Day 12. Glacial Pathway I
The chimes of an Orthodox bell are heard across a valley in the siberian region. A people has managed to put an end to a long exodus by resigning to what made them divine in the first place, but their aggressive defense tactics are still sharp. "No need to impale me with arrows!" Lara complaints. "Can't you ask first and shoot later?" All arrows have missed, but Lara's expression goes from fully cocky to scared. And then, everyone laughs hard. "What happened to the great explorer, Lara Croft?" they ask. Lara tries to hide her shame, as she's been pranked hard. "Nice to see you again," she says. "Weather's phenomenal."
The honourable visit of Lady Lara Croft is worthy of a feast. So, they all gather in the upper region of the valley to celebrate the return of the woman who put an end to all those years of persecution. "What brings you about here, Lara?" asks Sophia, a red haired lady put in charge of affairs of the community of the formerly persecuted people. "I'm looking for remnants of the Order of Trinity," she says. "Unfortunately, they have the greatest pool of knowledge of tombs and artifacts around the world and… they are all gone for good."
The good news of the end of the Order of Trinity is widely cheered by the siberian community. "That means I have to enter there again, and search for clues," Lara says. "Hopefully, it will lead me far away from here." Sophia sips a bit of her ale and leads her sight straight to the bottom of the jar. "Why do you think you will find an answer here?" she asks. "I found an artifact akin to the Source, fallen from the sky," Lara explains. "If there are such artifacts, Trinity may have heard about them. I need one that's capable of severing spirits, as my best friend may have been possessed by a wrathful Queen." Sofia thrusts her jar to the floor. "You shouldn't go back there," she says. "But I will open it for you, and lend you my gear again." Lara places a hand on Sofia's shoulder, and gives her a medallion of a solar eclipse. "This is a symbol of the Kingdom that took down Trinity," Lara says. "You deserve this more than I. You have endured more than I have."
The ices of Kitezh remain as perennial as ever. A city sunk under a glacier - the most beautiful place she's been in for sure; however spooky were those soldiers under the Source. Now, it's just an old city. Their descendants didn't even dare go back to seek refuge or recover ancient knowledge. It's just a big open frostbite wound for them. But she who has tamed this city is back for more action, more Trinity corpses.
And corpses do abound: modern mercenaries, roman soldiers, mongols, civilians preserved in frozen ice and… "This one's a scout!" Lara cheers. It preserves an older version of the Trinity badge, and wears Mongol clothing while not having any mongol features. Lara pulls out her axe and starts breaking the ice around the frozen scout. "Gotta be lucky!" she thinks, as the corpse falls flat to her feet after hours of digging in the ice.
A clue is found in a scroll. Tales of the Mongols of a city on the far northeastern end of the continent… A blue phoenix surrounding some pretty big heads. "Moai?" Lara thinks. The phoenix has similar properties to the Torch of An, or so it seems from the scouts' account. "He who watches the phoenix in the eye shall be reborn as a beast, for the ashes of the skies bring about new life," Lara reads. "Meteorites!" Then, she sees more troubling hints… "Flat heads…" Lara thinks. "Neanderthals?"