The Lands of Ice and Mice
A Scientific Romance by Guy Deschamps and DValdron
With thanks to the good folks of AH.com for their always lovely ideas and especially to Jared for his wonderful timeline, Lands of Red and Gold
Part One: In Which An Emperor Is Crowned
Issorartuyok, Hey Nuna(1)
The Year of Our Lord 1717
The imperial capital of Issorartuyok, bounded on three sides by the pleasantly undulating water of Awaliarutak Lake(2), glimmered darkly in the summer sun. The city’s buildings, all new-hewn of northwood, were low, long buildings adorned with intricate carvings of hunts, wars, and old ancient days. Rising above the city on the furthest part of its small peninsula was a man-made mound, studded with sharp, slick greatstone to discourage besiegers. Surmounting this mound were a series of much larger—though still low—long, ancient houses built of greatstone and with shining jewels glittering in their own, more primitive carvings. This unimposing, though admittedly quite beautiful compound was the beating heart of Hey Nuna(3). Centuries before, this same court had been the seat of the legendary Ataneq Sinnektomanerk Hey Nuna(4), who had, for a brief few decades, united all of Hey Nuna under his personal control. With this dawn, the Lands of Ice were once again under the rule of a single, strong leader—today, this leader was to be crowned.
Now, the sun shines upon this leader as he mounts the single path of greatstone steps to the Palace-On-The-Mound, followed by a solemn procession of retainers and allies. He is a slight (like most of his people), thin man with surprisingly mellow black-brown eyes and luxuriant long black hair bound into a ponytail by a cord of woven tanapok(5) stem. Mounted upon his head is the skin of a wolf, its eyes staring blindly towards the palace, signifying his title as an Ataneq(6). He wears the traditional, intricately-carved and jewel-encrusted whalebone-and-sealskin armor of the wandering caribou riders, denoting his connection to the soldiers of the land. Finally, in his left hand is a primitive, old, wood-and-copper hoe held together by tanapok stem, while in his right hand is a jagged-ended whaling harpoon, demonstrating his authority as the highest shaman and his deep connection to the old ways of life. He is the Great Devil of the Winter Lands to the Dene, Cree, Ugakhpa, and Ofo to the south, the Lion of the North to the faraway Europeans who watch his regime with increasing concern, and King-Father Wolf to his people.
Behind this man stretched a solemn procession, representing all walks of Thule life; shaman-farmers walked in the front, dressed in naturalistic, mystical clothes with carven wooden masks that hid their faces from mortal eyes; the wandering caribou riders came next, their ornate whalebone dress armor hiding the steel below, and their wild manes of hair bound in tight bonds; behind them came an assortment of merchants, poor urban workers, smiths, and every other walk of life possible. Behind the riders were even a group of white men from Europe, marching two by two as was the way of the Thule. Each of the four were matched with those who the Ataneq saw as their opposite; the tall, blond, sunburned ambassador of the Kongelig Dansk-Norske Vestindien Firma strode next to the short, sullen, dark-haired and tan representative from the Real Português Companhia da Gronelândia. Behind them came the red-haired, cheerful, thin British Nektoralik(7) Bay Company envoy, supporting the fat, bald, puffing emissary from the Royale Française Société Columbien(8). On pain of death, all four men were silent; indeed, the whole procession was so. Caribou riders wielding sharp taggariks(9) rode up and down the long column, enforcing the silence with their blades. This was a day of utmost ceremony, after all, and Aama Tugartaq and her alter-ego, Aama Pokittok, must both be honored with either the quiet of soft snow or the blood of punishment on such days(10).
Finally, the Ataneq mounted the final step and stepped solemnly into the unassuming main building, followed by his retainers. The caribou riders to the sides dismounted and melded seamlessly into the procession as it continued into the long, low building. The meat and bread of Thule society poured into the building until it could hold no more; the overflow then diverted itself into the other three buildings, filling them. Finally, the last of the walkers were forced to wait silently, standing outside the compound as the chill Mound wind whipped the heat from the air.
