Who: Francis Crozier & Open to All
What: Captain Crozier comes to town
When: Early days of November
Where: About town, along the outskirts

Content Warnings: Potential mentions of lead poisoning and scurvy, cannibalism, starvation, violence, body horror, murder, alcoholism. Just #Franklin Expedition Things


I. Along the Main Road - Crozier Comes to Town

Crozier's breath rattles around his caribou-lined hood, the steady sound of crunching ice and rocks underfoot familiar music to his steady trudging. How many miles are behind him now? How many miles has he apparently forgotten? Even now the lead must still swim in his nerves and veins; how else could he explain the sudden appearance of trees and an entire North American-style village? Surely he's hallucinating now.

A pale ghost in Netsilik furs, Crozier holds fast to his ice knife in his only remaining hand and begins to explore the buildings. What he's searching for he doesn't know -- a sign of human life? Something to eat, a place to stay? Something to wake him from this nightmare?



II. The Church -- Uncovering the Graves

Milton couldn't be more different than King William Land, his home by accident and then by choice. Things grow in this place, there are pockets of warmth, hills and caves and homes to hide. The ice isn't all-consuming, looming and screaming and groaning as it shifts and moves and destroys.

But he feels the breath of something Wild and Divine on his neck. Something lives in the darkness of the trees and speaks through the pops and hisses of the Aurora. Are their souls at stake in this place too?

Crozier touches the amulet sewn into the space above his heart as he wanders the churchyard. As he looks for the names of the dead of Milton he idly recites the names of his own dead. They're with him even now, even dragged away as he is from their bones and makeshift memorials of scattered papers and silverware.



III. The Basin -- Ice Fishing

There's so much plenty here, an embarrassment of riches to be found in the wilderness and little town. Once he's found a place to live he sets about making himself useful; they should be gathering fresh meat while they're in between storms.

There's no seal to be found, but apparently there's a decent spot for ice fishing nearby, and so off Crozier goes to bore a hole and try his hand at catching some food.