4 - The Izolak
- Location
- USA
Winning Vote
[X] Generalist. You don't want to overlook anything useful, so you'll start off with a little bit of everything. Later on you can decide to specialize if something catches your interest. (Studies all Classes before we vote on this again…or something forces our hand. Whichever comes first.)
After giving it some thought, you realize that you just don't know enough to make that decision right now. Reading about these other mages gives you an idea for how the magic might work, but until you've actually tried it for yourself you can't be sure of anything.
Besides which, you came to the frozen wastes at least in part to find the privacy to work all of this out. You're not in danger, you're not likely to be in danger anytime soon, and you can probably pick up enough useful skills just skimming each of the options to stay alive.
Of course, thinking of the frozen wastes reminds you that you won't be completely alone out there. It would probably be best to read up on your soon-to-be neighbors before you accidentally offend anyone and they try to kill you.
Just as you reach for your pack to switch books, Perry shows up with some delicious smelling food.
"Sorry about the delay." He apologizes. "I wanted to get everything settled so we could have some time to chat."
"What about?" You ask, a little surprised. Although in retrospect…a trading post like this probably needs to know something about the people who visit it, even if just as a precaution. For his part Perry looks a little amused.
"You think I don't have all kinds of questions for," he looks around then lowers his voice to a whisper. "for the newest mage in the frozen wastes?"
Your alarm must show on your face, because his eyes widen before he speaks rapidly.
"No no no. I have no idea what you're thinking right now, but it's nothin' bad. It's just simple deductive reasoning kid. You're clearly from Elstead, yet here you are." He shakes his head ruefully. "Nobody from Elstead comes out here 'xcept us and the exiles."
"I guess keeping it secret was a bit much to hope for." You sigh, still trying to calm the pounding in your chest. For a second there you thought…well, brand new mages are easy targets. Elstead made an effort to exile people in secret for a reason.
"Well, that and Elstead did tell us you were coming."
"…say that again?" You frown.
"Well not here specifically." Perry rolls his eyes. "A couple of decades back they had this one mage who figured he'd set up shop, take over all the trading posts and live in the lap of luxury."
"Really?" You have a hard time imagining anyone could be that stupid. It's not like Elstead was just going to stand by and watch it happen, and snipers were very much a thing.
"Yeah, this magic stuff seems to take all kinds." Perry responds with a knowing smile. "The local tribes took care of it, actually. But Elstead's been warning the trading posts every time they set somebody loose ever since."
You can see why they would feel the need to do that, and while Elstead had placed a lot of emphasis on secrecy, they had never promised not to tell any of their own citizens about you.
Unfortunately, it meant that any loose-lipped staff at the trading outposts might be spreading word of your existence. Not that you had any experience with these trading posts. Maybe you were lucky and they were all manned by people like mister sour face by the counter.
"I didn't mean to give you a scare." Perry apologized, pulling up a chair. "It's just…I've never met a real life mage before."
"Never?" You frown. "Surely the Izolak have mages of their own?"
"Oh I'm sure they do." Perry replied. "But they never send them here. Leastways…not that they'll admit it."
"How can you tell?" You ask him.
"Oh we keep a piece of electric technology in one of the storage rooms." He grins. "Shuts right down the second one of them magical folks walks anywhere near us." Then he grimaces. "Right pain to swap it out actually, but it's one way to give us some warning."
"Sorry about that." You probably broke it…but Perry waves it off.
"Nah, ours broke earlier this week when a caravan stopped by. The replacement's still a ways out too."
He speaks so knowledgeably about the timing that you have to ask. "How do you know that?"
"It's the storm." Perry nods at the door. "Last message we got had it scheduled to the hour, and told us it'd be delaying the next shipment."
"Huh." It was different, being on the outside of Elstead's weather reports. You probably should have asked for some kind of forecast before you set off from Polaris. "Did they say how long it would last?"
