Hûb Falthol

Also known as the Bay of Whales, Hûb Falthol(S. "Spouting Bay;" La. Merihenkien Satama) is the westernmost gulf of Forochel, lying between Hunter's Isle and the Minheldolath. All manner of whales gather here to mate, feed and frolic, until winter drives them southwards in search of warmer waters. Their great spouts can be seen from miles away, a herald of spring and a signpost for whalers. Hûb Falthol is also haven to Jäävuori, greatest of the berg-delvings of the Merimetsästäjät.

Jäämies settlements dot the shores of the bay year-round, and to these are added the summer encampments of the Merimetsästäjät. Both groups hunt the waters of the bay extensively. Though at times aloof, these cousins of the Lumimiehet have grown accustomed to sharing their hunting grounds with Cardolanian whalers, receiving strangers in their villages without alarm and always willing to engage in barter.

The wanderings of the Merimetsästäjä berg-delvings upon the bay are governed by the currents of wind and sea; but though constantly in motion, the relative positions of these bergs to one another and to the bay itself remain largely stable. Jäävuori, largest of the bergs, circles the southern reaches of the bay, accompanied by three lesser bergs, while the citadel-like Tonkaupunki plies the sheltered northern waters between Hunter's Isle and the mainland with its own entourage of satellites. A large hautauskumpu, or burial berg, located near the center of the bay is shared by all the Merimetsästäjät.

A great sheet of ice, thin and unstable, covers the bay in early autumn, making it dangerous to cross on foot. The ice-crafty Jäämiehet can tell at a glance where it is safe to tread and where it is not, but to the untrained eye these "safe paths" are virtually invisible. Becoming stranded on a piece of drifting ice presents less danger here, however, than elsewhere in Forochel, since the prevailing current of Belegaer drives such floes landward (and so, up against the more solid pack-ice).

The winter ice-floes upon Hûb Falthol are a home to many varieties of seal and walrus, making the bay a favored hunting ground for snow bears. While not generally man-eaters, these predators can become aggressive if they feel that Mannish wanderers have invaded their territory, and may end up inadvertently driving the interlopers onto thin ice. During the summer "spouting season," boat-handlers also run the occasional risk of being swamped or capsized in the wake of a leaping whale. The whales generally do not enter the northern portion of the bay, since it reaches a depth of no more than thirty feet; instead, they swim only the deep waters beyond this rocky shelf (which typically extends between twenty and fifty miles from shore).