For fifty years in the cruel tundra of the Kadessian Wilds,
there has been a story. A cautionary tale of the seas.
Of a sister tribe to the Nodaviks, who did not join them on their pilgrimage southwest.
No, in their time of peril this tribe chose not to escape their terrible homeland by traversing the terrestrial abyss...
But by attempting to brave the deep blue

This is how the story goes:

On vessels of mud and bone,
A tribe set out alone.

Upon boards of earth and ivory,
Thousands strong, they braved the sea

With a flotilla of such grand size,
The people feared should they capsize

Thus spoke the chief,
"Soon, we'll find relief"

He spoke of lands beyond,
Beyond this endless pond

But, two years passed and went,
Such mercy, none were lent

Starved with only fish for diet,
The tribal folk began to riot

The chief's ambitions they wished to spurn,
So they prepared for their return

Back to the land they had escaped,
But just then, a hundred maws gaped

"Ahead! Ahead! Take care"
"Behold, a massive tear!"

With smiles on their faces,
The flotilla quickly races

Towards the sea a-churning,
Hundreds fled with yearning!

---

Of course, not all stories are as they have been told.

The survivors of the flotilla, who 'raced' towards the 'tear'.... Their version is a little different:

We were swallowed by the sea,

Sulatte njaae jeritu ma miema (lit. Swallowed was the sea by we)

And found ourselves in darkness!

Yie lorjaae payam li omiema (lit. And found darkness in us)

We wander these lightless lands,

Haervult eivjar-mjana tusa miema (lit. Wandering no-light-lands these we)

Seeking a return to life!

Loja vasji akeraam pa (lit. Seeking life a return to)

---

The truth, from the perspective of the world, is thus:

Sixty three (63) years ago, in the Bleached Coast of Ebira, a foreign tribe of several hundred people suddenly emerged from a single small cave one night, and quickly began to settle the surface. They report fleeting memories of a 'dark space', of 'unnatural life' and 'the sins we committed'

Fifty years (50) ago, in the Kadessian Wilds of Kalator, a sister tribe to the Nodavik left their terrible homeland to live on the sea. Two years later, they disappeared.

---

Pallid Tribe Territory, Bleached Coast, Continent of Ebira

Spring, Year 63 (modern day)

A quiet, medium-sized village sits in the lowlands by the sea.

Children play, and adults work.

The elders are burning incense and drawing blood as they perform rituals to their ancestors.

Everything is normal.

Except for one thing.

The paleness.

These people are too pale.

Their skin is almost transparent.

Somehow, they're still healthy.

---

A young man stares off into the sea.
This young man's name is Ulle.

As he stares at the sea, he ponders the complicated relationship his people have with the world around them.

Firstly, they all but worship the earth. Complex etiquette has formed regarding footwear and wear one ought not trample. This land is not the greatest, that much everyone knows. But, still, it is theirs, and they are grateful for it.

Secondly, for some reason, they are wary of the sea. Apparently, it was only in the last decade that the elders stopped advising against fishing. Who knows why, Ulle's father told him the sea was always this clear and beautiful. Maybe the fish needed time to reproduce? He doubted that, they were terribly abundant. Nobody really seemed to understand why such a major food source was shunned for so long.

Maybe it has something to do with the stories...

Thirdly, the Cave of Origin. His people despise the underground. For this reason, they never build cellars. Even their homes only have roofs if they need to protect from the weather, and even then, they use tarps not more solid materials. It is said by the elders 'to face the sky every day is a blessing'. They seem terrified of something. So much so that the Cave of Origin has been totally sealed and they won't even mimic the act of being surrounded by anything but open air. Well, not like Ulle's complaining. The sky indeed feels re-energizing on his flesh...

Looking at his hands, Ulle remarks how pale his people are. At least, the younger generations - including himself - seem to be regaining some color. Some of the elders almost look like ghosts... You can see their veins pulsing blood underneath their skin, if you look closely.

The elders are the oldest in the village. Some of them are exceptionally old, reaching their 70s! Apparently, Old Man Kuergrin is actually over 80!
They look terrible, there's no doubt about it. But, Ulle has respect for those who have lived so long. Old Man Kuergrin's hair is totally white, his skin is almost invisible, and his eyes are a solid, milky white, indicating he is totally blind. What a shame it must be to finally escape the darkness, only to be so blinded by it that you cannot even gaze upon and appreciate the beauty of the world's light

Anyway....
It's the wet season. Rain and floods are abundant, now that winter has come to an end.

Perhaps thankfully, the tribe's buildings are all built a fair distance away from the sea. "Never place a flag any closer than 236 paces to the shoreline" the elders repeat. Why it's 236 paces, Ulle knows not. But, it's an absolute rule. He's never seen anyone break it, but a few young kids have come close by accident. They were severely punished.

Is this what their ancestors would have wanted? Maybe. Ulle's too young to know.

Regardless,

What shall Ulle do, on this day?
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:09, Mon 01 Apr.

The breakers rolled in, booming, crashing, up and down the stretch of gravel beach. Dark gray-green waves with foaming crests that smashed against the dark smooth stones and swathes of ancient shell that gave the Bleached Coast its name, so thick upon the ground that from afar then seemed like sea foam left to linger by the retreating tide.

The sky too was dark and drizzling, raining one minute and promising rain the next and in the sky were sea birds of all shapes and sizes, cawing and calling, diving and swimming, hunting the tide pools and diving into the surf.

Framed against the slate colored beach, the marine green of the sea and tumultuous skies was Ulle and his people, their flesh as pale as the belly of a fish, stark against their adopted home. His long braided hair was the color of fresh cream and his eyes as pale and as blue as glacial ice melt as they stared out in deep thought at the roiling sea while the sea breeze tugged at loose strands of whipping hair cast out behind him.

He was perhaps in his mid-twenties, a man full grown and heavily muscled clad in his thick thigh length hide parka. His hood thrown back and his mittens dangled from where they had been tied to his sleeves, the sea breeze was chill but tame compared to the bite of a winter squall. His trousers were baggy, the better to trap warm air in void spaces and to give him ample freedom of movement, while his feet were heavily wrapped and bundled, the soles made in imitation of the paws of the bear which had fur grown in between the pads. They were comfortable, quiet, warm and left little trace, although they were miserable if allowed to soak through and rotted if not well dried.

He wore no weapon, as the only real threat to his people came from the beasts that roamed the region, and those he did own were tucked away in his sleeping space. Crime was practically unknown among them, and they did not have use for coin.

