HAUKEA INDEX

==="They say it's better to forgive than to hold a grudge, but I can never forgive life itself. It plagues me, it robs me, it destroys me. Yet, no matter how many times I ask, I will never know the answer to why I must fight to feel warm."=== ― Toki Pine of the Coldmeadows

Welcome to the Haukea Index!
This page is dedicated to the known logs historically regarding Haukea: The Coldest Country known to man. The information within this page will expand as the month of December continues with time. This information includes, but is not limited to, things such as: Notable Characters, Known Locations, Folklore, Fantastic Beasts, and most infamously, The Longest Night.

Haukea is the northernmost country in the known-world of Nectar with varied ways of life. There is no definitive leadership, as it entirely depends on the area of the country one lives in, and whether or not one is self-sufficient or depends on a tribe for survival. The eternal wintyr waits for no man and will not hesitate to take hold with its icy hand.

Despite being separated from humankind for most of all existence, the people of Haukea do speak the common tongue (English). However, most people will incorporate the Old Language (Latin) into their speech as a means of bettering communication. The Old Language is an important part of Haukean culture, because it is intertwined with the source of their very lifeline - Old Magic.

Old Magic is the unrefined version of modern-day magic, which is used in nearly every country to this day. Unrefined magic, especially when crossed with unrefined wands and casting devices, is incredibly unpredictable and carries many potential side-effects to its users. Unlike the rest of the world, with their consumerism and means of financial exchange, Haukea can only develop their knowledge and usage of magic to a certain degree before it is deemed "too dangerous." There are many tales of people becoming "addicted" to Old Magic as a result, but many suspect these tales to simply be fictional children's stories to spook them into avoiding magic.


 * -|Notable Characters=

"I've let death take too much from me... I'll make sure it can't feed anymore this time."
Female arctic fox of average stature and fair build. Has blue eyes and sharp claws. A village nobody with a past hidden behind walls of awful, but loves her son more than anything. Reserved personality and caring behavior. Mother of Ffineus Daireann. Age 26.

"My mama works really hard! It makes her very tired sometimes, but she always makes sure to say goodnight to me first!"
Male arctic fox of short stature and developing build. Has blue eyes and stumpy claws. A village boy with a curious mind but careful demeanor, he tries hard to follow in his mother's footsteps. Kind personality and thoughtful behavior. Son of E'lei Daireann. Age 8.

"Maybe following the stars is a dangerous game, but what fun is a game if you can't lose?"
Female snow leopard of average stature and tough build. Has blue eyes and sharp claws. A drifter of the snows with a fascination for the stars and a big heart for her kin. Adventurous personality and caring behavior. Sister of Pisces and Jupiter. Age 22.

"Exactly! Games with a risk are the best kind of games."
Male snow leopard of average stature and average build. Has blue eyes and sharp claws. A drifter of the snows with a natural hunger for exploration and thrill. Adventurous personality and reckless behavior. Brother of Venus and Pisces. Age 16.

"I dun wanna play games! I wanna sleep!"
Male snow leopard of short stature and average, developing build. Has blue eyes and sharp claws. A drifter of the snows that follows in the footsteps of his kin, but mostly travels by toboggan. Curious personality and jumpy behavior. Brother of Venus and Jupiter. Age 8.

"They call me the Punisher."
Male arctic wolf of tall stature and strong build. Has blue eyes and sharp claws. A loner in the heights of Twopeaks with a renowned capability of killing everything living that it sees, minus (some) people. Terrible personality and headstrong behavior. Caretaker of Fish. Age 26.

"And they call me the Dealer. What of it?"
Male arctic wolf of tall stature and strong build. Has yellow eyes and sharp claws. A tough negotiator from a hidden den and a renowned dealer of Wolf's Blessing (a drug with opposite effects of Wolfsbane). Brutish personality and unforgiving behavior. Age 31.

"Fish!"
Male arctic lynx of short stature and meek, developing build. Has blue eyes and tiny claws. A small child abandoned by his mother with a fascination for the word 'fish.' Curious personality and childish behavior. In the care of Timothy St. Vincent. Age 2.

