NORTHERN DUSK

Preface: This article is about characters created inspired by the Inuit and supernatural beings living in the Arctic Circle in the role-playing game World of Darkness. Although the article provides general information about the discovery of the North Pole in world history and the Inuit, its main focus is on fantasy fiction. It is recommended for those familiar with the plot of the game series. Some terms are translated into Turkish with close meanings, while some words are left in their original form.

SHORT HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE

Before its discovery, little was known about the area beyond the sixtieth parallel of the Arctic Ocean. In fact, even Russian czars lacked complete information about the boundaries of their lands, as reflected in proverbs. This was due to the ice covering both land and sea routes for the majority of the year, preventing the mapping of the topography of the polar circle with freezing cold and storms. The only ports that the Arctic Ocean allowed passage to were Murmansk in the west and Vladivostok in the east (the effects of global climate change are altering this situation). Until the recent past, the approximately 5,630 kilometers of the region, which remained completely under ice for more than six months, partially allowed passage for nuclear icebreaker ships during these times.


The attempts to explore the North Pole begin with the search for alternative routes to reach the wealth of India and China. A route is sought towards the riches of Southeast Asia by traversing Russia and Siberia or following the north of Canada. The involvement of Baltic countries in the struggle for dominance in maritime trade routes intensifies this competition. The pioneers of the first organized exploration efforts towards the North Sea and beyond are the journeys of English Sir Hugh Willoughby and Richard Chancellor in 1533. Willoughby's ships, sailing towards Norway, become trapped in the ice 250 km east of Murmansk. The entire crew perishes from freezing. Chancellor, caught in a storm in the Barents Sea, manages to reach the port of Archangelsk. Despite another attempt by the English in 1556, they cannot go beyond Novaya Zemlya. Another maritime country of the period, the Netherlands, managed to go further in their explorations between 1550-1597. The most important feature of their fleets was that their ships were financed not by royal families but entirely by merchant guilds. Among them, Willem Barents' ship could have crossed the seventy-seventh parallel, which had not been surpassed until then, if his crew had not rebelled. Barents did not give up and set out again with a fleet of seven ships carrying commercial goods to be exchanged for Asian spices. However, they could not overcome the ice. After spending a year in makeshift wooden cabins built from the damaged ships' hulls on land, Barents and the surviving crew members could barely return to their homelands. 274 years later, a Norwegian fisherman finds Barents' cabin east of Novaya Zemlya. Drawings by Barents emerge from a horn in the cabin, preserved in its original condition. These drawings are invaluable for the history of the exploration of the North.


Russian Tsar Peter tasked the Danish navigator Vitus Jonassen Bering with measuring the distance between the continents of America and Asia. Bering, arriving in Kamchatka by land, set sail south from there, but had to turn back due to harsh weather conditions. In the next attempt in 1741, he set out on another exploration with two ships. This time, his own ship, St. Peter, lost its way. However, the other ship, St. Paul, managed to reach the southern shores of Alaska. Thus, it was proven that America and Asia are two separate continents. Bering and most of his crew lost their lives from scurvy on the return journey. Until the Industrial Revolution, the ice managed to resist explorers.


By the end of the 19th century, the explorations of the Arctic Circle lagged behind in the race to conquer Antarctica, a continent nearly twice the size of Australia at the time. However, the exploration marathon of the South Pole was not proving as financially rewarding to explorers as it increased their fame. After World War I, the geopolitical importance of the North Pole and the polar circle began to regain significance compared to the South Pole. Norwegian Roald Amundsen planned to fly over the North Pole with an airplane in 1924 to discover any unexplored land towards Alaska. Due to financial and technical limitations, he was not successful in his first attempt. With the support of American millionaire Lincoln Ellsworth, he took off again in 1925 with a newly equipped plane. After the unsuccessful outcome of this expedition, in 1926, they decided to use the same zeppelin duo and reached the narrowest point of the Bering Strait. They proved that there was no other land between Alaska and the North Pole. Finally, on May 9, 1926, U.S. Navy Pilots Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennet successfully flew to and returned from the North Pole. Over time, the exploration line of the North would spread across an immense area from Siberia to Alaska. Dreams of gaining wealth from industrial fishing and mining activities would warm the hearts of colonies settling in these areas despite the prolonged freezing cold and darkness. However, on the other hand, the spread of imperialist hunger to the Arctic geography would deeply affect and bring the Eskimo (ethnolinguistically referred to as Inuit in Siberia and North America, Yupik in Alaska, Inupiat in Alaska, and Sami in Sweden and Norway) societies to the brink of extinction, almost 12,000 years after they have been living here.

POLAR WIND AND THE PEOPLE OF THE TUNDRA – ESKIMOS

The Eskimo people, arriving from Siberia during the last ice age, settled in Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. They speak Eskimo-Aleut languages and are a hunter-gatherer community living in regions between the tundra and polar climates. The most widely accepted meaning of the word Eskimo is 'the person who ties or weaves snowshoes' in the Innu language. Almost all Eskimo communities have been subjected to the cultural and belief pressures of their respective countries' governments. The transition from nomadic to settled life and the alteration of traditional hunting conditions based on sea and land hunting have completely disrupted their lives. Their beliefs, mainly rooted in shamanism, have been forced to be abandoned by missionaries. Assimilation efforts have caused significant erosion of their cultural heritage based on arts and crafts (mostly on bone and leather) and oral traditions that form their identities. The pressures that intensified after World War II continued until the late 1970s. With the better organization of the younger generation seeking their own identity, they were able to make their voices heard after the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) held in 1977. However, the future of Eskimos is uncertain. Climate change, extremely limited property rights, reliance on meager tourism and small cooperatives based on coastal fishing for income, and their dependence on the support and aid provided to them are the reasons for this uncertainty.