He thought of the sea and of the things that swam within it. He thought of the many bones of their forebears that surely littered the sea floor and the terror they must have felt as their lungs filled with salt water. He thought of a life on the waves, and the knowing nothing but the taste of fish and eel and sea bird. He thought of the great storms and the cramped decks and a life without light, a life by touch and scent and sound.

He squatted down and picked up a handful of dark gravel and let it run through his fingers. He savored the feeling and was thankful to have been born on the land, and that his ancestors has been able to endure. Many had not, most had not, but his had.

They had earned him this day by their labor, sweat and blood. That he could stand here on firm land and look out, and to see the sky full of birds overhead and to know the safety of the tribe behind him. Many days this never occurred to him, but lately he had been pensive and he had been thinking more about his life and what he would do with his time. He felt as if he was approaching the junction of a path and would soon need to make an important decision, and he knew deep in his heart that he would leave.

He slowly stood and gave the sea one last look before he turned and walked back further inland towards the cluster of semi-permanent structures beyond the ridge where the gravel shoal gave way to soil and growth.

Leaving was no small task and gathering the things he would need had been the work of years, and most of that work had been gathering hides.

Hides were of great value to everyone, and everyone needed at least a few, especially the very young or the very old, they wore out, were nibbled at by vermin, rotted, molded or were traded. He had needed several just to build his travelling tent, but he needed more for clothing and for sleeping, and not all hides were equal, far from it.

He had his bow and a few good arrows tipped with narrow stone heads and fletched with the feathers of sea birds, and he had his axe which was small enough to fit comfortably in his belt, also with a head of polished stone. While some other cultures might scoff at the term "axe" being used for so simple a tool, it could smash small limbs from trees and put an animal out of its misery.

He had all his little tools that he used every day to start fires or mend clothing, and he had a shoulder bag to carry them in, but he was missing the most obvious and important thing anyone would need for a real journey.

A mount.

Any beast that would willingly carry a man of his size, and his things, for any real distance was a rare and valuable thing and try as he might, he had been unable to acquire one. Of course he was not alone, the life of any young man of his tribe would be changed forever by the acquisition of such a creature and so he had always faced stiff competition.

Had he been gone for that long? Perhaps he had. The sun was high enough to bring real warmth through the cloud cover and he had set out around dawn. Not a good thing to be idle for so long, it would make him seem lazy, but his head and his heart had been so full that he had difficulty focusing as of late.

The smell of incense greeted him as he neared the first structures and he noted to the silence in the camp, there was something important going on, and so he went to see what it might be.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:01, Sun 31 Mar.

As Ulle - with some effort - pulls his crystalline eyes from the overcast sky, he stomps back towards his camp, finished with his bout of contemplation.

Upon return, he notices a stillness has spread over the camp. Many homes are empty, and none are wandering the chilly grounds. Instead, he makes his way like his ancestors did - by scent and by noise. The smell of incense and the sound of rhythmic mumbling.

Eventually, he arrives at the vaguely familiar domicile of some of his village brethren. This home is shared by a woman named Maia (of the minor Antilla line) and a man named Eino (not currently of any line). However, at present, dozens of people are surrounding the building.

As soon as the ritual prayers of the Elders inside the building meet his ears, Ulle knows what's happening. It seems Maia's pregnancy has come to it's end, and the child is being born.

Sadly, from the specific prayers he recognizes, it seems the birth is a difficult one.

Several friends of Maia and Eino can be seen, kneeling on the muddy ground outside their home, with heads upturned to the sky, but eyes closed. A posture of desperate prayer. Some of them are wishing for the health of the child, while others are wishing for Maia's safety.

From Ulle's estimation, Maia has a 50% chance of survival. This is much lower than a difficult birth would usually be, but Maia was always a frail girl and she didn't grow properly. This is not very uncommon among the tribesmen, unfortunately.

Even without knowing the circumstances, Ulle recognizes the child has very little chance to survive. Most children don't make it into this world, and so every one is precious. Even with the bounty of the new land, their people's cursed blood is often rejected, the sun and moon not wishing to house any more of their kin beneath it's sky.

From what he's heard, the nearby Verdant Expanse does not suffer the same tragedies. Sure, deliveries can still fail - but it seems less as though nature itself is against them.

Though these specific tales are rarely spoken by the Elders, Ulle has a vague understanding that their ancestors committed many grave crimes in order to survive, and so these sort of tragedies are the punishment for those action.

Ulle just hopes a day will come when their karma has been paid, and they can live free like the rest of humanity. Until then, their suffering will continue.

---

Ulle stood transfixed in front of the house for over an hour. Perhaps he even offered his own prayers to the sky (with his head up and eyes closed), or to their ancestors (with his head down and eyes open).

Regardless, an Elder soon emerges from the home. The message he has come to deliver is obvious before he steps outside. The quiet sobbing of Maia is all that is needed. The Elder simply shakes his head, and the gathering people begin to disperse. Some of the friends of the family pair begin to weep for the light of love lost to Maia and Eino, while others show relief on their faces that at least the mother survived.

As everyone begins to go about their day (with some of the friends bowing to the departing elders and then entering the now-emptied home to console Maia and Eino inside), an Elder spots Ulle in the crowd and approaches him.

Lowering his head as per custom, Ulle lifts it again to recognize the face of Skyborn Rasmos. Rasmos is one generation older than Ulle, and so his skin is even paler than his own, and he is naturally blind in one eye. His face always has a kind smile, and he is a very charismatic, brave and kind person.

Rasmos speaks softly to Ulle, "Come, let us give the grieving some space."

After moving a distance away, Rasmos asks Ulle how he has been, if he has any problems the Elders could help with, and if he has noticed anything out of the ordinary or found himself considering any unusual things.

The last question is a check to see if he is still healthy in mind. For whatever reason - likely the same reasons their people are so terribly cursed - madness of various kinds and sicknesses or weaknesses of the mind are very common amongst them.

Rasmos himself has an unconquerable fear of any representation of the sun and moon. Standing in the sun or bathing in moonlight itself is fine, but even speaking their names may cause him to flinch. The stories of his ancestor's longing for the grace of the two heavenly bodies are enough to cause him to faint or even have a seizure, so he must out when it comes time to tell those tales.

Once the formalities are out of the way, Rasmos gets to the main point of why he sought Ulle out.

"Junior Brother Ulle, from my understanding, you have a desire to explore this world, do you not? While there are many concerns among the Elders, many have begun to consider your choice. For those who have tentatively accepted, they have a request for you."

