Daughter of the Icefield

Daughter of the Icefield

The Black Forest Wills A Dream Previous In the Biting Cold Next Shadows of Trees

Characters

Magallan Santalla Unfamiliar Girl/Typhon ??? Sami Forest Inhabitant Sami Mountain Scout Solemn Sami Mountain Warrior Tenacious Sami Mountain Warrior Broken Transmission Scientific Investigation Director?

Backgrounds

1 2 3 4

“

Magallan encounters a supernatural phenomenon in the Fjal Vetrtonn and finds herself rescued by an unfamiliar Sarkaz. The Mountains' Sami are extremely wary of the group and chase them away from their defensive line.

”

<Background 1>
Tenacious Sami Mountain Warrior	Do we have news on Lazal and the other men who disappeared?
Solemn Sami Mountain Warrior	Yeah, we can stop searching. Demons have been through here. The ice there has Arts damage. It was a hard fight.
Tenacious Sami Mountain Warrior	They are all roots of the Frost Maple and respected warriors, but not even their bodies remained?
Solemn Sami Mountain Warrior	Bad weather is known to befall the icefield.
Tenacious Sami Mountain Warrior	But this kind of weather has been happening far too often of late.
Solemn Sami Mountain Warrior	Hadn't Sami long since warned us through Eikthyrnir? Come, we must reinforce the fortifications and keep a close eye on every mountain pass.
<Background black>
[The wind can be heard blowing.]
<Background 2>
[Magallan and Santalla are climbing a mountain.]
Magallan	(Logs in notebook) "We've entered the Fjal Vetrtonn. The current temperature is... 31 degrees below zero." "So far, I have yet to find any comms stations within Sami borders... and haven't been able to make contact with Director Maryam's expedition team." *sigh*... If Professor Mary isn't around, who am I even going to send these notes to? Every time he reads my reports, he points out all the phenomena I should've paid closer attention to... "We've passed through the local settlement mentioned in previous expedition records: at the foot of the Fjal Vetrtonn, near the edge of the forest." *huff*... Even though I only lost a single glove, it feels so cold.
Santalla	Need a hand, Magallan?
Magallan	Oh, it's alright, Simone. I'm almost done with this report! I'll be ready to leave the shelter and brave the blizzard soon! Now where was I? Right...
[Magallan continues writing her logs.]
Magallan	"The settlement had vanished." "I asked Simone—" (Quickly erases) "I asked an accompanying Sami about this, and it seems that Sami tribes are known to move around."
[The wind begins two blow stronger and it gets colder.]
<Background begins to fog up>
???	Why did they move?
Magallan	I tried looking into it, but couldn't figure anything out. Simone told me that it was Sami herself. She told them that danger was drawing near and that they had to leave. But the climate data we've collected so far aren't all that different from the historical record, and there don't seem to be any changes in long term trends either. So what kind of danger is Sami facing?
???	Looks like... the Scientific Investigation Section's data... needs to be updated.
Magallan	Right, Sami is still a blind spot in our knowledge. But it seems the Sami really don't like being disturbed. Professor Mary, you've always wanted to work with them, but haven't been able to. It takes so much effort to get our applications processed in Ursus. If we could just find a new path into the icefield through Sami and build more research stations, our expeditions would be so much easier.
???	Unfortunately... the Sami don't want anyone in the icefield...
Magallan	Right... Eh? Was I just... talking to Professor Mary? Simone. Simone!
Santalla	What's the matter?
Magallan	I just—
[The wind gets stronger.]
Magallan	—Do you see a group of people over there? There's too much snow; I can't quite...
???	Mag...allan...
Magallan	I-Is it really Professor Mary?! Simone, I need to head over there for a look!
[Magallan runs up to the obscured figure.]
Scientific Investigation Director?	Magallan.
Magallan	(Ah! It's really you! Thank goodness, I found you guys! I knew you'd be safe!) ...... (Weird... How come I can't speak?)
[Magallan can hear her own heartbeat.]
Magallan	(*huff*... *huff*... My heart's beating too fast... A-Am I trembling? Why?) (No, no, no! I need to stop the Professor and take them back!)
[Magallan continues walking.]
Magallan	Professor—
[Magallan gets grabbed from behind.]
<Background black>
Magallan	—Mmf, mrrmrmff!
???	Shh. Don't listen. Don't look. Don't speak.
<Background 2>
[A Sarkaz girl appears.]
Unfamiliar Girl	I don't blame you, Simone. It's been a long time since your last visit. It's no wonder you didn't sense it.
Santalla	Haha... I see, so now I'm a visitor here?
Unfamiliar Girl	Not as much as her, but still a visitor. The route you two took hasn't been used for a long time. *sigh* You're lucky I take this detour every time.
