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[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi

Utzi blinks blankly as he takes his spear back. He examines it briefly in his hands, turning it over a few times to make sure that being absorbed into darkness hadn't done anything to it. He lets out a satisfied huff of frigid air as he concludes that everything is in proper condition, before answering Ehto's question. "I have no idea what that is. Since you are asking, I have to imagine it is some variety of hunting tool?"

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
"Yup!" her tail began wagging again, "It's basically like being able to fling small versions of your spears even farther and more accurately than what your Atl-atl can do. And with more power too, if the bow's got a high enough weight. You take a tree limb or some other peice of decent wood, shape a certain way, then you make a string from animal parts like the guts and sinew and loop it around each end so it forms a bend in the wood. That's the simplified explanation at least. In my world we have something called Archery, basically an entire discipline around shooting them. Kind of outdated given crossbows are thing, but some people just prefer the old fashioned way."

[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi

Utzi frowns. "I think I can picture it. Even if it is more effective, however, I cannot imagine it will be so in my hands. Accuracy is important. If I cannot reliably hit an artery or vital organ, it does not matter if the tool is overall better. It takes years for someone to be good enough with an atl-atl to hunt with it successfully. I would imagine that a "bow" is similar in this regard. During my first mammoth hunt, I had only seen nine summers. I could just about lob the dart in the right general direction and run if the adults hunting with me couldn't bring it down, but I know now that despite hitting the beast several times, I never actually harmed it in any serious way. I only started being a useful hunter by my thirteenth year. If a "bow" takes similar amounts of practice, it doesn't seem worth it spending all those years practicing when I already have skills with an Atl-atl."

Utzi furrows his brow in consideration for a moment, before adopting a small grin. "I would still like to try one, of course."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
"huh... well, yeah you do have a point. Archery isn't exactly something you can just pick up overnight. Fair enough," she shrugged, then looked around the ballroom. Much like the rest of the place she'd seen thus far, bits of broken décor and furniture were scattered here and there. It was all so terribly old that she doubted it would make for a good bow, however. "I don't exactly carry one, and I'm pretty sure none of the stuff around will do the job. I'll keep an eye out though. Despite how complex they can get, they're pretty basic weapons at their core, just like spears are. I'm sure we'll find a world that has some I can show you. Or hey, maybe even someone around here carries one? Actually, how many people have you met here so far?"

[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi

Utzi starts counting on his fingers as he answers Ehto's question. "I will keep my eyes peeled for anyone with such a weapon they would be willing to let me try. No one I have seen so far has had one. There was the strange man who could create flaming thunder with his hands, the woman wearing armor hewn from the earth itself, the two other new people who appeared in the barracks at the same time as I did, who I did not speak to much. I also met a wisened elder of a race of green men named "Mar." I already told you about the smart bird and L. L was also with another strangely-dressed woman named Lyra. There was also the rude man who I was speaking to before you. So it is many people. Most of them seem competent enough, though I fear that the others I arrived with will not last long, they do not seem prepared for a prolonged hunt of anything truly dangerous."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
Rather surprising, that heroes from all sorts of other worlds were being pulled, and one of them was even using basic weapons made of stone... but not a single one she knew of thus far was equipped with a bow. Maybe it wasn't as common as she thought. Or maybe Riell's enthusiasm for the art was rubbing off on her too much. There was something else bothering her though. She first noticed it when she gave him back the spear, and as she watched his mouth more intently, she was certain she hadn't imagined it.
    "Let's put a pin in the idea for now then. How long has your breath been frozen?"

[nuclearwhale]

Utzi frowns in confusion as he takes note of his own breath. Shivering slightly at the reminder of just how long it had been since the last time the ground had been snow-free, Utzi replies.
"Winter must be coming soon, it's freezing here. I've been able to see my breath since my last summer ended. How are you not cold? Your cloak does not look as warm as the hide of a beast."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
Though a bit puzzled given she wasn't actually wearing the cloak right now, she shrugged that detail off.
    "I'm... not sure what you mean," She said, "It feels fine in here to me. You though, well... every time you breath I see a little puff of condensation. Thats uh... it basically means when water turns back from a vapour into a liquid.... uh no wait... Air into wet stuff. Yeah, let's go with that. Anyways, something involving cold is going on, and I'm pretty sure its not the castle..."