Rasmos takes a deep breath before lowering his head, an uncomfortable thing for Ulle - who is not used to this sort of thing from one of those closest to the ancestors.

With his head lowered, Rasmos speaks, "Please, if you survive your journey, we beg you to one day return to these cursed lands with boons. We understand this is an unfair request. Who would wish to live among us sons-of-sinners and daughters-of-devils? But still, we hope and desire for you not to despise your roots. Life is always a blessing, even if one lives a cursed life. We hope that should you leave this place, you will some day return to elevate the rest of your kin."

Ulle's heart is beating fast. Not just at the show of sincerity, but at the fact that Rasmos has lowered his head. This is very meaningful. It means he is no longer forbidden from leaving this place.

However, it is also a bit saddening. The fact he was not brought amongst all the Elders means his decision is still very controversial. Many would probably request his death if he spoke carelessly of this in front of them. Only because of the fact that some of the Elders support him stops him from being stuck here forever more.

From the look of longing and slight jealousy in the relatively-young Rasmos' eyes, it's clear he wishes for the same thing as Ulle. However, speaking of it would be incredibly disrespectful. He stays for a reason, and he is no naturally-born idiot who needs his choices questioned by others.

How will Ulle respond to this turn of events?

It was a sight Ulle had beheld more times than he cared to remember. Their people gathered, heads with hair colors ranging from ivory and spiders silk to fresh snow good hot ash. Their language had many words for "white' and many words for "black", newer words, some good, some quite bad and reserved for special occasions.

He hoped for Maia and for Eino, he dearly hoped for their happiness even as he recognized that the girl was not very sturdy and would likely die. It took a lot of strength to bear a child, to even try for a child as oftentimes as the seed would not take. It required strength of mind to face the risk of pain and death and strength of patience to keep at it and to track the cycles as well as the raw physical strength to bear the child. Ulle's mother had said that her son had sat like a stone in her belly and had been so heavy that she feared he would rip from his moorings and fall to the earth before she could catch him, and he wondered if the child was stuck, which seemed to him one of the more common ways for a mother and child to die. But it was not always this, sometimes they could not stop the bleeding and other times the child would not come down at all.

He lowered his head and stared unfocused at the forest of feet, dirty, fur clad, the earth packed tight so close to the dwelling. It was not good to dwell on the Crossing, and to think too hard about what those of his blood had to do to survive. They had paid their price, and he paid it now along with every other member of the tribe. It was not good to dwell on it and it led the mind to places it should not linger, but he asked the ancestors, on behalf of the couple, that they might have their wish and that the tribe might have one more little member that they could all delight in.

Time passed. He felt a pang of disappointment and sadness as the fate of the child became apparent, tempered by cautious hope. Maia lived, and they could try again. They may choose not too, and who could blame them? But they could, if they wanted.

Would he have the strength to try some day? Could he bear it?

He didn't know. It very well might break him, and he would not be the first or the last.


---

Skyborn Rasmos had lived a full life and he had done it without the use of one eye. He had his failings, as did Ulle, but Rasmos was respected enough that the whole of the tribe simply accommodated him without much thought. The man was in his prime, bold, clever, and weighed down by the burden of natural leadership that any resourceful and competent tribe member faced in middle age. Ulle suspected that Rasmos had advocated for him, and that it had cost him some good will among the others.

Ulle followed him away from the weeping and the praying and to a more silent part of their little camp.

He recognized the question about unusual things and he fought back discomfort and embarrassment as he considered it. As a boy Ulle would sometimes get up at night in a strange state, like a very different person and wander the camp much like an animal might. He would get into the food, or fall back asleep in strange places, and sometimes he would shed his clothing and he seldom remembered any of it. His parents had worried themselves that he would wander off and freeze in the night.

It had happened more rarely as he aged, but it was still whispered that it was best not to wake him at any time, lest his body wake up more quickly than his mind.

But he did not expect what came next, which was a sort of approval or permission to leave, something he had selfishly hoped for but which made little sense for the tribe. They had spent so long feeding him and watching over him, teaching him and preparing him only to have one of their younger, stronger members want to go off, perhaps to die, and to have all that work wasted instead of staying and giving back. He was not insensitive to the thinking of those that would prefer he stay and be forbidden to leave, but he was also very, very happy that at least some had recognized his fierce desire to see more of the world.

It would be impolite to openly celebrate, there were likely others who would not be permitted to go and he kept his happiness to a warm glow as he nodded and risked a glance up from his averted eyes to show his gratitude. "It is true. I have long desired it." he confirmed and nodded a few times as his thoughts raced.

What came next though was equally surprising. He had always intended to return home should he leave, but the fact that the Elders were so empathic that he return now made him wonder. Was the rest of the world so wonderful that he would be loath to return to his family? Were they so worried that he would ride off, and seeing how others lived then abandon all he had known? It seemed that was their foremost concern and that was very unexpected to him. Perhaps he would be sorely tempted and perhaps he would have trouble honoring this request. It was not impossible.

Ulle was silent for a few moments in thought before he replied. He had to choose his words carefully as he suspected they would be relayed before the sun set and some could still change their minds. "I am very grateful for their permission" he did not say "blessing", that might be too much. "And I think it a fair request." the words were weighty in his mouth. He was effectively making a promise, and a promise that would not be easy to fulfill. Much could happen, and what could he possibly bring back that would be so powerful as to elevate the tribe? It would be the task of his young life, he was sure.

"I am not blind to all that has been done for me, and I intend to repay it, although I do not yet know how." there was another period of silence. "Five years is time enough I think to do this"

There was so much to consider that his mind swam at where to even start, but he had permission and he had given himself a timeline. He would need to leave before they changed their minds, mounted or on foot, and many other things could be figured out once he was away. To his mind, one of the more important things was not to squander the opportunity.

His expression was thankful and he managed a smile despite the knots forming in his stomach.

As Ulle finishes speaking, Rasmos gives a soft nod with a somewhat sad, somewhat bitter smile and says no more.

It's sudden, but Ulle recognizes he will soon have to leave.

Unfortunately, for now, he will probably have to travel without a mount. The village has precious few of them, and even if he were to steal one, it might not survive long without proper feed. Not that Ulle would steal from the village for his own selfish desires.

