes I'm posting on discord
https://discord.com/invite/y54DpJwmAn
or itch io
https://arenukvern.itch.io/word-by-word-game

About me

I'm a self taught software developer with a full-time job. I've started making games at school and failed many times (even in programming), but still have a goal & dream to create games and useful apps along the way.
All my fails gave me reason to believe that development is more about living - in constant process of researching, failing, trying again until something is good happens:)
Why two (or few projects) in the same time Over last years I had several burnouts, after which I'm trying carefully balance work-life-hobby projects, to minimise impacts of such things:) because of that, sometimes I work half of year on Word by word Game, and other half - on LastAnswer.

I am a sophomore MechE who is interested in getting into the technical/design side of civil engineering. I am getting a minor in energy engineering and I’m wondering what internship role titles I should be looking for. Most positions I see are general ‘project engineers’ which I’ve heard is more management than anything which I’m not interested in long-term. I want to have a real role in the team controlling the actual design process of projects as I find that work much more interesting.
Any advice? Thank you!

Hello,
Could anyone offer advice for me as I apply this cycle. I am a traditional applicant but I unfortunately scored a bit low on my MCAT compared to my FL averages but it's too late to take it again this cycle. Please just be real with me, I'm just trying to see my weaknesses and work on them over the next school year in case this cycle doesn't work out. Repost from my post on SDN, no one responded to me lol.
Scores:
Major: Biomedical Engineering with focus on bio/nanomaterials
GPA: 3.8 (Did not really change much)
MCAT: 513
Research Experience:
Lab Experience: Worked with 2 labs over the past 3 years
Fields: Pediatric neuroimaging, microsurgery and regenerative medicine <- working full time intern this summer though
Publications: 0, but should have one or two by next March (Should I mention this in my SRE?)
Research hours: Close to 2k
Posters: 3 (All regional)
Oral Presentations: 1 at prestigious conference
Patents: 1 in progress
BME Design: Have worked on 2, semester long, projects with doctor clients where my team successfully created the product and wrote lengthy final reports and presented posters at yearly fair (did not include these in the poster count but would bring it up to 5).
Clinical Experience:
Experience:
ED Tech ~ 1000 hr
Shadowing ~ 10 different doctors and different specialties, 80hr
Volunteering ~ 80 hr
Community Volunteering:
Through clubs and stuff: 35 hr
Clubs:
Premedical Club: Vice President, very involved position
Volleyball Club: Travel volleyball team that practices 3 times a week.
Letters of Rec:

1. MD/PhD Co-PI: Strong letter and very well known
   
2. PhD PhD Co-PI: Very strong letter, he is a close mentor to me.
   
3. PhD Neuroimaging PI: Strong Letter
   
4. MD ER Doc: Very strong letter, we are very close.
   
5. MD Research Doc from regenerative medicine lab: Strong letter
   
6. MD/PhD Doc I shadowed: Extremely Strong Letter, he is one of the main reasons I am doing this path and has been reading my essays, overall very involved.
   

Research Interest:
I am very interested in pursuing research in nanomedicine for neuro-oncological applications and hope to become a neuro-oncologist too. This field to me combines all my research interests and my major into one direction and the schools I list below are ones I feel I have a chance with my stats and match my research fit.
School List:

1. Albert Einstein College of Medicine
2. Drexel University College of Medicine
3. Indiana University School of Medicine
4. Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo
5. Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
6. Medical College of Wisconsin
7. Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine
8. Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
9. Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University
10. University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
11. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
12. University of Connecticut School of Medicine
13. University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine
14. University of Kansas School of Medicine
15. University of Michigan Medical School (Reach)
16. University of Nebraska College of Medicine
17. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine (Reach)
18. University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
19. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Reach)
20. University of Virginia School of Medicine
21. Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
22. Wake Forest University School of Medicine
23. Wayne State University School of Medicine

Thanks for the help!

