Royal Institute for Sempiternic Expeditions
| Regia Institutet för Sempiterniska Expeditioner | |
 RISE Headquarters in Tarva | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1948 |
| Headquarters | Tegllund 36, Tarva, 271 51, Cryria |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent Agency | Ministry of Science and Education |
The Royal Institute for Sempiternic Expeditions(RISE; Cryrian: Regia Institutet för Sempiterniska Expeditioner) is Cryria's central government agency for scientific research, mapping, and environmental monitoring in Sempiterna. It is separate from but works closely with the much older and larger Royal Institute for Rotantic Expeditions. RISE also manages all Cryrian stations and facilities on Sempiterna, and it facilitates research activities by private and academic entities on the continent. It serves under the Ministry of Science and Education.
History
The first Cryrian visits to Sempiterna were organized by geologist and explorer Ivar Hellqvist in 1901. Hellqvist worked closely with Brekkimi whaling families who had conducted earlier reconnaissance in the South Cerenarian, and visited Sempiterna abroad his vessel the Kejsarpingvin with a crew of 22. The expedition departed from Tarva, and though it experienced significant hardships in Sempiterna it was ultimately deemed a success and returned to Cryria in 1903 with valuable geologic and marine life samples. Hellqvist's later writings of Sempiterna served to spark popular interest in the southern continent and drew the attention of Queen Katharine. However, the outbreak of the Great War placed any plans for future visits on hold.
The decades following the war saw renewed private interest in Sempiterna, but these received little support from a government still grappling with the turmoil of the Cryrian Anarchy. It was not until 1948 that the Kingdom formed the Royal Institute for Sempiternic Expeditions in order to oversee and support future scientific endeavors on the continent. RISE built upon longstanding Cryrian experience in operating around the polar regions, and in many ways the exploration of Sempiterna was used by Leidenstad to demonstrate Cryria's national revival and pioneering roots following the Anarchy.
Durcut Fire
The Kingdom's first Sempiternic research base, Durcut Station, was established in 1949. Located by a small anchorage, it initially housed eleven researchers and was later expanded to a team of seventeen. In 1960, RISE lost all contact with Durcut Station, and when a relief team was dispatched it found that the base had been destroyed by a fire. No survivors were ever located. Subsequent investigations were complicated by the remoteness of the site and the origin of the blaze remains undetermined. The station's logs were lost to the fire, however a partial journal entry determined to be in the hand of chief researcher Harald Korsgaard was recovered:
This note has raised the implications of foul play at the station. It also implies the possibility that Durcut's communications were tampered with prior to its writing, as Korsgaard's last messages to Cryria suggested no issues of any kind. Cryrian teams recovered fifteen of the seventeen expected bodies at Durcut and was able to match them to their dental records. Two individuals - geologist Otto Vinther and ornithologist Aiuz'aarro were never found. Several of the remains showed signs of blunt force trauma, but this was ruled to be a result of the building's roof collapsing from the fire. Durcut Station remains one of the most infamous unsolved mass casualty events in Cryrian history.
The Kingdom did not establish new bases on Sempiterna until 1987.
Research Platforms and Activities
RISE's operations have come to focus on environmental research and management in Sempiterna. It both conducts government-sponsored investigations and provides expertise, equipment, and logistical support for non-governmental research groups. RISE is also tasked with acting as Leidenstad's primary point of contact with the international community on Sempiternic affairs. RISE also works closely with other government departments. This sometimes includes the CDF for logistical purposes, however RISE treats Sempiterna as a strictly demilitarized area save for a minimal firearms presence for survival purposes.
All data collected by RISE is publicly available. The Institute also works jointly with its Rotantic counterparts to create and maintain a unique collection of polar literature that includes over 15,000 diaries, logbooks, and newspaper cuttings. The Polar Archives also houses over 90,000 images from various expeditions, and large parts of it are made available online.
Today, RISE operates four separate stations on Sempiterna.
Hellqvist Station
Hellqvist Station is the largest Cryrian research facility on Sempiterna, and the only one which can operate year-round. Located on the coast, it is RISE's primary transportation hub on the continent with its own small harbor and airstrip. It includes living quarters, laboratories, provision stores, office space, generators, and garages. It can hold a winter population of 8 people and a summer population of 40. While operated by RISE, Hellqvist also features facilities from the Royal Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, which work in tandem with Rotantic bases to collect data from both poles. Research centers on air pollution, ozone depletion, and ultraviolet radiation. Hellqvist Station also hosts a satellite ground station built by the Royal Cryrian Space Agency, which can link to a wide variety of networks.
Built in 1987, Hellqvist was constructed to have a minimal environmental impact despite its relative size. An emphasis was placed on energy efficiency and waste reduction all throughout the construction. With the legacy of the Durcut Fire, Hellqvist Station also features an emergency shelter for up to eight people that is located some distance away from the main complex.
Hellqvist station is the only Cryrian Sempiternic base to have been visited by a Cryrian Prime Minister or a Cryrian monarch - It was inaugurated in 1990 by Queen Ilse, and later visited by Prime Minister Martin Schauman in 2000.
Korsgaard Station
Korsgaard Station is a seasonal base located on a large nunatuk about 130 km inland from Hellqvist Station. It only operates during the summer and can accommodate 35-41 people. . Like most Cryrian stations on Sempiterna, it was built with an emphasis on energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, and runs primarily on solar and wind power. The station was completed in 1988 and houses a system of tracked vehicles, sledges, and snowmobiles for exploration and research in the Sempiternic interior. Korsgaard is accessible from Hellqvist Station.
Laugesen Station
Laugesen Station is a base located roughly 400 km inland. It consists of two fiberglass modules in what is dubbed as the Laugesen Valley and can house up to five researchers on a seasonal basis. Laugesen Station is used by small, transient teams as a base for fieldwork, and is only active in the summer. The station is home to two projects run by the University of Leidenstad - One to perform continual geodetic measurements of the Urth, and one to record movements in the Urth's crust. Laugesen is considered to be a satellite station of the larger Korsgaard, and can be accessed from there. Of all Cryrian bases on Sempiterna, Laugesen is the most remote by far.
Hjorth Station
Hjorth Station is a summer-only research base located about 100 km inland from Hellqvist. It can house up to seven people, and was built for the purpose of ornithological studies.