His people were hardy, and he was one of their better specimens. He would be able to travel the Bleached Coast on foot, if he had to. Surely, his feet would blister, and he might even lose a toe or two from frostbite or a single misstep - but their hunters had suffered worse when fleeing from predators or when simply being forced to carry carcasses for miles in order to feed their village when it was on the verge of starvation, and they still managed to get up every day - even if their balance was slightly the worse for it.

---

After Ulle has had as much as a couple days to prepare his things, and say his farewells - should he have anyone close to him to show that respect - he is ready to venture forward. His people have progressively been gaining knowledge of their new environment, and Ulle is aware that they are surrounded by the salty water of the sea in all directions, except to the northeast.

The northeast bleeds into a much richer land, but for some reason, his people have never settled it. The elders say it has to do with them still carrying karmic debts. Apparently only this harsh, near-barren land is suitable for them.

At least, it seems that one young man leaving the village will not throw anything out of balance. If the signs pointed to that, Ulle surely would have been stopped by any means. So, he feels that he can be secure in his knowledge that him entering lands forbidden to his people will not trace back to them... though, his own karma may perhaps suffer for these arrogant actions.

---

As the sun rises on a new day, Ulle looks into the distance at the small village of his people. Every step in their history has been one of immense hardship - a cursed existence. But still, every living member of the village knows one thing: "Life is a blessing" no matter how much suffering one must go through, it is better to live than die. Their ancestors had embodied that.

Perhaps their desire to live is their original sin. But, Ulle doesn't believe it's wrong to want to live. Everything upon the Earth seeks to prolong their life. From plants to beasts to men. Nothing wants to die.

So, as Ulle - with his meager posessions and crude protections - turns away from his homeland, hopefully not for the last time, he makes the decision not to tremble in fear at the obstacles that will surely come to block him, but instead to look forward to all the beautiful and incredible things that must reside in this world. He promises to himself, as he did to Rasmos, to not fall to temptation. Even if the world turns out to be so beautiful, he must someday return to share it with his tribesmen.

Because, they too, are beautiful in their own right. Even if their faces resemble ghosts, and their souls are tainted with ancestral sins - they desire life - and that makes them worthy of it.

---

OOC: I'm soon going to be making another Game Map for the new continent. You should be able to get a sense of scale and surroundings once I post that. Feel free to time skip up to a month if you wish, but please wait for the map to be available before writing anything here. I wouldn't want you to end up somewhere that doesn't exist LMAO

Ulle's parting was a mixed and uncertain affair.

For one it was very sudden, and having received the news at nearly mid day he had spent several hours preparing his things and trading off or giving away that which was too heavy to carry and acquiring a few last odds and end. This left him with just an evening at a time when word was slowly spreading throughout the tribe.

The uncertainty of who knew what, and if they were supposed to know, and those that would be angry or bitter all combined to add to the feeling of a rushed and semi-secret errand. He had a last meal with his parents, which was more solemn than he would have preferred. He also had some late night parting conversations with those he had grown closer to, but some felt almost compelled and others like he really was abandoning them and one was with a girl that he could have perhaps started a family with some day, perhaps, but now with the knowledge that he would likely be gone for years, it was obvious that they would both have to find another.

And of course to add to everything, he had trouble falling asleep due to the excitement and morning seemed to rush upon him.

---

He left in the early morning hours when only the older folks, and those who had chores such as milking were up and he stole away from the camp without fanfare and silently bid farewell to his people as he looked back from a ridgeline. He did not weep, but he was downcast for the rest of the morning and harbored some doubt.

His shelter made up most of the weight he carried, his possessions rolled inside the tightly sewn oiled hide. The next heaviest were a few long casings of a thick, oily calorie rich mash that would keep for weeks, although a man of Ulle's size would burn through them quickly enough and they were not easy on the stomach. He had a stout recurve bow and a a small collection of arrows in a pouch at his hip, his stone axe and the means to butcher and cook anything he managed to bring down. This was almost everything and the whole of it did slow him down some.

He decided to head along the coast to the north and held that track for several days, eating almost anything that could provide nutrition along the way, as he was well accustomed to.

---

By the ninth day the weather had been good and he found himself at the base of a massive craggy cliff, over which swarmed dozens and dozens of large flying reptiles that hunted for fish in the sea. The rocks were covered with their leavings and with their nests new and old tucked into the clefts of the rock. The breeze coming off the ocean was so bitterly cold that the sea spray froze upon the rocks in fragile, beautiful and complex structures that eventually broke under their own weight and came crashing down with a sound like thunder onto the rocky beach below.

It was Ulle's good fortunate that one such ice fall crushed a nest full of hatchlings and that he was there to see it and so with some effort he found the crushed bodies and made meals of them.

But the coastline had grown so vertical that he found himself turning inland time and again until he nearly lost sight of the sea.

---

On the fifteenth day he came upon large woolly animals among the shrubby foothills he had been forced into by the change in terrain, and they were much irritated by his presence. They bluff charged him and ran in circles and the larger ones hooted at him with deep booming sounds that hurt his ears, vibrated his innards and drove him off deeper into the interior.

---

Day twenty four brought an absolutely gargantuan skeleton into view from a long way off, half buried and recently dead. Some of the massive bones had been cracked and the marrow licked out, but insects still feasted upon the minute portions and Ulle brought down more than one of the large, slow black bodied carrion birds that lingered about to peck at the larvae with his bow. The birds themselves were good eating, but the lingering smell of rot and the droning insects sapped much of the enjoyment from his success.

---

Day twenty seven and he was snowed in. A storm which had begun in the night with dense fog, peels of thunder and a sky luminous with lighting among the clouds led to a pounding torrent of freezing rain and then very quickly to driving snow as morning broke.

He lay on his side in his low hide shelter, the edges staked deep into the ground as the wind tugged and howled and the flakes swirled past the small opening, which he had left open to let the smoke out from his small fire. He carried less weight now, which was not a good thing. His feet were tough but cracked painfully at the heels and black on the bottoms and his body was hard and taught and sore. Every little movement required effort and he wanted to just sleep, and sleep in the warm pocket he had created.

But he had slept enough and by mid morning the storm had slackened and it was bright beyond the clouds. By dint of will he forced himself out and began to break down his camp, and only them did he see the land he had wandered into as the morning fog burned away.

A tense meal with his parents and a few awkward farewells was all Ulle was allowed. Still, he had done what he must, so even if it had been unpleasant, neither he nor his acquaintances and family would be haunted by a lack of closure.

Thus, with basic equipment, a portable shelter, and extremely-nutritionally dense (but rather disgusting) food, Ulle set off.

