The Seals of Marner

Along the seacoast of Ratik there are seals in great abundance and they are hunted everywhere save one locale: Marner. In the early days of Ratik, when it was still the northern outpost of the Great Kingdom, Marner was but a collection of homes clustered about the baronial manor around the seacoast.

Aside from being the last friendly port on the Solnor Ocean, Marner was known for its seals. Among all the seals of Grendep Bay, these creatures were the largest and most beautiful and they were also far more clever than their cousins, so clever in fact that none had ever been caught.

A few leagues down the coast from the fishing villiage lived a seal hunter, Ikforth, whose name was known from the North Province to the lands of the Ice barbarians and beyond. None had a more stealthy gait or a swifter knife and he supported his family quite well by selling the hides of his kills. One day, having heard tales of the seals of Marner, Ikforth made his way to the seal grounds, determined to collect the most beautiful hides of the Bay and earn some pretty commons while he was at it. As he began to hunt he found that the seals were indeed clever; in fact he went all day without even getting close to catching one of the magnificent beasts. Then, just as the sun was setting, he espied a great bull catching a last kiss of sunlight. So distracted was the creature that he took no notice of the creeping hunter; with lightning speed, Ikforth struck. The bull seal let out such a piteous, human cry that the hunter lost his grip on his knife and both it and the beast disappeared into the water before he could gather his wits. Ikforth cursed his ill fortune, for not only had he lost his kill, but it had taken with him his most prized possesion, his knife "Tooth". This was no ordinary blade, but a family heirloom that had been handed down for generatons from his ancestor Mikoon to whom the Great God of the North, Vatun himself, had given the dirk as a present for his hospitality while the diety travelled in disguise. But that's another story.

On his journey home, the hunter met a man on horseback dressed in the black finery of a nobleman who offered him a seat on his great coal black courser. Exhausted, Ikforth gladly accepted and as they rode, he related the days events. The man said that he knew a place where the hunter could find the great seals of Marner in abundance if he had the time. Ikforth was so embarrased about returning home empty-handed (for he had bragged quite a bit before setting out on his trip), that without thought he accepted. The tall stranger immediately turned his steed around and set off at such a pace that the hunter's hair was like to turn white as he held on for dear life. It even seemed that they weren't even touching the ground. In the light of the full moon, he saw them rapidly appraoching the cliffs below which he had hunted earlier. As he cried with fear, they plunged over the precipice and far out into the ocean, hitting the water unbelievably gently. as they sunk deeper, the seal hunter could make out a light in the dark waters and it was toward this light that his companion pulled him.

Just as his lungs were about to burst, Ikforth emerged in a beautiful grotto. There amidst brightly burning torches, gleaming marble walls, dazzling statues and great columns were a multitude of Marner's seals and they were all staring at him. He raised his arm in a futile gesture of defense only to relize that it was no longer an arm, but instead a flipper; he had been transformed into what he had hunted! With trepidation he followed the crowd as they lead him through room after room, each one more beautiful than the rest until they reached a huge throne room. There, in the center, on a great throne rested a the huge seal that he had stabbed earlier, with Tooth protruding from his side. At this point, Ikforth's courage failed him and he fell to the floor trembling, sure that they meant to take revenge for the injury he had caused. Instead, they kindly helped him right himself and explained that they only wished his aid in curing their king of the wound he had inflicted.

Though he protested that he was not versed in the healing arts, they insisted that if he was sorry for the misdeed, he need only dip his fin in the great syrup filled conch shell they offered him, annoint the wound and remove Tooth. He finally acquiesced and, truly sorry, he pulled the knife from the seal king with his teeth while dressing the injury as best he could. To his amazement, the wound healed almost immediately and there was great rejoicing among the seal folk. At that moment, Ikforth foreswore seal hunting forever for he could never look on seals, even the more common ones the same way again. After all, he still had his health and could always learn a new trade.

As the merriment continued, his companion approached him and told him it was time to return. There in the entryway was the black charger and the hunter found as he drew nearer that he had once again regained his natural form. With even more haste than their arrival, the tall stranger rode out of the grotto of the seals, through the ocean and up into the air itself, finally alighting near Ikforth's cottage. As the stranger bid the hunter farewell, he returned Tooth to it's rightful owner, saying that in time Ikforth would be as reknown for woodcarving as he had been in hunting, for the sea folk in gratitude had ensorcelled the blade to help its wielder not only in battle, but also in artistic pursuits. True to his word, Ikforth became the most famous figurhead carver of all time and his work was sought after as far south as the lands of the Sea Barons.

As word of the former hunter's adventure spread to Marner, the townsfolk made law that none should hunt seals within sight of their lighthouse, and the friendship between man and Selkie has lasted from that day to this.