Santalla	So the warriors still haven't accepted you, even now? But the land herself clearly regards you as a beloved child. ...In any case, thank you for your help, Typhon.
Typhon	Mhm. No need to pay me back. The food I hid around here is more than enough to last me a few months. So you said you were heading to the icefield to look for missing southerners?
Santalla	Yes.
Typhon	Then let me come with you. The missing men must have run into trouble. I'll help you protect them.
Magallan	Uh—Um—Eh, I can talk now...? Is it okay if I talk? Listen—
Typhon	Don't move.
[Magallan stops moving but then raises her hands.]
Typhon	...Why are you raising your hands?
Magallan	Uh... Because I heard the Sami are very fierce? And they don't like it when others enter the icefield? I-I'm really not plotting anything bad!
Typhon	Hm? Well, the warriors here are indeed fierce, but I'm no warrior. Anyway, I woke you up just now with my Arts, but you can still hear the voices, right?
Magallan	Mm... Yeah, I can. It's okay. I've realized it's a hallucination by now. I'm not stupid enough to keep talking to it. Right, I should jot this down in my notes, too. So do you know what causes these hallucinations? Exhaustion due to the extreme weather? Maybe something in the water that paralyzes the central nervous system?
Typhon	*sigh*... Come here. Your ear.
Magallan	(Whispers) Okay, go ahead and tell me.
Typhon	Alright, now the other side.
Magallan	Okay... Huh? Weren't you going to whisper something? Did you just rub something on my ears? It felt kinda cold.
Typhon	Now put this under your tongue and press down on it.
Magallan	M-Moss and a ball of mud? I know that explorers sometimes boil leather when they're completely out of food, but I've never considered eating moss in an emergency... Alright, Magallan, be brave and give it a shot!
Typhon	Stop being so suspicious of everything. Just put it in your mouth. Now you'll only hear your own voice and won't be bothered by those strange noises.
Magallan	Really? You're so helpful! ...Wait, but won't I be deaf to any environmental dangers, too? It'll also affect my balance when I climb. It's too risky.
Santalla	Don't be afraid. Just trust Typhon. We'll take you somewhere where the snow's not contaminated.
Typhon	Yeah. We'll give you a hand signal when you can spit the mud out. Until then, don't talk too loud. You don't want it to hear you.
Magallan	Hmm, alright... ......
The young explorer suddenly stops and looks in a direction where no one's standing. The brief pause lasts only two seconds. She quickly follows Typhon's directions and squeezes the mudball into her mouth, as though nothing unusual had happened.
Magallan	Yeah, I can't hear anything now.
<Background fades out and in>
[After leading the way, Typhon suddenly stops.]
Typhon	Stop.
Magallan	Ehh?
Santalla	There's musbeast fur scattered in the snow. It's a kind of detection Arts. Good thing you held Magallan back. We couldn't escape the warriors' eyes, but at the very least our visit seems a little more respectful this way.
Typhon	Should we have her spit out the mudball? You can fill her in on the situation. If her plan was to enter the icefield this way, then she probably knows nothing about the northern front.
Santalla	No need. Leave the negotiations to me. Most of these warriors would chase us off with their hammers the moment they hear Columbian or the common tongue. Ah... see?
Typhon	*sigh* It's the Legion. They aren't going to talk to us.
[Multiple Sami warriors appear.]
Sami Mountain Scout	You, daughter of the Santalla Tree.
Santalla	Greetings, warriors of Treescar.
Sami Mountain Scout	You're with an outlander. And... the hunter with the black bow.
Santalla	Indeed. But please don't be so quick to attack. This outlander asks nothing of Sami. We simply seek to enter the endless icefield.
The Sami warriors surround them in silence. They show no intention of backing off. Though silent, their stances remain unchanged, with their hands on their weapons. Regardless, Santalla seems to know exactly what it is they need to hear.
Santalla	...I understand. It's against the rules. No one should enter the icefield rashly. You built these high walls not only to keep the icefield's disasters at bay, but also to stop the Sami and wild beasts. But her dear mentor has disappeared in the icefield. She is earnestly trying to rescue someone who is practically family to her, and I hope you can make an exception.
The Sami warriors do not move an inch.
Santalla	...Please trust us. We will take care of the southerner and prevent her from acting rashly against Sami. She won't become lost, and absolutely won't become your enemy. We are accompanying her in order to take care of any worst case scenarios that might happen to her or the missing men.
Sami Mountain Scout	...Trust that black bow, too? You want us to trust the daughter of a crazed Cyclops?
