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| − | The '''Foldsquire-Mix Expedition''' was led by explorers [[Yennifer Foldsquire]] and [[Prater Mix]] with the primary goal of finding a pass through or around [[Satan's Spire]]. Begun in March of 1802 and ending in October 1803, the Expedition is credited with opening the untamed southern land to the people of the [[Republic of Megatridimensional Order]].
| + | #REDIRECT[[The_South_Gate#The_Foldsquire-Mix_Expedition]] |
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| − | ==Expedition Roots==
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| − | In early 1797, the city of [[Novum]] was on the brink of collapse as tensions increased along the Telembrian border, and the cost of constant fortifications to keep the city from sinking into the [[Crudumpascor Swamps]] was bankrupting the young government. The Order leader Rain Petrus and her board of directors authorized an expedition to find a way past Satan's Spire and the Trine River to open up the south to find a new location for the city and it's inhabitants.
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| − | ===The Goldrig Expedition===
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| − | With a tremendous amount of Telembrian citizens still pouring into The Order along with attempts by most who risked the Swamp Sickness to move quickly through the region, the path west became a nightmare of bogged horses, broken wagons and masses of people with high numbers of sick and injured. In this hellish landscape, the pioneers became prime target for thieves and outlaws. With the [[Telembrian Border War of 1801]] looming, the Order was already short of soldiers and with [[Rain Petrus]]' vow to not charge a passage tax, the Order turned to mercenaries who would accept promises of land and government positions in lieu of cash payment. One of these mercenary groups, let by [[Edgard Goldbrig]] was well funded by Goldbrig himself, who had amassed a large fortune in [[Telembria]], but left with The Order for adventure, the "only thing [he] never had." Goldbrig worked his way slowly south, spending days talking to railroad workers and pioneers, choosing from the best among them to join his nondescript group of adventurers. By the time Goldbrig arrived at [[Novum]], he had a group of twenty of healthy young men and women. Once settled in the appropriately named [[Adventurers Inn]], Goldbrig waited until the time had passed for the Swamp Sickness to take effect. He lost only five men to the sickness after two weeks. During that period of time, Goldbrig offered his services to Petrus as mercenaries. Petrus, after hearing Goldbrig's offer and the make up of his crew, proposed that they would be better off as explorers vice mercenaries and offered what she could by way of promises and land if his crew would open a passageway to south of [[Satan's Spire]] and the [[Trine River]]. Goldbrig, in his own words, immediately "loved the idea. It kept all I had to accepting on the spot." Instead, Goldbrig retreated to the Adventurers Inn and wrote up a proposal. The proposal included all of promises Petrus had made along with one major addition. Any passage found would be owned by Goldbrig, and he would be allowed to charge a negotiated fee for his passage and any other found later until 1815, when it would be open to all. When offered, Petrus' chief negotiator [[Sarjon Xenwith]] added a clause of his own. Should the expedition fail and Goldbrig not return, the Goldbrig fortune became property of the Order either on proof of his death or 3 years after the date of the expedition's start. If Goldbrig returned unsuccessful, he would relinquish half of his fortune. Goldbrig, having no family or descendants, agreed.
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| − | The expedition set out well supplied and well armed from [[Novum]] in April 1797. It was made up of 15 adventurers who were well paid and well supplied, all offered Petrus' promises along with substantial bonuses by Goldbrig. Before the team even emerged from the jungles leading up to Satan's Spire, two of the group who had developed animosity got into a violent argument, and one killed the other. The former died of his injuries within a day. Arisha Novik wrote:
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| − | "There has been a pall cast over the group of adventurers, not only because of the loss of two of us - however unliked the both were - but also because Goldbrig refused to use any medical supplies on [[Mr. Britland]]. Goldbrig made it clear that he would not waste resources on any stupidty or injuries not related to the expedition. While that makes sense to most of us given the wastefulness of their actions, we are all concerned. It's clear that medical care is up to Goldbrig's discretion whether we are mauled by beast or fall ill to some strange sickness. To be sure, it has brought reality to us all, but doubt has been cast on Goldbrig's oft-stated notion that we are "all in this together."
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| − | Upon reaching the foot of Satan's Spire, the group searched first to the west where the Trine River roars down the mountain into the plains. Following a methodical pattern to climb behind every waterfall and over the Trine, after ten days, the expedition turned back and headed east. [[Selena Von]] was killed on the descent when she fell into the river and was swept away.
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| − | Now numbering 12, not counting Goldbrig, the group slowly traveled east, every so often stopping to attempt a climb in a space that looked promising. After several days of this slow, methodical search, Goldbrig became impatient, and at the next promising space, split the group into two, with him leading the 7 and [[Zdebka Cade]] leading the others, with plans to meet back at their seperation point in two days. The Cade faction began climbing. Goldbrig's crew covered several miles, but skipped many promising paths upward that some of the men thought they should follow. At this point, Goldbrig had become convinced that they would need to circumvent the Spire to the east and there was no point in continuing to climb. Having come to this conclusion, and becoming more impatient, Goldbrig did not want to return to regroup, so he sent [[Gennadi Caruso]] and [[Emilx Terr]] back west to regroup with the Cade party. One day afterwards, Goldbrig's group were attacked by gorillas, killing all but Goldbrig and [[Vidka Overon]], who escaped. Though Goldbrig at first wanted to continue, Overon reasoned with him that they should return to the group. They began making their way west, finding the tracks of Caruso and Terr and following back to the rendezvous point. When they arrived, they found only Caruso, so shaken that he was babbling incoherently. After Goldbrig and Overon took turns watching him through the night, by morning Caruso was calmed enough to relay what had happened. Overon captured it in her journal.
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| − | "They had arrived to no one at the point, and after a few hours decided to track the group up the mountain. Nearly a day later, they came across the other explorers bodies, strewn throughout the area, some dismembered, and all bore signs of a gruesome death. Terr suggested a quick retreat, but Caruso felt it dutiful to bury the dead. Terr would not assist, and returned down the mountain. Caruso finished burying the bodies in the eerie stillness, and night fell. Caruso decided that spending the night there would be unwise, and he began to make his way down the mountain. The forest was silent now, with no birds, animals or insects giving away their presence. Caruso, naturally, continued to be uneasy. About a quarter mile from the bottom where we now sit, Caruso heard a moaning sound just off the path and, in spite of his fear, decided to investigate. Six feet off the path he found Terr, hung to a tree with [[Laje]] crystals forced through his hands and feet. Caruso attempted to get Terr down, but could not budge the crystals. He took his machete and started to cut through the tree instead when he felt a presence and stopped. Not three feet in front of him were what appeared to be two large men with albino skin, mud smeared over their bodies with eyes that, in his words, "cut to his soul." Frozen, the three regarded each other until one of the men said "We see your action; You care for dead. You go now. You come back. We offer you all to mountain. Caruso, poor fellow, ran as fast as he could, with no memory of anything to the point of waking this morning."
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| − | Overon and Caruso wanted to abandon the expedition, but Goldbrig was undeterred. After arguing nearly all morning, Overon and Caruso would not give in, Goldbrig recognized the folly of continuing alone, and finally joined Overon and Caruso. The three returned to Novum, ending the expedition. Goldbrig forfeited half his fortune.
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| − | ===The Matrish-Harver Expedition===
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| − | ===The Foldsquire-Mix Expedition===
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| − | ==The Foldsquire-Mix Expedition 1802==
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| − | ==The Foldsquire-Mix Expedition 1803==
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