---

Indeed, the journey had been a strange, and dangerous one. But, nothing Ulle could not handle. His people had great skill in navigating these vast, barren lands. For Ulle, a part of his mind recognizes the hideous nature of this region, yet, he had never known anything else. And besides, as long as one could see the sky, it was an improvement from the ancestral hell that his people had crawled out of.

On the first day of his journey, he had chosen to take the northern coast. This was the less explored direction, as for unclear reasons, most individuals explored along the eastern shore instead.

Regardless, Ulle decided if he was to break new ground, he should start off this way - and this was likely a good choice. Though, it meant he may not recognize as many of the things he did come across. Most likely, it would be no more dangerous except for the unfamiliarity factor.

---

By the ninth day, he had travelled an impressive 135 miles. He was a strong adult man, so he could travel about 15 miles per day. He - and most of his tribesman - also had plenty of experience traversing the difficult terrain of this land, so he was not overly slowed down, and he could even take shortcuts to noticeably improve his travelling speed.

However, he came across a possible danger. These flying reptiles were not a familiar species to his people. Fortunately, the tumultuous landscape was to his benefit this time. The 'earth thunder' as his people called it was a term for extremely lound and rumbling landslides, avalanches and other such events. The icy boulders would definitely fit within this category.

The great cliff he stood upon was several hundred meters high, with sharp rocks below. A fall from here would mean the death of him. Also, the coast was beginning to bend east once more. He was already further north than his people had explored before.

As he turned to the east, he decided not to travel the high cliffs, and was forced inland, the sea no longer visible to him.

---

(OOC - tiny retcon to your last post: not at shrubby lands yet)

As he continues his travels, Ulle came across a group of unfamiliar beasts! They were huge, and covered in plentiful fur! They did not appreciate his presence, and chased him off with their charges and whooping calls. This sent him even further inland. He travelled over twenty miles before deciding he was beyond whatever could reasonably be called their territory.

He decided to call these great wooly beasts as 'Whompers' because of the noise they made, and the heavy weight of their footfalls.

---

The twenty-fourth day of his journey had him come across a grotesque and surreal site. The skeleton of a massive creature was being picked clean by carrion birds, small scavenger mammals and an uncountable number and kinds of insects.

Ulle also got a meal out of it, but it was thoroughly unpleasant.

The sight of the bones - at least - was somewhat awe-inspiring, in a terrible way. The high-point of the ribcage was over ten meters tall. The creature had died on its back, so the whole thing resembled an upturned, grasping hand or claw. At least, the behemoth had died facing the sky. Far more gracious a death than his ancestors had suffered.

---

Only by the twenty-seventh day had Ulle began to see thorny brambles, and thawing permafrost - which gave signs that he was on the verge of changing biomes. However, a massive thundering snowstorm blew in along with a dense sea fog. Damn it.

He was forced to take shelter for a full day, before he was able to continue his journey. The soles of his feet were pitch black and cracked, like the most ancient basalt. His load was light due to his used supplies, but this was not freeing for him - rather the weight of the corporeal supplies was replaced with the spiritual weight of anxiously awaiting the time he would run out of supplies.

Still, he forced himself to walk.

---

Three more days passed after that. A whole thirty days of travel. Ulle was now officially out of supplies. Worse, even, is portable tent had been damaged during the storm. It was hardly worht carrying, anymore. All he had were his stone axe and bow (he had most his arrows left).

Fortunately, he had managed to prepare the meltwater from the snowstorm - so he still had clean water for a day or two, though it was on the verge of being too salty since it had come largely from the sea.

Despite all this, however, a small corner of Ulle's heart was racing with hope and anticipation.

The lands had changed.

The dark and pale, uneven horrors of the bleached coast had slowly transformed into a harsh shrubland with a more even terrain. The cliffs that had blocked the sea (and the storms) had shrunk and become more sparse, so he could now see the sea.

It didn't seem like the same one he had known all his life.

The dark-green, foaming and raging sea of the Bleached Coast was slowly bleeding into a calm, tranquil, azure expanse that stretched to the horizon, where a warm-colored mist obscured the sunset.

Most incredibly though, was he had begun to see plant life.
A number of thorny brambles had grown to small and hardy shrubs.
He even came across a couple that sported berries, though he had no way to test if they were poison or even remotely nutritious.

Ulle even found a single wildflower, a pale white - like himself. The thing was inland of the sea by about 300m and had survived in a natural crack between two large basalt stones, and it seemed to be surviving off a tiny amount of silty soil that had collected beneath and below the gap over the aeons. It was a wonder how it had not drained the soil entirely, but perhaps the run-off from the seashore was barely enough for the soil to refresh its nutritions.

With this lone flower, doing it's best to survive in these harsh lands, Ulle felt a strange connection. Perhaps this was a symbol of his great loneliness. Perhaps, Ulle decides to pick this flower, and take it with him as a memento - or perhaps he decides to leave it, not wishing to unecessarily interrupt the natural cycle of life. Who knows? The flower may even sprout spores, and reproduce. If he plucks it, such a thing would become impossible... In this small but meaningful matter, will Ulle choose to follow his human 'Heart' or will he respect 'Nature'?

---

Whichever choice he makes, Ulle soon feels rewarded by the universe.
The usually rocky coast has slowly broken down into a lowland beach - a mix of sand and stone.

Ulle stands in wonder, his aching feet resting in the soft sand of the shore. He wiggles his nearly-mutilated toes, feeling as the silky grains caress his wounds.

He feels at peace. Even though he knows he has nothing left to eat or drink, he feels at peace.

---

Another two days pass.

Ulle is hungry. He has slowed down because of it.

Ulle has stuck to the beach so far, captivated by the sights.

But now, he reluctantly turns away.

In the distance, he can see it.

As the pale man crawls away from the shore, he begins to stumble, then walk, then jog, then run with all his might!
Not able to care about his weakness, he runs freely.

He hadn't noticed, as captivated as he had been by the changing shore.

But inland, he can see.

Green.

So beautifully green.

A thick carpet of moss stretches for miles, covering much of the stony ground.

Clovers sprinkle the land, and swathes of small pink petals have fallen from the wildflowers.

Tears drop unbidden from his eyes as he looks at the sky.

In his heart, Ulle deeply recalls a saying from his people;

"From the very moment of their birth, Humans are graced with the infinite blessings of the earth and sky."

