Contents
75 North
Overview
On a glacier outpost, Wulf and Thrit encounter Dumai, Nikeya, and the dragon Furtia amid carnage; Karlsten, unhinged, attacks and is killed by Furtia. A hooded Seiikinese woman tries to seize Dumai’s stone. Tunuva arrives wielding risen fire, forces Furtia to withdraw, the glacier splits, and Tunuva rescues a Northerner she recognizes as Armul.
Summary
Wulf and Thrit cross a treacherous glacier toward a Hróthi outpost and find Karlsten attacking two Eastern women. The outpost shows signs of massacre, and Karlsten, unhinged by slaughter, raves about wyrm-riders and accuses Wulf of treachery. As Wulf moves to stop him, a massive black lindworm—Furtia—appears, and Karlsten charges it.
From Dumai’s viewpoint, she and Nikeya scramble over the ice to protect Furtia. Karlsten wounds the dragon, and Dumai, desperate, stabs him to slow his assault. He brutalizes Dumai and drives Furtia up the glacier. Wulf and Thrit give chase to subdue Karlsten.
A spear-bearing woman—Tunuva—arrives at impossible speed. Furtia, sensing “risen fire,” fixates on Tunuva. Tunuva unleashes smokeless red flame, meeting Furtia’s stormwind. Amid the chaos, a hooded, golden-haired Seiikinese woman seizes Dumai, calls her “sister,” and tries to take the stone; Furtia intervenes, flinging the assailant away.
Grievously wounded, Furtia stomps Karlsten to death, then, at Dumai’s urging, flees with Dumai and Nikeya as the glacier fractures behind them. The hooded woman telepathically vows to find the stone.
As the rift widens across the valley, Tunuva suppresses her fierce fire and rescues a Northern youth who has fallen into the crevasse. Looking into his brown eyes, she names him Armul, recognizing him from visions.
Who Appears
- DumaiEastern rider bonded to Furtia; protects the dragon, resists a hooded Seiikinese seeking her stone, and escapes across the breaking glacier.
- TunuvaArrives with a jointed spear, wields risen fire against Furtia, and rescues a Northerner she recognizes as Armul.
- WulfNorthern warrior who tries to stop Karlsten and confronts the chaos as the dragon appears and the glacier splits.
- FurtiaGreat black lindworm; battles Karlsten and Tunuva’s fire, kills Karlsten, then flees with Dumai and Nikeya.
- NikeyaDumai’s companion; aids Dumai, confronts Northerners, and helps mount Furtia to escape.
- ThritWulf’s companion; witnesses the dragon, joins pursuit of Karlsten, survives the glacier’s split on the opposite side.
- KarlstenUnhinged Northerner who attacks Furtia and the Eastern women; is killed when Furtia crushes him.
- CantheCompanion of Tunuva; thrown during the glacier’s break and later regroups after the clash.
- Hooded Seiikinese womanGolden-haired assailant who calls Dumai ‘sister’ and attempts to steal the stone; threatens Dumai telepathically.
- ArmulNorthern youth saved by Tunuva from the crevasse; she recognizes and names him, hinting at a hidden connection.