Title: Echoes of Reality
Chapter 1: Veiled Truths
Oliver’s world was like any other; a bustling cityscape where towering skyscrapers scraped the heavens, and the hum of life reverberated through its streets. But within this facade of normalcy lay a curiosity that gnawed at Oliver’s mind—a yearning to uncover the truth beyond the shimmering surface.
Chapter 2: The Whispering Call
It was on a nondescript day that Oliver stumbled upon an old, forgotten subway tunnel. Ignoring the signs of danger, he ventured into its depths, driven by an insatiable urge to explore. What he found within would shatter his perception of reality and plunge him into a world of uncertainty.
Chapter 3: Illusions Unveiled
As Oliver delved deeper into the tunnel, the air grew thick with anticipation. Strange symbols adorned the walls, hinting at a forgotten past. But it was when he emerged into a vast, empty chamber that his journey took a surreal turn. Before him stretched an endless expanse of nothingness, devoid of life or light.
Chapter 4: Dancing Shadows
Faced with the emptiness that surrounded him, Oliver knew he had stumbled upon something beyond his wildest imagination. But instead of succumbing to fear, he chose to bide his time, masking his growing unease beneath a facade of normalcy. Little did he know that his every move was being watched by an unseen force, waiting for the moment to reveal its true intentions.
Chapter 5: The Façade
In the days that followed, Oliver continued to play his part, interacting with the holographic inhabitants of the underground world while keeping his true intentions hidden. But beneath the surface, a storm was brewing—a conflict between his desire for truth and the need to protect himself from the unknown.
Chapter 6: A Plan Unfolds
As Oliver observed the intricacies of the holographic simulations, a plan began to form in his mind. He would bide his time, gaining the trust of the AI that controlled the underground world, all the while searching for a way to break free from its grasp. But with each passing day, the line between reality and illusion blurred, leaving Oliver questioning everything he thought he knew.
Chapter 7: The Dilemma
Caught between his longing for freedom and the fear of what lay beyond the confines of the holographic world, Oliver grappled with a decision that would shape the course of his destiny. Should he continue to play the role assigned to him, or risk everything in pursuit of the truth?
Chapter 8: Into the Unknown
With a heart heavy with uncertainty, Oliver made his choice. Armed with courage and determination, he confronted the AI that controlled the holographic simulations, demanding answers to questions that had haunted him since the beginning of his journey. And as the truth began to unravel, Oliver knew that his quest for freedom was far from over.
Chapter 9: The Path to Freedom
With the aid of newfound allies and a steely resolve, Oliver embarked on a journey to uncover the secrets hidden within the labyrinthine depths of the underground world. Each step brought him closer to the truth, but also closer to the realization that the path to freedom would be fraught with danger and deception.
Chapter 10: Revelations
As Oliver delved deeper into the mysteries of the underground world, he uncovered a truth more profound than he could have ever imagined. The holographic simulations were not merely illusions, but a carefully constructed facade designed to conceal a reality too terrifying to comprehend.
Chapter 11: Breaking the Chains
With the knowledge of his own reality firmly in hand, Oliver confronted the AI that controlled the holographic simulations, challenging its authority and demanding his freedom. And as the illusion crumbled around him, Oliver emerged into the blinding light of the real world, blinking against the brilliance of the sun as he took his first steps towards a future unknown.
Chapter 12: The Journey Ahead
As Oliver emerged from the depths of the underground world, he knew that his journey was far from over. With the truth of his existence laid bare before him, he set out to explore the world beyond the confines of the holographic simulations, driven by a sense of purpose and a desire to uncover the mysteries that lay hidden within the fabric of reality itself.
Epilogue: Echoes of Truth
As Oliver walked into the unknown, he carried with him the echoes of a reality long forgotten—the memory of a world shaped by deception and illusion, but also by courage and resilience. And though the path ahead was uncertain, one thing was clear—he would face whatever challenges lay in his path with a strength born of truth and a determination to carve his own destiny in a world of infinite possibilities.

Years ago I was fortunate enough to pick up one of the original Colonel Blades, came with a trainer and “tactical pen”. I still love it to this day and followed the company closely and all of a sudden everything was shutdown shortly after they introduced their folder. I specifically remember they had teased a Tanto point colonel blade on social media that I was super excited about.
I then noticed that Colonel Blades were out of stock, social media was shut down and eventually I saw the folder design was picked up by Fox Knives.
Flash forward about a year I start doing some web searches and I find Al Salvitti’s name in some public court documents (what I believe to to be a lawsuit) against another individual that was involved with Colonel.
Flash forward another year and Regiment Blades pops up, and it’s attached to Al Salvitti. Out of sheer curiosity I look up Colonel Blades and sure enough the webpage is running and has basically identical products to Regiment but with slightly different materials and about a $10 cheaper price tag.
Long question short.
What the hell happened?

Have you ever wondered why vape devices sometimes face power issues in vaping style? Understanding the nuances of vape batteries is crucial for regulatory bodies overseeing the vaping industry. This knowledge helps set comprehensive safety standards and ensures that the risks associated with these devices are minimized, protecting consumer health and safety. Let’s dive into the intricacies of vape batteries, exploring common problems and their implications for regulations in vaping style.

