Avalanche Disaster
Last winter, when the Mapek were just beginning to prepare for spring, disaster struck. An
avalanche of previously unheard of proportions in the area swept through the villages of Fashot and Mapoz, covering them up to their chimneys in snow and ice. Amongst the survivors, many were injured and everyone was left homeless.
The Yashelin mining outpost immediately sent word to their northern kin, both to rebuild the destroyed southern
Chamatoye Public Railway and help the Mapek. Aid was immediately offered in the form of medical personnel and food, but the Mapek council rejected it for five days straight because it would require breaking their historic silence.
By the time the council broke, the situation had become so dire that the Mapek and the Yashelin came to an agreement: most of the residents would evacuate to a safe place until summer, when they would return and hopefully rebuild. Some volunteers stayed behind to care for the surviving cattle, but not before shelters were erected that were strong enough to protect them from any late season
blizzards.
Life in the North
After the evacuation, the Mapek refugees now live in
temporary housing on the outskirts of
Heshi Ariko. Despite their proximity, Mapek individuals are a rare sight, even the council often declines to interact. Instead, the Mapek outcast and "traitor"
Dimas serves as their interpreter in their place. The most Dimas is willing to reveal directly about the Mapek is their appreciation for the plentiful food and water as well as their restless desire to return home and rebuild.
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