Route Survival Gear — Institutional Inventory
Survey personnel operating beyond the marked route network require standard survival equipment in addition to their route pack. This inventory documents the standard issue as of Year 811. It has been reviewed annually since Year 744. The contents have changed three times in that period. The changes were minor. The core kit has not changed because the mountain has not changed.
| PACK | Heavy canvas, reinforced shoulder carry. Waterproofed with animal fat. Capacity: sufficient for seven days. |
| ROPE | Hemp, twelve metres. Used for descent, shelter construction, securing loads, and emergency medical applications. |
| FIRE KIT | Flint, steel, char cloth. Tallow candles, four. The candles are also used for light, signalling, and warming small spaces. |
| COMPASS | Brass, institutional issue. Calibrated against the Fort Kael fixed bearing annually. Note: unreliable above waypoint N-11 and E-6. Reason documented in survey reference ████████. |
| WOUND KIT | Linen bandage, needle and thread, juniper resin salve, dried yarrow. Sufficient for field treatment of cuts, sprains, and minor fractures. |
| RATIONS | Dried meat, hard cheese, dried figs, dried chickpeas. Seven days at reduced consumption. |
The compass unreliability at the noted waypoints has been documented in eleven consecutive annual reviews. Each review recommends investigation. No investigation has been authorised. Survey personnel operating in the affected zones are advised to use terrain navigation — ridge lines, water flow, star bearing — rather than compass bearing. The stars above the Serra da Estrela are considered reliable. They have been used for navigation since before the institution existed.
She said it felt like the right direction. She did not explain further.
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