The other orca tosses Darren into the air.
Seemingly bored with the funny two-legged things the orcas break away from harassing the party. In search of greater fun or perhaps a bite to eat, they take off for deeper waters. With the threat gone, those dumped into the icy water are free to climb back into their canoes. Tikasak whoops with joy as she finishes leading the party back toward the shore.
As the party reaches the shore villagers move forward to pull the canoes out of the water. Each of you is surrounded by several awe-struck Erutaki, speaking quickly in a melodic language that seems to incorporate elements of sign language, changing facial expression, and rhythmic elements.
Tikasak translates the Erutaki chatter for party as quickly as possible. Much of it seems to be evenly split on whether the party's visit is an auspicious omen or not. Many of the older villagers speak about you rather than to you. Attracting the orca to you seems to count in your favor. Unnaturally walking on the surface of the water seems to have offended or frightened many of the villagers.
After a few minutes, Tikasak points past the crowds to a small group of older adults who are silently watching the proceedings. After a moment, the group turns away and enters the large longhouse at the center of the village.
"Those are the village elders," Tikasak relays. "They have heard of your coming. When you are ready we will speak before them."
Before you can react to this information, a large Ulfen man with an immense beard comes into view. He greets the party in Skald and then in Common. "Welcome, welcome! Quite the show you've put on, best entrance in months!" He thumbs himself in the chest and smiles broadly. "Bjorn, at your service. Head of Ulfen House, finest source of goods from here to Tian Xia!"
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"I must admit I was terrified for a few moments there. Thank you for guiding us here. Catushlara thanks Tikasak before turning to the Ulfen.
"Greetings!" the cleric says as she returns the Ulfen's greeting in Skald. "Being the finest source of goods must mean you see a lot of business. What sort of goods do you have for sale?" she asks of the Ulfen.
Pleased to hear his native tongue, Bjorn takes a liking to Catushlara.
"Ulfen House is an outfitter. Well, it's more than that. It's more like a trade center between the Ulfen and the Erutaki. Our people have traded for centuries, and with this being the only Erutaki settlement of any size, many maintain a presence here."
"You should pay it a visit when you've got time. Ulfen House is at the south end of town - you can't miss it. It's the only place with a sign!"
Tikasak nods at Ashwell's assertion.
"The elders are the wisest men and women in the village. They should be able to answer any questions you have. I'll be introducing you whenever you're ready."
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Vrothum pulls out his wool blanket and begins to dab his face off and arms, he then empties each boot of water before sliding his wet feet back in.Well thank you for your kindness Bjorn, I’d love to check out your wares if we get time. He turns as Tikasak relays the information. Thank you, I believe we should start with the Elders then. What can you tell us about them, and their relationship with outsiders.
Tikasak leads the group towards the largest lodge, a huge structure supported on many stilts above the gravelly ground of a large island near the center of Aaminiut. Dozens of villagers follow, curious to hear the visitors' stories, and knowing that the elders may tell stories as well.
Within the lodge, the lighting is subdued but peaceful. Smoke from the various hearths hangs near the ceiling despite the four large vents, giving a smell of pine and sweetgrass which masks the wet fur smell you now realize permeated the outer areas. Several dozen villagers sit cross-legged around the perimeter of the lodge, carving long pieces of walrus ivory with a variety of tools. Hanging from the center of the lodge's main beam is a huge skeleton of a whale, strung together with colorfully beaded leathers and carved in intricate patterns.
Tikasak leads your group towards the far end of the lodge, and you notice that most of the villagers do not follow but instead take seats near the perimeter with the others. Three elderly Erutaki sit on piles of furs, murmuring softly as they prepare what appears to be an herbal tea.
"Greetings, Old Ones who protect us with their wisdom. The not-Ulfen-or-Tien-outsiders have come. They were selected by the black-fin-whales and joined them in the waters. I do not know them but I believe them to come with honorable purpose."
The oldest of the three, an ancient woman with a beautifully-beaded coat, slowly stands using a carved staff as support. She faces you and looks each of you in the eye, as if taking your measure.
"This is Seshu, the wisest," Tikasak whispers. "She will want to know why you are here."
