Kafan Outpost

Welcome to Kafan Outpost! Where the water is sulphuric, the dirt tastes like ash, and you won't see greenery for six weeks.

— Journal of Dehlen Riedan, Kafan Outpost Research Head

Kafan Outpost is a small research station located on Kafan Volcano, the southernmost island in the Shattered Strait. It is the first mortal habitation of the strait, and houses around twenty people at its peak.

History

Since the Strait was confirmed to be a strait in 142 AC, sailors have wanted to use it as a shortcut between the northern and southern ends of the continent. All such efforts have failed due to the straits rough waters and constant volcanic activity, as well as the jagged cliffs on either side which punish the slightest error.
Due to the usefulness of a north-south route to the Republic of Skarhu, especially when it considers trade with the Kingdom of Telziad to its north-east across the strait, the Republic invested large sums of money over many years to investigating the strait as thoroughly as possible. It only made a significant breakthrough in 394 AC, successfully sending a ship from their capital of Plumtris up into the Strait and around Kafan Volcano and back south - the first trip to survive entering the strait for more than a few moments.
This achievement under their belts, Skarhu established Kafan Outpost on the volcano in 407 AC, lead by Research Head Dehlen Riedan with a crew of 15. The goal of this outpost was to investigate the strait and its properties at a far closer distance than any researchers before, as well as probing the potential for long-term settlement on its volcanic islands.

Natural Resources

While the outpost lacks much in the way of native vegetation, its fertile volcanic soil has proven fantastic for growing small crops, which the researchers maintain to supplement their regular resupply shipments. Carrots and radishes are the most common plant, with cucumbers and lettuce also present. Mussels live on the various rocky outcroppings, and schools of fish live not far from the outpost, though sailing to catch this is always fraught with danger.

Could people eke out a living on these volcanic isles? Certainly! It would only take one disaster to doom a colony to a watery demise, but sure. Should people live here? Absolutely not. Not unless something changes in the next decade to stop volcanoes dead in their tracks.
Who knows. Maybe the larger islands are better. Hopefully we'll find out.

— Dehlen Riedan

Alternative Name(s)

Southern Strait Research, The Start

Type

Outpost / Base

Population

~15

Location under

Shattered Strait

Owning Organization

Republic of Skarhu

Kafan Island by Isaac Thompson

Resupply

Despite the strides by the Kafan Research Team, the outpost is nowhere close to self sufficient. There is not much land to work with that is safe, and the sea threatens to tear away all they have built in the blink of an eye. As such, Kafan Outpost receives regular resupply shipments from either the Wenz Islands or the Skarhan capital of Plumtris, with the latter often serving to rotate the researcher's shifts on the islands.

Ship Shipwreck by Comfreak