=== Races | Technology | Buildings & Organizations ===

====== FEDERAL SHELLAC MANUFACTORY (FSM) ======

===== Overview =====

  * **Location:** Industrial Ring, [[new_kourou|New Kourou]]  
  * **Address:** NE Industrial Ring Road 1  
  * **Surroundings:** Adjacent to empty, abandoned buildings that used to be the [[headquarters_of_the_frontier_supply_company|Headquarters of the Frontier Supply Company]] and the [[bermuda_inc._manufactory|Bermuda Inc. Manufactory]] in the Beta Age.   

Founded in 2625 as the private [[new_kourou_shellac_corporation_nksc|New Kourou Shellac Corporation (NKSC)]] by Vira Antonis, the plant pressed tone-encoded fungus-shellac disks and built hand-cranked lathes/clockwork sequencers to move [[gaia_system|GAIA]] firmware, keys, and medical files off-grid. After the [[great_war|Great War]] and the formation of the [[federal_confederation|Federal Confederation]], it was nationalized in 2631 and re-badged as the Federal Shellac Manufactory (FSM) under the [[federal_allotment_agency|Federal Allotment Agency]]. 

{{ :fsm_new_kourou_plan.png?200|}}

===== Architectural Significance =====
  * **Construction Materials:** Cargo-crate steel skeleton, mycelium-brick infill, salvage poly-glass clerestories; pressure-rated resin kettles.
  * **Floors:** One vast press hall with side-wing machine shop; mezzanine offices; two-level sub-basement master-stamp vault.
  * **Design Aesthetic:** Industrial salvage—flywheel screw presses, steam/heated platens, open catwalk QA gallery; clear flow lanes from resin to packing.
  * **Lighting (No Electric High-Bays):** Twilight clerestories and light wells; after dusk, hooded oil lamps and baseboard [[luminofera|Luminofera dualis]] runs.
  * **Ventilation (Passive):** Ridge vents, wind scoops over kettles; charcoal/compost biofilters at exhaust cowls.
  * **Energy Use (Low-Draw):** Process heat from district biogas; presses are flywheel screw types (human/lever assist); hand-crank CRC readers and radio set during scheduled Kernel windows.

===== Building Structure =====
**Ground Floor — Press Hall & Shop**
  * **Resin Mix Vats (3):** Jacketed kettles for fungal polymer + silicate filler; manual paddle rakes; heat via biogas loop.
  * **Disk Press Line (6):** Flywheel screw presses with heated platens; trays to gravity cooling racks.
  * **Lathe-Writer Bay (12):** Hand-crank lathes for small-batch comms masters; one demonstration rig for training.
  * **Sequencer Bench:** Assembly/repair of crank sequencers and line couplers (EchoHorn fittings retained for tone fidelity).
  * **CRC/QA Platform:** Catwalk station; hand-crank optical readers sample lots; auditors stamp ledgers and seal crates.
  * **Loading Dock (2 bays):** Hoo-drawn wagons staged for [[federal_courier_service|FCS]] handover.
  * **Restrooms (2):** Unisex [[aurorasan_system|AuroraSan]] stalls.

**Mezzanine — Offices & Signal Gallery**
  * **Founder’s Loft (Archive):** Vira Antonis’ desk, first-press disk, micro-lathe.
  * **Design & Upgrade Studio:** Draft tables, stylus microscopes, EchoHorn jig.
  * **Signal Room (Kernel Intake Shack):** Short-wave receiver, patch panel, logbooks; hand-crank power backup; feeds the Lathe-Writer Bay (no public broadcasting).
  * **Legacy Sound Booth (Decommissioned):** Glass-lined booth retained for calibration/reference only (no entertainment masters).
  * **Staff Nook:** Break bench, wash-up.

**Sub-Basement — Stamp Vaults**
  * **Master-Stamp Vault:** Temperature-controlled bunker for stamping dies and **comms masters**; analog sign-in, dual-key protocol.
  * **Security Staging:** Seal locker, crate quarantine, ledger room.

**Exterior Grounds**
  * **Short-Wave Tone Mast:** Receives scheduled kernel bursts for comms intake; semaphore lamp signals pass/fail to the yard.
  * **Waste-Resin Sumps:** Clay-lined pits; cured bricks palletized for safe disposal.
  * **Perimeter Yard:** Marshal lanes for FCS; hand-signal posts.

===== Look and Feel =====
Hot resin and metal press-clacks under a breath of steam; flywheels hum as crews heave levers in practiced rhythm. Oil lamps and [[luminofera|Luminofera]] bands pool an even glow over gauges, stamps, and ledger books. A bell rings for CRC samples; if a groove fails, yellow flags pop on the catwalk and the run restarts. It’s orderly, analog, and energy-aware—Beta-Age craft tuned for Gamma-Age scarcity.

