Rasvelgr

While many of the tales the Rughar Wildmen tell about what lies beyond the White Ocean are likely steeped in many years of fanciful alterations, all evidence points to at least the existence of the Winged Giants being true. The Rasvelgr, they claim, are colossal men with wings like eagles' protruding from their backs, who wander the frigid lands beyond the White Ocean in search of trees to eat. Some tellers state that the eyes of a Rasvelg glow pale blue, visible even through the thick snowy fog that covers the White Ocean, and that sighting such a glow means death. Others claim that Rasvelgr fight among each other if they meet, and their wings cause the fierce winds that frequently blow from the north. There are many other stories, but in all cases they serve as a warning against attempting to cross the White Ocean.
Around forty years ago, an expedition from Coda set out to make that very crossing, accompanied by a Droden steamdragon. The treacherous waters of the White Ocean sank much of the Codal fleet, and the steamdragon's pipes burst due to the temperature difference within and without. Nonetheless, two boats did advance far enough through the fog to see land. The following is the recollection of one of the few survivors.

Almost the moment we saw land, Baryan in the other boat started yelling something at us and pointing. Well, we never heard what he said, but we saw alright. A dark shape, almost as tall as the ship, appeared out of the fog pretty much on top of their boat. That moment, the wind picked up our ship and threw it over the waves, and us with it. The other one, though, I saw the figure fall onto it, and the next glimpse I got of it through the waves, I saw half the boat lifted into the air. Not by the waves, though, it was something deliberate. And that was the last I remember, something hit me on the head, and next thing I woke up on the steamdragon.

Some two years later, a trade ship blown off course found what seemed to be a small amount of debris floating in the northernmost part of the Inner Ocean. A few items made it clear that this was from that expedition, but the rest of the find told a very different story. The wood was definitely once part of a boat, but it hadn't been broken by any impact - it had been crushed between two large objects. The only other thing found were two white feathers as long as a man's forearm.

Summary

The Winged Giants, or Rasvelgr, are a warning told by the Wildmen north of the Rughar about crossing the White Ocean. Whether they eat boats or simply blow them off course with their huge wings, all tales told about them paint them as an insurmountable and deadly obstacle preventing access to whatever lands lie beyond.

Variations & Mutation

The Cephei believe, due to a drawing left for them by an early Farseer, that an eagle-man Mythical exists, which matches the depictions that the Rughar make of the Rasvelgr. However, the Cephei have no idea of the size of the creature, and there is debate among them whether it is or is not a Rasvelg, or indeed whether a Rasvelg is as large as the Rughar claim them to be.

In Art

A few Rughar villages have images of large winged figures woven into their some of their rugs, often ones that they hang outside the village. I am told that it is intended to ward off predators, though I doubt that any mountain wolf or northbear would recognise a Rasvelg any more.