Santalla	That black bow means nothing. She fights the same enemy as you.
Sami Mountain Scout	Her mind may be clear, but that doesn't mean her weapon won't bring misfortune. There was a time when we brought back the belongings of every last fallen warrior, until we realized that the enemy could find us through their contaminated relics. I'm sure you know this well. —Simone from under the Santalla Tree.
Santalla	...... I am a shaman no longer, but if that identity will make you reconsider, then I am more than happy to use it.
Sami Mountain Scout	There are still many among us who remember the warrior who almost became a Snowpriest. But she ran from her duties, so we do not intend to bring up her past.
Santalla	Her power can still take care of those around her. The team that went missing amounts to more than a dozen men. The northern warriors I know would never turn a blind eye with so many lives on the line.
Sami Mountain Scout	No. You must bear the harshness of fate, daughter of the Santalla Tree. Endure it. Do not run away.
Santalla	...Those are Eikthyrnir's words. Did he... learn something from his divination? About the whole northern realm?
Sami Mountain Scout	I have no answers for outsiders. But Eikthyrnir has already led many a warrior south, to inform each tribe of Sami's whispers.
Santalla	I understand. If Sami has made her prophecy, I shan't insist on entering the icefield. But now that it's come to this, we lack the supplies to head back down the mountain and take the long way around. Even though the demons' contamination spreads without end, we have no choice but to continue our journey through the mountains, and through the pass guarded by your warriors.
Sami Mountain Scout	Supplies? You only have the southerners' shortcomings to blame. They claim the land a barren wilderness, which is why they find themselves unable to survive in nature.
Santalla	I'm simply asking that you—
Typhon	*sigh* Let's go, Simone. You don't owe them an explanation.
Santalla	Wait, that hand signal... Are you for real?
Typhon	Yeah, trust me.
[Magallan steps foward.]
Magallan	—Just hold on a moment! Ugh... So bitter... *cough*... Let me explain! I'm not a bad guy, I'm just an explorer! The only thing in these crates are reserve drones. I can open them up if you want a look! I'm not trying to sneak into the icefield, either. I just didn't know how to get in touch with the Sami government to submit an application! Er, wait, does Sami have a government? I haven't actually seen anything resembling one, but... But I do have the documents I was going to hand over to Ursus. My ID, exploration permit, and the abandoned route plans... They all prove that I'm just an explorer, nothing more. Anyway, Simone and Typhon have both been so nice to me. Please don't blame them! If it's me that you're suspicious of, I'll explain everything! Also... Huh?
She's not imagining things. Everyone's expressions grow increasingly solemn with every word she says.
[The wind gets stronger and it begins to snow.]
<Background fogs up>
[Something approaches the group.]
They're all looking behind her, as though they too can hear her hallucinations.
Typhon	Run, you birdbrain! You brought an omen of disaster right into the group!
<Background fades out and in>
[The warriors attack the trio.]
Typhon	This way!
Santalla	Is this the path you mentioned?
Typhon	That's right.
[Santalla uses her Arts to hide the group. While running, an arrow barely misses them.]
Magallan	Ah—That was close! The arrow hit the rock! Thanks, rock! Thanks, Fjal Vetrtonn!
Typhon	They probably mistook it for one of us, in this thick snowfall. Your Arts come in handy, Simone. I knew I could trust you to keep us hidden. Okay, now this way.
[The group keeps running.]
Santalla	It's gotten quieter.
Typhon	Mm... Let me check. Yeah, I don't see them anymore.
Magallan	Good! We shook them off!
Santalla	Or perhaps... they stopped giving chase.
Magallan	Whatever the case, we should be safe now, right? Phew... Hah... All of a sudden... I'm outta breath...
Typhon	Give me your hand. I'll help you.
Magallan	Th-Thanks... The expedition equipment and my protective gear are all just too heavy. When they designed this extreme north exploration gear, they probably didn't think we'd need to run in the mountains... No, wait... I need to apologize! I couldn't hear anything earlier, but it looked like you were bickering because of me. And then I got ahead of myself and started shouting. The Director always tells me to think before I act, but... Maybe it's because I have no idea what's so scary about these hallucinations, but I didn't really think that through, did I?
Typhon	No need to apologize. Nature doesn't debate right and wrong. All that matters is closeness. The same goes for those northern warriors just now.
Magallan	Uh... closeness...?
