An uhaaki hut is an emergency survival system located along portage routes and Forest roads. If travellers are accosted by an
uhaaki, or any other creature in the woods, they can flee to the nearest shed for shelter.
Construction
Hut construction varies, but they are usually made of brick, stone, or wood, with wood being the last resort as it's less secure. They are basic cubes, between 6 to 10 feet wide, and sit on blocks about a foot off the ground to help the door not get blocked by snow in winter. The underside of the hut is closed off by additional bricks or stones to keep anything from crawling under and breaking through the wooden floor.
The roof is basic wooden shingles, sometimes reinforced with iron beams. The doors are also made of iron. Cheaper huts have iron bars, more secure hut doors have solid metal doors with only a small barred window for ventilation. Inside each hut is a stove, firewood, tinderbox, a stash of blankets, warm clothing, first aid supplies, food with a long shelf life, and a list of instructions.
Function
If a traveller on a portage road is in danger, unable to fend off attacks, injured, or even bitten, they can run to the nearest hut and hope they reach it before something else catches them first. They lock with a basic metal bar on the inside. Once inside, they should make a fire so that the smoke can be seen by
Border Rangers at the nearest fort. When rangers see smoke coming from the roads, a unit deploys to fight off the threat and, hopefully, escort the victim safely back to the fort.
Occupants of huts are warned not to exit and try to walk to the fort on their own, even if it seems the danger has passed. Uhaaki have been known to lurk silently on roofs and drop down on hopeful people exiting.
Lighting a fire in a hut - or anywhere on a road, for that matter - when one is not in genuine distress will result in a fine of 5
marks for wasting ranger time in responding.
