Description:

Lake Aok Imiq has the distinction of being the most northerly lake that freezes the latest into the season. This feature had proved to be a lifesaver for tokotas and humans alike, as it allows them to gather food for winter late into the year. It has become a central location for tales of human and tokota interactions. Many consider it sacred given its extensive history.

Landmarks:

• Wilder - The town of Wilder has been growing steadily since its founding nearly 100 years ago. The land was considered too sacred to live on beforehand and for a long time after its founding, the town was met with great disapproval by native groups. An agreement of sorts was reached and now the town founded a heritage site on the lakeshore where an iconic legend was said to have unfolded. Continued disregard to the locals has caused perpetual undercurrents of discontentment and unrest between the two groups. The town maintains a large area for visiting tokotas and handlers.
• Calhoun Island - One of the many islands in Lake Aok Imiq. While seemingly innocuous come winter it becomes the finish line for the town of Wilder’s most popular event. The Tokota Triathlon. The race consists of a sled portion, a ridden portion, and ends at Lake Aok Imiq for the swimming leg. The final leg is known to be incredibly dangerous and riders often have to be pulled from the water without finishing the race. The water may not be frozen but it’s still cold! Calhoun Island is a symbol of triumph and depicted in the town’s logo.
• Lake Aok Imiq’s Tokota Heritage Site - An off-to-the-side attraction but is the heart and soul of the location. A bronze statue of a man emerging from under a tokota’s skin marks the location of the local story of how man and tokota came together and overcame hardship.

Lore:

Lake Aok Imiq translates into Lake “Blood Water” which refers to the sacrifice of a wild tokota to see a human child back to his tribe and is not only the origin of the lake itself but also of the bond between man and tokota. That bond is believed to be particularly strong around the shores of the lake.

The story goes that man and tokota were once at odds with one another and always fighting over food and resources. One day a boy got separated from his people and as he aimlessly wandered in search of them he grew weak and collapsed. When he awoke he was in a warm den surrounded by people all garbed in the skins of tokotas. They were strangers and he panicked till the chief among them stood and calmed the child. For weeks the boy stayed with the tribe and was taught to hunt and protect himself from the elements. After a time the chief informed the boy that it was time for him to return to his own kind. The chief instructed the boy to take hold of his cloak and to close his eyes. Reluctantly the boy agreed. When his fingers tangled in the tokota cloak he was transported. He was no longer clutching the cloak of a man but the mane of a tokota rushing through the trees. When they came upon the boy’s tribe they were frightened of the beast and attacked. The tokota chief fell before the boy could stop his people. Realizing their mistake the people gathered. With his dying breath, he said to the people “I did not come seeking more conflict between our people and I will not let my death be what dooms both our kinds.” His hot blood pooled and formed a lake that would not freeze and from it, a bounty arose. From then on food was plentiful and all that the boy had learned was shared amongst the inhabitance and there was peace between tokota and man. In honor of the tokota chief that gave his life neither man nor tokota dares harm the other on the banks of Aok Imiq.

A second legend stems from the founding myth. It is said that a tokota that swims in the water will emerge invulnerable for a period of time. This probably came into being because when a tokota emerges from the water in winter the water on its coat often freezes in the cold air and it appears the animal is coated in armor made of ice.

Be warned! Tokotas and humans aren’t the only things attracted to the lake’s bounty! Bears can often be found in the area and there is no legend to keep them from attacking either relatives or humans!

Original location inspiration by Clockrobber
Location art by USERNAME