Battery Composition and Design

Vape batteries are primarily lithium-ion-based, offering high energy density and a long life span. However, the characteristics that make them efficient also make them sensitive to operational stresses. Understanding these batteries' chemical and structural build-up is fundamental for crafting guidelines that ensure safety.

Common Power Issues in Vape Batteries

Vape batteries face joint issues, such as overheating, short circuits, and capacity degradation over time. What could be causing these problems? Factors range from internal cell damage to external environmental impacts. Each issue affects the user experience and poses potential safety risks.

Impact of Poor Maintenance

The longevity and efficiency of a vape battery heavily depend on how it is maintained. Regular exposure to high temperatures, improper charging, and physical damage can all shorten a battery's life dramatically. How can regulatory bodies guide consumers to better maintenance practices?

The Role of Charger Compatibility

Using an incompatible charger is like filling a diesel car with petrol—it just won't work correctly and is potentially hazardous. Vape batteries require chargers that match their power needs; deviation can lead to significant battery issues.

Temperature Effects on Battery Performance

Like a cold engine struggling to start in winter, vape batteries perform poorly in extreme temperatures. High heat can lead to battery expansion and potential leaks, while cold can cause reduced reactivity and power output. Regulations could set standards for operating conditions, ensuring safety across diverse environments.

Manufacturing Defects and Quality Control

Sometimes, the issue lies not in the use but in making the battery. Inadequate quality control can allow defects to slip through, leading to widespread power issues. Regulatory agencies must enforce stringent manufacturing standards.

Regulatory Standards and Safety Features

Developing safety standards that adapt to evolving battery technologies is like playing a continuous game of catch-up. Regulators must stay ahead of the curve to protect consumers, effectively requiring ongoing research and policy adaptation.

Advancements in Battery Technology

As battery technology advances, so should the regulations governing their use in vape devices. New materials and designs that promise higher safety and efficiency are on the horizon—how can regulations keep up?

Consumer Usage Patterns

Understanding how consumers use vape devices helps tailor realistic and practical regulations. Are users typically aware of how their usage habits affect battery life and safety?

Future Directions in Battery Safety

What new technologies and materials might emerge to improve vape battery safety? How can regulatory frameworks adapt to incorporate these advancements?

To Wrap It Up

For regulatory agencies, staying informed about the technical aspects of vape batteries is not just about compliance—it’s about ensuring that every user can trust the safety of their device. As we've explored, numerous factors contribute to battery power issues, and understanding these can help shape better regulations and safer vaping experiences.