It was so memorable, because it was one of the only uplifting things the elders ever had to say about life. So often, it rang hollow. What grace? What infinite blessings? But in this moment, Ulle understood it. Not with his mind, but with his heart.

He realized the world was not his enemy, and neither was the sky. The sky and the earth had no enemies, and hated nobody. Rather, they showed infinite love to all of their children. That is what 'life' was. A blessing in and of itself.

Ulle looked at his hands. Strangely, they seemed less pale than before.

Perhaps, only now, was he truly becoming 'alive'.

---

One day later, Ulle runs out of water. He hasn't eaten in days.
Still, he stubbornly walks.

His eyes, nose, ears and even tongue and skin all work together. His five senses greedily absorb the new world around him.

Grass.

It is the first time has has seen it, so he has no word for it.

But it is everywhere in this strange place.
No, perhaps his people were the ones who had lived strangely. Humans were not meant to crawl among sharp stones, cowering from the raging sea. His instincts told him this.

It was as if in these past days, for the first time since the first moment of his birth, he was understanding what it meant to be 'human'.

The world seemed to agree with him.
His pale skin had changed.
It was strange, and it didn't make sense. But, it had a rosy complexion to it. A healthy blush.

But, where was this redness coming from?

But, the elders had never spoken clearly about his ancestors, either.

---

Ulle got his answer hours later.
He accidentally stepped onto a thorny rose.
His foot bled.

But it's strange.
The color was wrong.
It was red.

His people had always bled a pale hue, somewhat bluish. Only the animals bled red?
Why was it such a deep red?

Other things had started to change as well. Small, almost non-perceivable things.
But the biggest thing were his eyes.
They hadn't changed on the outside, but on the inside.
He could see.
He felt that way.

Ulle didn't know what had changed in his vision... but something that had been invisible before was now visible. He didn't know what?

---

In the afternoon, Ulle came across his first tree. He had no word for it.
It was beautiful, and Ulle had mistaken it for a living creature when he first saw it.
But, it didn't move. It was just a plant?

He didn't recognize the material it was made of... it seemed something like the shell of a nut. Wait... perhaps this was similar to the rare material that sometimes appeared on the shore? Driftwood his people called it, but this was... much healthier? Less soaked.

Perhaps, this was where driftwood came from? But, how would an inland plant like this end up smashing against the southern shore?

So many mysteries.

---

Ulle had begun to despair slightly. He felt that he would not live much longer, if he could not find food or water.
He felt like he had been given countless blessings by the earth, by just being allowed to see these majestic things.

Yet, his life was vanishing?

---

Overcome by these thoughts, Ulle only then realizes something.
Food.
Water.

He is surrounded by both.
The plants that grow from the ground. Could they be eaten?
The moisture on the ferns of the strange flowers - with brighter colors that he had never seen. Could he drink from it?

Then, his heart skips a beat.
Almost as if the world had noticed his woes, and delivered unto him salvation.

A tranquil pond between two trees.
It is slightly greenish with a strange substance (algae)
But it is clearly not from the sea. Water he could drink, once purified by flame.

As he moves forward to it, the world freezes around him.

...

...

...

His mind is clear again.

How had he spent days wandering, not even noticing that food and water surrounded him? His people had lived, eating bugs and salt to survive. Surely, he would not have let himself hunger and thirst for nothing like this?

His eyes open wide. He looks at his hands. They have a slightly rosy color, but that much is normal? Obviously, even pale skin has some color, because red blood flows beneath it.

Red blood. Right, he had red blood. Of course he did. Why had he thought his blood was blue?
Suddenly feeling incredibly cold, Ulle turns back. In the distance, he cannot see it... But he can feel it.
A terrible call. A dreadful noise. The direction of 'home'.

His heart trembles. Literally. He feels like something dark is wriggling in the very core of his being.
A sensation enters his mind. A thought? A feeling? A message?

No. A warning.

You (I). Here (Paradise). Dare? (notformenotformenotformenotforme notforusnotforusnotforus)

A sharp pain in his heart and the corner of his mind.
His fingers tingle.

His eyes begin to cloud over.

Biting his lip, Ulle instinctively understands what is happening.

Rejection.
He is being rejected by this world.

His eyes lift. Around him, things are still.
Ominous.

Ulle recalls his peoples teachings.
He recalls the full phrase that he had forgotten.

"From the very moment of their birth, Humans are graced with the infinite blessings of the earth and sky..."
"... But we are not Humans, anymore"

His heart is racing in terror. His entire existence seems to tremble. The world around him seeks to close in on him, threatening to destroy him.

In that moment, Ulle knows he will die. He barely understands why. Why? What did he do? Does he deserve this fate? He was born. Is that a sin? Why should he pay for the sin of his ancestors? Why? whywhywhywhywhywhy-

His heart is stopped.

-

A cursed being of a cursed people, left the cursed land - seeking hope.

He travelled for twenty seven days, barely surviving the harsh land.

Then, he saw a small flower. This flower belonged to the 'earth'.

By seeing this flower, he saw the 'earth'.
And...
The 'earth' saw him.

For the next six days, he wandered steadily - as if unaware of his madness. He saw more belongings of the 'earth'.
He began to believe he was also 'belonging to the earth'.
But, as if the 'earth' had drawn an invisible line...

When the cursed being stepped too far, the earth stopped.
It saw, in his 'Heart' a power contrary to the 'life' it supported.

So, it called out to that power, which it recognized as the work of ⬛⬛⬛⬛
It demanded the power abide by the rules of engagement, the laws of the universe.

The malicious power fulfilled it's most ancient purpose.
It killed the being it had lived within for two decades without hesitation or remorse.

That was the End.

---

But, 13 days and 13 hours later, something impossible happened.
The man stood up.

--- --- ---

Ulle wakes up, surrounded by grass.
As he lays there, sleepily, he recalls his recent journey.
He had left the Pallid Tribe, and wandered for quite a while. Eventually, he had come across a wildflower - which seemed to resemble him in it's hardiness and insistence.
From there, he began to see more beautiful things.
Now, he was laying next to a pond. He must have fallen asleep.

Stretching and yawning as he stands up, Ulle looks around. He seems to have left a rather deep impression in the ground.
Rubbing his stomach, he feels full. He could use a drink, bit he's not unsatiated.

He looks around, blinking the haze out of his eyes. It doesn't go away. He frowns.
Ulle looks up.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!

His neck snaps down at unfathomable speeds.
The moment he had looked up, his eyes had seen 'it'.
He understood now, what had happened.

