Stormforge Productions

The next season of Z-LAND will take place 5 years after the last.

To get you ready for it, Rycon has written what happens during those 5 years and we’ll be posting them here so you can follow along with what happens to the survivors.

Last time we covered the first week of the group’s stay at the Marine Discovery Centre. This time it’s the next month.

Month 1

Having returned successfully with medical supplies and prosthetics Scott begins to work and refit one of the legs to work for him. Schalk refuses to use an arm and continues to live a somewhat isolated life atop the Accom Roof.

Schalk’s rooftop home keeps him isolated from the others but he still share meals with the group, but refuses to share the information he has gathered over the radio. The harbor around him has remained calm. No sign of watercraft or aircraft for that matter and as the month draws on a renewed sense of isolation begins to set in… almost, if not for the series of beeps he has begun to communicate with. The person to which he “speak” reveals very little about themselves other than the fact that they had no idea that anyone was still alive on the mainland. They have made the assumption that Schalk’s signal isn’t coming from where ever they are based. His communication with this person surrounds nothing of strategic importance but rather the mundane aspect of their life and Schalk’s. Over the passing days something of a bond has been forming between the two of them, but then as the month begins to draw to an end the communication abruptly stops and is replaced once again by the same routine transfers of information: longitude and latitude for locations down the West Coast of New Zealand.

These night time communications weren’t his only responsibility, however, and during some days of the week he cycled out with Frank and some of the other survivors, helping out with the construction efforts. While on their look out the other survivors took point atop the Red Hill, the location of which the skeletal remains of two children were found. The hill has a great view of the surrounding area so the others are fine to leave Schalk’s roof top abode alone, with a few of them imagining his arm bone or other pieces just laying about (rumors have been a foot).

—

Over the month Scott continues his mornings fishing with Charles. The lines are still biting and they’re both careful to take only what they need as the community is still limited by what they can preserve and store. At request of Jake, Charles & Jonah have begun sailing lessons for the group. Scott, Charles, Jonah, Jake and Nic travelled on the Second Chance back to Little Barrier early in the morning, arriving just as the sun began to rise. Looking out from the boat in the dull light Scott witnesses the blackened remains of the bunkhouses. He doesn’t seem to see any sign of the powder that was once dropped on the cove but the decision to stay on the water remains. Piloting the Second Chance, he drops Jonah and Charles off at two of the eight sailing vessels that remained anchored in the bay, Jake and Nic having split themselves between the two ships. Six of the sailboats remained anchored in the cove as the three piloted ships they all control make their way back to Goat Island.

After the successful mission, lessons are held before lunch each day with every member of the community attending except Willow, Lulu, Schalk and the children. Early on in the month Scott begins the process of constructing a Blacksmithing Workshop in the garage beneath the MDC Lab 1 Block. Thankfully many tools were already present at the MDC, acetylene torches, welders both above and below water varieties and the space to begin constructing a forge. Coming across an anvil substitute was difficult but at the beach hire shop close by a large oblong piece of steel seemed to fit the bill.

To start off, Scott begins working on small objects, arrowheads in particular after Chloe asked if it would be possible. Frank had taken an interest in the project and worked alongside Scott in the creation of the forge and the subsequent arrowheads. As the month drew on the two of them became more proficient at their work as well as repurposing objects around into new forms. Frank floated the idea of making bracers to protect the arms and legs when the group inevitably left to scavenge and the next stage of the project began.

—

Chloe and Lulu have become temporary guardians of the two little ones Olivia and Elsa. Lulu spends most of the time with them as Chloe leave the Accom to work on the barricading the MDC accom (once her leg was good enough to walk on) with Frank, Jake, Nic, Schalk, Jonah and occasionally Willow. Once the project is complete and seeing that Scott was attempting to create his first few objects in his newly created workshop, Chloe requests he try make some arrowheads. Chloe wrangles Jen and the kids into a craft project of sorts using duct tape to create fletching for arrows while Chloe attempts to learn how to use some of the woodworking tools the workshop contained. It took many attempts but as the month goes on Chloe gains the capability to make passable arrow shafts and, once combined with Scott arrowheads she had her arrows. In that time Chloe had also made a bow for herself and Jen, and while they’re not incredibly effective, they are enough for the two of them to practice with.

Chloe sets up targets out the back of the MDC by the four large tanks and it was there that the two of them practices during their downtime.

—

As one of the heads of the barricading effort, Nic assists Jake who seems to be project managing the endeavor. During that time Nic also helps Scott become accustomed to his prosthetic leg, helping him move easier in it and adjusting it as it’s needed. Nic also continues to watch over Chloe as she recovers from her shooting and bite wounds. Schalk’s arm seems to be coming along nicely and there has been no sign of infection, and redressing will no longer be required.

Early in the month Nic takes the time to take stock of all the medicine and medical equipment they have at the MDC. Whenever anything is needed he checks it off the list and a protocol is established that if something is needed they’ve got to come to Nic first. That way nothing should go missing. At least he hopes.

