In the darkness of the 41st millennium, survival means more than defeating an enemy. Every decision carries consequences for people who depend on you. Black Tide: Shadow of Leviathan · StartPlaying.
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Warhammer 40,000 · Month XI · The Long Winter · Week 1 · Mara & Chibi
When the world freezes, what keeps us alive? And what happens when there isn’t enough warmth for everyone?
CHIBI:
“If I lived on an ice world, I’d need a bigger hoodie.”
MARA:
“You’d need a lot more than that.”
“Two hoodies?”
“Chibi.”
“Three?”
Mara smiles and points towards a picture of an Imperial settlement buried beneath kilometres of ice.
MARA:
“Imagine living here.”
CHIBI:
“Where’s the Sun?”
“Above the ice.”
“Can they see it?”
“Not from their houses.”
“Then how do they stay warm?”
MARA:
“That’s what we’re going to find out.”
THE FIRE INSIDE US
CHIBI:
“Can people make their own heat?”
MARA:
“Yes. Your body produces heat all the time.”
“Even when I’m asleep?”
“Even then. Your cells use energy from food to keep everything working. Some of that energy becomes heat.”
“So biscuits keep me warm.”
“Food helps. But you need more than biscuits.”
“That’s disappointing.”
Mara explains that the human body needs to maintain its internal temperature. When we get cold, we may begin shivering because our muscles are generating additional heat.
CHIBI:
“Then I should run around.”
MARA:
“Movement can help, but it also uses energy. And getting sweaty can make you colder later if your clothes become wet.”
“So running helps, except when it doesn’t?”
“Something like that.”
Chibi looks at the underground city.
CHIBI:
“What if they don’t have enough food?”
MARA:
“Then keeping warm becomes much harder.”
“Can they just keep shivering?”
“Not forever.”
He thinks about the people living beneath the ice.
CHIBI:
“So being hungry and cold is worse than just being cold.”
“Much worse.”
A CITY-SIZED COAT
CHIBI:
“What if they all wear warm coats?”
MARA:
“Coats help your body retain heat. They don’t create much heat themselves.”
“Like blankets?”
“Exactly.”
Chibi looks pleased.
CHIBI:
“Then put a giant blanket over the whole city!”
Mara laughs.
MARA:
“In a way, that’s what insulation does. Walls, sealed doors and protective materials slow down heat loss.”
“So buildings are big coats.”
“That’s one way to describe them.”
He studies the settlement’s enormous pipes and reactor.
CHIBI:
“Where does the heat come from?”
MARA:
“From an energy source. In our example, a reactor supplies the settlement.”
“So the reactor keeps everybody warm.”
“It also helps power the lights, water systems and food production.”
“That’s a very important machine.”
“Yes.”
“What if it breaks?”
“Then people must repair it, use backup systems or find other sources of energy.”
Chibi considers the problem.
CHIBI:
“Then the people fixing the reactor are really important.”
MARA:
“Very.”
“More important than Space Marines?”
“An enormous warrior isn’t necessarily the person you want repairing a tiny pressure seal.”
Chibi begins laughing.
CHIBI:
“Imagine those giant gloves trying to fix a little pipe!”
Mara smiles.
MARA:
“Not every life is saved with a weapon.”
THE LAST WARM ROOM
MARA:
“Now imagine the reactor is damaged. There’s enough energy to heat only part of the city.”
CHIBI:
“Turn down the heating everywhere.”
“They’ve tried that. It isn’t enough.”
“Wear more clothes?”
“That helps, but doesn’t solve the problem.”
“Then what?”
Mara shows him a map.
There’s a hospital, a food-production facility, a maintenance workshop and several residential blocks.
MARA:
“Who gets the remaining heat?”
CHIBI:
“The hospital!”
“And the food-production facility?”
“That’s important too.”
“The workshop where they’re repairing the reactor?”
“Also important.”
“And the homes?”
“People live there!”
He looks at her.
CHIBI:
“That’s not fair. Everything needs heat.”
MARA:
“Some places need a minimum amount to function safely. And some people are more vulnerable to cold than others.”
“Babies?”
“Yes.”
“Old people?”
“Yes.”
“People who are sick?”
“Exactly.”
Chibi thinks for a moment.
CHIBI:
“Then we can’t just give everyone the same amount.”
MARA:
“Not if their needs are different.”
“And what if the governor keeps all the heat?”
“Then the problem isn’t only the winter anymore.”
Chibi folds his arms.
CHIBI:
“I think the governor should have the same broken heater as everybody else.”
Mara almost laughs.
MARA:
“That might encourage a quicker repair.”
MORE THAN SURVIVING
The two children return to the picture of the frozen settlement.
CHIBI:
“Do they have trees?”
MARA:
“Maybe in indoor growing chambers.”
“Can trees grow without sunshine?”
“Plants need light. Suitable artificial lighting can provide it, but that requires energy.”
“So they need the reactor again.”
“Yes.”
“And food.”
“Yes.”
“And warm houses.”
“Yes.”
Chibi considers all the things the inhabitants must maintain.
CHIBI:
“That’s an awful lot of work just to stay alive.”
MARA:
“It is.”
“Do you think they ever have fun?”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“Because they’re always cold.”
Mara points towards a warm communal hall in the settlement.
MARA:
“People can share meals, tell stories, play games and celebrate things even in difficult environments.”
Chibi studies the hall.
CHIBI:
“Then I’d make a big dining room.”
“Would you?”
“With hot soup. Bread. Games. Everybody comes.”
“That won’t repair the reactor.”
“No.”
“Or grow enough food.”
“No.”
He looks at her.
CHIBI:
“But maybe it’ll help people work together.”
Mara pauses.
MARA:
“That’s a good point.”
“And I’d paint a big Sun on the ceiling.”
“Why?”
“Because they can’t see the real one.”
She smiles.
MARA:
“That’s something important too. People need more than the bare minimum to make life worth living.”
THE QUESTION WE LEAVE OPEN
CHIBI:
“Do you think everybody on an ice world wants to leave?”
MARA:
“Not necessarily. People can love their homes even when living there is difficult.”
“But if nobody remembers summer?”
“Then winter may simply be the world they’ve always known.”
Chibi studies the small lights shining beneath the ice.
CHIBI:
“I’d still want everyone to be warm.”
MARA:
“That’s a good ambition.”
“And I think I know what the most important thing is.”
“The reactor?”
“No.”
“The food?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
Chibi looks at the people sitting together in the warm hall.
CHIBI:
“Making sure nobody gets forgotten.”
Mara looks at him for a moment.
MARA:
“That’s something every society should think about.”
Chibi turns towards us.
CHIBI:
“If there was only one warm room left, who would you let inside?”
Mara adds another question.
MARA:
“And if there wasn’t enough room for everyone, would you accept that—or start looking for a way to create more warmth?”
PLAY EPIC. FEEL THE STORY.
In Black Tide: Shadow of Leviathan, protecting the people who depend on you may be more difficult than defeating the enemy. Your choices matter. Your decisions endure. Black Tide: Shadow of Leviathan · StartPlaying.
Real TTRPG. Real story. Real choices. Real consequences.