The landmark was indeed not very far from the place where our trapped ship was now stationed. Soon we discovered that it was indeed an island, a piece of barren rock sticking out of the masses of ice, only barely covered with snow. It was the young glaciologist who remarked that in this latitude it is common for land masses to be covered with snow all year, yet recently, periods have been observed when even in such places there came occassional thaws. We did not realise yet back then what importance this fact will have for us in the very following days. But finally there was something to occupy our scientific minds with, finally after what seemed like ages a normal discussion arose. Where were we? We pitied the loss of our equipment, as we could not have been sure which particular island we are on. There were not many, not even small islands in these parts, yet no one of us has been to these particular parts of the Arctic Ocean, and we spent a lot of time arguing over the maps. At last, we decided to return to the ship.
As much as our minds have been distracted from the horrors which have occured aboard before, we could not have escaped them once we have returned. After barely a few hours of peaceful sleep, furious barking and growling could be heard from the compartments where our huskys have been stationed. Awakened by the hideous sound we all rushed to the place. The door of the first of the two rooms containing our dogs was ajar and, by the time the first of us have arrived, the sounds inside have stopped. To our horror, even from the outside we could see red stains on the floor. At last our survival guide along with the original sled-dog handler picked the courage to step in. When they emerged, they looked pale and sick; our survival guide was breathing deeply and the other man just shook his head and said: "Somebody has butchered them all."
We were all shaken. So was this another attempt to cripple our efforts to get out of here? "The meteorologist!" somebody cried, and we rushed to the compartment only to find it safely locked from the outside just as we have left it. There was no way the man would have done it, unless somebody opened the door for him and then locked him in again - yet all of us have been at the place of slaughter together. A culprit could have managed to slip among us unnoticed, but he would not have had the time to walk all the way to the other side of the ship, lock the meteorologist inside and come back again without being noticed. Pressurized by the part of our company which was against incriminating him in the first place, we released our meteorologist. As far as the butchering of our sled-dogs was concerned, he must have been innocent - unless he had an accomplice, a thought already some started to voice.
But who would do something like that? And why? What would anybody get from leaving us in this prison of ice? We found it far more reasonable to think that we are looking at the work of a dangerous madman - yet the truth, as we were to learn soon, was far more hideous.
LIVING MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION:
Inziladun - meteorologist
Mnemosyne - field medic
Boromir88 - senior assistant to a professor of glaciology
Eomer of the Rohirrim - sea pilot
Loslote - rich funder's spoiled daughter
Morsul - federal grants lawyer
Brinn - polar bear biologist
Pitchwife - marine biologist
Nienna - navigator
Nogrod - old palaeoecologist with is own theory of climate change
Macalaure - palaeomathematician
sally - the original initiator of the expedition
Thinlómien - whale expert
Nerwen - mechanic
Roa - survival guide -
innocent (information added 1:45h after DL - see the
admin thread)
Bes - room/store manager
Shasta - sled-dog handler
wilwa - crewmember
Greenie - senior assitant to important scientists in the company
tromkehra - cook/bartender
LYNCHES:
would-be Day 1 lynchee:
Inziladun
Day 2 begins. Werewolves, Hunter and Ranger, stop PMing. Everyone, you may start posting here and voting for whom to lynch toDay.