AAR: Qailertetang

[Fantomen]

I decided to roleplay my nation, LA atlantis, in the Cataclysm game. I hope to evenually compile a proper AAR from it.

Chapter one: Umiak.

The wind blew harsh over the frozen sea, biting through thick cloth and blue skin. Umiak struggled forward in the direction he thought was home. The storm had come suddenly, almost unnaturally so, and Umiaks heart was gripped by the eternal fear of death, colder than any storm. A dead seal was draped over his strong shoulders. Heavy, but it could save his life should ill come to worse. Many a seal hunter before him had survived the deadly atlantian nights inside the carcass of their catch, guarded and soothed by its forgiving spirit. Well, many had died also. Found years later like bizarre frozen mummies consumed by their own vengeful prey. It was said by some that those were hunters who had forgotten their hearts, and not honoured the spirit of seal when throwing the harpoon. Others of more practical nature said they had simply forgotten to bring needle and thread.

With endless white swirling around him, hours passed, or was it minutes? Time bent and crumbled in the wind until past and future were but another snowflake coming to rest in his footsteps. Too tired for sleep, too cold for rest, he stumbled forward.

Like any eternity, this ended suddenly. Like stepping through a curtain Umiak left the storm and descended on the shoreline. But this was not his familiar beach, nowhere to be seen were the rocks and passages that used to greet him home. There were bones everywhere, skulls and ribs of gigantic proportions. Most of them littered across the ground, long since shattered and mixed together. But some where intact, like ruins of lost temples they rose over his head as he wandered. These were the whales of ancient times, long since extinct by greedy humans without respect for the spirits of nature. This was one of the bone fields of the forsaken coast, he was lucky to have found it, lucky to be among the few. But Umiak could not enjoy the sacred view, his body was unwilling to obey commands, his eyes would not stay open. He collapsed in the shadow of a colossal turtleshell.

Umiak stood up, reinvigorated and stout like never before. The aching foot, wounded by a walrus many years ago, ached no more. As he looked down on it to contemplate this mystery he was not less bewildered. By his feet he lay sleeping, happily snoring like a blue little bayby. Watching himself there was puzzlement, but no fear. He turned his eyes from himself to himself and noticed a slight transparency. He was interrupted in the study of his hand by a cheery laughter. Umiak spun around only to see a smiling third edition of himself sitting on the turtles skull.

”Time to get to know thyself?” Asked the newcomer and burst into laughter once more.
”...who are...er...I?” Umiak felt a bit silly.
”Good question!!” shouted the clone ”Everyone should ask it! Indeed you are the one I´ve been waiting for!”
”I´m afraid I don´t understand.”
”Even better!” Umiaks joyful doppelganger laughed so wildly he fell down from the turtle and rolled around on the ground for a while, sipping for air in half choked gasps. ”now” he said finally, much more serious: ”you must live like a warrior, you must learn to see. You have already managed to enter your second self, that is a good start. But you see me as yourself and that shows you have far too much personal history for your own good. You will never become a warrior with all that personal history, far too much indulgence and self pity.” He made a face like the thought disgusted him. ”I need you to become a warrior, a man of knowledge and prepare the atlantians for my arrival.”
Umiak stood silent for a while. He was surprised, but he knew enough of the spiritual world to know that this moment was important, any hesitation or sign of cowardness could prove devastating. ”And who are you then, who gives me this task?” He asked.
”I..” and the Umiak looking figure made a little theatrical drumroll on the ground ”...am Qauilertetang!”
And this time Umiak really was shocked. When the spirit had spoken his name Umiak no longer could hold the image of himself. He saw the great spirit in it´s true shape, a great light emerging from the ground. He also saw that it was not really awake, imprisoned under the bones. An echo of it´s potential power. He knew the legend, as all atlantians did, but to behold it... and Qailertetang smiled.