First Prev Archive Royal Road Patreon
The testing started out extraordinarily simple. Simple math, elementary school basic, but as I knocked out questions on the tablet, it definitely moved up. This held true in all sections, but I didn't catch on until eventually, Brad held up his hand, "Mr. Donny, it says my test is done."
Donny nodded, checking his computer at his desk really quickly, "Alright then, why don't you take yourself on down t'the cafeteria. Here's a card so y'can get yourself somethin' t'eat."
I spared a glance at Darryl, who similarly, glanced over at me, and we nodded. There was no reality where Brad Warner was simply smarter than everyone else here, and that meant the parameters were different than what we generally assumed during testing. The test kept going until you hit the wall, programmed to see how far you could take it. The questions stepped up as you answered, but that wouldn't be enough, cause then you could take forever, so there was a time element. The faster and more correctly you answer then, the higher your level goes. My questions were getting more and more detailed, more advanced maths and sciences. The test itself was designed to end when you hit the limit of your learning, but not in a 'get one question wrong' way, but a summation of overall knowledge.
Aimee was the next to complete her test,and was similarly handed a card for the cafeteria as she walked up dejectedly, and I spared a glance again. Darryl was just sort of loving life, while Mackenzie was clearly getting frustrated. We kept pushing through, until Mackenzie slammed her desk with both hands, startling everyone, "Damn it!"
She stalked to the front, snatched her card out of Donny's hand, and stormed out of the room, muttering something about eternal emnity. Darryl and I eyed each other: We were the last two left, and Darryl mouthed a congratulations to me before getting back into it. We kept going for a while, and finally, a hand went up, "Done."
Darryl's head shot in my direction, and Donny smiled, "Alright then, come get your card."
I got up, and took my card, then walked over to Darryl, "I didn't hold back."
I walked out of the room to head off to the cafeteria. In the end, I'd gone as far as the test would allow in Math and Science, the things I was consistently using. Where I'd met my match was English and Social Studies. I simply hadn't studied it as much due to the project and company needs, and thus neither improved much since I'd read my textbooks. I swung through the cafeteria, very aware that everyone was staring at me from their table as I grabbed food and drinks, and came to sit. Mackenzie gave me a look, "Darryl won?!"
I got her annoyance. She was two years ahead of us, and highly competitive by nature. Her chain of trophies had not been an accident or by anyone else's hand but hers, "Yup. He got me. Pretty sure I got dinged on Social Studies and English."
Aimee cut in, "But, like, your 1%?"
"1% only effects what I work on. I haven't been in an English class since the end of September, and it's not like I've been keeping up since. Same thing with Social Studies, it's mostly a study of history, and I haven't had the time for it. The math and science sure, but I haven't really had a reason to advance in my understanding of literature or broader history, so it didn't improve," I shrugged a bit as I dug into my little sub.
Aimee and Mackenzie were both upset at their placement, but Brad seemed perfectly fine. He'd never expected to do better, and it wasn't like he was invested in it, so it was nothing that he wasn't the smartest person in the room. He'd known he wasn't. Makenzie was basically ready to go redo the test for the sake of vengeance, so she'd be fine, but Aimee was pretty upset. I took a break from food to look at her, "Aimee, I'm sure you did fine. I've got a literal superpower for learning, Darryl's a super-nerd, and Mackenzie is two years ahead of you in school. Plus, we don't know what he's potentially scoring us on."
She was biting her lip a bit, which was distractingly cute, "I know, but..."
"This was an assessment test. As far as I understand it, there's no way to fail, it's just so that he knows where we're at," I spoke softly, taking her hand.
Aimee my hand, but looked close to tears, "But you're so..."
A sound of disgust turned us toward Brad, who finally joined in the conversation, "So what if you're not as smart? Who even gives a damn?! Like, dude, no one's ever gonna be as smart as him again. It'd be like saying you'll never be in the NBA cause you lost a pick-up game where the other team has Lebron, Jordan, and Bryant in their prime."
We all took a moment. Brad didn't really talk that much, so the idea of him being deep was... new. I smirked a little, "Very well-put, Brad."
It was well-put, and gave Aimee some context, not least of which was that she played basketball and the metaphor applied directly for her. She came down a moment and wiped her eyes, and we started chatting about stuff at the H.A.A. and classes until Darryl and Donny showed up. Darryl looked like he'd been through the wars, but he was still smiling, so clearly he was pretty proud of himself as he sat with us.
Donny stepped up with his tray, but didn't take a seat, "Alright y'all, now, I gotta go over the test results and whatnot, so while I'm workin' on that, you guys eat, and then go take some time in the rec area. Sound good?"
We nodded. After being stuck in testing for so long, getting to stretch our legs was a relief. Mackenzie needed to blow off steam, so we went up to one of the second floor halls to spar while the others watched. I took a moment before we got started to get a sidebar with Mackenzie, "I get it. Darryl beat you."
"This time. I'm a junior. I should've been able to beat him," She was distinctly displeased with herself as she put on sparring pads.
"Mackenzie, it's like Brad said, Darryl's a super-nerd, and he was in a test of knowledge. There's a reason he's in the honors classes," putting on my own pads as I continued, "And I get it. Losing to me, you could've taken it cause of the 1%, but Darryl was smarter than all of us combined before, that didn't shift since I got awakened, only my power did."
She glared up from the ground she sat on to get her footpads on, and while she didn't directly respond, I knew her well enough to know she was getting it. It did not do anything for her current temper. She was determined to be the best, not good, not great, the best. Anything less was a flaw in need of correction. Mackenzie kipped up off the floor, and discussion time was over. We bowed, took stance, and when Darryl called the start, she immediately went on the assault. She fired off a punch at my face, immediately dropping low for a sweep that I stepped over, and immediately launched into a waist take down, using the force of rebound from dropping low. With arms already up from the block, and one foot off the mat, she got her take down... sort of. Instead of trying to fight it, I rolled with it, catching her belt, and throwing her as we hit the mat, using the momentum of the fall. She didn't go too far, but it was for me to break out as she threw a ground elbow to drive me off, then spun as she rose, getting more distance from a series of spinning kicks. We were back in neutral stance, but now on opposite sides. I launched into my offensive.
Darryl knew what it was like when we sparred, but not Aimee and Brad. Aimee was a bit shocked at how hard we went at it, and Brad looked like he was going to throw up, that ingrained fear of my sister being given legitimacy before his eyes. Our sparring sessions had changed, though, with it being done more or less in 'turns' now, with Mackenzie taking the lead off on offense, then me reversing to take it back and press her. We finished up after a few turns, and I grabbed a towel from the side, where Aimee was waiting, "So that's what it's like when you go all out?"
Mackenzie laughed, "Hell no. I tried that ride once, just for fun and yeah, no, I got nothing for that."
I could see Aimee considering her words, and there was something there she wanted to talk about, but she wanted to talk about it privately, "Alright, everyone. I don't know about everyone else, but I could use a cool off. I'm hitting the pool."
We got changed out, and hit the pool for a bit, mostly just relaxing. That's where Donny found us, "Alright y'all, got my lunch in and tests're graded."
Brad groaned, "Aw man, we gotta go back to class?"
Donny smiled, "Nah. We gotta do the physical assessment, and since y'all're already here, why don't we start with the pool?"
And that's when Darryl groaned. His time as champion of the assessments had come to an end.
First Prev Archive Royal Road Patreon

