WinterQuest: A World of Wendigos.
So, I don't know if this really counts as an omake or just philosophical musing, but I had this set of thoughts and wanted to get them out. One of the most well-known myths of the Algonquians (among other Native Americans) is the story of the Wendigo. A long while ago, someone here asked if Wendigos existed, this was the response:
But after some musing (particularly after looking back to the film Ravenous), I decided to write out my thoughts on the nature of the Wendigo in WinterQuest, and how from my point of view, we have not only encountered it, it has been one of the most steadfast companions.
Firstly, we need to get across what a Wendigo
is. That Wendigos are related to cannibalism is generally known, and a layman who has ever heard the word "Wendigo" could probably tell you that their story is that they come from people who consumed human flesh. But there's more to it than that. "Wendigos" are not physical beings per say, or at least, not just a physical being. A Wendigo is a spirit that possesses people and causes them to feel the insatiable hunger, desire for human flesh, and willingness to commit murder to obtain it that then leads to cannibalism.
But there's a second aspect to the Wendigo that sometimes gets missed. Wendigos eat human flesh, yes. But as they eat, they grow larger. No matter how much they eat and eat and eat, they do not fatten themselves, but only bigger in proportion to the size of their meal, and so they are never full, only hungrier than before. Wendigos are simultaneously gluttonous and starving to death. Devouring and emaciated.
The Wendigo was not merely cannibalism, but selfishness and insatiability. In an environment where you need to make sure there's enough food for Winter, people who refuse to do their share of the work or share possessions, people who eat excessively during the summer, and especially people who when belts need to be tightened look at a neighbor and wonder if having their meat cooked is a better alternative, are all dangers to the entire group. In a lot of stories, Wendigos aren't even supernatural beings themselves, just humans or a metaphor for human evil.
So, where have we seen the Wendigo in Try to Survive the Winter? Well, we might not have seen any specific monster called the Wendigo, but I would argue that it's always been present. Let's go down the list:
The first example of the Wendigo I believe, is Hunger. Yes, that Hunger, the one of the two primary agents of Winter. Hunger's main trial I think is a key example of the Wendigo writ large:
Hunger's trial here is a direct manifestation of the Wendigo. On a physical level, it forces people to eat without being satiated, while mentally, the trial makes people start looking towards their neighbors as food. It also encourages selfishness, as seen by the Hunger of the Mind aspect. In fact, while this is reaching, I think there's an argument to make that Hunger isn't just related to Wendigos. Hunger
is the Wendigo.
Another example of the Wendigo's effects I think can be seen in the Tribute-Takers. The Tribute-Takers' whole modus operandi is that Winter's torments can be alleviated by sacrificing others, both literally and metaphorically, to pay the price in their stead. Every Winter, they descend on another settlement, which becomes their tribute for Winter, and for that they are not only spared Winter's wrath, but gain its patronage.
There are Wendigo aspects to this as well. This act of offering a sacrifice is described as "devouring [the settlement] whole", giving it a cannibalistic motif. But furthermore, while this is largely theory, I believe there is something to be said for this entire act being that of the Wendigo. In order to keep up their bargain, the Tribute-Takers have to keep expanding, keep searching for new settlements to devour to feed to Winter. And since they don't endure Winter's hardships (or at least, not as much) like everyone else does, they continue to expand and, I theorize, at some point would need to offer
even more to Winter as they grow, because they as they grow larger they need bigger tributes. Thus, they consume, but they are never sated by doing so, only growing larger and hungrier.
I also don't think the "Wendigo" is limited only to our location. There have been hints that at least some of the powers assailing us are present elsewhere in the Americas and have at least some encounters with the Spanish (QM hints
here for example, that Winter not being present amongst the Spanish territories is at least as much a conscious choice rather than mere geography.) Spain does however, suffer from Gold Fever, where there is a constant impetus among the Spaniards to grab more (and more and more and more and more
and more) riches, whatever the cost to anyone else. Remember, while hunger for food and starvation are the most well-known associations of the Wendigo, it can also refer to selfishness more generally, especially that which is done without regard for the rest of the group. This sort of insatiable "hunger", for wealth instead of sustenance, I think is something to do with Hunger, or at least another entity closely related to it. In fact, Wendigos have often in social commentary been associated with colonialism, the drive to consume more and more. But no matter how much is claimed and devoured, the nation is never satisfied. It only increases the hunger to expand even further. It would only make sense then, for Spain, which has gorged itself upon the Americas yet still desires more, to have its own Wendigos to contend with.
And I think that Union as a faction, and us as players, are going to deal with the Wendigo in another way. Quests in general have a Wendigo-like feel to them at times. Players in a Quest want influence, agency, and the ability to affect things in the world. When this is granted to them, there is the desire to do those things to a larger degree, rather than being satisfied with what has already been obtained. The nature of this Quest hits us with that from another angle: We always want more dice, more resources, more capabilities, and more power to better fight off Winter. But the more power we gain, the more tempting prey Union becomes to Winter, and thus the more forces that shall be sent against it. Thus, from a certain point of view, more power does not make us "safer" (though we should still obtain it regardless, because less elemental forces like the Tribute-Takers or the Europeans won't wait.)
But the "Wendigo" that Union faces is, I think the temptation. The temptation to devour weaker neighbors such as the Shepards and the Escapees with Raids and attacks to take things from them rather than go through equitable exchange. The easy route taking what we need for Winter at the expense of others. OldShadow's post
here about a possible Bad End referenced the film Ravenous, which in turn associated cannibalism with American colonialism and belief in Manifest Destiny, a rampant, insatiable hunger that led it to devour anything in its path.
"This country is seeking to be whole... stretching out its arms, and consuming all it can. And we merely follow."
So there is a risk that Union might become a Wendigo itself. That after so long instinctively drawing for more and more power for itself, those instincts will persist after the threat of Winter is, for whatever reason, no more. That it will continue to seek more and more and more power for itself until it becomes a force as ravenous and all-consuming as Hunger itself.
One way to escape the Wendigo I think will be to gather allies. Allies might, to a limited extent at least, break the above-mentioned mold of growing strength not bringing safety, because while Union itself doesn't grow stronger, allies are willing to help in Winter, and Winter's ire can, in limited amounts, be put upon them to reduce the strain on Union itself. And from a narrative standpoint, they encourage Union to adopt a more cooperative approach to others, rather than Union empowering itself at their expense. Fortunately, we're already solidly on this path and don't look to get off it anytime soon. I'm not saying that Allies are a "get out of Winter Free" card, but I think gathering them is going to be important from both a gameplay and narrative standpoint for where Union goes from here.
But in essence, I think the Wendigo is not merely one of many opponents of Union. It is one of the main ones, and one it may have to contend with long after Winter passes for the last time.
