The Legend of the Pale Vulk
The Legend of the Pale Vulk is a Sword Coast and Stoneblood legend that has been told since the days when the Dark Elder were first driven from these lands. The origin of the story and the facts contained within are often changing depending on the teller and the audience. Described as a massive Vulk with a gleaming green eye, a white fur coat smeared with its enemies remains and who brings howling winds and ice along with it on excursions down the mountain.
Summary
The legend speaks of an ancient and evil Vulk, described as lord amongst the Dark Elders Vulg packs. Like all Vulgs, it was unaging and lived so long as its appetites were sated; those being of blood and slaughter. But the Vulg was born different, white as a ghost, and so it became the favorite of a Dark Elder fellcaster. For centuries it served as a lead hunter and constant companion, soon the Vulk began to speak her master's language and continued to grow in size and intellect. In time, she became a veritable nightmare and then... the Elderwars began.
The Pale Vulk spent night after night hunting its human foes at the urgings of its master. It ranged from the Dark Elder's fastness, forged of dark metal and cold stone, hidden deep in the Giantspine Mountains. Each night it would hunt and each morning it would return drenched in the blood and skin of her foes.
In time, the legends tell that Rhuanon or one of his His Companions depending on the source sought out the Dark Elder master in the mountains. With fire and iron, the humans ended the power of the Dark Elder throughout the mountains and tore down their terrible hold along the mountainside. Until that defeat though, the Pale Vulk hunted and slew and sought the enemies of its master. One night, it saw Rhuanon, or the Companion, alone in the dark of a winter night while the hold was besieged. Seizing its chance, the Pale Vulk leapt from the darkness to end his life.
The battle, of course, is thrilling and told in great sweeping details that change from storyteller to storyteller. But the one thing that remains constant is that the hero, Rhuanon or another, was forced to fight barehanded and nearly lost. He or she only drove off the Pale Vulk by ripping its eyes out of its skull. The only part of its massive body not insulated by a thousand years of fur and scars.
Blinded and dying, the Pale Vulk managed to make its way back to its master. As it lay dying, the Vulk asked for repayment for centuries of service but the Dark Elder, in the manner of all its people, simply refused and left it to die. All that the Pale Vulk was became rage and it stalked its master by smell and sound, without eyes, throughout the hold. Eventually, the vulk trapped the fellcaster and tore out his throat. While his master lay dying, the Vulk took one of his eyes as compensation and placed it in its own empty socket. There that baleful green eye shone and warned all who beheld it of the great evil of the Pale Vulk.
Without the Dark Elder master, the mountain hold was taken by the hero and his warriors. The Pale Vulk chose not to fight and sought to flee into the mountains and hide from the certain death at the hands of the hero. And so she did, going higher and higher until there was only ice and a howling wind where she finally felt safe and rested.
Many years after the Elderwars had ended, the people of the Swordcoast and along the Giantspine Mountains began to suffer vicious attacks by packs of large white wolves. These are known as... by the mountain clans, literally 'white death'. Soon warriors and heroes came at the call of the people and tracked the wolves back into the vast and darkened mountains. None returned.
Finally a young boy, who had lost his only ewe to the white wolves, had enough and followed them into the mountains. He could tell by the occasional ewe tracks that his animal was being brought alive back into the mountains. The mountainside was cold, the wind blew, and snow billowed around the boy. Depending on the story, he either gains the assistance of the Companions one by one or by one or another divine being, regardless the boy makes his way to the top of the tallest mountain. A peak where a perpetual winter blizzard raged and screamed its fury at all who beheld it.
And there, the boy came upon a gigantic white wolf, the Pale Vulk, with a single eye that glittered green like a pulsing emerald. The light from the eye was so strong that when the Pale Vulk noticed the boy and turned her gaze upon him; he was nearly blinded. And in looking down, saw his ewe between the paws of the monstrous white fiend. Even worse, the boy saw many wolf pups, white as snow and almost invisible in the blizzard, racing and chasing and playing vicious games of catch-and-kill beneath the watchful gaze of their mother: the Pale Vulk.
The Pale Vulk and the boy engage in a verbal sparring that ends with a challenge. Usually a riddle. The challenge is a tie and the Vulk tires of the game; deciding to feed the boy-child to her cubs. As she comes closer, the boy remembers a river stone in his pocket and lets it fly--straight and true--right into that lonely blazing green eye. Blinded, the Pale Vulk cannot stop the nimble boy from rescuing his ewe and fleeing down the mountain. Even the many white wolves, all children of the her, fail to stop him as he uses cleverness and imagination to outwit them all.
Regardless of the means of victory, the tale always ends with the Pale Vulk promising vengeance on the boy and his family. Still blinded, the Pale Vulk sends blizzards and icestorms to allow her to accompany her children. Within the blizzard, no one can see and so the Pale Vulk believes herself safe. Each winter, the Pale Vulk and her white spawn head down from the mountains and hunt for the boy and his descendants. And with them come the winds and snows of the mountains to batter the lowlands while white wolves prowl the countryside... always searching.
The Pale Vulk spent night after night hunting its human foes at the urgings of its master. It ranged from the Dark Elder's fastness, forged of dark metal and cold stone, hidden deep in the Giantspine Mountains. Each night it would hunt and each morning it would return drenched in the blood and skin of her foes.