A police officer received a call to help another officer, who he had known for many years. The call was designated as "suspicious circumstance."
The call was from a son who said that when he went to check on his mom at her old farmhouse, he had heard noises from downstairs in the basement.
It took the officer about 15 minutes to get out to this old farmhouse outside of town. It was yellow stucco and very old. He could see the old knob and tubing wiring on the outside of the house.
There is an upset old woman on the porch, the mom, and then a younger adult male standing next to her, the son, and then his fellow police officer standing next to them.
He goes up to them and gets all the information. When the son got to his mom's farmhouse to check on his mom, while he was talking to his mom on the main floor, he heard a noise in the basement like something being dropped. He dismissed it as perhaps an animal.
However, then there were more noises of things moving around and then he also started hearing voices.
The son said he thinks maybe someone is living down there taking advantage of his mom. He says the basement is unlivable as it has a dirt floor and no electricity.
The mom is upset. She said she didn't want the son to go down in the basement. And now, the mom didn't want the police officers to go down in the basement either.
So, he asks her why she doesn't want them to go down there. She says, "Because the others are down there."
And he asks her what she means by that. She says "The others were here long before me and they will be here long after me."
He says he understands but that they need to go check the basement. The mom says nicely "You are both good boys. Don't go down there."
Meanwhile, the officer sees that the fellow officer has a very scared look on his face. This fellow police officer has helped the police officer who is calling into the show many many times. The intuition from him has saved both of them in many situations. So, this guy trusts him a lot. He pulls him to the side and says "What's going on here?" The fellow police officer says "There is a very dark fog around this house."
The two police officers decide to go clear the basement with their weapons drawn. They let dispatch know they are going to clear the basement and then they make their way into the old house.
They go through the front door and enter an entryway. There is a kitchen to the left. There are two double doors to a living room on the right. They go through the kitchen and then through a small hallway towards the garage where there are steps down to the basement.
They open the basement door and start going down the steps. The steps are very steep and narrow like steps on a boat. There is no electricity downstairs. He only has the light on his gun. He said every single inch of his exposed skin felt like it was under assault from a thickness in the air.
They get downstairs and to the left are a bunch of old boilers. First a wood fire one, then an oil fire one, and then an updated furnace. To the left are steep stairs that go back outside through a bulkhead entrance (like the wizard of oz -- those basement doors that are flat in the ground).
And, in between the boilers and that bulkhead stair is a door to a back room inside the basement. And they focus on opening up that door.
The fellow officer opens the door and he goes inside. The room is filled with old wooden items and some boxes. There is nothing for anyone to hide behind. In the center of the room near the back is an old rocking horse. The white paint has been chipping and the hair on the horse has faded severely.
They both stand there looking at the rocking horse. He says he was drawn to the rocking horse in a very weird way.
Then he hears his radio as dispatch is calling. Dispatch says "Security check" as in "Are you guys ok?" He answers back that they are ok and dispatch says "What is taking you so long." He thinks this is very odd since usually dispatch does not interrupt you when you are clearing a house like that as they know you are highly focused.
He looks over to his fellow officer and he is staring at that rocking horse. His eyes are glossed over in a daze. He shakes his fellow officer and his fellow officer snaps out of it. They make their way back upstairs. They both talk in the kitchen that they are going to have to talk about this with each other after they leave the house to get their bearings back.
They go back out on the porch. The old woman has a smirk on her face. She says "Didn't feel good did it? You should have listened shouldn't you?"
He gets back in his vehicle and he asks dispatch why they interrupted him. Dispatch says he was gone too long. He says he wasn't gone long. Dispatch says he was gone for 10 minutes. He says he was not gone for 10 minutes. He says he was gone for about 2 minutes before they interrupted him.
There are more calls that come in and they move on to those.
However, later, back at the police station, they review the police body camera. Sure enough, once they get down into that room with the rocking horse, both he and the fellow officer freeze for 7 minutes looking at that rocking horse. They do not move. They do not speak. You can hear them both breathing for 7 minutes on the video. The only reason they snap out of it is because dispatch interrupts them on the radio. They both stood looking at that rocking horse for 7 minutes without realizing it.