Within the central structure, the air was humid with the breaths of more than a hundred Thule. Crowded around a small stone platform in the center of the room, the crowd watched in stony silence—broken only by the chanting of a single shaman—as Ataneq Amaguq Adlartok(11) placed the hoe and the harpoon on the ancient stone chair on the platform. Taking off his headdress, he placed that on the chair as well. Finally, he slowly took off his whalebone armor in a several-minute-long ritual. The chanting shaman now came forward, bearing the gold-painted brown bear pelt which denoted an Ataneq of Hey Nuna(12).
Placing it upon the Ataneq’s head while chanting words passed down for centuries, the shaman shook his head at his lord, a traditional sign of respect, and helped him reclothe himself. Bearing his harpoon and hoe, Ataneq Amaguq Hey Nuna turned towards the chair and, in a booming voice, shouted, “Aama Tugartaq! Aama Pokkitok! Kaibjayok nuna, adgiarpok onartok kollangorpok hey!(13)” The Request of the Ataneq done, the people burst into cheering. But the ceremony was not yet done. With a stare cold as ice and a growl like some wild beast, Amaguq silenced his subjects. He raised his harpoon and two caribou-riders, bearing between them a wooden effigy, hurried to the platform. They placed the wooden effigy on the throne. It was a stylistic, beautifully and yet insultingly carved representation of a curly-haired white man dressed in elaborate clothing. The shaman placed the wolf pelt on the effigy’s head, and the Ataneq spoke once more. (14) “I, Emperor-Father Wolf of the Winter Lands, hereby declare the people of the land known as Britain to be the opposite of the people of the Winter Lands, and their king to be my own opposite, and eternal enemy!” Taking aim, he flung the harpoon violently at the effigy’s head. With a loud crack, it split the head in half and clattered to the floor, causing great cheers to rise up among the people. In the back of the room, the red-headed Englishman had paled. The Frenchman, having caught his breath, grinned at his counterpart and whispered to him;
“Now the dogs of war gnash and growl at your heels instead of ours—may it be so eternally!”
Notes
(1) Literally, “Leader Dog, Winter Lands”. Leader Dog is actually the name of the city, representing its status as traditional capital of the Winter Lands.
(2) Literally, “Areola Lake”. IOTL, Great Slave Lake in northwest Canada. Issorartuyok is on that little peninsula in the west.
(3) The Winter Lands are the traditional Thule and Plains Indian name for Thule lands—ITTL, at least.
(4) Literally, “Emperor-Father Dream of the Winter Lands”.
(5) Also known as alpine sweetvetch. Just a note; ITTL, Thule words only have any meaning when paired with other words, and can in fact change meanings when paired with another word, to represent the dualistic nature of Thule cosmology and agriculture. So that word would be basically gibberish, except that it has entered ITTL’s English as the term for alpine sweetvetch.
(6) Literally, “King-Father”. ITTL, ataneq can mean king-father, emperor-father, lead rider, and mountain.
(7) Literally, “Eagle Bay”. ITTL’s Thule name for Hudson Bay.
(8) Columbia is the ITTL European name for North America. South America has a whole different name.
(9) Taggarik literally means ‘pitch dark’, but in this context, it refers to the long, thick, machete-like short-swords Thule caribou-riders use along with spears (both long stabbing spears and short throwing ones).
(10) Aama Tugartuq meaning Mother Snow (representing the comforting embrace of the land), and Aama Pokittok meaning Low Mother (representing death, pain, and the chill of winter); Inuit mythology ITTL is unique in its dualistic nature. Every god or goddess has his or her opposite number who represents the dark part of the original’s nature.
(11) “King-Father Wolf of Adlartok”
(12) “Emperor-Father of the Winter Lands”
(13) “Mother Snow! Low Mother! Bless the coming winter and breathe warm over these lands!” A traditional request to the gods made by a newly-crowned Thule king or emperor. If the winter is not too harsh, the king or emperor is worthy. If it is harsh, the leader must prove himself to be worthy in mortal combat with his chosen counterpart (will explain in the next note).
(14) Translated into English for your convenience. Every newly-crowned Thule king or emperor must select another king or emperor to represent the dark parts of his nature and act as his mortal enemy and counterpart. Amaguq is making quite a powerful statement by designating George I such.
DValdron should be posting the actual POD soon enough. Comments?
