Hello! Our Summer Premier Event is traditionally the Steel Horse Crossing Annual Helldive. All of our Helldives have been unique, with different themes, threats, and objectives, so we have some more information about what that’s going to look like this June.
Backstory: What is the Helldive?
Approximately 40 years ago, the sealed and largely abandoned mines under Steel Horse Crossing caught fire. Lascarians were largely considered a scapegoat at the time for most of the local troubles, and more than a few dangerous Critters were known to live underground, so to most of the town’s residents having the entire underground mysteriously catch fire was largely considered a net benefit. Unfortunately this did not last, as the increasing heat and pressure under the earth began to threaten the settlement itself.
Thus the Helldivers’ Association was born: An organization of former miners, dangerous ruin explorers (singularly referred to as a Jones), and volunteer firefighters, all willing to risk their lives in service to the community by jumping into the fiery unknown. Every summer, Helldivers would enter the underground in an effort to curb the fire and safely vent some of the pressure lest the town itself explode like a geyser. Many of them did not return.
Roughly 8 years ago, together the residents of Steel Horse Crossing and many distant travelers managed to collapse many of the tunnels and put out the fire for good. Lascarians began to move back into town, and the local Gorger Parliament has expended great effort in normalizing relations between the Gorger and non-Gorger Strains. The Helldivers, initially feeling lost without a Greater Purpose, shifted focus as a local institution utilizing their experience in both dangerous relic acquisition and knowledge of the underground.
Which brings us to today. The Helldivers Association has recently undergone a leadership change, but their values still remain the same: Community, Self-Sacrifice, and Doing What Needs Done.
Check In: Things to note For your NPC Shift
You’ll note that some of our NPC shifts are marked with different focuses. While we cannot always accommodate every preference all the time, and many shifts will have a mix of both combat and non-combat options, we also wanted to provide some guidance for those who vastly prefer one over the other.
We will also be having a sign-up sheet for those Characters who wish to go on a “patrol” of the town. Steel Horse Crossing has had some significant problems with its trade routes for the last several months, and this is a way to help address some of those complications. Each “Patrol Route” will be a 2 hour chunk of time as a NPC, at very specific times. You may notice that these times happen to coincide with NPC shifts that are marked as “Combat Intensive”…
Our Town: What’s Where and Notable Site Changes
The trail system across the road is extensive and gorgeous and we love to use it for various Away Modules. However it is also considered public access, and so the bulk of the actual Helldive will be happening along the gravel road between the Stage and the Boathouse. This means that the gate at the cul-de-sac where Eagle and Woodchuck will mark the beginning of our Module Zone territory. Please do not enter this area if you are not supposed to be there; we don’t want to spoil anything for you!
The Meadow behind the Eagle/Woodchuck cabins, all the way to the Tree, is reserved for those who wish to bring tents and camp. This will also be the location of the Annual Picnic, where characters are welcome to setup merchant booths to sell goods for in-game currency, carnival games will be held, and our local sport of Rocket Ball™ will have the season’s opening game!
The area near the Stage, down the hill from the Meadow Tree, will be the entry point of the Helldive Module Zone and marks the beginning of the Module Space. Again, please do not enter the Module Space unless you have been asked to do so. The entry point may still be interacted with; NPCs will be there periodically to oversee the ongoing module.
The Picnic: Welcome to the Midwest. We like food
The Helldiver Picnic started originally as a means for Helldivers to spend a last bit of downtime with their families before diving. Traditions being what they are, this has carried forward even if the original reason for its existence is no longer needed.
At approximately 3pm, locals will begin to congregate near the Meadow for games, food, and laughter. Carnival games, merchant booths, and other forms of preferred lawn entertainment are more than welcome! We recommend bringing a blanket to sit on and a dish to pass! After all, what would Wisconsin be without a potluck?
Helldivin’: How this is going to work
The Helldive itself is intended to be an ongoing, repeatable “dungeon” with an emphasis on team work. As the Helldivers operate the drill creating a borehole into the earth, they will occasionally reach several “caverns” that require extensive sample collection and field research.
Each cavern will be open and available for runs for no more than 1 hour, at set and posted times. A team with a limited number of player characters will descend a pulley-operated lift into the cavern, where they will begin the research tasks laid out for them by the NPC sending them down. These tasks are expected to last the Team approximately 5 to 15 minutes, give or take. Upon finishing, the team will need to ring a bell signaling the lift to come pick them back up and then wait patiently until it arrives to carry them back to the surface. Upon arrival, they may then deliver research samples and debrief with the NPC overseeing the Research Tent at the borehole’s entrance.
There will be no limit on the number of times you can go down the lift, but we want to encourage as many people as possible to visit as many of these caverns as they wish.