In time, the legends tell that Rhuanon or one of his His Companions depending on the source sought out the Dark Elder master in the mountains. With fire and iron, the humans ended the power of the Dark Elder throughout the mountains and tore down their terrible hold along the mountainside. Until that defeat though, the Pale Vulk hunted and slew and sought the enemies of its master. One night, it saw Rhuanon, or the Companion, alone in the dark of a winter night while the hold was besieged. Seizing its chance, the Pale Vulk leapt from the darkness to end his life.
The battle, of course, is thrilling and told in great sweeping details that change from storyteller to storyteller. But the one thing that remains constant is that the hero, Rhuanon or another, was forced to fight barehanded and nearly lost. He or she only drove off the Pale Vulk by ripping its eyes out of its skull. The only part of its massive body not insulated by a thousand years of fur and scars.
Blinded and dying, the Pale Vulk managed to make its way back to its master. As it lay dying, the Vulk asked for repayment for centuries of service but the Dark Elder, in the manner of all its people, simply refused and left it to die. All that the Pale Vulk was became rage and it stalked its master by smell and sound, without eyes, throughout the hold. Eventually, the vulk trapped the fellcaster and tore out his throat. While his master lay dying, the Vulk took one of his eyes as compensation and placed it in its own empty socket. There that baleful green eye shone and warned all who beheld it of the great evil of the Pale Vulk.
Without the Dark Elder master, the mountain hold was taken by the hero and his warriors. The Pale Vulk chose not to fight and sought to flee into the mountains and hide from the certain death at the hands of the hero. And so she did, going higher and higher until there was only ice and a howling wind where she finally felt safe and rested.
Many years after the Elderwars had ended, the people of the Swordcoast and along the Giantspine Mountains began to suffer vicious attacks by packs of large white wolves. These are known as... by the mountain clans, literally 'white death'. Soon warriors and heroes came at the call of the people and tracked the wolves back into the vast and darkened mountains. None returned.
Finally a young boy, who had lost his only ewe to the white wolves, had enough and followed them into the mountains. He could tell by the occasional ewe tracks that his animal was being brought alive back into the mountains. The mountainside was cold, the wind blew, and snow billowed around the boy. Depending on the story, he either gains the assistance of the Companions one by one or by one or another divine being, regardless the boy makes his way to the top of the tallest mountain. A peak where a perpetual winter blizzard raged and screamed its fury at all who beheld it.
And there, the boy came upon a gigantic white wolf, the Pale Vulk, with a single eye that glittered green like a pulsing emerald. The light from the eye was so strong that when the Pale Vulk noticed the boy and turned her gaze upon him; he was nearly blinded. And in looking down, saw his ewe between the paws of the monstrous white fiend. Even worse, the boy saw many wolf pups, white as snow and almost invisible in the blizzard, racing and chasing and playing vicious games of catch-and-kill beneath the watchful gaze of their mother: the Pale Vulk.
The Pale Vulk and the boy engage in a verbal sparring that ends with a challenge. Usually a riddle. The challenge is a tie and the Vulk tires of the game; deciding to feed the boy-child to her cubs. As she comes closer, the boy remembers a river stone in his pocket and lets it fly--straight and true--right into that lonely blazing green eye. Blinded, the Pale Vulk cannot stop the nimble boy from rescuing his ewe and fleeing down the mountain. Even the many white wolves, all children of the her, fail to stop him as he uses cleverness and imagination to outwit them all.
Regardless of the means of victory, the tale always ends with the Pale Vulk promising vengeance on the boy and his family. Still blinded, the Pale Vulk sends blizzards and icestorms to allow her to accompany her children. Within the blizzard, no one can see and so the Pale Vulk believes herself safe. Each winter, the Pale Vulk and her white spawn head down from the mountains and hunt for the boy and his descendants. And with them come the winds and snows of the mountains to batter the lowlands while white wolves prowl the countryside... always searching.
Historical Basis
There is no known historical basis for the tale of the Pale Vulk. In fact, Vulk is used as a different name for the Dark Elder hunting beasts known as the Vulg. There are others who believe that a Vulk is something more than a Vulg; as the story says, always growing bigger, more powerful and more intelligent. Individuals who repeat these claims are usually storytellers themselves.
But every couple years, hunters or would-be heroes mount an expedition into the Giantspine Mountains in search of the Pale Vulk. None have returned although this is often blamed on the hazardous conditions and lengthy list of other foul creatures that are known to live in those dark crags. The motivation that keeps driving these individuals to search for this mythical creature is simple.
Every few winters, when the winds are the coldest, large numbers of fierce packs of white wolves, not seen in the lowlands at nearly any other time, prey upon herds and humans for several weeks before returning to their mountain homes. These white wolves, the hopeful heroes point to them as proof that the Pale Vulk exists as her children are certainly real.
Regardless, the Legend of the Pale Vulk is a common winter tale used to teach children not to go outside when the winds blow down the mountains on the Swordcoast and surrounding areas.
But every couple years, hunters or would-be heroes mount an expedition into the Giantspine Mountains in search of the Pale Vulk. None have returned although this is often blamed on the hazardous conditions and lengthy list of other foul creatures that are known to live in those dark crags. The motivation that keeps driving these individuals to search for this mythical creature is simple.
Every few winters, when the winds are the coldest, large numbers of fierce packs of white wolves, not seen in the lowlands at nearly any other time, prey upon herds and humans for several weeks before returning to their mountain homes. These white wolves, the hopeful heroes point to them as proof that the Pale Vulk exists as her children are certainly real.
Regardless, the Legend of the Pale Vulk is a common winter tale used to teach children not to go outside when the winds blow down the mountains on the Swordcoast and surrounding areas.
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