I woke up, logged on for a moment and saw this question and thought I'd try to help. There have been some good answers given thus far and I wanted to expand on them a bit.
As far as the comforts of civilization, both Veloth and Gale are correct. Building on that though, the comforts of civilization would be anything you would be able to acquire within a city with a bit of coin or items to trade. For example, one may find available fresh water, varying types of food, clean clothing in good repair, medical attention when needed, some form of sturdy shelter, heat or the ability to create it, some form of security, tools/utensils, weapons, armor and of course, social interaction.
Now, when it comes to quantifying this with the Wilderness Survival skill, the Novice is able to survive up to 7 days without the comforts of civilization. That means that in the absence of all the things listed above, your skills in surviving the wilds are enough to keep you going for another 7 days, 14 at Competent, 30 at Expert and Indefinitely as a Master.
Now, that having been said, if you are able to establish, in your survival situation, a way to acquire the equivalent of a good number of the listed comforts of civilization (mind you these will be rudimentary at best) and have the skill to survive in a particular environment, you could continue far past the number of days listed for each level of the skill. For example, let's say you are able to establish some form of shelter. This could be a cave, a hollow tree, bit of ruins or even something like a tent or pseudo-structure made out of some tree branches and foliage. Having a bit of shelter will take you quite a way in the task of surviving.
Now perhaps you then go searching for a source of clean, fresh water. In some regions this could be easier than others but there are numerous ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, etc., located around inland Mizahar.
Sources of food such as edible plants or that found from hunting animals along with the knowledge of how to prepare it all can also carry you quite a way.
Knowing how to create a fire, which is usually acquired early on in the first level of Wilderness Survival, will allow the cooking of food, ability to get warm as well as help in the feeling of security.
Much of the Wilderness Survival skill is made up of Lores. Of course you will gain XP in the skill itself but it is the Lores that round it out and detail exactly what you know and what you can do. There are numerous supplementary skills that will greatly aid in Wilderness Survival such as Hunting, Foraging, Herbalism, Medicine, Flint-Knapping, Climbing just to name a few.
Once you've established the essentials of survival; shelter, fire, food and water, you can work on establishing some of the rudimentary comforts of civilization that allow you to successfully survive away from civilization. Having something to keep you entertained and your mind busy, a way to keep yourself warmer or cooler which could include a way to supplement or repair your clothing, a serviceable bed and/or blanket, herbs useful in medicines, these all can made up the comforts of civilization that can keep you sustained for extended periods of time.
As for how dangerous the wilderness is, this is actually an area of contention that we are constantly dealing with. The wilderness is very dangerous. That is why there are comparatively few cities in Mizahar even though the land mass is quite large. One should simply be able to walk off a couple miles from a city and expect to be just fine. There is a reason why many cities are walled which doesn't include fear of invading armies. The threats posed by the wilderness are indeed great. As mentioned, there are Zith. The majority of the wild zith are a great threat since they are almost always found in large numbers which allows them an easier time of picking off smaller groups of prey and especially lone individuals. There are natural predators such as lions, bears, wolves and other apex predators. There are snakes, insects, plants and other animals that are poisonous and are found everywhere. A simple cut or bite means extreme pain and/or death. Then there are the more supernatural threats with some already mentioned. These are the more unpredictable threats that most are not fully prepared to handle.
Now, going with your cabin example, you will likely not find a cabin in the wilderness. You could theoretically stumble across some ruins however most would not be intact enough to use without some amount of modification and construction. It is very possible though for a character to head out into the wilds and claim a bit of land then build a home for themselves. That only solves your shelter requirement of living outside of civilization though. You still need to establish a source of food, water and fire. Let's say you are able to do all that and thus have a comfy little home for yourself. You still have to deal with the before-mentioned threats. So now, living in the little cabin you built for yourself (again, assuming the required skills and resources to do so), you would still have the threat of zith and other predators, poisonous and/or diseased animals and plants, supernatural monsters and such as well as other humanoids out searching for an easy target. Depending on how far into the wilderness you go, you will lose the protection of city patrols that regularly travel a short distance from and around the city. You will open yourself to dangers everytime you walk out the door of your cabin for food, water or material for a fire or anything else you may wish to gather.
Your life would be a constant challenge living in such a way. If you went into it with some related skill and/or knowledge, you could build on those and actually become extremely proficient in living in the wilderness; assuming you are able to fend off the threats. Granted, the threats may eventually diminish and/or you would find ways of handling them in some form or another but there will always be threats. How long one could go in peace without threats from the "outside world" all depends on where you are, what you know and how skilled you are in fending off varied threats.
This is why I discourage quick, easy strolls into the forests as well as long term travel from city to city. Most characters do not possess the skill or knowledge to survive for more than a couple of days at most outside of a city. A novice level of Wilderness Survival won't get you from one city to another without a road and/or heavy amounts of supplies and support. Even a competent level of wilderness survival will only get you part of the way unless you again have large amounts of supplies, support and a road. Most humanoids are not designed for long term survival away from civilization without adequate skills and/or resources.
After saying all that though, I think the quest to survival away from civilization for extended periods of time can be an amazing journey toward character development both in story and in skill. A single thread, done well, can net you a plethora of related skills and experiences. You just have to be prepared for extreme danger and the possibility that the situations you put yourself in could very well end in your death. |
by Telrin on January 31st, 2014, 10:42 pm 