"Don't kick me."
Male arctic hare of short stature and fluffed build. Has blue eyes and sharp claws. A village boy on the cusp of adulthood that just can't find his footing in the world, despite his frustrating attempts. Reserved personality and snippy behavior. Brother of Midas Pine. Age 17.

'' "Kick him back."
Male arctic hare of short stature and fluffed build. Has yellow eyes and sharp claws. A near-perfect copy of his brother, but with polar-opposite physical characteristics - such as his black fur. Reserved personality and frustrated behavior. Brother of Toki Pine. Age 17.


 * -|Known Locations=

Coldmeadows
The general term for a long expanse of land in the lowlands of Haukea.
 * Also the name of the Carjaa's home territory: a small village in the rolling snows with a population of 57, built only some hundred feet from the frozen river nearby.

Twopeaks
An incredible mountain in the midnorthern region of Haukea with two peaks, split left and right from each other. The left peak is said to be home to kind spirits that watch over one's dreams, while the right side is said to be home to evil creatures that lurk in the caves.

Murus Mortus
"The Wall of Death" in the common tongue; Murus Mortus is a breathtaking wall of solid ice that spans seven-hundred feet (700ft, 213m) in height. Considered by all of Haukea to be the greatest glacier ever discovered, life has managed to find its way to the top, but only recently completed a hoist elevator to allow open travel.

The Rail
Sometimes referred to as "the wall atop the wall," The Rail is located at the very top of Murus Mortus: the area has been carefully carved out by the first men that climbed the wall to create a curved snowwall. This is to prevent any snowdrifts or avalanches that may come from the mountains above Murus Mortus from plummeting seven-hundred feet (700ft, 213m) to the ground below. This is only a concern due to what lies below Murus Mortus.

Silva Mortuorum
"The Forest of Death" in the common tongue; Silva Mortuorum is the oldest forest known to exist in Haukea, consisting of trees of birch along its outer ring, spruce and pine trees at the middle ring, and (supposedly) mahogany trees at the center. It is said that Silva Mortuorum is home to hundreds of wintyr spirits that awake when a visitor comes to visit their forest. The further into the forest one travels, the more incredible the spirits the encounter will be; but with these incredible forms also comes the more dangerous of beings. The forest is most famous for its yearly event known as The Longest Night.


 * -|Folklore=

The Spirits
In the country of Haukea, Spirits roam and wander through the wilds just as the rabbits and the elk do. Most say that the reason these spirits still exist is due to the presence of Old Magic within the country, that it encapsulates the dead and gives them new life. This has never been proven to be the case, but it is undeniable, something otherworldly exists within the realm of Haukea alongside the living.
 * Some say the spirits aren't from passing lives at all, however. They believe that the Spirits are created by the Forest Gods, treated just like every other living creature in life, but with methods of surviving unbeknownst to the living.


 * Other inhabitants will say that the Spirits are not Spirits at all, and instead, they are physical manifestations of magic. It has already been proven that magic can take life in the form of Hollixes and Living String, so why could magic not exist as simply itself?

The Forest Gods
Treated as the dominant religion in Haukea, the Forest Gods are a trio of divine beings that are said to rule the eternal wintyr in harmony. It is unknown where their origin began, only that their practices and legends have lived on long enough to this day to still be considered "normal."
 * Solaris Felis is the God of the Sun, represented in the body of a feline. His face is often covered or unfinished in any recreations of his form, similarly to how the sun itself often hides behind the clouds in the sky. Solaris Felis is said to be the protector of the daylight, but a lazy one, at that. In dire times, he will reveal his mighty roar and bare his fangs, ready to destroy whatever foe may challenge him. But most times, He simply rests upon His throne like any feline in a chair.


