Glensgàile

A vast valley bordered at all sides by tall sloping hills. The Oitiniqa river curves through the valley, often shrouding it in a semi-dense mist. The land of the valley is quite uneven with hillocks and inclines appearing frequently making for an unforgiving trek. Land that is not shrouded by dense fir forests is carpeted by rough scrub-land and bush thickets that often reach head height and give very little open ground.

A continuous cold envelopes the land. Or at least no tale claims the valley to be warm. It retains the sub arctic climate of the surrounding area with frequent rain and is often overcast.

Game animals are in relative abundance with moose and elk being the most prevalent deer species, with minor herds of smaller deer living there as well. The river is well populated with salmon and is used as a spawning route as well as trout and grayling. Sometimes the odd bear or wolf pack will come through but rarely make it their home as the ruling predator here is the waheela. Large, swift, shaggy beasts that stand the height of two men on their hind legs, and seem the result of marriage between bears and wolves. They hunt big game by grappling and crushing them with powerful, clawed forelimbs, and bound through the trees like wild cats moving just as nimbly. The trees caw with almost entirely crows and their cousins, with songbirds and hunter birds are rare sights but not entirely absent. Tales speak of a hidden race that roams the valley that even the waheela fear. Tall hairy creatures known as Nuk-Nuk that walk like men and wield clubs and stone daggers.

Rumors of vast deposits of gold, silver and precious stones have prevailed throughout the years and many a time have lured folk to the valley with the hope of striking riches

In a land where oral tradition and stories are remembered from ages past the valley is unique. For nobody truly knows when the land first gained the shadow of fear that looms over it. And yet rumour and cautionary tales are frequently given credence by those few that brave the valley against all warnings and live to tell the tales.

Alpin's tale

One such story was told in the feast halls of Cruthi settlements throughout the Dusklands of a huntsman called Alpin. A Duskland born Cruthi boy of eighteen who travelled with his hunting band to chase a huge, white waheela rumoured to stalk the valley known as the 'Bloody blizzard'. Like many before them they shrugged off the many warnings of the Dusklanders as old mother's tales, and seduced by the glory to be won by slaying it they ventured from Dunkirbin into the valley. The band numbered twenty, most of whom were seasoned huntsmen. Yet as they entered the valley it seemed the sense of foreboding was felt by the seasoned and the green alike. They moved through a seemingly lifeless place, through dark trees and fought through dense thickets with only their movements and the cawing of crows breaking the overwhelming silence. The more spiritual of the band could be seen gripping the spherical stones of their gods cords and praying under their breath. Whilst others swore to hear whispers from the bushes. While certainly unnerved, as they camped down at the edge of where the beast was said to roam, the fact that they had thus far been unhindered had the band in a good mood. The mood was shattered when morning came, and they found that two of their number had vanished without trace. Nobody among them had heard a sound the night before, and despite the lack of carnage or track the bewildered huntsman still suspected the white waheela. And while some wanted to search the surrounding woods for their brethren, the hunt leader Murtaugh bid them chase their quarry. They fanned out into the area, setting traps in the woods with the intention to chase the beast into one after flushing it from its den. When they met up that afternoon yet another had gone missing, only this time they discovered his fate. He was found dead hanging by his ankle from the snare he had set, blood pouring from a deep cut in his throat. His weapons and the sporran of his kilt were missing, and very human footprints led off into the forest. These men were no strangers to being accosted by rival clans on hunts back in Chiora, and so elected to stay. Murtaugh made it clear that they were not to separate again. They set their camp in a cave that night so as to better defend it from intruders and to shelter from the heavy rain that had begun lashing down outside. Alpin struggled to find sleep but not long after he did it was shattered. He opened his eyes toward the mouth of the cave where a giant white shape had blocked the entrance. He saw white shaggy fur stained crimson and one of his bandsmen in a set of huge jaws. Chaos erupted as warriors formed up in a wall of spears to force the waheela out. It struck a warrior across his face with its claws, killing him instantly. Three hand axes including one from Alpin were buried into the waheela's flesh and after a huntsman lanced it through the ear it bellowed furiously and retreated into the forest. Taking stock they found that the beast had got two other warriors who bled out soon after. At dawn Murtaugh decided to end the hunt. They burned their dead and started out the valley as swiftly as they could, stopping for nothing. They walked the whole day stopping for nothing, their eyes fixed on the dark thicket around them and just before dusk they thankfully had reached the valley edge. Perhaps it was the knowledge that he would never see the it again, or another reason that made him turn back. but he did so. Looking back into the valley his eyes strayed between the trees. To four huge, hulking figures standing still as stones. Staring at him with glowing amber eyes.  