===== Roles and Responsibilities =====
=== Staff (≈34) ===
  * **Plant Manager (1):** Lot approvals, resin quotas, CRC ledger sign-off, kernel-window scheduling.
  * **Press Crew (12):** Resin charge, platen heat, flywheel operation, cooling-rack transfer.
  * **Lathe Machinists (6):** Cut masters, refurbish stylus tips, maintain writer tolerances.
  * **Sequencer Assembly (4):** Build/repair hand-crank sequencers and EchoHorn kits.
  * **CRC Auditors (3):** Random-sample reads, checksum logs, crate seals.
  * **Yard & Logistics (4):** Dock marshaling, crate stamping, FCS handover.
  * **Maintenance Techs (3):** Kettle seals, press screws, mast/semaphore upkeep.
  * **Admin & Records (1):** Rosters, procurement, licensing paperwork.


===== Public Access, Operating Hours and Operational Rhythm =====
  * **Public Access:** No walk-ins. Licensed tours for guilds or schools by appointment (off-peak).
  * **Shift Schedule:**  
    * **07:00–15:00** — Resin & pressing peak  
    * **15:00–23:00** — Mastering, assembly, QA & packing  
    * **23:00–07:00** — Maintenance, vault audits, kernel-window prep
  * **Operating Days:** 24/7.

===== Services / Operations =====
Production streams and mandated destinations within the FWRS:

| **Stream / Process** | **What Enters** | **Primary Handling** | **Outputs** | **Mandated Destination / Use** |
| **Resin Compounding** | Fungal polymer, silicate filler, pigments | Jacketed kettles; manual rake; biogas heat | Press-ready resin charges | Press Line (on-site) |
| **Disk Pressing** | Measured resin pucks | Flywheel screw presses; heated platens; gravity cool | 25 cm shellac disks | GAIA firmware/comms lots |
| **Mastering (Lathe-Write)** | Approved comms/firmware sources | Hand-crank lathes; stylus prep; groove inspection | Master blanks & stamping dies | Stamp Vault (on-site) |
| **Sequencer & EchoHorn** | Hardware parts, fasteners | Bench assembly; tolerance checks | Crank sequencers, horns, spares | Distribution via [[federal_courier_service|FCS]] |
| **CRC & QA** | Sampled disks from lots | Hand-crank optical readers; ledger stamps | Sealed crates with audit slips | FCS dispatch to settlements |
| **Waste Handling** | Spent resin, trimmings | Cure in clay sumps; palletize bricks | Inert resin bricks | [[federal_garbage_collection_center_of_new_kourou|FGCC of New Kourou]] |

===== Security Measures =====
  * **Perimeter Fence:** 3 m alloy mesh with salvage-blade crown.
  * **Gate Control (Entry & Exit):** Guarded gatehouse operated by a Deputy of the [[headquarter_of_the_federal_sheriff|Federal Sheriff’s Headquarters (NK)]]; analog ledger stamps; seal checks.
  * **Restricted Access:** Stamp Vaults and radio shack require badge + analog key; dual-custody sign-offs.
  * **Exit Inspections:** Tool/pocket checks; random crate seal verification; master-die counts.
  * **Analog Alert System:** [[analog_alert_system|Analog Siren System]] tied to Sheriff HQ.
  * **Deputy Patrols:** Scheduled Industrial Ring passes; incident logbook countersigned daily.

===== Player Interaction Possibilities (Legal and Illegal) =====
**Legal interactions:**
  * GAIA work assignment to the press line, lathe bay, or QA during a surge week.
  * Transport sealed crates as an employee of the [[federal_courier_service|Federal Courier Service]].

**Illegal interactions:**
  * Bribe a machinist to cut an illicit master or duplicate a die.
  * Swap CRC audit slips or break vault chain-of-custody.
  * Salt comms crates with contraband before FCS pickup.


===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters =====

  * **Adventure Hook — Message in the Groove:** A routine GAIA comms disk plays a whispered route, boot scrapes, then a scream—no data header. Sheriff HQ quietly hires the PCs to trace crate seals, mastering logs, and the kernel-window intake. Did someone hijack a master in the vault, or did the message arrive already poisoned? Follow ledger ink, stylus shavings, and FCS waybills before the next pressing buries the trail …
===== Related Pages and Further Information =====
  * [[the_gamma_age|Gamma Age]]
  * [[federal_confederation|Federal Confederation]]
  * [[new_kourou|New Kourou]]
  * [[federal_allotment_agency|Federal Allotment Agency]]
  * [[federal_courier_service|Federal Courier Service]]
  * [[weber_broadcasting_services|Weber Broadcasting Services]]
  * [[shellac_records|Shellac Records]]
  * [[new_kourou_shellac_corporation_nksc|New Kourou Shellac Corporation]] (Beta Age predecessor)