Snow Hunter

[Code Name] Snow Hunter

[Gender] Female

[Combat Experience] 2 Years

[Place of Birth] Kjerag

[Date of Birth] Sep 12

[Race] Ursus

[Height] 161cm

[Infection Status]

Originium crystals distributed across surface of body, confirmed Infected by medical examination.

[Physical Strength] Standard

[Mobility] Standard

[Physical Resilience] Standard

[Tactical Acumen] Standard

[Combat Skill] Standard

[Originium Arts Assimilation] Standard

Snow Hunter comes from an offshoot of Kjerag's Clan Paleroche that went into the mountains, where they have lived as hunters for generations, passing down the craft of carving Kjeragandr sculptures.

With her experience of hunting in the snowy mountains, she demonstrates excellent athleticism. She currently receives treatment at Rhodes Island after a hunting accident left her with Oripathy, and is assigned to field missions at her own request.

Imaging tests show the indistinct outlines of internal organs, obscured by abnormal shadows. Originium granules detected in the circulatory system. The subject is confirmed to be infected with Oripathy.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 6%

Originium crystals are present on Operator Snow Hunter's arm.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.16u/L

Operator Snow Hunter is still developing physically. She demonstrates excellent physical abilities as a result of her active lifestyle in the mountains, but continued observation is needed to prevent deterioration of Oripathy symptoms.

[Rift Cloudbeast Health Examination Report]

The Rift Cloudbeast is in good health with no signs of Oripathy, but is slightly overweight. Consider reducing daily food intake.

With our experience in onboarding operators from different countries, plus having received a heads-up from Pramanix ahead of time, we were confident that Snow Hunter's background as a huntress in Kjerag would not present any particular difficulty, and that she would successfully integrate into Rhodes Island within a month. However, what had happened was truly unprecedented—

One day, when it was time for a regular checkup, the medical operator opened the door to find a fine leporibeast standing by Snow Hunter's bed, huffing and kicking its front hooves. With great ceremony, she placed its reins into the medic's hands, saying it was a gift of gratitude for treating her condition.

The medic, who was allergic to animal fur, began sneezing non-stop, but Snow Hunter mistook the tears in her eyes for tears of joy. The medical department spent three days deliberating what to do with this energetic leporibeast, and eventually resolved to ask Snow Hunter to return it to the wilderness when they found it trying to nibble at the medical equipment. Snow Hunter could not understand why and looked hurt that her gift was rejected: to her, that was the highest show of gratitude she could offer.

After further dialogue, she learned that the common token of gratitude among the hunters would be good enough for this kind of situation: a bundle of meat jerky, savory and well-salted. This mountain delicacy was shared within the entire medical department to rave reviews.

Perhaps there is still room for improvement in our Getting Started at Rhodes Island: Guidelines for New Operators.

Of all the legends of Kjerag, the 'mysterious creature of the mountains' is the one that Snow Hunter gets asked the most about. Legend has it that mysterious, beautiful creatures dwell on the mountains, appearing before those who lose their way in the storm, showing them the way home. It is said that many hunters owe their lives to these creatures, and Snow Hunter just happens to have a little white creature with her. According to her, however, it was she who saved the creature, Rift Cloudbeast, while out on a hunt, and shared her limited food with the weakened beastling for days.

Many operators were confused as to why she had to cut her own portion of food. Why not hunt more often? Was it because of the difficulties of hunting in a snowstorm? Snow Hunter's answer was that this was one of Kjeragandr's rules: Every being in the mountains, including the hunters, are part of Kjeragandr, sharing in Her soul in an eternal cycle of life. As such, they take only what they need. To take any more lives would be unnecessary killing. She could not do more hunting than necessary just for the Rift Cloudbeast, but she could also not stand idly by and watch it die, so she chose to share her own food with this being, who shared in Kjeragandr's blessing.

The Rift Cloudbeast seems completely oblivious to all of this, enjoying the comfort of Snow Hunter's quarters and occasionally playing with the Kjeragandr sculptures on the desk, which she hand-sculpted, a craft she has been studying since the day she started hunting on her own.

She steadfastly believes that Kjeragandr will protect her, her family, and everyone.

Many operators know of the three great clans of Kjerag, and the history of conflict between them. Snow Hunter comes from the Paleroche clan, while Pramanix, who introduced her to Rhodes Island, comes from the Silverash clan. The two of them seem to enjoy a good relationship with each other: Snow Hunter will sometimes ask Pramanix to braid her hair, while Pramanix often tells the story of how Snow Hunter saved her life and treated her wound. If not for her treatment, the wound on her right leg would likely force her to leave the harsh environment of Kjerag and live somewhere else. Besides, they can often be seen praying together as well.

Operators who see this might think that the feud between Clan Paleroche and Clan Silverash has been exaggerated, and that the younger generation is no longer concerned with their contentious past, but SilverAsh's presence is a reminder that not all is water under the bridge—

While operators going to visit Pramanix would normally pass by SilverAsh's room nearby, Snow Hunter prefers to go the long way around, avoiding going near his room.

She has told us that she does not know much about the history of the three clans. All she knows is that roaring trains have intruded into the quiet forests, and that the animals that used to live there were forced to flee their homes, leaving behind the carcasses of the ones that died of fright and hunger. It was against such a backdrop that she rescued the Rift Cloudbeast. She does not understand why people would pave concrete on Kjeragandr's body or dig a hole in it, causing a Catastrophe to befall them, which is how she lost her father.

It took a long time before Snow Hunter became comfortable talking about her father.

To her, her father was a great hunter, able to kill beasts several times his size with a single bolt and return safely from the mountains in a raging snowstorm. He was also a great craftsman who sculpted beautiful Kjeragandr sculptures with his callused fingers, supporting the family after her mother passed away. After she came down with Oripathy, it was her father who reassured her that he would find a way to cure her, that she would not need to worry about the future. But he himself died in the Catastrophe at the train station, and she found out through his effects that he had been acting as a spy to buy medicine for her.

She could not even find someone to blame. Did Kjeragandr punish her father for his betrayal? Was it her that made him betray his faith? Was she the one who was ultimately responsible for all this?

Snow Hunter found herself beset with anger and bewilderment. She had accompanied the Saintess on her Pilgrimage to find an answer from Kjeragandr, but she never knew what she was actually hoping for. Did she want Kjeragandr to show Herself in all Her glory to expel the outsiders who had drawn their swords? Did she want Kjeragandr to shower Her blessings on her arm and heal her Oripathy? Or did she want Kjeragandr to blow away the snowstorms, and let her quarry run docilely into her bolts? And after that, what then?

Snow Hunter vaguely realized that this was not what she wanted in her prayers to Kjeragandr, that this was not how blessings and divine punishments worked. She had no way to know what her father was thinking when his faith was shattered, and what internal struggle he might have had when he made the choice. But she remembered the solemn expression on his face when he inspected his sculptures, and the joy and love he showed every time he brought her medicine. At the end of the day, he was simply a father who wanted his child to live well, and he had already paid the price.

'Emotions are such complicated things. There are many things I still don't understand.' This was what Snow Hunter said to us in the end. What we do know is that she is firm and resolute as she faces the path ahead. Her past experience and the teachings of Kjeragandr will undoubtedly guide her path when she feels lost, helping her walk towards a brighter future one step at a time.

Kjeragandr on high, hear my prayer.

Let your blessings be upon my mother,

and my father,

and my brother and sister.

Let your blessings be upon those who have helped me, those who have cared for me, those who walk with me.

Bear witness, Kjeragandr on high, that my life will be my own, no matter what hardships await.