He had left. When he came across that flower, he had become overcome by something.
Hungry and starving, he had wandered across a pond. The same pond he just awoke next to.

Then... he had... felt something. He doesn't really remember what. It had felt like something dark - but familiar - within his heart had... twisted? He doesn't remember.

Looking down, he realizes his body is the same as it always has been. Flesh as pale as the belly of a fish. His long braided hair is the color of fresh cream and his eyes as pale and as blue as glacial ice melt.

But... why...

His eyes have changed.
When he looks at 'himself' he 'sees' something else.
A gaunt creature. Transparent skin and blood. Cloudy eyes and stark white hair that floats in the air.

Undoubtedly, when he looks at himself, he does not see a 'human'. He sees a 'monster'.
Blinking his eyes is enough to make the vision fade. He looks like himself, now.
But that sense of uncanny terror still lingers. He recognizes himself as something else.

He doesn't feel any different. He doesn't feel like a different person.
Ulle just feels that something is deeply wrong with him. With all of his people.

As he tries to remember if he's ever felt this before, he feels a dull headache.

The past is blurry. He remembers his life... but when he tries to remember the faces of his tribesman... that in particular, gives him a sense of dread... He feels that he could push past it... but something tells him he won't like what he sees if he does.

---

What will Ulle do?

OOC: I got a bit carried away, haha. Let me know if you need any explanations of what exactly happened in this post, it had a lot of weird things happening that weren't super clearly explained.

Also, if you'd like, I can PM you an image of the path Ulle walked.
Honestly, I had to make a scale for the Game Map since you definitely assumed it was a lot bigger than I originally intended. That's fine though, so I decided to make it much larger since it's something I was thinking of doing anyway.

Ulle squatted in a crouch, his shoulders hunched, his lank partially braided hair hanging down when it was not tugged at by the breeze.

His feet pulsed painfully with his heartbeat as they supported his weight, the damaged flesh aching and jolting where it was not numb and the cracks in his heels bled and scabbed and bled again. He felt light headed and hunger gnawed at him in constant, unrelenting way in his mind and in his stomach. The pains and aches and knotting of his guts prompted strange thoughts. Dark and maddening thoughts.

But for the last few minutes those thoughts had been held at bay by the curious and beautiful sight of a little flower growing in a crevice in the ground.

The storm that had ripped apart his hard earned shelter, his precious and crucial assemblage of hide and sinew had surely passed over this same ground, and yet here was this delicate, almost otherworldly thing growing still, straining up towards the sky and the warmth and surrounded by barren expanse.

The sight of it made him want to weep it was so lovely and he looked at it from various angles, cocking his head this way and that before he oh-so tenderly brushed at it was his fingertip. He could not feel it his hands were so calloused, but he watched the petals bend just a little under his touch.

He seriously thought about picking it, of taking this little treasure with him to give him comfort on his journey, but he could not bring himself to do it. Ulle had smashed the skulls of living things as they stared up at him with large and glassy eyes, he had seen people killed, had watched death with all its ugly twitching and colors and scents, he was not gentle, but even so he could not bring himself to pick that flower.

His own life could be extinguished at any time. A fall from a slippery rock, a cold snap in the night, a bolt of lighting or the bite of a serpent and some how this little blessing of nature among the rocks seemed to resemble himself, and in picking it he some how validated any other force that might feel free to "pick" him in turn, for amusement, for comfort, for sustenance.

And so he turned his eyes away and stood up slowly and painfully and he said goodbye to it before he turned and kept walking.

---

And walking, and walking and walking...

Without his shelter, without food or water he covered ground at great speed for many days, but hunger weakened him and slowed his pace and he slept more than he should. He was starving, he knew, and strange flavors came into his mouth and pains racked him as his muscles burned up the last reserves from within his once powerful body.

Voices, memories, pain. Day blurred into night and back to day. He ceased to feel the cold or much of anything and he shambled like a numb hunk of meat from horizon to horizon before he collapsed, rose and continued.

It was in this addled and wretched state that he wandered into a land unknown to his people and beheld many things for the first time. From the verdant mossy stones to the brush of grass against his calves to the tree shading his pale back from the sun, he staggered and stumbled, unfeeling and unknowing, into a paradise and died there, fell voices whispering in his ears as he finally collapsed, completely spent, a deathly pale form is a vernal glade with his last weary thoughts resolving around dying face up, as was proper, before he heaved a great shuddering breath and went still.

---

Ulle woke and the world was different. He was different. Did he see the world for what it was for the first time? Did he see "it" for the first time and did he pay a price for that knowledge? Had something shifted or released?

His mind reels, and for the first time in a long time he has the energy and the presence of mind to make something of it all. He looks down, his head jerking in an ugly way and what he sees is too much.

He screams.

A keening, wailing, maddened scream that wells up and erupts with force and carries far in the moist Spring air. His eyes unfocused, a well of emotion expands his chest and fills his lungs and leaves him in a confused and angry scream, and another and another until flecks of spittle and blood from his abused lungs and throat fleck his lips and chin. He claws at himself, his fingernails broken and dirty and jagged as he spasms and tenses his muscled form until he quivers from the exertion of it all.

In a frenzy he squats and beats at the still waters like an ape, fists clenched overhand as he pounds the mud and silt and water, sparkling droplets flying through the air, his fists smarting from the blows. The nightmarish vision of himself spurs his memories, memories of his kin, of his home and in his frenzy he stops his assault on the pond and clutches at his head as he tries. to. remember.

A PM of his path would be great thanks!
This message was last edited by the player at 05:26, Fri 12 Apr.

OOC: Here you go (might not be perfectly to scale) - https://imgur.com/a/SLdMxNE

Ulle chose not to pick the flower.

---

Ulle panics and thrashes in anger, fear, torment and madness disturbing the serene environment. He can pay it no mind, for he is in great turmoil.

Perhaps unwisely, Ulle decides to push through the terror and attempt to view his own memories.

Almost immediately, a shocking truth reveals itself.

His 'memories' are different. Split in two, actually. Everything is exactly as he remembers it, but for some reason, he 'sees' terrible things when 'looking' at his memories.

The people with him in the village all share the same distorted, grotesque form that Ulle saw or maybe felt within himself. The men, women and children all appear as monstrous figures. Their interactions and the emotions associated with them have not changed... but their faces are almost translucently overlaid with these terrible images...

