Breaking the Ice The journey begins under the violent aurora at the top of the world as an autoplane delivers supplies to a portable outpost erected on the back of an Icestar. These immense plants inch across the arctic ice in a perpetual path around the planet's magnetic north pole, piercing the ice with their drilling roots and catching small fish. The outpost was one of several established to study the weather in this harsh environment, and the thick-furred rind of the Icestar made the perfect "patch of ground." As the supply ship descends it witnesses a rare breaching of the Crimaq. This leviathan is a giant marine insect that thrives on cold. He is named for the Lamrid legend of the Winterlord, and like his namesake he seldom shows his face. He dwells in the deep cold of dark caves, surfacing only when the aurora is brightest. A total of four sightings of the magnificent giant have been recorded, leading to speculation that he is the last of his kind. |
