Our teams organize into two sledges, each with six Kanu-dogs and me and my three guides, Fenor, Dyce and Irian. The Kanu-dogs are well suited to this mission, bred for operation in the Kalte Wastes. The guides are the best we could find and dedicated to the success of this mission. They are expert trappers, guides, survivalists, and more. I am on a sled with Dyce, and each has enough equipment and food for the journey, so in case we lose a sled, we can get there and back.
You can see very far in this glacial landscape, and I can see the Viad Glacier and mountains even here. We make great progress the first day, and camp inside a circle of ice pillars that were created by the constantly moving ice shelf. Our tents are secure and our dogs fed when suddenly Irian calls out:
“By the gods, a Baknar!”
Baknar are very large creatures that hunt and forage in Kalte coastline and usually eat fish or birds in the sea coast, but it appears to want Kanu-dog tonight.
I have three options - use Hunting, Animal Kinship, or Fight it. Well, obviously, I have to fight.
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The Sommerswerd hums in my hand, even at night. I cannot evade the Baknar and must fight it to the death of either it or me.
Baknar: CS 19, EP 30
I roll an 8 and deal 14 damage while taking none. A 4 follows and 9 to it, 2 to me. A 1 deals out 6 and I take 4. It has 1 Ep left. I roll a zero and kill it. I took 6 total damage and am at 22.
The beast dies and a horrible stench wafts from its body. Even the dogs shrink away from the foul-smelling Baknar. Irian doesn’t and pulls out a dagger and slices into its carcass. Why would we want to skin this foul creature? Ick. Irians skins it from neck to groin, opens it up, and scoops out handfuls of its oil and cheerfully smears it on his face and body. He tells me it will protect against the cold.
I can choose to apply the oil, or avoid smelling awfully. I choose to apply the fat/oil substance of the freshly killed Baknar - double ick.
I initially hold my breath and apply the foul oil, but I quickly begin to feel warmer the more I apply. I also notice the smell disappearing slowly. All of the guides have applied the Baknar Oil, and only the dogs seem to object, and they whine and hide their noses in the snow as I pass to head back to my tent.