Wind's Long Shadow

**Wind's Long Shadow** is a location in *Citizen Sleeper*. It's marked as **Dusthouses**, an Ember's Step facility when accessed.

## Overview

A refugee ship from Ember's Step, the Shadow is notable for housing the Dusthouses, a facility that replicates the arid biome of the Step, preserving a small portion of the colonists' past and legacy. It also contains hundreds of species, including the stepsilk plant, which is a bast fiber that can be retted and woven into clothes. The Dusthouses can give the refugees a source of independent wealth and support, but only if carefully maintained.

## Interactions

 **SYSTEMS REPAIR**
*The crew won't let you into the dusthouses, but there are plenty of supporting systems that could do with some love and care.* (Dice action, Interface)
Positive: *You notice a bug in the wind-cycling system and manage to fix it. Aki gives you a knowing look, seems like you are proving yourself.* (+2 MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL)
Neutral: *You look at some of the shutter control systems fried by the flux event. It's slow progress, but the crew will notice the fix.* (+1 MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL)
Negative: *You access the esoteric systems of the dusthouses, and get totally lost in their subroutines. Extracting yourself is exhausting.* (-2 Energy)
All the actions advance the MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL clock (8, *Aki warned you that if you wanted to learn more about the Wind's Long Shadow, you'll need to prove your usefulness.*). Once completed, the greenhouse shutters are activated (*You watch as the shutters cycle and the wind simulations shift. The dusthouses are working well, at least you think they are...*) and unlock a scene with Aki.

She introduces the Sleeper to the dusthouses, revealing that there are hundreds of species in the steppe, and the tragic history of Ember's Step. The next step is the preervation of the Dusthouses:

 **STEPSILK CARE**
*Improving the dusthouses isn't the only way to sustain the stepsilk. With intuitive care, the plant can be made more resistant.* (Dice action, Intuit)
Positive: *With remarkable intuition you not only support the stepsilk but harden it. Aki smiles when she sees the result.* (+3 PRESERVATION)
Neutral: *You care for the stepsilk, trimming dead segments, feeding live ones. You start to understand its process and practices.* (+2 PRESERVATION)
Negative: *No matter what you try the stepsilk withers. You leave the dusthouse emotional and exhausted. Can it be saved?* (-2 Energy)
 **DUSTHOUSE SHIELDING**
*Aki has devised upgrades that will protect the dusthouses from both flux and their slow decay. She needs you to implement them.* (Dice action, Engineer)
Positive: *You work inside a dusthouse, layering the internal walls with careful plating. The rattle of the dust becomes a comforting backdrop.* (+2 PRESERVATION)
Neutral: *The dusthouses are huge and the adjustments precise. You make progress on the external shields but it is tiring work.* (+1 PRESERVATION, -2 Energy)
Negative: *A cycle's work in the dusthouses can be more exhausting than any work you've known. Is this what Step is like?* (-4 Energy)
Completing the PRESERVATION (12) clock will stabilize the Dusthouses and cause Aki to decide that merely preserving the Step is chaining her people to their past. She will decide to open up the ship to the outside world and invite all members of the flotilla to partake in the bounty provided by the Step, so that they can have clothes, supplies, and other essentials as needed, completing one part of Sol's request.