I HAVE RETURNED!!!! (srry for my absense...again. I've been really busy with my schoolwork, so if I don't respond to you in, lets say, a week, that means I'm busy and won't respond for a while longer :/. srry about that)
You live in the shattered ruins of the great world of Emotarkus, now in (literal) pieces after the Comet Otarus struck. You are one of the survivors left, and you must figure out a way to rebuild the world, even in it's state of unconnectivity. You are a Crafter. Crafters were the people of before the Apocolypse, and had made trade with other civilizations around the universe (The Mertians, The Huimaans, and The Vergons {trasnlation was a bit sketchy with these races}). You must rebuild power to the Crafters, as it has been 100 years since you have last communicated with the other races, as they might get suspicious, and come here. If they find us in our weakened state, they might take over. We must hurry...
First, gear plates are solid pieces of steel that are made to hold gears, and second, to refine the ore, you need to find a smelter or a refining plant, which very few of both survived the comet impact.
You read the book, and gain one level in woodcraft, as it had detailed drawings of constructing buildings and different types of wood carving/building instuments. You don't know where the nearest smelter is. What now?
As you near the cedar trees, the sound becomes more pronounced, and it sounds like someone talking: "I'm so cold, and I can't get warm. Help Me!!" What now?