"It should thin out sometime early morning." Perry assures you. "Are you in a hurry to be leavin'?"
"Not necessarily," you dodge his question. You're not sure what the policy for the trading posts is, but if it's possible you may want to spend some time here getting your feet under you. "Is there room for me to stay the night?"
"What d'you think?" Perry grins, glancing at the empty room.
"Fair enough."
"Well, maybe you're not interested in talking about all this magic stuff just yet, but do you have any news?"
Unfortunately for Perry, you've been stuck off the datanet for two months now, whereas he's had reports coming in regularly every week. He actually knows more about current events than you do, despite the fact that he's been out here for longer than you've been an exile.
"Well, let me know if you're up for some pestering." He stands with a wry grin. "I'll get one of the rooms ready for you, for whenever you decide to call it a day."
"Thank you." And after he walks off you pull out your next book, hopeful that this time you might manage to read through it without any further interruptions.
The Guide to the Frozen Wastes. Skimming the table of contents, you can see that it looks like some weird combination of tourist guide and scientific catalogue. Aside from the map and the details about the trade with the Izolak, there's also a detailed listing of the wildlife and ecology in the wastes.
You had, stupidly, assumed that there wouldn't be any wildlife. Silly you. Apparently, the animals to be found in the frozen wastes mostly survived by dint of magic.
Their own magic.
That one gives you a little pause, mainly because Elstead has animal preserves and zoos, but you're fairly certain you would have heard of magical animals before. Perhaps they were all driven to extinction? That doesn't really fit your expectations, but Elstead has never pretended that history didn't happen. It wasn't always paradise after all.
Well, the answer isn't in your book, so you move on for now. What is in the book is a detailed set of instructions regarding proper etiquette for dealing with the Izolak. And a brief summarized history.
The Izolak are not quite as unified as you might have expected. The word Izolak itself appeared to be an old Letzik term, meaning Ice Walkers. Letzik, of course, being the primary language of the various tribes who live in the frozen wastes.
Right. You can't help sighing. Because a language barrier was exactly what you needed.
Regardless, the Izolak were a largely standoffish people. They came by it honestly at least, because almost every Izolak tribe originated from a group of people who were driven out of their homes and left to die in the wastes. Over the centuries, this had happened often enough that there were actually four different "kingdoms" of Izolak tribes. All with their own grievances and traditions, laws and territories, and cultures and practices.
Not that Izolak territory appeared to be a very stable thing anyway. They appeared to live a semi-nomadic lifestyle based around the wildlife they hunted and the rare few patches of earth that could be convinced to grow crops with the heavy assistance of magic. In recent decades, Elstead's practice of providing food for a pittance actually seemed to have significantly shifted the local tribes towards a less nomadic lifestyle, with more permanent settlements and less wandering after the ice wyrms.
But most of that was based on speculation and various collated reports from the staff of the trading posts, which the guide explicitly stated are all required to hold a degree in sociology and/or anthropology.
Huh. You glance over at mister sour face, unable to keep from wondering just which one he was.
But regardless, the book mostly consisted of collected verbal communication and speculation. Of most interest to you though, was the information on the various tribes of Izolak. By reading through that section, you managed to learn of:
The Venish Izolak, a smattering of tribes of elvish descent who appeared to have been living in the wastes for the longest period of time. Their traders speak of histories that span millenia, and of a time before the wastes were actually frozen. Despite how scattered they are, they are actually the most unified "kingdom" because they encourage immigration between their own tribes, and frequently travel to gatherings where they maintain generational relationships. The other three tribes largely regard them as a neutral arbiter in times of conflict, and so they maintain fair if uninterested relations with the other Izolak.
The Skithe Izolak were originally the various peoples who fled the unifying wars of King Avon's day. Consequently, Skithe tribes frequently represent a very mixed racial heritage. Despite this history with Elstead, they are actually the friendliest tribes, possibly due to their relative proximity and the charity of foodstuffs. They are only loosely associated with one another, with no centralized leadership to speak of. In times of conflict, a tribe of the Skithe is more likely to side with a friendly tribe of another "kingdom" than they are with an unknown tribe of Skithe Izolak.