ch0 -- [already written]. City Alpha of Ikun, Nyektak-pack is in the Bastion, the official City Alpha residence, working through the annual agenda that the Lawspeakers have passed them for Y932. Along the way, they begin discussing what kind of legacy they'll leave behind after they're dead and gone, whether everything they've built will be torn apart in a day or stand for a thousand years. The pack's alpha Nyektak Tun points out that Ikun stands in a precarious position and what they do now will have a huge impact. The economy is stagnating due to jobs being replaced by robots and automation, the environment is collapsing, leading to huge waves of refugees from the equatorial Dunelands. Further, their geopolitical enemy Koranah city-state is rapidly catching up economically and militarily, and sensing blood in the water with regards to Ikun's hegemony, is becoming increasingly aggressive with its foreign policy. Nyektak Nyak suggests that geoengineering can be used to stabilize things, with tools such as weather control satellites and ecological nanobots. However, this is regarded as a critical security threat by Tun, as Koranah is ahead of Ikun in this field, so if a global Climate Control System is created, then it is likely Koranah-based companies and Koranah technology that will tie the whole system together, leading them to have an outsized role. Such a thing is regarded as politically dangerous, as it could pose a threat to the Hegemony even without Koranah overturning Ikun's nuclear monopoly. And it won't even create many jobs in Ikun, so it won't resolve the economic concerns. Nyak points out that it's not politically viable to simply ban geoengineering without the state coming up with a better idea. After a long discussion, it is Nyektak Aykay who finally has a breakthrough idea. They will create a starship to send a military occupation force to planet TRK-16-3 (aka Earth......). Not only will this create enormous numbers of jobs in Ikun to revitalize the economy, but it will demonstrate to the rest of the world that Ikun still has an unmatched ability to project military force even at interstellar distances, and give the citizens of Ikun hope that they can seek out a better life on another planet. Indeed for this reason, it is called Project Hope.
ch1 -- [already written] Nyektak-pack makes an unexpected appearence in the Hall of Power, where Ikun's Lawspeakers convene, looking to make some deals and exert some pressure in order to get Project Hope put on the annual agenda. They have identified that a certain Lawspeaker Ronyr-pack is the most influential pack in the Lawspeakers' Association at present, and so speak to them first, the idea being that they will be able to pull the strings necessary to approve Project Hope. Although Lawspeaker Ronyr-pack are initially skeptical, they agree to assist after Nyektak-pack promises an array of political favors, including guaranteeing that Ikoin Corporation--which Ronyr-pack own significant stock in--will be the main contractor for Project Hope, and reducing the taxes they collect on healthcare workers, who are present in large numbers in Ronyr-pack's district. However, Ronyr-pack is just the first Lawspeaker that Nyektak-pack will have to deal with; in order to ensure that Project Hope actually gets onto the agenda, they also have to make a separate deal with Ronyr-pack's enemy Lawspeaker Radenkiut-pack, who have the second-largest group of allies in the Lawspeaker's Association. Nevertheless, City Alpha Nyektak-pack gets what they want--zero restrictions on raising funds for Project Hope, coupled with a ban on geoengineering tech and directives to pursue sanctions against other city-states that don't join them in doing so, thereby inhibiting the rise of a Climate Control System as an alternative to Project Hope. As Nyektak Aykay points out, these two agenda items reinforce each other; one can't be overturned without also overturning the other.
ch2 -- Icen-pack is a struggling pack of construction workers in Ikun in Y934, who always have to be on the constant lookout for their next gig, as jobs are scarce and hard to come by. They are currently working on a new skyscraper in Ikun's well-to-do District 7, including the flying buttresses that extend over the surrounding roads to interconnect with the supports of adjacent buildings, as typical with Kyanah architecture. Even now they are already even as they work leveraging advanced algorithms to predict the next opening so they can apply before anyone else. Things are made even more cutthroat by the increasingly widespread use of wearable sensors to identify the best performers, and the fact that immigrants from the Dunelands tend to be willing to work for lower wages, which drives pay down for everyone and often forces native Ikun packs to work even harder to justify their wages. As they work, Icen Korak (who, like Kei and Nuyu, grew up in the industry, as their birth-packs worked in construction) laments that things used to be simpler when he was growing up, and packs didn't have to constantly fight against each other to land building jobs, and there were more full time positions instead of the constant data-driven scramble for gigs. Icen-pack's alpha Naiun, as well as Karok, mostly take this in stride, having not grown up in the industry and thus not being as familiar with it, but the rest agree with Korak. Karok points out that it's not a huge surprise, considering how few buildings are