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"Greetings to the elders." Catushlara begins as she gives a bow of respect to the elders. "The Pathfinder Society has received information regarding Ulfen translation of an Erutaki myth. The Society has sent an expedition to investigate the myth and they found an ice structure buried under snow with some evidence of Erutaki presence. The structure is corrupted and crawling in undead."
The cleric takes the notes the group was given and presents it to the Elders. "Our reasons are two-fold: We wish to have you look at our translations and verify if they are correct and we wish to know if you have any knowledge of this place.
The room descends into silence as the Erutaki elder Seshu moves to the center of the room. She begins to chant in a low voice, punctuating certain words with hand gestures and facial expressions in a performance that is part lament, part interpretive dance. Tikasak translates the loresong, but it is clear she is abridging the story in order to keep up with the elder’s tale.
“Once, long ago, the People were spread across the land. Each found its own way to live in harmony with the Animal World, the Plant World, and the Spirit World. Some of the people followed Caribou as she moved back and forth on the land. Others made a place near the sea, and hunted Seal and Black-Finned-Whale. All were different, yet all were the same, and things were good."
“One day, some of the People went north to Malu Aninuk, what you call Whitefang Peninsula, to make a summer camp. The land there was poisoned with an evil that lay sleeping since before the world was made. The People who lived there became poisoned by this evil in turn, and they danced with the aurora and killed without gratitude, even eating human flesh. We call these people the Pilungak—the flesh eaters."
“The Pilungak made a fortress of their village, with wooden walls covered in ice. From here, they brought terror to the worlds of animals, plants, and humans. When the aurora leaped high over the ice cliffs, we could hear the voices of the Pilungak howling in the night, and we were afraid.” The elder pauses her song, to allow Tikasak to catch up, and then begins again with a low droning chant that fills the room.
“The Spirit World decided to help, and so they sent Winter’s Favored to the Human World to deal with the evil. Winter’s Favored went to the Pilungak and asked them to stop their dances and howlings, but the Pilungak would not stop. Winter’s Favored asked them to move far away, but they would not move. So Winter’s Favored transformed their own bodies into howling blizzards, and covered the village of the Pilungak with snow and ice. Not one of the Pilungak was spared by Winter’s Favored, and the Animal and Plant and Human Worlds were glad."
“But the evil was not destroyed, only buried and sealed away. To keep it from being uncovered again, Winter’s Favored made a special seal from the ice, with the power to restrain great evil. This seal they placed over the Pilungak village, and it keeps the evil trapped to this day.”
The hall falls silent again as the chant dies away, and Seshu turns to address you directly.
“Many summers have come and gone since those days,” she says in Taldane. “The evil has been trapped by the sign of ice that Winter’s Favored made to protect us. Something has uncovered the seal, and spring is coming. If the seal melts, the evil will be released to roam the Land again, and no one in the Four Worlds will be safe. With some of the undead Pilungak already released, the seal must already be damaged or failing. It may already be too late.”
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”There was a Varki woman by the name of Svala Ice-Rider here with a group of people about 3 months ago.” Vrothum says to Tikasak, but looking at the Elders as well... ”She has been studying not only your songs and history, but the ruins itself. She mentioned black ice and undead buried beneath the ice. She also believes her translations are incomplete and that she could be missing some vital information. With your permission, we would like to ask for your help in translating these notes or pointing us to a location to help us better understand these creatures, the seal, and how best we can protect your people and get our companion back home with us.”
Seshu nods at the mention of Svala's name. "Svala Ice-rider is known to us." Tikasak relays. "She is a frequent visitors."
As Vrothum explains her mission and Tikasak translates, Seshu's eyes widen, first in surprise, but then in horror. She interrupts Tikasak, speaking a flurry of syllables that seem to blend together and vary more in pitch than in pronunciation. Tikasak nods as she absorbs the elder's initial words, then begins to translate.
"Svala was here before her journey, but we did not know where she was going. The Whitefang peninsula is a bad place, we do not go there. The ice structure you mention... I have already told you why it is forbidden..."
Seshu turns to Rogar, and Tikasak translates. "If some of the ward remains, it can be repaired simply by reforming the ice that completes its pattern. This is what I believe - likely Svala damaged the ward, and some of the Pilungak have begun to waken. If the ward had failed completely, and all of the Pilungak were released, Svala and her companions would already be dead, and all would be lost."
Seshu looks Rogar in the eye, and again switches to common speech. "If you truly mean to undertake this task, we will help as we can."