She reached out a hand, slowly, gently, and laid the back of her fingers upon Utzi's brow. She pulled them away and couldn't help rubbing them to banish the frigid sensation she got for her efforts. "Yup. It's like your whole body's frozen or something. What was it you said about snow being everywhere?"

[nuclearwhale]

Utzi stares off into the distance for a moment, before a look of horrified realization dawns on his face.
"It was the end of fall. Two of the women had had children, which had slowed our progress to our winter hunting grounds considerably. We needed to take a shortcut to get to the hunting lands in time before food became too scarce to support the tribe. It was decided that we would travel over Alpeak to reach our destination. It would be a harder journey, but a much shorter one. The Elder made the Great Spirit of the Glacier, and the hunting party would be sent over first so that we could have plenty of food on our journey. As we were climbing Alpeak, something went wrong and then the snow came barreling down on me. _{And then there was a voice, telling me that it had been a long time since that happened. A very long time.}"
Utzi glances upwards, his face covered in deep concern. "Did she do something to me?"

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
"Don't know," Ehto shook her head in condolence, "If you got hit by an avalanche- that's what the big rush of snow was -you would've either suffocated or froze to death if somebody didn't dig you out in time. If no one ever did, and what that voice told is true... whatever it was might be the only reason you're alive now. Or well... still walking and talking at least. Do you know how long ago you heard the voice? Was it just before you appeared here, or did something else happen after?"

[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi

Utzi's face scrunches in concentration, the temperature of the room dropping noticeably as he remembers. "The voice let me know when people I knew died. Always telling me how. Mostly animals, so they had honorable deaths at least, but... that was all towards the start. After that she would just occasionally tell me little things. The little things took much longer than the deaths of everyone in my tribe. Much, much longer. I do not know a number high enough. Eventually, the voice grew tired and old, and I felt myself falling in another patch of snow, and I ended up here." 

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
Her tail pressed close against her body as she noticed the sudden chill, it's copious volume serving as a sufficient buffer to the shift. She briefly considered getting her cloak back out before noticing the concentration still plastered on Utzi's face.
     "I see." She said. "Well, whatever happened to you, it looks like it had a few side effects. It's uh... getting a bit cold in here. I'm pretty sure you're dropping the temperature without even trying to."

[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi

Utzi's expression returns to normal, as he looks incredulously at Ehto. Moving past the painful memory, he responds.  "Really? I can not tell the difference. If I am truly controlling the cold, it seems like it would be important to figure out how. I would like to see if I can cause it on purpose. It could be useful for hunting lizards or other such beasts that dislike the cold. You have great skill with such magics yourself, do you have any advice?"

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi

"Hmmmm Ice Sorceries aren't exactly my specialty, but we can see if the basic principles of general sorcery help you out any. All sorceries start with understanding the elements you conjure so well that they become part of you. Once you understand them, once you're one with them, you can control them, like so-"
    Her tail twisted, briefly creating a shadow in the folds of its fur. From those shadows emerged a series of black tentacles, violently lashing across the room and tearing up several stones from the nearby wall in a cacophony of tumbling masonry and plumes of dust. Those same stones began to effortlessly juggle themselves from tendril to tendril before soon being returned to the same places they'd been ripped from. Ehto flashed two fingers at the wall, a sigil black as night dancing upon their tips, and darkness swallowed the freshly replaced stones. As it vanished, the damage was repaired as if it never occurred. She glanced to Utzi, smirking.
    "Let's start simple. What is Ice, Utzi? What is the Cold? What does it do, what purpose does it serve? How would the world be different without Cold, or if the Cold were the only thing that existed?"

[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi

Utzi watches in awe at the display of power, but drags himself back to paying attention to Ehto's words as soon as she speaks. His answer is immediate and certain. "Cold is inevitable and unstoppable, slowly crawling forwards until it swallows the summer. It is slow-moving, never rushing, but always arriving. It kills man, beast, and tree alike, not even noticing when it kills. The cold cannot be beaten, it can only be avoided. In it's path, opportunity arises and all living things can pick up the shattered pieces of those who couldn't run fast enough to nurture themselves. It is a necessary part of the world, but a cruel and uncaring one."