act15mini

But how do you wrap air with leaves?

Don't ask. I've tried to teach others, but no one's ever been able to learn it.

Easy, it's just an unlucky hornbeast that got its neck bitten in half. Maybe by the one that attacked us, maybe by another.

Hm.

Looks like our outlander friend has grown accustomed to the ways of this land.

A few more weeks of this, and she'll be a fully-fledged Sami.

Ahaha...

An outlander who understands Sami. How nice.

I remember working as a guide for some Columbian tourists while on a pilgrimage.

They started screaming when they saw some carnivores doing their carnivoring. Apparently, they thought it was too bloody and uncivilized.

Not that I'd call myself civilized, but didn't they pay good money to come here and see the 'untamed wilderness'?

One of them even tried to stop the beasts, and nearly ended up as their next meal.

Their clothes were dignified enough, but certainly not the people wearing them.

You have quite a mastery of Columbian.

(Ursine) Not just Columbian! I just can't keep my mouth shut. Guess I'm a natural-born chatterbox.

And I suppose my teacher was a weird old man for teaching me all that.

(Broken Sami) Know.. a bit... ah, yes, true.

The folks back home hate it when I just strike up a conversation with southerners. One time, there was a regular Ursus caravan that passed through the tribal market, and...

(When was the last time I returned?)

(The breath of the wild continues to echo through this place...)

(Does Amma still watch over this forest?)

(Something isn't right.)

(The influence of Amma lingers... but it's not alone.)

(The Black Mark of Ursus...)

What is it, Simone?

Nothing.

Has our guide found somewhere we can spend the night?

Yup, inside that tree up ahead.

Cup says it's hollow, with enough room for the four of us.

I've never seen a hollow tree before.

Then now's your chance.

Wow, we could easily fit another person or two in here!

It's the largest tree house around. Could hold close to a dozen.

Where's Typhon?

The hunter? She went looking for musbeast fruit stashes. She wanted something extra for dinner.

You should rest. I'll set up some protection.

Is that really necessary? The tree's already been blessed, and there are even talismans hanging off of it.

She's so serious.

That's how Simone is. I'd have frozen to death three, maybe four times by now if she weren't here to help.

Simone? Hm... Simone... Santalla... I think I've heard that name.

Is she someone famous in Sami?

Oh... No, not at all. I must be remembering wrong.

I have a hard time keeping track of anything I haven't seen for myself on my pilgrimage.

So maybe I'm mixing her up with someone else.

Mm.

(Opens notebook)

You seem to know a lot, Cup. Mind if I ask a few questions?

Shoot.

I picked up two pieces of bark from a tree. And they had symbols on them.

I want to know what they mean.

It's a code that Sami uses to communicate with us.

They could be messages about the past, the future, or about nature.

The same symbols can also mean very different things, depending on who is receiving them and when.

May I have a look?

I have them right here.

This is... the old tree's bark...

'Snowpriest'... 'Delight'...

Looks like a message from a clan tree to its shaman. You can have them back.

Mm-hm.

What's the difference between a 'Snowpriest' and 'shaman'?

Think of a Snowpriest as the head shaman or a greater shaman. He may not be the oldest, but he's certainly the highest in status, the most powerful, and the local leader.

Incidentally, my teacher is a Snowpriest.

Will... you become one too?

Nah, it's such a pain taking care of the tribe and solving all their problems. Leave that to someone who wants the job.

So... are you a shaman now?

Nope, just an apprentice. I have no idea what Sami wants, or even what it wants from <i>me</i>.

Which is why my teacher made me come here to feel the Samivilinn.

And have you felt it?

Nope.

Leaves fall, rivers flow. It's all the same. I don't feel anything unusual.

I have plenty of complaints for him the next time I see him.

You're back, Simone!

Mhm.

Let me have a look.

Wow. You can really do that with ground frost?

By the way, I heard that the one who serves the old tree can control the wind and snow, making them dance at her fingertips.

The old tree takes no servants, nor does it need one like me.

Well, if you don't want to talk, I'm not going to press the matter.

Old tree... Is there a difference between the clan trees?

There's only one tree that can be called old in Sami.

It represents the Past, and often appears with the heralds of the Present and the Future.

The three are separate but one, transcending Sami.

The Past...

By your outfit, I thought you were an explorer.

I am.

You seem more like—

What's the word?

A folklorist?

As an explorer, it's always good to learn more about an unfamiliar place.

I'll bring you some Sami books if we ever meet again, explorer.

That'd be great!

On the other hand, there's only so much I can carry in extreme environments... Maybe the equivalent of two volumes of the 'Encyclopedia Columbiana.'

It's about this long, this wide, and this thick... hardcover.

Yeah, not sure why you thought that'd help me at all. Just give me your luggage and let me feel the weight.

Oh, it's all bundled up to be carried on my back. One second.

There.

It's all on the ground.

Hm. Good, looks like you can fit it.

Huh?

That's about the same weight as two Sami books.