Whaling

Whaling is a form of hunting throughout Fayos that plays a large role in the world's economics.

History
Whaling was first recorded by the Nordurens, with images of men hauling whales onto the beach being carved into stone walls of temple complexes and tombs. Several shields have been found with carvings of leviathans on them with spears in their backs and at least four carved whales tusks have been found. Additionally, the oral history of the Highfjallens has several songs about whaling expeditions. This all would have been done around 3800 A.E.

Concurrent, though slightly later, the Kutsukki in the South began whaling the toothed whales, leviathans, and greater water beasts, called in their tongue Angijuk. The Kutsukki were very reluctant to make contact with the rest of the world, due to their religious beliefs at the time, meaning that the products they obtained returned to them. We know more of their technique than the Nordurens, because it has not changed much in the thousands of years since they began. The Kustukki would ride out in several long canoe like boats,with specialized siding made of thick hides and bone spikes. When a whale was located, they would flank it, then spear it until it became stuck to the sides of the canoes. Once it had given up, they would row to shore, where they would hall it to the beaches to be processed. Despite the small size of the boats, the Kutsukki were able to hall in even leviathans of great size.

When the world became more interconnected, around the time of the Bailets, it became highly lucrative to have whale products.This demand led to the founding of several whaling outposts across the world and a newfound interaction between the Kutsukki and the rest of the world. Horn Town in Ihjarga was founded as a colony for the Northerners who were contracted to whale in the Pale Sea and Ishja Ocean. Kustukki soon began to settle in the town and it became a cultural anomaly within Ihjarga. It was said that during peak season, over two thousand whales, leviathans, and angijuk were killed in Horn Town alone. The area previously stunk so bad that they moved the processing plants to the nearby Ulubaram island.

In the North, whaling thrived as a form of winter food. Oils from the toothed whales in the area provided excellent fuel for lamps and the blubber was highly sought after for its use as both food and fuel. In the Northern oceans, the presence of the leviathan was becoming a concern, as the beasts farther North were much larger and more vile than those in the south. Because of this, overwintering on small islands became the norm for whaling voyages in the North. Sailors would process mass amounts of product on islands such as Waland or Nordures for transport back to the mainland during spring and summer.

In modern times, whaling has become somewhat less popular, as populations in the South decrease and the leviathan seems to grow ever larger by the day. However, overwintering still remains a heavily popular activity and a major Northern economic market.

Creatures Hunted and their Products
In the North
 * Baldur's Leviathan

In both Seas
 * Greater Toothed Whale
 * Killer Whale
 * Lesser Toothed Whale
 * Norduren Bearded Sea Lion
 * Old World Leviathan
 * Sea Lions
 * Seals
 * Sperm Whale
 * White Oily Whale
 * Horned Whale


 * Ihjargan River Crawler
 * Jaldrin
 * Lesser Scaled Leviathan

In the Southern Seas
 * Warm Water Pink Dolphin
 * Aluganak (Water Unicorn)


 * Greater Killer Whale
 * Kunjuak
 * Spotted Togjak
 * White Togjak