FUNKENBERG SCHOOL

• Location: Industrial Ring, Arla Town
• Address: NE Industrial Ring Road 1
• Surroundings: Located adjacent to the Funkenberg Fishfactory

With roughly 40–50 pupils enrolled at its peak, the Funkenberg School was the smallest educational institution of the Free State of Settlers (population of Arla Town ~400). Founded in 2623 by Esrah Funkenberg, the entrepreneur behind the Funkenberg Fishfactory, it was the only private school of the Beta Age. Esra’s motive was pragmatic: to attract settlers with families to Arla Town by offering quality education and thereby securing a steady workforce for her fish-processing enterprise.

Though privately operated, the curriculum closely followed Free State standards, ensuring graduates could later enroll at the Last Frontier University. In place of human teachers, the school employed a single Butler Bot upgraded with a proprietary teaching software, financed directly by Esrah Funkenberg.

• Materials: Stone foundation and timber walls cut from riverside groves; reinforced with ship-plating salvaged from the Last Frontier
• Floors: 1
• Design: Compact L-shaped floor plan with one large multipurpose classroom and small adjoining office
• Energy Use: Dynamo-powered holo-projector, with supplemental lanterns and biomass stove for warmth
• Intent: Modest but polished appearance, designed to signal prestige in contrast to state-run schools

Ground Floor – Entire Facility

• Main Classroom: Accommodated all students, ages 6–18; desks arranged in small clusters; central holo-projector managed by Butler Bot
• Office: Workspace and charging dock for the Butler Bot; contained Funkenberg-financed teaching archives
• Library Alcove: Narrow room with shelves of Free State educational texts and maritime biology guides
• Sanitation Block: Two composting toilets and water-basin system
• Heating Corner: Small biomass stove, doubling as a winter gathering space

Exterior Grounds

• Play Yard: Grass strip along the riverbank with simple wooden benches
• Garden Beds: Few plots tended by pupils for practice in biology and food supply
• Fishpond: Connected to the river; occasionally used for educational demonstrations tied to the factory’s aquaculture operations

The single-room schoolhouse carried a peculiar air: the calm, clipped voice of the Butler Bot echoing through the hall, its polished bronze shell reflecting the faint glow of lanterns. Pupils sat at mismatched desks, some handmade, others salvaged, while the ever-present smell of smoked fish drifted in from the adjacent Funkenberg Fishfactory.

Posters supplied by Esra Funkenberg displayed neat tables of fish species and production quotas, subtly linking education with factory life. The low rumble of machinery outside blended with the hum of the holo-projector when lessons shifted to exohuman history or Alpha Age science. Despite its modest size, the school felt strangely advanced compared to other rural classrooms — yet equally controlled, the gaze of both machine and Esra Funkenberg ever present.

• Butler Bot Teacher (1): Delivered all lessons; maintained discipline through programmed authority
• Headmistress (1 – Esra Funkenberg): Oversaw funding, curriculum alignment, and strategic use of the school as recruitment tool
• Caretaker (1): Maintained stove, grounds, and sanitation; reported directly to the factory’s management
• Visiting Lecturers (occasional): Experts from the Funkenberg Fishfactory gave talks on aquaculture and trade

• Access: Restricted to children of Arla Town residents; enrollment prioritized factory workers’ families
• School Hours: 08:30–12:30 (three 60-min lessons, short breaks)
• Academic Year: March–July; August–December; synchronized with factory seasonal work cycles

• Butler Bot Authority: Programmed to issue lockdown orders and guard students in case of disturbance
• Reinforced Windows: Metal shutters fitted to secure the building during storms or unrest
• Factory Patrols: Guarding Trooper rotations ensured constant oversight of the school grounds as part of community security

Although modeled on Free State public schooling, Funkenberg School bore a private emphasis on aquaculture and discipline:

• Core Academics: Literacy, numeracy, history, physics, and Free State ethics, aligned to national standards
• Applied Sciences: Biology of aquatic species, water management, and river ecology
• Engineering Basics: Dynamo use, hand-tool mechanics, and preservation techniques relevant to fish processing
• Practical Economics: Record-keeping, trade arithmetic, and warehouse management, mirroring Fishfactory logistics
• Communication: Public speaking, radio protocol, and formal correspondence to prepare for university applications

• Enroll as Student: Join the private school for structured education, opening access to Free State university pathways
• Upgrade the Butler Bot: Contracted work on teaching algorithms or holo-projector calibration
• Guest Lecturer: Offer expertise in survival, aquaculture, or frontier economics to supplement the curriculum

• Hack the Butler Bot: Alter lessons, disrupt authority functions, or insert propaganda
• Sabotage Fishpond: Poison or contaminate the demonstration pond to weaken community trust in the school
• Steal Texts: Take rare Alpha Age teaching materials for private collections or black-market trade

• The Butler’s Secret – Rumors spread that the Butler Bot holds encrypted Alpha Age archives hidden within its teaching subroutines. PCs may be hired by Esra Funkenberg to retrieve a malfunctioning chip — or by rival factions to extract its data before Funkenberg’s monopoly over Arla Town grows stronger.

• Beta Age
• Free State of Settlers
• Arla Town
• Funkenberg Fishfactory
• Esrah Funkenberg
• Last Frontier University

Schools within the Free State of Settlers

• New Kourou Primary and High School
• Hope Primary and High School
• Morningstar Primary and High School
• Funkenberg School (Private School)