Willow has been a difficult issue for everyone to deal with and the woman still chooses to live alone in the house on the hill. Jen brings her food each days and seems to be the only one to have talked to her. Nic has seen her as she helps with the barricading, always working but always silent. Lulu suggests that seingas it seems that they’ve lost their nurse that the group will need another one, insinuating Nic.

Nic spend the evenings using what little light is left to read the emergency first aid manuals that he’s come across while scouring the MDC. He also notices that Lulu has setup a small lab of her own in one of the existing labs with the hopes to produce medication somewhere down the line. It seems like a pie in the sky plan but he assists her where he can.

—

With everyone working on the barricading on rotating schedules it’s finished early in the month with all windows on level one sealed with silicon across the whole window with chicken wire reinforcing the glass and finally covered with plywood boards. Furthermore lavender bushes are replanted near the base of the building and in small pots hanging from the second story windows to cover any human smells that might drift. Around either entrance to the building a fenced off “airlock” is built using plywood and fencing posts. Essentially allowing them use this “airlock” to limit the chance of something entering behind another.

On the upper levels of the Accom stairways are reinforced with slide out barricades that sit at waist height limiting the ability of an attacker on the stairs. Curtains are stripped from the other buildings and layered over the existing curtains to create a blackout effect limiting light leak to the outside.

On the second level two rooms are set aside as contamination rooms which have an extra level of sealant around the entrances. A drop plank barricade is set on either door too, to keep an occupant locked inside. Once the first stage of construction is complete Jake begins his sailing lessons alongside the others. In the afternoons Jake, Nic and Jonah scout the surrounding area, searching the houses for supplies and tools. On one of their first trips out, a house close to the MDC is discovered to have two large solar panels on its roof and a storage system. The three of them disconnect it and return it to the MDC, choosing the top of the Accom building as the prime location for the panels. Schalk assists Jake in setting up the panels on the roof and will be wiping them clear of any debris each morning. The battery system is stored on the third floor with the cables entering through a gap in one of the windows that is again sealed with silicon.

On sunny days they find themselves with a fair bit of energy and power is always left in reserve for a bit of nighttime light. On the energy front the MDC is discovered to have its own emergency generator which can provide power to the whole complex. However fuel reserves are low and the decision is made by the group to leave the generator for emergencies only.

Manual washing machines are set up, just a drum on an angle with a few paddles attach to the internal side of it driven by a push bike. Two stations are used, one for home gear and one for scouting gear, always washed separately.

As the month draws to an end Jake prepares himself mentally for what is to come. He will be leaving, but will he tell the others before he does, and does he intend to ask Nic to join him?

—

The month is quiet on the dead front. While searching the nearby properties it becomes clear that many left the area after the longest night. Some grizzly scenes are still found in bedrooms and nurseries as the scavenging teams search through them. Corpses nearly eaten to the bone and smashed windows where the creatures had exited into the wider world. As the month continues the group slowly starts to become more of a community with everyone taking up a position of some kind. Some learning new skills, others practicing old ones. They’ve all remained quite, enjoying the change of pace. For the first time in many nights they find themselves sleeping well in their recently reinforced building. New friendships begin to form between what once was two groups, but a collective unease around Willow still remains.

Everyone has participated in the watch at some stage with The Red Hill being chosen as the best spot to watch over the complex and the wider Goat Island region.

Food has been plentiful thanks to the marine reserve and water has come clean from the collection tanks on the complex. They could get used to this, the pace of life and a chance to breath after what has felt like a none stop sprint from the longest night till now. Roots have the planted and projects have begun but this is only that start of Goat Island. What will the next year bring?

———-

Itching to watch the series? CLICK HERE to catch up on all the apocalyptic action.

And get your hands on the Z-LAND corebook now by CLICKING HERE.

———-

If you want to chat about Z-LAND with other players and the developers, then come join our Discord server!

The next season of Z-LAND will take place 5 years after the last.

To get you ready for it, Rycon has written what happens during those 5 years and we’ll be posting them here so you can follow along with what happens to the survivors.

Week 1

Jake drives out from the compound to clear his head after the tragedy, choosing to travel to his home. Nic accompanies him with the two of them travelling in the Golf Jake had come upon earlier.

The front door is locked, but many of the windows are broken. Inside they find no bodies but there are signs of major struggle and blood loss. The windows have been broken from the inside out.

They find no sign of life or undeath.

The two of them continue to scavenge the surrounding area and attempt to investigate the smoke and the light. The smoke can be seen as a distant plume rising from the direction of the city, drifting with the wind. It is thick and black

Returning with their spoils, and no sign of the lightsource, they begin to help Jonah and Frank with the barricading and reinforcing of the building with the intention to build out further fortifications as the main building is safe.

