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The Legend of Nipik

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The Legend of Nipik
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written in the fashion of man
by Snowflower

Long ago, we, the othmir, lived in Cobalt Scar on the western side of Velious, and there we had lived for generations and prospered. One day, a young, shy, orphaned runt named Nipik began seeing horrible visions: the sky was broken, the land shifted and cracked, and the blood of his people soaked the snow and made it crimson. He was fearful and begged his elders to flee and find a new establishment to call their home.But the elders would hear nothing of him, they even punished him for fear mongering. But he would not stop, and instead he began telling the people to flee with him. But his pleas and doom-saying only made him more alienated than before. In the end, only a handful agreed to flee with him, including his older sister, Fina, who was like a mother to him. They set sail out on the ocean on what some would consider an odyssey. Soon after they left, the Rending occurred, which split the land and enraged the seas.

For months, the ocean raged like the gnashing of teeth and the winds howled like screams. The very world itself appeared tormented with pain from the catastrophe that had occurred. Nipik and his fellow othmir struggled on these raging ocean waves; they were tossed like a leaf on the wind, and great beasts of the deep waters would stalk them with hungry eyes, hoping one would fall overboard. They fought to stay alive, and nearly perished, but in the end, Nipik’s sister sacrificed herself so the others could live. No one to this day knows what happened. Nipik would never say what occurred. All we know is that she was a strong warrior, a skilled and honored fisher, and a mother figure. Nipik suffered a great loss from losing her. The sadness never left his eyes.Hope was quickly becoming a rare commodity upon the tiny boat, but this did not last forever, for eventually, the seas settled and eased, and Nipik began to receive new visions. Visions of a sandy beach where he could call home. Continuing to follow the voice, he landed on the eastern beaches of Velious, and they quickly began to build a new home. Not long after, survivors from Cobalt Scar began showing up, many battered and near death. They all remembered Nipik’s warnings and begged his forgiveness, calling him a prophet and the savior. With the handful of survivors, the new village would be able to sustain itself, and was named ‘Nipik’s Haven’.

Life was good and peaceful for generation after generation, but Nipik did not die and aged very slowly. If the villagers did not know it already, they knew it now; that Nipik has been touched by a god. And still he continued to hear the distant voice that saved his people. It beckoned him, leading them to prosperity and good fortunes. But where was the voice coming from, Nipik decided one day to follow the mysterious voice.He set out to sea once again with a few close companions, but this time the waters were calm and lazy. The voice lead him to a clustering flow of ice drifting in the Iceclad Oceans where the fishing was the best they had seen. This reminded him of his beloved sister, who loved to fish, and was excellent at it. So, in memory of her, he named the spot ‘Fina’s Retreat’. Because of the great fishing, it soon grew from a simple camping spot into a smaller branch of the village. Any othmir worth their whiskers knows the heroics of Fina, and so a shrine in her honor and memory was erected there.

One day, Nipik heard the voice much stronger than before. It told him that he must go on a spiritual journey if he wished to meet the entity behind the voice. Nipik prepared himself, and traversed the watery depths alone. It wasn’t before long when Nipik gazed upon a shining light deep beneath the waves. Then a great mass emerged from the light; a giant and mighty turtle. He called himself Lodizal, and he spoke to Nipik with the same voice he had been hearing for so long, and he told him about his own journey.Lodizal spoke of how he once battled adventurers many lifetimes ago. Prexus looked down upon the world and saw the mighty turtle battlign the land dwellers. So impressed was he in the strength and courage of this beast, that he decided to rescue the turtle from his attackers by bringing him to the Plane of Water. He was hand chosen by Prexus, god of the seas and oceans, to be his messenger and to be a physical representative for him on Norrath. Another reason he chose Lodizal at this time was for us, the othmir, his favored creation.

Prexus loved us more than any of his other creations because of our demeanor and loyalty. So when Prexus caught wind of the danger of the Rending on Norrath, he took measures to try and save us. He chose Lodizal because he was the biggest and mightiest of the turtles. He was proud that one of his creations became so mighty, and so he blessed Lodizal with mystical powers, including an extremely long life.
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But Lodizal had no voice of his own, so he could not tell the othmir what must be done to save them. Instead, he chose one othmir among the many to speak for him. He chose the runt named Nipik and secretly blessed him with a portion of his powers, binding them together and allowing him to hear his absent voice.Lodizal chose Nipik to receive his visions because he had a strong spirit and aura, despite his puny size. It is said that Nipik, smaller size meant that what he lacked in physical strength, he more than made up for with wits, making him more ideal to Lodizal than a physically strong othmir. He was also more ideal than a shaman, because a shaman would be more likely to misinterpret the visions and seek out spirits instead.