A Scientific Romance by Guy Deschamps and DValdron
With thanks to the good folks of AH.com for their always lovely ideas and especially to Jared for his wonderful timeline, Lands of Red and Gold
Part One: In Which An Emperor Is Crowned
Issorartuyok, Hey Nuna(1)
The Year of Our Lord 1717
The imperial capital of Issorartuyok, bounded on three sides by the pleasantly undulating water of Awaliarutak Lake(2), glimmered darkly in the summer sun. The city’s buildings, all new-hewn of northwood, were low, long buildings adorned with intricate carvings of hunts, wars, and old ancient days. Rising above the city on the furthest part of its small peninsula was a man-made mound, studded with sharp, slick greatstone to discourage besiegers. Surmounting this mound were a series of much larger—though still low—long, ancient houses built of greatstone and with shining jewels glittering in their own, more primitive carvings. This unimposing, though admittedly quite beautiful compound was the beating heart of Hey Nuna(3). Centuries before, this same court had been the seat of the legendary Ataneq Sinnektomanerk Hey Nuna(4), who had, for a brief few decades, united all of Hey Nuna under his personal control. With this dawn, the Lands of Ice were once again under the rule of a single, strong leader—today, this leader was to be crowned.
Now, the sun shines upon this leader as he mounts the single path of greatstone steps to the Palace-On-The-Mound, followed by a solemn procession of retainers and allies. He is a slight (like most of his people), thin man with surprisingly mellow black-brown eyes and luxuriant long black hair bound into a ponytail by a cord of woven tanapok(5) stem. Mounted upon his head is the skin of a wolf, its eyes staring blindly towards the palace, signifying his title as an Ataneq(6). He wears the traditional, intricately-carved and jewel-encrusted whalebone-and-sealskin armor of the wandering caribou riders, denoting his connection to the soldiers of the land. Finally, in his left hand is a primitive, old, wood-and-copper hoe held together by tanapok stem, while in his right hand is a jagged-ended whaling harpoon, demonstrating his authority as the highest shaman and his deep connection to the old ways of life. He is the Great Devil of the Winter Lands to the Dene, Cree, Ugakhpa, and Ofo to the south, the Lion of the North to the faraway Europeans who watch his regime with increasing concern, and King-Father Wolf to his people.
Behind this man stretched a solemn procession, representing all walks of Thule life; shaman-farmers walked in the front, dressed in naturalistic, mystical clothes with carven wooden masks that hid their faces from mortal eyes; the wandering caribou riders came next, their ornate whalebone dress armor hiding the steel below, and their wild manes of hair bound in tight bonds; behind them came an assortment of merchants, poor urban workers, smiths, and every other walk of life possible. Behind the riders were even a group of white men from Europe, marching two by two as was the way of the Thule. Each of the four were matched with those who the Ataneq saw as their opposite; the tall, blond, sunburned ambassador of the Kongelig Dansk-Norske Vestindien Firma strode next to the short, sullen, dark-haired and tan representative from the Real Português Companhia da Gronelândia. Behind them came the red-haired, cheerful, thin British Nektoralik(7) Bay Company envoy, supporting the fat, bald, puffing emissary from the Royale Française Société Columbien(8). On pain of death, all four men were silent; indeed, the whole procession was so. Caribou riders wielding sharp taggariks(9) rode up and down the long column, enforcing the silence with their blades. This was a day of utmost ceremony, after all, and Aama Tugartaq and her alter-ego, Aama Pokittok, must both be honored with either the quiet of soft snow or the blood of punishment on such days(10).
Finally, the Ataneq mounted the final step and stepped solemnly into the unassuming main building, followed by his retainers. The caribou riders to the sides dismounted and melded seamlessly into the procession as it continued into the long, low building. The meat and bread of Thule society poured into the building until it could hold no more; the overflow then diverted itself into the other three buildings, filling them. Finally, the last of the walkers were forced to wait silently, standing outside the compound as the chill Mound wind whipped the heat from the air.