 * Luna Canis is the God of the Moon, represented in the body of a canine. He is often seen howling at the earth in any recreations of His form, opposite to how canines often howl to His moon from below. Luna Canis is said to be the protector of the night, fierce and ready for battle at any given moment as His moon shines with radiance. Though, His power will always grow and diminish with time, as even Gods need rest in their divine realms. For this reason, it is said that most evil appears during the few nights He sleeps away from the sky.


 * Vespera Aurora is the God of Dawn and Dusk, represented in the body of a dragon. Any recreations of His form are always much larger than the other Gods, due to the magnificence of His form. Vespera Aurora is said to only watch over between Solaris and Luna's exchange, but while His gaze is short lived, it never fails to carry an incredible Godly radiance that would strike fear into any mortal's heart. Like that of a dragon, He holds an incredible power that neither Solars nor Luna can carry on their own. However, some claim that Vespera can also be found within fires, similar to that of dragon's breath.


 * -|Fantastic Beasts=

Living String
As its name suggests, Living String is a magical creature that takes a very string-like physical form. Most often the color black, these creatures make no sound and eat no food, yet they still feed. They often shape themselves into the silhouettes of other things, like cartoon cats or bats in the night, but most often use shadows to create the illusion of a bigger threat around the corner. They then wrap themselves around their target to constrict them and forcibly remove as much magic as they can from their system. This often leaves their prey dead to the cold, as they lack the Old Magic to protect them. However, living string can be killed just as easy as any other string: with a couple scissors, the problem is gone.

Arctic Zouwu
The Arctic Zouwu is a monstrously large, elephant-sized feline creature with a black-and-grey striped body, a scraggly mane, two sabre-tooth fangs that curl out of its mouth, long sharp claws, and a disproportionately long, ruffled tail of charcoal black. This beast is most famously known for its incredible speed, capable of traveling 1,000 miles in a single day. Unlike its standard counterpart, however, the Arctic Zouwu is incapable of teleportation, as it feeds off of Old Magic. The Arctic Zouwu has a known disliking towards fire.

Quetzalcoatl
The Quetzalcoatl is a colossal-sized creature with a visible form similar to that of a gigantic snake, surfing through the snows like a serpent through a sea of soft sands. Its common form, however, does not appear physical at all: the Quetzalcoatl is transparent and blue, like a spiritual vision that manifests itself before the eyes of the snowlanders. But despite this appearance, the Quetzalcoatl can cause absolute carnage if it so decides. There is no known way to kill the beast, only ways to deter it and to hide from it.


 * -|The Longest Night=

The Longest Night
The Longest Night is a yearly event that takes place when the Haukean calendar resets to 0. As the name suggests, it is the longest night in the eternal wintyr, typically lasting between 16-18 hours. Most families will celebrate this event with a great feast, commonly featuring one plate of every kind of creature they had killed during that year; this is to show their thanks to the spirits. After the feast, families will light a single torch beyond the entrance to their home to welcome any gentle spirits that may wander during the night. By the morning, if the torch has gone out, then the family is considered pardoned for their hunting and may continue for another year. If not, then they must contemplate their morals and strive for betterness in the next year. However, this is not the only festive event held during the calendar reset. For the most courageous of men and the bravest of heart, there is a challenge of the same traditional name: The Longest Night. The challenge goes as follows: ''when the solis descends beneath the mountains, man must pray to the spirits of his family name and swear his devotion: there he will begin his adventure into Silva Mortuorum, bringing only what he can carry in his hands and his pockets. He mustn't use magic to aid himself, he mustn't sleep in the spirits' wood, he mustn't drink from the spirits' river, and he mustn't hunt the spirits' beasts. With these pronouncements, man must travel to the center of the forest where he will find three statues of the Forest Gods: Solaris Felis, Luna Canis, and Vespera Aurora. Man may then choose which God's blessing he will lay hold of, but he mustn't dare ask any more than one. After, man must complete his trek to return home. He may only keep his blessing if he can survive his way among the many spirits and beasts that will try to steal his blessing from him. Man must also return before the long moon sets and the morning sun rises; if not, his blessing will be lost and he will be exiled from Silva Mortuorum.''