The Alcathie Izolak, driven into the wastes from northern Malder (the continent opposite the north pole from Elstead), these predominantly human tribes carry a tradition that someday they will return to reclaim their homeland. Aside from this tradition, and their ongoing feud with the Zerla Izolak, not much is listed about them in the book. Apparently, they mostly reside on the other side of the north pole, and none of them have ever come to trade with Elstead.
The Zerla Izolak were ironically the one-time conquerers of the Alcathie Izolak. Although they were almost immediately and subsequently driven out of the Alcathie tribes' precious homeland by a larger conquering empire, it would appear that the bitterness continues between the two "kingdoms" in a low level conflict. The Zerla are of dwarvish descent, and reasonably friendly to outsiders, as long as they aren't human.
Ironically, despite the vast similarities of their lifestyles and circumstances, the various Izolak tribes have a tendency to focus on their differences. How you interact with one tribe could have a major impact on every other tribe's treatment of you, so you find yourself very glad that you read up on this before venturing out into the wastes.
By the time you finish your reading, the storm outside has quieted some, and the candles are burning low. It's a tad bit early to be turning in, but with all the traveling you've done of late, you find yourself exhausted. So much is changing, and all at once, that you decide to turn in for the night.
You will figure out how you're going to handle all of this in the morning. The magic, the Izolak, and the frozen wastes, could all wait. After all, they weren't going anywhere.
[X] Generalist. You don't want to overlook anything useful, so you'll start off with a little bit of everything. Later on you can decide to specialize if something catches your interest. (Studies all Classes before we vote on this again…or something forces our hand. Whichever comes first.)
After giving it some thought, you realize that you just don't know enough to make that decision right now. Reading about these other mages gives you an idea for how the magic might work, but until you've actually tried it for yourself you can't be sure of anything.
Besides which, you came to the frozen wastes at least in part to find the privacy to work all of this out. You're not in danger, you're not likely to be in danger anytime soon, and you can probably pick up enough useful skills just skimming each of the options to stay alive.
Of course, thinking of the frozen wastes reminds you that you won't be completely alone out there. It would probably be best to read up on your soon-to-be neighbors before you accidentally offend anyone and they try to kill you.
Just as you reach for your pack to switch books, Perry shows up with some delicious smelling food.
"Sorry about the delay." He apologizes. "I wanted to get everything settled so we could have some time to chat."
"What about?" You ask, a little surprised. Although in retrospect…a trading post like this probably needs to know something about the people who visit it, even if just as a precaution. For his part Perry looks a little amused.
"You think I don't have all kinds of questions for," he looks around then lowers his voice to a whisper. "for the newest mage in the frozen wastes?"
Your alarm must show on your face, because his eyes widen before he speaks rapidly.
"No no no. I have no idea what you're thinking right now, but it's nothin' bad. It's just simple deductive reasoning kid. You're clearly from Elstead, yet here you are." He shakes his head ruefully. "Nobody from Elstead comes out here 'xcept us and the exiles."
"I guess keeping it secret was a bit much to hope for." You sigh, still trying to calm the pounding in your chest. For a second there you thought…well, brand new mages are easy targets. Elstead made an effort to exile people in secret for a reason.
"Well, that and Elstead did tell us you were coming."
"…say that again?" You frown.
"Well not here specifically." Perry rolls his eyes. "A couple of decades back they had this one mage who figured he'd set up shop, take over all the trading posts and live in the lap of luxury."
"Really?" You have a hard time imagining anyone could be that stupid. It's not like Elstead was just going to stand by and watch it happen, and snipers were very much a thing.
"Yeah, this magic stuff seems to take all kinds." Perry responds with a knowing smile. "The local tribes took care of it, actually. But Elstead's been warning the trading posts every time they set somebody loose ever since."
