Antarctic Space Nazis Across the Multiverse

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by johndallman

For a first circumnavigation, there's a lot to be said for going in northern summer and following the northern coasts of Eurasia and North America (if it's there).

Yes, that seems a pretty interesting route. Also, the ASNs want to find Ultima Thule, because, well, Nazis.

They also want to find evidence of Atlantis and/or Antarctic civilization, but first things first.

The northern route also has the benefits of there being no known local civilizations of power along it, which hopefully means less chance of powerful ritual magicians cursing the expedition. Sure, there are some pretty impressive shamans and other magic-users among even the most 'primitive' populations the ASNs have come across (frankly, perhaps the individual casters are more powerful on average than in more 'civilized' societies), but pure demographics tend to limit the opportunities of magic-users in lower TL societies to gather in large groups on short notice. That doesn't really limit their value to their cultures, but it does mean that any attempt to develop anti-airship magics upon spotting one would probably be slower than what a centralized society with much greater population densities could muster.

Originally Posted by johndallman

The route is shorter, you can stay in daylight the whole time, which reduces buoyancy fluctuations with the day-night cycle, and there won't be many people around. You get to find out a fair bit about the geographic similarities with Earth, and the adherents of Welteislehre will be keen since you may find evidence for it.

What kind of evidence would they be looking for?

I ask because a lot of the oddities of Jötunheim could be explained by some variation of the Welteislehre. Especially in light of the fact that the first discovery of it led to a gate to seemingly endless expanses of ice, including apparent tunnels through frozen ground, but other gates to a sub-tropical area. As divination spells appear to show that the frozen areas of the first gate are not located at the poles of a planet-shaped world (no planet), but instead exist somehow deep below the subtropical area, there are some pretty scientifically impossible conclusions to be drawn.