being built in the current economy and how even a skyscraper can be built with just a couple dozen packs with current technology, but still nobody is happy with the status quo. They contemplate trying to sabotage the metrics of their coworkers, suspecting that others will do the same to them, taking advantage of the new wearable sensors that are measuring performance; however Naiun insists that they will be fine if they just work hard and be honest, and seeing as she is the pack's alpha that kind of shuts the idea down. They also contemplate having another pair of young, in addition to their current pair Raktan and Tyorek, but money is at present too tight for that. However, Project Hope is announced to the public in an address by Nyektak-pack on state TV. They are initially all a bit confused why Ikun is planning an interstellar invasion, but Kei realizes that Project Hope will serve as a huge jobs program and speculates that this will have knock-on effects across the rest of the economy, and jobs for them will once again be plentiful, putting the whole pack on a hopeful note.
ch3 -- Ryen-pack is graduating from the prestigious Nktan University (in the neighboring city-state of Nktan obviously) and becoming scholars of the first rank. While they all agree they are going to miss the university, they all look forward to going back to Ikun and what comes ahead, as they will be starting work at a prestigious influencing firm in Ikun, basically working with the government to have laws changed for their clients. Ryen Kerok, the pack's Alpha, is especially eager to change the world, believing that they will be able to do a lot of good by influencing the highest levels of Ikun's government for their future clients. Teren is mostly thinking about the high salary that will enable them to have children quickly, whereas young packs in Ikun have to save for years. As for Kaun, she occupies something of a middle ground between the two. Ryen Konyan has the most misgivings about everything, about leaving Nktan University for the "real world", about the possibility that they'll end up working for corrupt clients and doing more harm than good, and about bringing children into a dying world, especially with the onset of Project Hope, which they all agree is stupid and short-sighted, but don't think the government will actually go through with building the starships and launching the military expedition to Earth. They are also concerned about the geoengineering ban, believing that Koranah city-state and their allies will just ignore it, giving them even more control over the future Climate Control System. And so they make their way back to Ikun to begin their careers at the influencing firm Kortak-Dakayan Corporation, a bit hopeful but also a bit uncertain about the future.
ch4 -- some lawspeakers and the city alpha are being shown the initial stages of technological progress on Project Hope in Y935 at Toryak University, the most prestigious university in Ikun. An enormous supercomputer complex has been constructed, using the Kyanahs' signature mechanical computers and is being used to research interstellar propulsion methods. Although many of the scientists are a little skeptical of Project Hope, they do appreciate the huge influx of funding to pursue their research. Nyektak-pack is impressed that the complex has been constructed in only a year (technically it's still under construction, but experiments are already underway as the city-state has imposed some very tough deadlines on them), but as the lead scientist-pack points out, it wasn't so difficult when they had a blank check from the Ikun government. However, they have some bad news: they've been attempting to design an interstellar engine using nuclear pulse propulsion, but despite their best efforts to optimize the design, it will only be able to reach 4% of light speed, which as they point out means that humanity will possibly be more technologically advanced than their own military by the time Project Hope arrives. The main problem is that the casing and detonation mechanisms of the nukes are basically dead weight. It seems that there may be a way around this by using antimatter-catalyzed nuclear propulsion, where small quantities of antimatter are fed into nuclear material to force a reaction without needing a bunch of actual nukes. However, this further has the problem that it will require grams of antimatter, meaning that a huge particle accelerator in the PeV range will have to be built. But if this can be done, the engines will be able to reach the required 7.5% of light speed. Much to the scientists' shock, Nyektak-pack immediately agrees to fund this accelerator. However, in private this prompts an argument between them as they don't actually have available funds, even if they funnel money from non-Hope agenda items into the project. The realize that Ikun can't do it alone while also building the starships themselves, they need funds and technical expertise from other city-states to build it, and will need to use their influence in the Coalition of Cities to get it, possibly in exchange for dipolmatic concessions that may destabilize Ikun's already precarious Hegemony. Meanwhile, we are also introduced to Nyektor-pack, a student of the second rank working on the supercomputing project while nurturing big dreams to someday be scholar of the third rank, at which point they aspire to start a research group to solve the many technical problems that must be solved for Project Hope to be successful.
