We Don't Need No Dang Welcoming Party
Or, you could end up with nobody there to take you in hand.
For some of you this may present no real problem. Some fifteen year olds are remarkably capable creatures, well able to handle themselves in most situations if they had to. But, most aren't. So you could end up a captive, a slave , or, for lack of a better term, somebody's 'bitch'.
Even worse, you could wind up alone.
A fifteen year old is a social animal. While smarter than a younger child, and better at understanding the world around him, he's still emotionally dependent on his parents and other adult authority figures. Unless remarkably mature for his age, an adolescent this age will literally need company, or suffer greviously from the lack. Without guidance and support from somewhere you are going to end up in rather bad shape.
Now we've been looking at an 'in town' arrival. Good or bad, at least you're among people. The folks you wind up with might be rotten bastards of the worst sort, but at least they're people. The worst possible arrival would be in the middle of the wilderness.
Now tell me, how many of you have any training or education in wilderness survival? How many of you have had any actual wilderness experience? No, staying at a campground does not work.
Okay, now how many of you had this training and/or experience when you were fifteen or younger?
Yes, it does make a difference. In the first case what you know becomes a case of something you knew when you were older. In the second case it is something you knew at this age. You must remember, your ability to process information is now that of a fifteen year old. What you once understood may not be understandable now. But something back in the day may once again be clear again.
So you now have the task of keeping yourself safe and warm. Not warm and safe, safe and warm. First you find a safe place to stay until you can get your bearings, rest up, and prepare for the journey ahead. Then you worry about staying warm.
Oh, all those books you brought along with you? Guess what make a wonderful personal insulation? All that 'book larnin' may do you more good stuffed between skin and clothes.
And let us not forget critters.
How many times have you heard somebody say in a game something like, "Oh, it's only a bear."?
Bears kill people. Lions, tigers, horses, and dogs kill people. You're now a fifteen year old. An underdeveloped fifteen year old, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Even if you have weapons, and you know how to use them, under stress you may not perform as well as you otherwise would. You may even panic and do something that gets you killed.
Which leads us to, your encounters will not be balanced. Balance (as people keep reminding us) is for games. This is not a game. You encounter a cow auroch and calf you had better find a quick route of escape, and stay well away from the pair.
Fortunately, most of the time the creatures you meet will be as wary of you as you should be of them. Serious injuries are bad things that degrade your chances of survival. But, there are exceptions.
Okay, let's say you're lucky and you find a 'mentor' of some sort. What is your life likely to be like? That is coming up.