You can see why they would feel the need to do that, and while Elstead had placed a lot of emphasis on secrecy, they had never promised not to tell any of their own citizens about you.
Unfortunately, it meant that any loose-lipped staff at the trading outposts might be spreading word of your existence. Not that you had any experience with these trading posts. Maybe you were lucky and they were all manned by people like mister sour face by the counter.
"I didn't mean to give you a scare." Perry apologized, pulling up a chair. "It's just…I've never met a real life mage before."
"Never?" You frown. "Surely the Izolak have mages of their own?"
"Oh I'm sure they do." Perry replied. "But they never send them here. Leastways…not that they'll admit it."
"How can you tell?" You ask him.
"Oh we keep a piece of electric technology in one of the storage rooms." He grins. "Shuts right down the second one of them magical folks walks anywhere near us." Then he grimaces. "Right pain to swap it out actually, but it's one way to give us some warning."
"Sorry about that." You probably broke it…but Perry waves it off.
"Nah, ours broke earlier this week when a caravan stopped by. The replacement's still a ways out too."
He speaks so knowledgeably about the timing that you have to ask. "How do you know that?"
"It's the storm." Perry nods at the door. "Last message we got had it scheduled to the hour, and told us it'd be delaying the next shipment."
"Huh." It was different, being on the outside of Elstead's weather reports. You probably should have asked for some kind of forecast before you set off from Polaris. "Did they say how long it would last?"
"It should thin out sometime early morning." Perry assures you. "Are you in a hurry to be leavin'?"
"Not necessarily," you dodge his question. You're not sure what the policy for the trading posts is, but if it's possible you may want to spend some time here getting your feet under you. "Is there room for me to stay the night?"
"What d'you think?" Perry grins, glancing at the empty room.
"Fair enough."
"Well, maybe you're not interested in talking about all this magic stuff just yet, but do you have any news?"
Unfortunately for Perry, you've been stuck off the datanet for two months now, whereas he's had reports coming in regularly every week. He actually knows more about current events than you do, despite the fact that he's been out here for longer than you've been an exile.
"Well, let me know if you're up for some pestering." He stands with a wry grin. "I'll get one of the rooms ready for you, for whenever you decide to call it a day."
"Thank you." And after he walks off you pull out your next book, hopeful that this time you might manage to read through it without any further interruptions.
The Guide to the Frozen Wastes. Skimming the table of contents, you can see that it looks like some weird combination of tourist guide and scientific catalogue. Aside from the map and the details about the trade with the Izolak, there's also a detailed listing of the wildlife and ecology in the wastes.
You had, stupidly, assumed that there wouldn't be any wildlife. Silly you. Apparently, the animals to be found in the frozen wastes mostly survived by dint of magic.
Their own magic.
That one gives you a little pause, mainly because Elstead has animal preserves and zoos, but you're fairly certain you would have heard of magical animals before. Perhaps they were all driven to extinction? That doesn't really fit your expectations, but Elstead has never pretended that history didn't happen. It wasn't always paradise after all.
Well, the answer isn't in your book, so you move on for now. What is in the book is a detailed set of instructions regarding proper etiquette for dealing with the Izolak. And a brief summarized history.
The Izolak are not quite as unified as you might have expected. The word Izolak itself appeared to be an old Letzik term, meaning Ice Walkers. Letzik, of course, being the primary language of the various tribes who live in the frozen wastes.
Right. You can't help sighing. Because a language barrier was exactly what you needed.
Regardless, the Izolak were a largely standoffish people. They came by it honestly at least, because almost every Izolak tribe originated from a group of people who were driven out of their homes and left to die in the wastes. Over the centuries, this had happened often enough that there were actually four different "kingdoms" of Izolak tribes. All with their own grievances and traditions, laws and territories, and cultures and practices.
