FEDERAL TIMBER YARD (FTY)

Overview

Location: East Forestry Corridor (outside the town wall), Morningstar, Asari Region
Address: East Corridor Spur, km E10 (Gate & Yard)
Surroundings: Set along a permitted maintenance corridor with direct convoy access to the Federal Wood Plant (FWP) on the Industrial Ring.

The Federal Timber Yard (FTY) is the Confederation’s out-of-town staging ground for managed forestry: crews muster here, inbound logs are scaled and decked, and sealed consignments roll to the FWP for milling, joinery, and recycling. As one of the few sanctioned extra-mural worksites in Asari, it operates under tight corridor permits and Native oversight.

Formerly the Fogwood Sawmill Timber Yard, the site was nationalized after the Peace Treaty and the founding of the Federal Confederation (2632–2633). In the Beta Age it relied heavily on Manual Labor and Maintenance Bots; in the Gamma Age all tasks are performed by ExoHuman crews (Service Bots are prohibited).

Harvest Quotas (set by Native Supervisor):

Before the Great War: 3,000 ha harvested / 15,000 ha managed forest (Fogwood regime)
Post-Treaty: 1,500 ha harvested / 7,500 ha managed forest (current ceiling)

Architectural Significance

Construction Materials: Timber gantries and capstan frames on Atrana stone footings; gravel hardstand; plank sheds; poly-glass clerestories in sheds.
Floors: Single-storey sheds and open yard; a small gatehouse loft for ledgers and maps.
Design Aesthetic: Linear, low-energy yard with clear sight-lines from gatehouse to decks; all movements flow Gate → Scaling → Decks → Load-Out.
Lighting: Not installed — ambient twilight suffices year-round; no floodlights or fixed lamps.
Ventilation / Acoustic Control (Passive): Open sheds with wind baffles; cork boards in tally loft; no powered HVAC.
Energy Use (Low-Draw): Hand and mule capstans, A-frame yarders, block-and-tackle; gravity-fed sprinkle lines from roof cisterns; analog gauges and ledgers.

Building Structure

Corridor Gate & Permit Office: Guarded gate; movement permits, crew muster, corridor notices.
Gatehouse Loft (Tally Room): Parcel maps, quota boards, scale ledgers; seal stamps and route labels.
Weigh & Scaling Deck: Measuring sticks, calipers, species/grade charts; bark pile bay.
Green Log Decks (A/B): Species-sorted stacks with chocks; shade screens; drip channels.
Sprinkle & Cistern Line: Roof-fed cisterns; gravity sprinklers to prevent checking.
Capstan & Yarder Pads: Hand/mule capstans; A-frame lifts for tight turns; sling racks.
Tool & Saw Shed: Peaveys, cant hooks, saw sets; grease and resin cupboard.
First-Aid & Rest Nook: Cots, boiled-linen chest; tea stove.
Native Supervisor Hut: Liaison desk; quota seals; stop-work authority placard.
Lookout Stand: Low timber tower watching decks, corridor, and brush line.
Load-Out Lane: Wagon staging; crate and seal table; manifest post to FWP.

Look and Feel

Sap and wet bark scents hang over gravel and plank. Capstans creak, mules snort, and peaveys knock in a steady rhythm while tally clerks chalk diameters on end grain. Clerestory twilight edges the sheds—no lamps glare, only the planet’s constant half-light. Route seals thump onto manifests, a brass bell clears the lane for the next convoy. Orderly, visible, and low-draw — work done by hands, ledgers, and habit.