NORTHERN LIGHTS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS

In the role-playing game "World of Darkness," the North Pole is portrayed as a place surrounded by harsh climate conditions, freezing dark nights, and spirits with complex personalities. For Eskimos, the priority in the frozen land is to efficiently use the simplest tools and available resources to survive. Despite giving the impression of primitiveness in the midst of pure whiteness, they must rely on their brilliantly designed tools such as axes, fishing lines, harpoons, knives, and clothing passed down through generations. In these challenging conditions, material possessions like property and money hold no significance for them. The stories they tell about their ancestors and spirits during the cold, dark nights are their most precious possessions. Within such simplicity, their ability to create perfect, functional structures and tools like igloos and kayaks stands as a beautiful example of living focused on life and nature rather than the digital nonsense that modern society is stuck in. The colonizers brought with them firearms and diseases, which deeply wounded both their simple yet effective way of life and their communication with the spirit world. They categorize their stories in two ways: "tipatshimuna," which encompasses their social history, and "atanukana," where myths and legends are narrated.

THE MAGIC OF THE ESKIMOS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS

In the World of Darkness role-playing game, the Arctic Circle is surrounded by harsh climate conditions, freezing dark nights, and spirits with complex personalities. For the Eskimos, the priority in the frozen realm is to effectively use the simplest tools and available resources to survive. Although it may seem primitive in the midst of pure whiteness, they must rely on their finely crafted tools such as axes, fishing lines, harpoons, knives, and garments passed down from generation to generation. In these challenging conditions, possessions like property and money hold no meaning for them. The stories they tell about their ancestors and spirits during the cold, dark nights are their most valuable possessions. Their ability to create perfect and practical structures and tools, such as igloos and kayaks, amidst such simplicity is a beautiful example of living a life focused on nature and the essence of existence, rather than the digital nonsense modern society is stuck in. However, the firearms and diseases brought by the colonizers have deeply wounded both their simple yet effective lifestyle and their communication with the spirit world. They classify their stories into two categories: tipatshimuna, containing the social history, and atanukana, where myths and legends are told.

The Eskimo magic, known as Manitushiun, comes in three forms:

1. Shamans (Kamantushit) establishing contact with great spirits (Mishtapeu),
2. Hunters showing respect to Animal Lords (great animal spirits) and resorting to special hunting rituals for both hunting and protection,
3. Making talismans and amulets.

There is no distinction between magic (hedge-magic) or real sorcery (magick). The practices of all three have become intertwined. Those who can access the essence of magic use variations of the Spirit, Mind to keep their minds open, Forces against the freezing cold and the blinding brightness of the sun, and Matter to make their harpoons and knives durable, adapted to their own beliefs.

The Eskimo's frozen land is surrounded by countless spirits. Mishtapeu are beings beyond human perception, belonging to another world, sometimes benevolent, sometimes malevolent. If a shaman lacks sufficient knowledge and experience, the consequences of offending the spirit whose guidance and protection they seek can be fatal.

Hunting should be done according to specific rules and preparations involving special magical practices. The hunter's preparation, interpreting the stars, the color of the sky, and the behavior of animals, is an activity that must be carried out at the right time. Everything obtained from the hunt should be used for the needs of the community and not wasted. Because the animal spirit (Animal Master) has sacrificed itself as prey for the survival of the Eskimo family.


Umbra (Tshistashkamuku) is beyond the tundra, at the heart of the glaciers. Sometimes, those who travel very far may pass through this realm without realizing it. Tshistashkamuku is the land of Mishtapeu, and navigating it without knowledge is very dangerous. According to some, spirits use the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) to confuse the minds of their victims and lead them into their traps. Therefore, those walking on the tundra and ice must be silent and not attract the attention of the spirits. Both the stars and inuksuk structures will guide them on their journey.

In ancient stories, there is mention of creatures called Atshen, who turned into cannibals out of desperation, but as they fed on human flesh, they deformed both spiritually and physically, turning into hungry monsters. After the arrival of Christian missionaries, these creatures disappeared, but it is said that they can still be encountered in the remotest places of the tundra. Additionally, when establishing a camp and building an igloo, one must be alert against the hungry demon Kajutaijuk.

Understanding the Innu magic and philosophy in the Mystic Traditions will be most comfortable for Dreamspeaker members. With the exploration of the Arctic Circle, the Technocracy has also set foot in the frozen land. The cultural change policies of the Technocracy on Eskimo communities are aimed at forgetting the supernatural. Behind these efforts, Pentex manages to disguise itself with intensive mining activities, especially in oil. Just like Native Americans and Aborigines, Eskimos may not have been greatly affected by the Impergium. Therefore, when encountering a werewolf in Crinos form, they will not be affected by the instinctive delirium. The Uktena and Wendigo tribes (and the once-existing Croatan) have taken on the guardianship of the native peoples.

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