Not that Izolak territory appeared to be a very stable thing anyway. They appeared to live a semi-nomadic lifestyle based around the wildlife they hunted and the rare few patches of earth that could be convinced to grow crops with the heavy assistance of magic. In recent decades, Elstead's practice of providing food for a pittance actually seemed to have significantly shifted the local tribes towards a less nomadic lifestyle, with more permanent settlements and less wandering after the ice wyrms.
But most of that was based on speculation and various collated reports from the staff of the trading posts, which the guide explicitly stated are all required to hold a degree in sociology and/or anthropology.
Huh. You glance over at mister sour face, unable to keep from wondering just which one he was.
But regardless, the book mostly consisted of collected verbal communication and speculation. Of most interest to you though, was the information on the various tribes of Izolak. By reading through that section, you managed to learn of:
The Venish Izolak, a smattering of tribes of elvish descent who appeared to have been living in the wastes for the longest period of time. Their traders speak of histories that span millenia, and of a time before the wastes were actually frozen. Despite how scattered they are, they are actually the most unified "kingdom" because they encourage immigration between their own tribes, and frequently travel to gatherings where they maintain generational relationships. The other three tribes largely regard them as a neutral arbiter in times of conflict, and so they maintain fair if uninterested relations with the other Izolak.
The Skithe Izolak were originally the various peoples who fled the unifying wars of King Avon's day. Consequently, Skithe tribes frequently represent a very mixed racial heritage. Despite this history with Elstead, they are actually the friendliest tribes, possibly due to their relative proximity and the charity of foodstuffs. They are only loosely associated with one another, with no centralized leadership to speak of. In times of conflict, a tribe of the Skithe is more likely to side with a friendly tribe of another "kingdom" than they are with an unknown tribe of Skithe Izolak.
The Alcathie Izolak, driven into the wastes from northern Malder (the continent opposite the north pole from Elstead), these predominantly human tribes carry a tradition that someday they will return to reclaim their homeland. Aside from this tradition, and their ongoing feud with the Zerla Izolak, not much is listed about them in the book. Apparently, they mostly reside on the other side of the north pole, and none of them have ever come to trade with Elstead.
The Zerla Izolak were ironically the one-time conquerers of the Alcathie Izolak. Although they were almost immediately and subsequently driven out of the Alcathie tribes' precious homeland by a larger conquering empire, it would appear that the bitterness continues between the two "kingdoms" in a low level conflict. The Zerla are of dwarvish descent, and reasonably friendly to outsiders, as long as they aren't human.
Ironically, despite the vast similarities of their lifestyles and circumstances, the various Izolak tribes have a tendency to focus on their differences. How you interact with one tribe could have a major impact on every other tribe's treatment of you, so you find yourself very glad that you read up on this before venturing out into the wastes.
By the time you finish your reading, the storm outside has quieted some, and the candles are burning low. It's a tad bit early to be turning in, but with all the traveling you've done of late, you find yourself exhausted. So much is changing, and all at once, that you decide to turn in for the night.
You will figure out how you're going to handle all of this in the morning. The magic, the Izolak, and the frozen wastes, could all wait. After all, they weren't going anywhere.
So: no vote this time. I don't think it's unrealistic to say that Elric is feeling a little overwhelmed, and since he knows he's in relative safety, he's putting off tomorrow until tomorrow. It's convenient for me of course, that this means I can put off any decision making votes until I've had a few hundred more words to give you some actual choices to make. 
That being said, if you haven't already noticed, I held an impromptu vote after the last update wherein I asked everyone what classes of magic you want Elric to be talented in. If you missed it, please give me your feedback! I'm curious to know what you're all thinking. And of course, thank you to those of you who have already responded.
That being said, if you haven't already noticed, I held an impromptu vote after the last update wherein I asked everyone what classes of magic you want Elric to be talented in. If you missed it, please give me your feedback! I'm curious to know what you're all thinking. And of course, thank you to those of you who have already responded.
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