Winter is Coming II - The Cave of Eternal Winter

I missed the Winter is Coming Blog Carnival last year, indeed, I didn't even realize such a thing existed until I saw it over at Dice Monkey.  Now I know, and it sounded like fun.

The Cave of Eternal Winter was designed for Gamma World, Mutant Future, or any other post-apocalyptic rpg.

There is a legend, whispered among the tribes of Tixus, of a cave, hidden deep among the Bones of the Giants.  This cave contains the very Spirit of Winter.  No matter how hot it is outside, no matter how the sun beats down upon the scorched earth, the Cave is cold enough to freeze a body solid.   

Legend tells of blocks of ice within the cave that, when removed from the cave, reveal food of the ancients, mysteriously preserved through the ages.  Tales are told of wondrous legendary devices within, still in perfect working order, and some whisper their fear of the creatures that lurk within the cave, emerging from the snowy depths to kill any who dare trespass.

There are darker legends, of roving wanderers who have strayed too close and were dragged screaming into the cave.  Supposedly, nothing can live in its proximity.  When you stop feeling the bugs on your neck, when you stop hearing the birds cawing and the creatures growling, check the wind.  If you feel a chill, you've come too close!

The Cave of Winter is, in fact, an automated meat packing plant, still fully operational after centuries of abandonment.  Powered by a nuclear reactor far beneath the surface, an AI controls the day to day operations of the plant.  Several hundred years ago, some mutated moles were tunneling under the foundation of the facility, causing it to collapse beneath the earth, leaving only the entrance exposed. 

Undeterred, the AI continued on with its final directive - to keep the plant stocked with fresh, frozen meat.  It has fulfilled that directive enthusiastically, even as it has gradually lost perspective, along with its sanity.  The entire plant has been converted into a gigantic frozen meat locker, and temperatures have not risen above freezing in several centuries.  The robots that maintain the plant by this point have ice frozen to all non-mobile pieces of their bodies, and can be mistaken for Ice Demons.  The plant has thousands of pounds of frozen meat stockpiled in various parts of the facility, and the machinery is surprisingly intact and well maintained, if a bit frostbitten.

In order to fulfill its directive, the AI will send its robots out to snatch those who come too close to the factory, and process their flesh.  This results in a "Dead Zone" of approximately 1 mile around the factory.  Any intruders into the factory are similarly consumed, processed and packaged.

There are currently 54 fully functional robots in the facility, which is a significant decrease from the 377 that were initially present.  The 323 non-functional robots have frozen gears and joints which prevent them from moving.  These can be found scattered about the facility, frozen solid.  

The packaged meat is in cubes, with the label of the manufacturer, "Froztreatz" prominently displayed on the plastic wrap-like packaging.  

The AI is housed  in a chamber, with all the entrances frozen shut.  The cold and isolation has driven it mad, and it has taken to calling itself the Lord of Winter.  It has recently recognized that it is running out of space for the processed meant, and has begun using 15 of the functional robots to dig into the earth around the plant.  Its plan is to expand its wintry kingdom outwards and ensure that there is a never ending supply of meat to package!