Roles and Responsibilities

Staff (≈45 yard staff + rotating forestry crews)

Yardmaster (1): Throughput, safety, corridor coordination with FWP.
Native Supervisor (1): Quotas, parcel access, halt/sanction authority.
Scaling & Tally Clerks (4): Measure, grade, ledger entry, seal control.
Log Graders (6): Species/quality sort; defect marking.
Yard Hands & Deckers (12): Capstans, stacking, sprinkle rotation.
Teamsters / Haulers (8): Convoy to FWP; chain-of-custody.
Maintenance & Saw-Fitter (3): Rigging, capstans, hand tools.
Fire-Watch & Safety (4): Brush line patrol, drill captain, night rounds.
Gate Guards (2) & First-Aid Attendant (1): Permits, triage.
Admin / Permits (3): Movement logs, shift rosters, notices.
Rotating Forestry Crews (≈30 muster here daily): Fell/limb/plant in managed parcels; not counted in yard headcount.

Public Access, Operating Hours and Operational Rhythm

Operating Hours (Yard): 06:00–18:00 (convoys and scaling); 18:00–06:00 fire-watch only.
Convoy Windows: Outbound crews 06:15; inbound scaling 12:00 & 16:00; load-out to FWP 13:00–17:00.
Permits & Curfew: Corridor travel by permit only; no overnight stays outside town wall.
Operating Days: Mon–Sat (Sun emergency only).

Services / Operations

Core yard operations and mandated destinations:

Stream / Process	What Enters	Primary Handling	Outputs	Mandated Destination / Use
Permits & Muster	Crews, wagons, mules	Permit check, safety brief, parcel assignment	Cleared crews	Managed parcels (FAA)
Felling & Skidding (Off-site)	Standing timber (quota parcels)	Fell/limb by hand; skid to corridor	Tagged logs	Corridor → Yard
Gate Intake & Scaling	Inbound log wagons	Measure, grade, ledger, stamp	Scaled logs	Decks / Load-out
Sorting & Decking	Mixed species/grades	Species/grade stacks; chock & chalk	Green decks	Sprinkle regimen
Moisture Retention	Decked logs	Gravity sprinkle cycles	Conditioned logs	Load-out readiness
Load-Out to FWP	Stacked consignments	Seal manifests; chain-of-custody	Routed consignments	FWP
Stumpage & Replant Ledgers	Parcel reports	Planting kits issued; compliance checks	Replant logs	FAA / Native Supervisor
Waste & Brush Handling	Bark, trimmings, brush	Pile, mulch, palletize	Mulch / biomass	FOWRP
Fire-Watch & Drills	Yard & brush line	Patrol, cistern checks, drills	Incident logs	Gatehouse ledger

*(All activities adhere to post-Treaty quotas: 1,500 ha harvested / 7,500 ha managed forest; Native Supervisor may suspend work for ecology breaches.)*

Security Measures

Perimeter: Timber palisade with single staffed gate; lookout stand; brush-clear firebreak.
Controlled Access: Permit office and seal desk under analog key; manifests countersigned.
Corridor Compliance: Movement logs for every wagon; curfew on extra-mural presence.
Analog Alert System: Analog Siren System tied to the Local Sheriff’s Office (Morningstar).
No-Bots Policy: Service Bots prohibited; signs posted; violations reported.
Deputy Pass-Throughs: Scheduled checks at convoy windows; incident logbook at gate.

Player Interaction Possibilities (Legal and Illegal)

Legal interactions:

Receive a GAIA assignment as tally clerk, yard hand, teamster, fire-watch, or permit runner.
Escort sealed consignments to the FWP or deliver replant kits to managed parcels (by work order).
Assist the Native Supervisor with quota audits and parcel signage.

Illegal interactions:

Swap scaling marks or forge route seals to divert premium logs.
Slip contraband under bark piles on outbound wagons.
Jam a capstan or spark a brush fire to mask theft.

Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters

Adventure Hook — The Convoy That Came Back Light: An inbound wagon returns half-empty; its crew swears the load was intact at the parcel line. The Native Supervisor finds swapped blaze tags and a fresh, illegal stump beyond the quota boundary. Uneasy about organized theft, the Sheriff quietly deputizes the PCs: audit seal ledgers, trail mule-shoe prints along the corridor, and cut across deck piles in perpetual twilight to recover the missing logs—and the missing cutter—before the thieves torch the brush to erase their tracks.

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