In 1845, British Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin (born April 16, 1786) became the first man to prove the existence of a sea passage through the North American Arctic, though it was blocked by sea ice and unnavigable at the time. His expedition ended tragically, however, after his ships were caught in sea ice between Victoria and King William Islands. Lacking proper Arctic equipment such as sleds, snowshoes, extra warm winter clothing, and tents, all members of the expedition perished, presumably of starvation and exposure. No fewer than 40 expeditions were sent to find him (see Search for Franklin). Altogether, Franklin made four journeys to the Arctic. On his second journey (1819 - 1822) the party ran out of food and were forced to eat the leather parts of their clothes. When Franklin returned to England, the public were thrilled by the stories of the terrible journey and he became a national hero. His next expedition was a great success. He not only mapped 1,200 miles of coastline, but collected information on geology and weather, as well as making notes on 663 plants.

Following a stint as governor of Tasmania from 1836 to 1843, Franklin was sent in search of the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Franklin took two ships the Erebus and the Terror. The front of each ship was covered with sheets of iron to help them push their way through the ice. They were sailing ships but also had small steam engines and a propeller. The engines had been designed for use on the Greenwich railway. The ships had enough coal for 12 days and the engines would only be used for breaking a path through the ice. Franklin's crew was made up of 129 officers and men from the Royal Navy. Supplies of food, clothing, tobacco and rum and over 2,000 books were stowed on the ships. There was enough food to last 3 years...

The Erebus and Terror were last seen in Baffin Bay on July 25 or 26, 1845. Relief expeditions determined that crew members set out on foot after the loss of their ships in the crushing sea ice. Ill-prepared for the harsh Arctic conditions all members of the party died. Search parties, while unsuccessful, did contribute much new knowledge of the region.

Or so they thought. In reality, Franklin killed all his men as devotion to the Chaos Powers for his ascension to a being of power.