Typhon	They're just like, mm... like a chain of mountains. No matter what you say to them, you will never become part of the mountains. All you can do is try your hardest to surmount them. /Of course, you also can't tell the mountains that they're wrong and should be flat ground instead.
Magallan	Ehh? Why are they so unwilling to talk it out?
Typhon	Let's set aside whether they could even understand you. Those warriors normally have no need for words. See, if you and I lived together all day, every day, and everything we did was the same daily routine: patrolling, hunting, fighting... We wouldn't have much reason to talk.
Magallan	Hm, because we'd be too used to everything?
Typhon	No. Because communication is only needed when we think different thoughts. That's why I called them a chain of mountains.
Santalla	Besides, they have to deal with the Ursus, too. To them, they must be wary of any outlanders whose intentions they cannot discern at a single glance. It may seem a little cruel, but it's how they have to live... (In Sami) "One must accept fate, no matter what form it takes."
Magallan	(In Sami) Fate... hm.
Typhon	What's done is done. The signal I gave back there was for Simone to run. When you're dealing with those warriors, most of the time you're going to have to back down. You can't count on them giving way. That said, now we can't reach the icefield to find your teacher.
Magallan	*sigh* Yeah...
Typhon	So what are you going to do now?
Magallan	I guess... I'll go to Čappat to request help.
Santalla	That's the southernmost city in Sami, isn't it?
Magallan	Yeah, it's where a lot of Columbian companies have their only branch offices in Sami. Now that the Ursus route is sealed off, it's the only place the Exploration Society can mount a rescue from. I'll rendezvous with them and try my best to collect information on the route. After all, nobody's really all that familiar with Sami.
Typhon	I'll keep escorting you, then. I don't need payment. I have no use for most of the trinkets southerners offer. I just happen to have a client waiting for me in Čappat.
Magallan	Whoa, thanks! What about you, Simone?
Santalla	I promised I'd stay with you, didn't I?
Magallan	Ehehe.
Santalla	But Typhon, where does this path lead? I find it hard to imagine that there are still paths in this mountain that the scouts haven't discovered.
Typhon	That's because this takes us to where Arges lives.
Santalla	...A Cyclops's cave.
Typhon	Yeah, I guess it's my home, too. At least, I grew up there. I may have used Sarkaz Arts to cover our tracks, but any veteran shaman is bound to figure it out in an instant. But I doubt they'd want to disturb a Cyclops. Heh, no one likes hearing the prophesized tragedies doomed to befall them, after all. If they'd kept chase, I'd have to count on Arges being home to help us out. Luckily they weren't so patient.
Santalla	This is making me feel uneasy, though. They gave up far too easily. Almost as if they abandoned us in the snow.
Typhon	There's nothing to fear; I'm watching our surroundings.
[The group heads to Arges' cave.]
The snow creaks beneath their feet.
Magallan	Oh right... The disaster you two mentioned earlier... What's that all about? If we're able to find the source of the auditory hallucinations and bring back samples to Rhine for analysis, maybe we could find a more long-term remedy!
[Santalla and Typhon continue walking.]
Neither of them answer Magallan right away. Instead, the sound of their boots sinking into the snow grows louder by the step.
Typhon	What a strange question. Do you people think that Catastrophes, the cold, or the fangs of a mangler will just up and disappear one day? The disaster is relatively less common, but if it comes knocking on your door, you cannot defeat it. Hm, just like now.
[The wind can be heard blowing.]
Magallan	—
[Everyone continues walking.]
The sound of their footsteps in the snow stops. While she wasn't paying attention, the snow had become light as a feather. Magallan blinks and does a double take.
Magallan	A-Am I hallucinating again, or is... ...is it snowing upwards?
Santalla	No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. The snow is floating midair, above our heads.
Magallan	I... I need to gather samples! Give me a minute to activate the drones!
[Magallan's drones begin floating.]
Magallan	A snowflake that's still floating upward... Hah, got it! Next, snow that's accumulated midair...
Typhon	—Watch out!
[A small avalanche occurs.]
Santalla	The snow crumbles downward. And from what I can barely make out given the visibility, there seems to be a lot more accumulated in the sky up ahead. If we keep going, it's enough to bury all three of us once it comes crumbling down.
Typhon	This phenomenon must've been around for a while. They already knew about it, so they stopped giving chase. They knew we were prey driven into a dead end.