With these final words, Nipik’s spiritual joumey was over. He climbed upon the back of the mighty turtle and rode him up to the ceiling of the ocean, breaking the surface in a mass of swirling water, waves, and spray. It was the grandest sight I will ever see for as long as I live.
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After the divine connection was made public, the villagers came to recognize that it was Lodizal who led Nipik during the Age of Cataclysms, and began to worship him as a demigod alongside Prexus. Nipik became a new political and spiritual leader, loved by all who knew him.
It is clear that Nipik will surely be the oldest othmir to ever live because of his blessings from the gods. But the sad truth is that Nipik is still aging, even if it is very slowly. One day, our prophet may leave this world. Oh, what a sad day that will be for us. But for Nipik, perhaps it will be a happy day, perhaps it will be the day when the sadness finally leaves his eyes when he can gaze upon his beloved sister once more.
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Book, mobile, Nipik, Othmir, Prexus, Velious

Collected Writings of Trepa

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After traveling by sea for so many weeks, we finally had come upon the eastern shores of Velious. Although I had never seen the shoreline with my own eyes, some of the fishermen, including Beli, said that things changed there dramatically. After the terrible events I had seen over the days prior, I don’t believe anything there, or anywhere in Velious, would have been the same. We met up with other survivors, and began to attempt to put together a settlement.

We had met with the few brave Othmir who had accompanied Nipik on his initial journey from the Cobalt Scar, and much to our dismay, found that Fina had died during the journey. It was clear that this had affected Nipik deeply, but his inner strength and conviction was incredible. He had lost some of his willingness to carry out the deed to which he had been entrusted, and still had the courage to help lead us during this difficult time.

I spent some time walking the shores that were now our home. I had heard that once, a great, black tower had loomed over the landscape here, but much have sunk when the upheavals in Velious began. I would sometimes search the waters for traces of the dark tower, but I never was able to find any evidence of its existence. I had thought, at that point, that either it had been a myth, or had indeed sunk to impossible depths.

I did, however, find pieces of what was once a massive bridge, supposedly constructed from the bones of dragons themselves. Although I had never seen the bridge myself, it was supposed to have connected the small pieces of land on which the tower stood, to the greater mass of the continent itself. This intrigued me, since I thought that maybe since the bridge apparently existed, perhaps so did the tower. It was a mystery I was always content in fantasizing about, since the answers were likely lost in the icy seas.

Once Nipik returned from a fishing trip he had embarked on, and explained that he had received another vision, and that he would need to travel further to the north. He said that this task was entrusted to him, and that it was not necessary for the other members of the tribe to accompany him. However, many of us stepped forward to join him. I, myself, was inspired by his courage and leadership, and was willing to follow him into the unknown to help in his endeavor, whatever it might be. Within days, we had packed up enough supplies for a journey of weeks, and left to follow the visions of Nipik.

We floated into the unknown for some time. One morning, I awoke, feeling a chilling wind across my pelt. I looked around, and most of the others were still sleeping, save Nipik — he stood to the front of the raft, looking off into the horizon. I followed his gaze, and I saw great floes of ice looming in the distance. However, to my amazement, piercing the sky was a lone, black tower, standing tall above everything else in view. What I thought once to be lost or nothing more than a legend, turned out to be very real.

It was near the base of this tower that Nipik had found the one he had been searching for – the creature known as Lodizal, a mighty turtle empowered by Prexus himself. It was here that we would build our new camp. We would care for our new charge, and ensure his well-being, and help to fulfill the task that was handed to Nipik, but is now shared by us all.

Age of Turmoil, Age's End, Lodizal, Nipik, Othmir, Prexus, The Chelsith Stone

The Call of the Ocean Lord

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Othmir in the Sinking Sands

You say, “Hail, Stissa”
Stissa says to you, “Greetings, friend. I am pleased that you sounded the beacon for us so that we might finally complete our long journey. Finally, the mighty Lodizal can rest.”
You say to Stissa, “Lodizal? Is that who this creature is?”
Stissa says to you, “It is. Lodizal was chosen by Prexus following the Age of Turmoil and infused with a piece of his power. He was to wait until such a time when he was called on by Prexus again, and thus, has waited in the waters of Iceclad for the call of the Ocean Lord ever since.”
You say to Stissa, “Who are you?”
Stissa says to you, “We are the othmir. Our Speaker, Nipik, was the one to receive the visions of Lodizal, to guide us to where he slept. It was our duty to watch over him, to ensure he is fed and protected, under the direction of the Speaker – the one who interprets the will of Lodizal himself.”
You say to Stissa, “How did you get here?”
Stissa says to you, “Lodzial has slept for as long as we can remember. When he awoke, it was up to us to help guide him, although we knew not where to go. Your clarion call beckoned him to his destination.”
You say to Stissa, “Here? What is he here for, then?”
Stissa says to you, “He is here for the destined ones. He is here to bring them to his home, to help them find their way to Velious.”
You say to Stissa, “Wait, he knows the way to Velious? He can take us there?”
Stissa says to you, “He can, and he will. He merely needs time now to rest. Once he is able, we will take the destined ones to the shores of his home.”
You say to Stissa, “Is there anything I can do to help him?”
Stissa says to you, “No. For now, leave him to rest. Soon though, he will be ready, and will begin the long journey home.”
You say to Stissa, “Very well. Then I wish him a swift recovery. Farewell to you.”