For the first few days Chloe remains in her bed, resting her leg before she starts to ease it back into use. Jen and the kids have chosen to sleep in the common area along with her as they don’t feel safe in the rooms anymore. Chloe find out that Willow has moved out of the main building, choosing instead to live in the house close to the center on the hill. She will remain here for a longtime. Chloe and the others attend the burning of the fallen islanders, whose remains were set alight on a rocky ledge jutting into the sea. Willow wasn’t present, choosing instead to remain in her self-imposed exile (no decision has been made about her yet). Charles for the first time in days spoke. He spoke of his wife and the pain her loss has brought him, he spoke of the early days when their numbers where small, that he shouldn’t be here, they should, she should. In the coming days Chloe begins to help with the construction efforts assisting the barricading effort.

Schalk treks to the top of the hill where a tent flaps in the wind. Disposing the remains of the previous residents, he hoses the thing down back at the MDC and props it atop the ACCOM where he begins to construct his crows nest. A little home for himself above the rest. Here Schalk keeps his belongings safe, along with a powerful portable radio. Taking a set of headphones found the barracks below, he listens to the device away from the others, choosing to keep it a secret. Scanning through the channels, listening to the voices of wider Auckland. He hears a small desperate few who broadcast every day at 12pm and 12am they are confused and afraid. Always whispering into the radio, he can tell nothing more than that it’s a voice speaking Russian. He also hears strings of beeps in what he soon learns to be a binary code. Decoding it takes time, but the beeps seem to reference longitude and latitude. Checking a map in the center below, Schalk determines one of the locations to be Little Barrier Island. Not sharing this new information, he sticks to constructing his little home before assisting the greater effort to secure the MDC.

Scott sees to recovery of Jen, and helps Lulu inside the building preparing and preserving what little food they have. Once Jen finds her feet, Scott chooses to invite Charles to fish alongside him after hearing him speak for the first time in days at the funeral of the islanders. Scott speak to him on the level and after a calm but tense argument Scott seem to be making headway with the stubborn man. Fishing is a dream at Goat Island and the two of them bring in plenty of fish. It might just been the fresh air the ellation of catching so many fish but he swears he is starting to see and improvement in Charles. Much of their time together is spent in silence, watching the waves and occasionally sharing stories of before the fall. Scot catches Charles often looking down at the ring on his finger. After a week of early morning starts plenty of fish caught life seems to be returning to the man. Scott even saw him attempt to poach a fresh snapper fillet for his daughter. She accepts but doesn’t say a word. The two have a long way to go but for the time Charles seems to be staying away from the drink, he doesn’t have much choice in the matter as nary a drop is found off the boat. Getting around the MDC hasn’t been easy with Scott’s crutch and he asks once again nicely that the next scavenging run-attempt to find him something to help with the matter. A sheepish Willow adds that more medical supplies will be needed for the future: antibiotics, painkillers, everything but the kitchen sink. The request is heard by the team and with Jonah back on his feet he’s keen to get some air, the plan to search the larger Warkworth hospital after the MDC was secure and work on an outer wall had begun.

A much larger team travels out this time, Nic, Jake, Chloe, Jonah and Frank head south to Warkworth, taking the second chance they sail to Warkworth via the Mahurangi River. From the river bank they spy the medical center right next to the New World. The temptation to peak inside the Supermarket is high but they all stick to their mission after Frank chastises anyone going “off script” the streets and quiet but not without the bones and shredded remains of the living. Usually some of the flesh is left but on these corpses the bones and gnawed clean.

They continue the short walk to the hospital where they find even more remains but again only bones. The doors to the hospital have been chained shut so Chloe and Nic choose force open a window along the front of the building. Upon entering the smell of death and decay is heavy, they all pull their filter and gas masks close. They quickly learn that they aren’t alone in the building when faced with a large number of emaciated shambling corpses. These prove to be easy work as it appears that the lot of them had been chained together wrist to wrist with zip ties. Some had come free as the plastic tore into their flesh but the mangled mess was put down as the survivors smash head after head, Jonah with a hunting knife and Frank with a sharpened metal pole he fashioned into a spear.

The hunt for supplies began as each of the survivors searched the building for everything of use. Gloves, instruments, medication, bandages, gauze, everything they’d need to get a small field hospital on the go. In addition they found three wheelchairs of which they bring back one. Three prosthetic arms, two left, one right and four prosthetic legs, two left, two right. They return their haul to the second chance, leaving behind the oddly gnawed remains that litter the streets, and return home.

———-

Itching to watch the series? CLICK HERE to catch up on all the apocalyptic action.

Get your hands on the Z-LAND corebook now by CLICKING HERE.

———-

If you want to chat about Z-LAND with other players and the developers, then come join our Discord server!

The season finale is here and for our survivors the pin will drop.

Missed out on the previous episodes? CLICK HERE to catch up on all the apocalyptic action.

Get your hands on the Z-LAND corebook now by CLICKING HERE.

———-

If you want to chat about Z-LAND with other players and the developers, then come join our Discord server!