Santalla	Not even a Snowpriest's Arts can do anything about this... and nor can I. Any snow I summon will only float upward and break free from my control. —Wait, Magallan! Stay close to us! It's dangerous to go alone!
Magallan	It's okay. I just need to get a little farther away to collect samples! If the drones lose their balance while gathering and knock down the midair snow, only I'll be buried!
[More snow falls down.]
Magallan	—Whoa, that was close!
Typhon	...... Do you feel it? The snow is trembling. Each step we take awakens it.
Santalla	But a girl like her won't stop here.
Typhon	Give me your hand.
Santalla	Hmm?
Typhon	Most people don't like doing this, but given the circumstances, we should give it a shot. Right, to make sure the blood flows onto the arrowhead, I'll need to cut a little deeper. But you don't need me to worry about you, right?
Santalla	Do what you must, Typhon. Just don't cut too deep because our hands are numbed by the cold.
[The wind gets stronger.]
Santalla	The snow's coming down more quickly.
Typhon	Yeah. The black seeds buried in the soil know my bow and arrows. This is exactly why people always misunderstand me.
[Typhon cuts Santalla's hand with her arrow.]
Typhon	Okay, it's just Magallan left—
[Another avalanche.]
Typhon	—Magallan?! What's your status?
Magallan	Oh, I'm fine! It's just the snow fell down and blocked the path... Let me switch to the snow clearing module.
[Magallan operates the drone.]
Magallan	Okay! You two can come on over now!
Typhon	Give me your hand first. Take off your glove.
Magallan	Er, gimme a bit of time to steel myself first. —Okay, here!
[Typhon cuts Magallan.]
Typhon	That'll do it.
[Typhon shoots the arrow.]
The arrow, soaked in the three women's blood, breezes through the cold wind. With a loud bang, an entire slab of frozen snow comes crashing down onto a cliff to the side.
Santalla	...Sarkaz witchcraft.
Typhon	The snow up to there won't fall anymore. I'll keep an eye out for the next place that looks dangerous and deal with it ahead of time in the same way. Let's keep going.
<Background black>
[Different animals can be heard.]
<Background 3>
[A Sami walks through the forest.]
Sami Forest Inhabitant	I found a few more dead hornbeasts close to the spring water. We've followed the Samivilinn, the will of the land, and moved our entire tribe from the foot of the mountain all the way through the tundra. So why aren't we free of the disaster's corrosion yet?!
[A fowlbeast screeches before flying away.]
Sami Forest Inhabitant	We should try the divination one more time.... Just one more time, to see when the land will finally grant us peace. ...Or do you mean the Cyclops that traveled with us back then was telling the truth? That there would come a day when desolation would befall our tribe?
<Background black>
Magallan	Didn't you say that... somebody lived here?
Typhon	Yeah. And that I used to live here, too.
<Background 4>
[The group enters a cave.]
Typhon	*sigh* She's not here, as usual.
Magallan	But... Th-Th-This is a cave... Ah, too bad Simone had to leave because something came up... If she were here, she could tell me if this is normal or not...
Typhon	Hmm?
Magallan	Uh, nothing! Just wondering how I should describe this place in my notes.
Typhon	Whatever works for you. Here, jerky and salt. Arges isn't stingy. You can take whatever you want. Now we should have enough supplies to make it to the bottom of the mountain.
Magallan	Thanks, Typhon, but hold on! I don't know this Arges you're talking about. Seems a bit rude...
Typhon	Hm, she herself said, and I quote: (in Sarkaz) "Anything with its curtain pulled open can be shared." You can take that to mean she doesn't care.
Magallan	Heh, well, don't mind if I do. Also... is it okay if I make a detailed record of the cave in its current state? I want to take a few pictures, too! I promise I won't make a mess!
Typhon	Why even ask? When you're done, come by the fire and rest.
Magallan	Gotcha! Right, and can I look at these notes, too?
Typhon	Go ahead. Only she can understand what's in there anyway.
Magallan	Okay... Huh? ...... Right, Typhon, there's something I've been meaning to ask. Logically speaking, when you hallucinate, you shouldn't hear any words you don't know, or any concepts you've never heard of, right?
Typhon	Hm, I'm not sure I follow your "logic." But what about it?
Magallan	Anyway, take a look at this page. "When the box is opened, Andskotarnir will realize." That's the last thing I heard the Director say, before you helped me cut off the noise from my surroundings.
<Background 1>
[The communicator receives a signal.]
Santalla	This Ursus communicator... It's getting a signal. The question is... how long ago was it sent?
[Santalla answers the call.]
Broken Transmission	...Reporting... to army... border guards... With... the help of Liebafowl... Black Mark... in Sami...