He can hardly make out or remember all those familiar faces. Even his close ones, it's fading rapidly. Instead, indescripable creatures gaze back at him. His earliest memories of his mother caring for him now take on a horrifying flavor, as he is being cradled or held in the arms of an inhuman chimera.

His memories of going hunting with his friends. Their struggles now have a menacing aura to them, as their movements seem slightly jerking and their gazes move unnaturally around the land.

Worse than the grotesque appearances, is the uncanniness of everything. The sounds, smells, tastes and tactile sensations Ulle remembers all feel just slightly WRONG. He can't describe how for certain... but it's like something is imitating humans.

Remembering the Elders is the worst. Their forms are stranger and larger, but also more obscured. A thick darkness obfuscates many people in his memories... It gives him a headache to think of for even a short time.

---

With his eyes open, his sight does not seem different. Though he is surrounded by many new things, his visual acuity has not been damaged on his journey. His mental processing of stimuli is the same. Everything feels mundane - not uncanny in the way his memories are.

Well, there is one thing. Himself.

When Ulle looks down at his hands or feet, or when he catches a glimpse of his own reflection in the water, that creeping feeling of wrongness crawls back up his spine. The way he moves. It's not different than usual, and in truth there's nothing explicitly weird about it... But, he gets a feeling while looking at it, that he's moving in a strange manner.

Ulle desperately tries to relate it to something he knows. Eventually, he recalls a time when one of their fallen hunters had been found after being dead for a week. A colony of thousands of insects were transporting his corpse. The way he moved then, not by his own will, and with a thousand little twitches -- that's what this new sight makes him feel. Like him and his people do not have a skin of their own, but as if a mass of larva grubs are puppeteering them.

It's incredibly disgusting, but Ulle has no idea why he has just started seeing this.

---

Another thing to consider. He had died, hadn't he? Ulle remembers it vividly, unlike the rest of his journey.
His heart had felt a cold chill in premonition of it being crushed by some force. Then, his breath and consciousness ended almost immediately.

But now, he woke up. Perhaps it was just a heart attack? Those can be survived, right? Maybe just a really severe palpitation? His recent travels had been stressful enough to warrant this kind of reaction, for sure.

---

The last major thing Ulle needs to consider. What he saw in the sky. When he had looked up there... He had seen nothing unusual.
It had been totally normal looking
But that's all.
It just "looked" normal.

It felt like he was being watched.
Watched by something truly terrifying, and which hated him a lot.

The thing that had caused him to scream and look away was that malice. An unfathomable depth of rage filled the sky. He didn't feel like it was directed just at him either. Some of it surely was pointed his way, but a lot of it wasn't focused on him. He wouldn't know how to read the attention of something living in the sky.

---

On his knees, Ulle has his bearings - at least as much as he can. His mind is his own, and he is alive.
This is a land of plenty, and he has every chance to find food and water.
The weirdest thing is he has no hunger or thirst at the moment. However, he feels like he will get hungry and thirsty normally, soon enough.

He also feels well-rested, which makes sense if he has been out for a long time.

Ulle is not dead. Despite how terrifying everything had been, it seems mostly over now - and he had survived.
However, he had not gotten out unscathed.

For whatever reason, he now possesses an aversion to two things:
 - The image of the Pallid Tribesmen, including himself. It makes him deeply disgusted - even nauseous. However, he's already managing to endure his reactions slightly, though the feelings are no less disturbing.
 - Looking up at the sky. He can still feel hints of anger in the vast peaceful blue. He doesn't know if he may trigger something by looking again. Maybe it's fine now, or maybe it would cause him to suffer what he had all over again.

---

What are Ulle's plans for the day? From when he risked a glance at the sky, it seems to be nearly noon (midday).

He is definitively outside any of the lands known by the tribe. He is on his own, unless he turns back.

OOC: Just as a recap, you still have your tools (axe, bow, arrows). You are out of food and water, and you lost your portable tent. I'll allow you to have non-edible cooking supplies, if you brought that kind of thing.

With fatigue and time Ulle's mind reluctantly settled into its new state. Disturbing, bizarre and unexplained his feelings and thoughts might be, but life went on, a second one at that, unbeknownst to him.

The silt of the pond settled, the sun moved overhead and eventually Ulle hauled himself up and pulled up his fur lined hood. Although it was a little too warm and it made his scalp itch, it cut the glare of the sun and it blocked out some of that irritating blue, especially if he canted his head just so.

For the first time in a long time he could think clearly enough to apply himself to the basics. Gain elevation, get a lay of the land, contour to conserve energy and look for food and game along the way. This he could do, even in this new land. This he was comfortable with.

Still carrying just a few light belongings he set off at a brisk stride towards the highest point on the horizon and continued to silently mull over all that had just befallen him, his throat raw, his head aching.

Ulle does not look for too long. After a half hour, he finds a large hill from which scouting will be easier.
It takes a short time to climb.

At the top of the hill, Ulle finds bare grass. A couple scattered trees litter the base, as well as a few ponds as well.
Gazing over the landscape, he can truly admire the beauty if he lets himself. Even if it makes him feel complicated things about his relation to it.

Far in the distance, Ulle can see two four-legged creatures drinking from a pond. They are many miles away, beyond the range of his hunting bow.
It's too difficult to make out small game at the moment. He sees lots of colorful flowers, in large patches across the land. There is possibly edible fruits, as well.

Fruit was incredibly rare back home. Only shared for celebrations, or given to young children to see their rare, innocent smiles.
It hurts his heart so much when he looks back at those pure moments that once reinvigorated him - and to see those children as monsters.
They had no sin, so why do they appear like sinners?

Regardless, Ulle is in a very idyllic land. Life continues, even though it shouldn't have (not that he knows it).
His best move for finding food in this area would probably be to check the ponds, flowering fields, and trees. They may bear fish, berries or fruit.

In the long run, however, he should probably make his way to the western coast. The placid blue ocean was so much different from the violent sea he remembers. Marine life is probably far more abundant than it was back home. Besides, his body is most used to eating fish or other seafood - even moreso than it is to eating meat.

OOC: We might be in a bit of a lull here. I don't really have a direction for you yet, so I'm just giving you this time to explore and familiarize yourself with the new world. It might also allow Ulle to de-stress and partially restore his mental wellbeing.

I can throw encounters at you, I guess, but I don't really want to do that ATM since they are more likely to lead you in the wrong direction than they are to bring you closer to the other players' locations.

LMK if you don't mind doing a bit of a mini-arc here. I still need time to figure out how I'm going to get everyone to meet up