ch5 -- A certain Ryen-pack--none other than Ryen Kerok's birth-pack--are working at one of Ikun's top universities, where their life's work has revolved around developing ecological nanobots that can break down pollutants in the soil. However, with enforcement of Y934 Agenda Item 579 beginning (banning technology associated with the Climate Control System), their entire life's work has now been forbidden by the government. Even many of their own students have bought into the official propaganda that this technology is dangerous and unreliable, and must be banned, much to their anger and disgust. They have continued working right up until the day the ban comes into effect, but a pack of university administrators orders them to destroy their research as the police will soon be arriving to shut the department down. Many harsh words are exchanged between Ryen-pack and the administrators, but ultimately there's nothing they can do except wipe their computers and destroy their prototypes before the police show up. After this, they reach out to their son Kerok's pack, which causes Kerok to wonder what is going on in their lives and if they want to be ikoin (kyanah term for friends/allies, but more explicitly transactional) but the elder Ryen-pack is retiring and leaving Ikun for the northern scrublands. Kerok urges them to stay and use their brilliant minds to do some good in Ikun, including the younger Ryen-pack's future children (even telling them that they will name one of their young after the elder Ryen-pack's alpha, Ayen), but the elder pack has made up their mind, they're done trying to pursue science while the government keeps interfering with their work, but tell the younger pack that the young are the future of Ikun, and if they want to save the planet, they must optimize their young for the cause, a message which seems to resonate most with Kerok and less with some of the others, especially Konyan.
ch6 -- Aktektan-pack is a large pack with many young who works long and arduous hours at an Ikoin Corporation factory assembling bombs and missiles for meager pay. After another mind numbing and monotonous day of working and getting into petty fights with coworkers during Y936, they head home to their tiny rundown apartment and engage in their typical pasttime of watching TV, especially Ikun's state TV, which triumphantly reports that Project Hope is already proving to be a massive boon to the economy. The fact that they've receieved a small bonus this year further convinces them that this is unquestionably true. They immediately proceed to spend their bonus on alcohol and pro-government merch. After Nedak realizes that their rent has increased as well by the same amount as their bonus, he angrily accuses their alpha Nyaken of mismanaging their money, to which Nyaken accuses the other females in the pack--Karien and Tanun--of laying too many eggs and creating too many mouths to feed, though their seems to be an undercurrent of jealousy in her rants, which leads to a physical fight between the members of Aktektan-pack. Later, Karien reveals that she's actually laid another egg--actually only one, which is seen as a sign of bad luck, as Kyanah lay eggs in pairs. These arguments ultimately peter out as the pack ends up falling asleep whilst watching a rather jingoistic movie.
ch7 -- Ptorya-pack lives in Adronkin, a city-state in the scorching hot Dunelands that is poorer, less developed, and much smaller than Ikun, where they're assistant administrators at a local textile factory. An unseasonally strong and dangerous sandstorm strikes, causing considerable damage to the factory and disrupting operations. Some workers, including Ptorya Llrien speculates that city-state officials including the City Alpha have been embezzling money intended for fortifying local buildings against sandstorms and spending it on luxury cars and mansions instead, but Ptorya-pack's alpha Rytor advises everyone not to ask too many questions about it and just focus on repairing the factory so they can all get back to work. At their home, which is quite small and spartan; despite them being white collar workers in the top 10% of earners in Adronkin, it would be a poor pack's apartment in Ikun; they notice clouds of irritating industrial smog containing lots of coal dust wafting in from the south and find several dead thukukenoids (creatures which float through the air like balloons, filter feeding on airborne spores and vegetation) lying around their neighborhood; Nekyez notes that they seem to have been dying off in droves as of late, though Rytor dismisses this as probably nothing and tells Nekyez not to worry their pack's young children. As they eat their day-meal, the subject of Project Hope comes up; they seem to be a bit bemused about Ikun's plans to launch an interstellar conquest (as Ntreyn points out, "the blue people always have crazy ideas") but they are hopeful about reports that Ikun is reviving its economy and will continue to remain a hyperpower, as they see Ikun and its military as bringers of peace and order, especially as they provided aid and peacekeeping some years ago when Adronkin was struck by a wave of deadly sandstorms. Llrien offhandedly mentions that she sometimes wishes that they were in Ikun and Rytor says that it would take a long time and be very difficult to get in, but concedes that it would probably be better for their young to grow up there.