The other elders both rise, and go to an elaborate wooden chest tucked in one corner of the room. They remove several coffers and bring them forward, placing them at Seshu's feet.
Seshu nods to each you, and then opens each coffer in turn. "These will help you on your journey, and to repair the ice rune. The entire site must be reburied before spring, so that it does not melt."
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We will do everything we can to prevent this from happening, you have my word.
Vrothum takes the campfire bead, and turns to Tikasak. So looks like we are heading North to the ruins then, do you have a map or do you know of a guide that can take us to the ruins most efficiently? I’d rather not take any longer than necessary to complete this task. Vrothum tucks the bead in his pack, and adjust his armor for the treck through the mountains.
Tikasak shakes her head. "All the regular guides are on the snow right now. You will have to brave this journey on your own. Prepare your supplies and get some rest for now. We will try to find you a map of the peninsula by the morning."
Ulfen House is part wilderness outfitter, with walls lined with assorted supplies, and part raucous northern meadhall. A roaring bonfire keeps the space almost stiflingly warm. Seeing Catushlara enter, the patrons near the door raise a mug in greeting.
The proprietor, Bjorn, spots the cleric and rushes to greet her with a broad smile across his rugged features.
"Welcome to Ulfen House!" the big man roars in greeting above the din. "Have a seat. One of the girls will get you a drink."
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As soon as she stepped into the meadhall Catushlara knew she had found her favorite place in the village. A smile graces her lips as she takes a deep breath taking the smell of the meadhall. It is a good smell. It almost feels like home.
"Greetings!" She says with a grin. "As much as I would like a drink business must come before pleasure. I need to take a look at your supplies first."
The cleric proceeds towards the walls and she peruses the things on offer. A look of concentration on her face, she tries to decide which if any of the things on sale would help her on the journey. Since undead have been confirmed she will need to buy something that would work against them.
"The dead can usually be put down with a strong arm and a sharp blade", Bjorn muses aloud. "But some of them are dangerous enough to warrant a little extra preparation. I might have a thing or two in stock that'll help. Follow me. I'll show you what we've got."
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Assuming we rest for the evening before adventuring further Tusk will prepare spells as followed:
0 level-guidance, detect magic, stabilize, mending
1st level-detect undead, comprehend languages, bless water x2
2nd level- hold person, bulls strength, lesser restoration, consecrate
3rd level-searing light x2 , stone shape
Domain spells- true strike, aid, fly
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Catushlara prepares
Domain Spells: 1st—Burning Hands, 2nd—Produce Flame, 3rd - Fireball
Level 0: Detect Magic, Guidance, Read Magic, Spark
Level 1: Bless, Divine Favor, Hide From Undead, Weapons Against Evil
Level 2: Holy Ice Weapon, Holy Ice Weapon, Protection from Evil(Communal)
Level 3: Searing Light, Searing Light
The evening passes, and you are well fed and rested when you wake in the morning. The Erutaki offer dog sleds for you.
"They are spirited but well-trained", Tikasak explains. "Treat them well and they will see you safely across the ice."
Kuokei lands on the grip of the lead sled. She watches each of you intently.
The icy terrain is treacherous but the strong sure-footed huskies handle it with relative ease. The weather is cold, and plummets at night. Along the way, you see flocks of birds overhead, and the occasional Erutaki hunter or trapper on dogsled. They stop and greet you, often offering to share their meager food with you. They have no news of the Pilungak threat but offer warnings of thin ice further down the trail the party is traveling.
By the third day the ice begins to change. Channels of open water become more common, and several large spurs of broken ice make the going slow. The icy obstacles obstruct the trail, almost forcing the sleds toward the edge of the ice pack, as if some malevolent intelligence is controlling the spring thaw.
~30 feet ahead a humanoid corpse is visible on the ice ahead. The glint of armor is faintly visible beneath the corpse’s furs.
As the party approaches to burn the body, a lumpy monstrous woman emerges from the adjacent snowbank. She drips with icy water, as does her lank, tangled black hair. She's clad in ragged sealskin garments, both decorated with numerous shells and tiny living crustaceans. A curiously sweet smell wafts from her.
"What are you soft pretty things doing in Ulumamuktu's domain? Do you come to pay tribute?" she croaks.