Report from Tupac Tahakayan

The valley suprisingly appears in a report by Tupac Tahakayan. An explorer and diplomat of the Anta'iapi empire who journeyed to the valley seeking diplomatic and trade opportunities. As he wintered with the Akitiri people, he asked about the valley and if the talk of vast gold deposits had any credence. To his people gold was the sacred blood of the sun, and would take any chance to send more home to the empire and take it's place in the temples of life. Like those before he was told the stories of the many dangers of the valley. But where most men saw dangers, he saw opportunity. If he could clear the valley of it's dangers, open it for trade and find gold deposits to possibly start a mining operation it would go a long way to securing alliances with the surrounding peoples. And so he gathered sixty men for an expedition into the valley. They made a trail behind them as best they could and set up a fortified base camp at a pool of the Oitiniqa river. It did not take long for them to find evidence of a local population soon after, in the form of gruesome bone totems topped with what seemed to be the skulls of large apes. Everyone he spoke to referred to the people living in the valley as the Taq'higa, simply meaning 'men of the deep wood.' From what little they knew of them, they were an incredibly brutal people that had cut all contact with other tribes and kill trespassers on sight. Though Tupac believed the tales to be exaggerations, he had no native guides as not a soul from the neighboring tribes agreed to go in no matter how high a price he offered. So Tupac sent some men who could speak some of the local languages into the forest with the aim of making contact with any tribes within. Yet it was whoever was living in the valley that would make there presence known first. With each new morning patrols would find new arrow shafts buried into the wooden posts of the camp wall, and sentries would see strange figures darting between the trees. Every few days roll calls revealed men had vanished, and It was also discovered that at multiple points something had been to be trying to dig underneath the fortifications. Though certainly unnerving Tupac and his crew were used to expeditions in hostile environments and he did his best to keep the spirits of his men up. Though one act of terror would undo his efforts. In the middle of the night two of the messengers were found dead on the opposite bank of the river. They had been spiked through their mouths with lances and placed in an upright position, flesh flayed from their bodies. The remaining three were never found. At dawn Tupac accompanied his warriors to scour the surrounding forest for the culprits but the trail went cold soon after. This along with the fact they could find no evidence of camps or permanent settlements brought to mind the belief that the men of the deep wood were not men at all, but spirits. Just before they turned back one of the scouts reported a fire in the distance. Believing it to be a native encampment they readied their weapons and began started stalking through the scrub preparing to attack. In the middle a wide clearing a huge fire smoldered with the smell of roasted meat. Around which were scattered piles of bones that had been picked clean of flesh and ranged from moose and waheela, to humans. Built above the fire was what appeared to be a roasting spit. But one so large that it would take three men to turn it. And around the fire five large imprints in the ground indicated that incredibly large creatures had rested there. They gathered what they could, including a fire glass dagger the length of a man's arm and started quickly for their camp. Upon their return they were stopped by a terrified crew member who reported that the fortification had been smashed by a large boulder that had been launched from the forest. This came to Tupac's shock as no other nation in the region had siege engines but the size of the boulder that had been launched could have come from nothing else. It would not be the last time such objects would be hurled from the trees, and from that moment all crew members, evan those who came to research the plants and stones carried weapons. Tupac recieved a report from the teams sent to survey the land for gold, and had found no evidence of any major veins. Yet in spite of it being early into the expedition Tupac decided that was reason enough to withdraw from the valley. Taking only what they needed and personal effects they broke their base camp, mounted their carriages and baggage beasts moved swiftly to leave the valley behind them. They were an hours walk from the pass out of the valley when the shadows showed themselves. A warband of tall, burly men painted white with scarlet chests emerged from the woods ahead of them. They stood draped in shaggy brown fur cloaks and helms with scowling face masks in the form of the faces of furious apes. They stood brandishing long bows and knives and hatchets, speaking in a tongue completely alien to the other peoples of the region. They menaced in silence for what seemed like hours as Tupac and his men braced with weapons in fist. One of them pointed a figure at them and upon a blood chilling cry ordered them to attack. Though Tupac and his men were hardened warriors, they struggled against the painted men. They would not go down even from grievous wounds or broken bones. One of them advancing on Tupac was shot over and over again by the bow of his bodyguard, only to have the man pluck them from his flesh as though they were nothing. Only when Tupac himself removed the man's head did he die. Time and again they would dart back into the forest only to charge again with regained vigor at the Anta'iapi lines. Just as Tupac's formation was about to break, a deep, ground shaking bellow erupted from behind them. A band leader shouted something to the other painted men and they fled into the trees. Though his men were exausted, Tupac ordered his men to scale the final stretch out of the valley. Protestations quelled when the trunk of a felled tree was launched, spear like at them from deep in the woods. They gathered their wounded and Tupac ordered the woods behind them set ablaze to cover their retreat while archers harried their new attackers. All the way back boulders and immense clubs were hurled through the flames dashing against men to a chorus of roaring. men fought to keep their beasts from panicking and keep the retreat in some semblance of order. After what seemed like an eternity the unseen shapes gave up the chase and moved to escape the blaze spreading towards them. The expedition crossed into friendly land soon after. Each man sat breathless, some even in shock. It took time for the men to compose themselves and for some to breath normally. When they had they returned to the safety of the Akitiri to rest and plan perhaps a safer expedition. Tupac made clear in the Kapu he sent home that the land was far too dangerous and held nothing of use for the empire. For emphasis he sent the cloak and mask of a painted man, the handle of the spit and the giant dagger. He would travel farther still for another ten years on his great journey before his return home. And in all his travels henceforth. He would always pay heed to the knowledge and warnings of the local people.