The year is 1837. You are a seasoned naturalist aboard the HMS Irresolution. Your job is to catalogue undiscovered flora and fauna along the journey. As the ship rounds the coast of Scotland, roughly between the Faroe Islands and the Hebrides, a vile and unnatural fog materializes. The acrid fumes swiftly render many of the crew unconscious, including yourself.
When you awake upon the shore of an island that cannot be found on any map, the Irresolution is dashed to pieces. You are completely dry, with nary a scratch or bruise upon your body. There is no sign that any of the other crewmen ever existed. There are no bodies, no footprints, no fires or shelters.
The task upon you now is mere survival. Thankfully some of the wreckage contains food and other useful items. The situation is undoubtedly dire but there is a strange beauty to this place. As a scientist and a scholar you feel a responsibility to get to the bottom of this eerie situation.