Within the central structure, the air was humid with the breaths of more than a hundred Thule. Crowded around a small stone platform in the center of the room, the crowd watched in stony silence—broken only by the chanting of a single shaman—as Ataneq Amaguq Adlartok(11) placed the hoe and the harpoon on the ancient stone chair on the platform. Taking off his headdress, he placed that on the chair as well. Finally, he slowly took off his whalebone armor in a several-minute-long ritual. The chanting shaman now came forward, bearing the gold-painted brown bear pelt which denoted an Ataneq of Hey Nuna(12).
Placing it upon the Ataneq’s head while chanting words passed down for centuries, the shaman shook his head at his lord, a traditional sign of respect, and helped him reclothe himself. Bearing his harpoon and hoe, Ataneq Amaguq Hey Nuna turned towards the chair and, in a booming voice, shouted, “Aama Tugartaq! Aama Pokkitok! Kaibjayok nuna, adgiarpok onartok kollangorpok hey!(13)” The Request of the Ataneq done, the people burst into cheering. But the ceremony was not yet done. With a stare cold as ice and a growl like some wild beast, Amaguq silenced his subjects. He raised his harpoon and two caribou-riders, bearing between them a wooden effigy, hurried to the platform. They placed the wooden effigy on the throne. It was a stylistic, beautifully and yet insultingly carved representation of a curly-haired white man dressed in elaborate clothing. The shaman placed the wolf pelt on the effigy’s head, and the Ataneq spoke once more. (14) “I, Emperor-Father Wolf of the Winter Lands, hereby declare the people of the land known as Britain to be the opposite of the people of the Winter Lands, and their king to be my own opposite, and eternal enemy!” Taking aim, he flung the harpoon violently at the effigy’s head. With a loud crack, it split the head in half and clattered to the floor, causing great cheers to rise up among the people. In the back of the room, the red-headed Englishman had paled. The Frenchman, having caught his breath, grinned at his counterpart and whispered to him;
“Now the dogs of war gnash and growl at your heels instead of ours—may it be so eternally!”
Notes
(1) Literally, “Leader Dog, Winter Lands”. Leader Dog is actually the name of the city, representing its status as traditional capital of the Winter Lands.
(2) Literally, “Areola Lake”. IOTL, Great Slave Lake in northwest Canada. Issorartuyok is on that little peninsula in the west.
(3) The Winter Lands are the traditional Thule and Plains Indian name for Thule lands—ITTL, at least.
(4) Literally, “Emperor-Father Dream of the Winter Lands”.
(5) Also known as alpine sweetvetch. Just a note; ITTL, Thule words only have any meaning when paired with other words, and can in fact change meanings when paired with another word, to represent the dualistic nature of Thule cosmology and agriculture. So that word would be basically gibberish, except that it has entered ITTL’s English as the term for alpine sweetvetch.
(6) Literally, “King-Father”. ITTL, ataneq can mean king-father, emperor-father, lead rider, and mountain.
(7) Literally, “Eagle Bay”. ITTL’s Thule name for Hudson Bay.
(8) Columbia is the ITTL European name for North America. South America has a whole different name.
(9) Taggarik literally means ‘pitch dark’, but in this context, it refers to the long, thick, machete-like short-swords Thule caribou-riders use along with spears (both long stabbing spears and short throwing ones).
(10) Aama Tugartuq meaning Mother Snow (representing the comforting embrace of the land), and Aama Pokittok meaning Low Mother (representing death, pain, and the chill of winter); Inuit mythology ITTL is unique in its dualistic nature. Every god or goddess has his or her opposite number who represents the dark part of the original’s nature.
(11) “King-Father Wolf of Adlartok”
(12) “Emperor-Father of the Winter Lands”
(13) “Mother Snow! Low Mother! Bless the coming winter and breathe warm over these lands!” A traditional request to the gods made by a newly-crowned Thule king or emperor. If the winter is not too harsh, the king or emperor is worthy. If it is harsh, the leader must prove himself to be worthy in mortal combat with his chosen counterpart (will explain in the next note).
(14) Translated into English for your convenience. Every newly-crowned Thule king or emperor must select another king or emperor to represent the dark parts of his nature and act as his mortal enemy and counterpart. Amaguq is making quite a powerful statement by designating George I such.
DValdron should be posting the actual POD soon enough. Comments?