Itaqua - The Wind Walker, God of Winter and the Arctic Wastes

The cold has always been considered a scourge of humanity.

It is associated with hunger, disease, and death. From the beginning of time, the human race is subject to the weather and its oscillations caused countless misfortunes for the men. Whether in the form of harvests and plantations being devastated, in the hunger that follows these tragedies and obviously in their icy touch. The cold has been a cruel companion in our long walk.

In the universe of the Mythos, there is a deity that gathers in its figure all the elements of the primordial cold and the most severe winter. In ancient times, he was the incarnation of the winter itself, descending relentlessly, mowing everything in Its path. This perverse entity inhabits the dark skies, traveling through the firmament in the icy winds, causing blizzards and frosts. Venerated and feared in the northern latitudes of the planet he claimed as his home, this Great Old One is intimately associated with temperature and climate.

He is called Itaqua, the Wind Walker, the Storm Eater, the Lord of the Blizzard, the White Silence and Walker in the Wastes... there are many names for this powerful and especially cruel entity. Certainly, the fact that countless peoples and civilizations associate the fury of nature with supernatural forces, contributed to Itaqua becoming the embodiment of most of the tempestuous Gods of the distant past. Scholars of the Mythos drew parallels between Itaqua and various entities, such as the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, Thor, the Norse God of Thunder and Enlil, a Sumerian / Babylonian deity responsible for storms. In the northern hemisphere of the planet, the real nature of Itaqua is better understood by cultists who worship him with awe and submission.

Itaqua is considered one of the most important entities in the Pantheon of Inuit gods, known by Eskimo peoples as Sila. With that name, He was revered by native tribes scattered across reaches of the Arctic desert, from Siberia to Greenland. The cult of Sila also had enclaves of cultists inhabiting the most inhospitable territories of the extreme north of Canada and Alaska where His influence was unquestionable. Cultists try to placate his fury with bloody offerings and rituals. Sacrifices were offered at certain dates, with the chosen victims being tied up in stakes and abandoned on plains and deserted lands where the God materialize, accompanied by an immense storm. With these offers, the cultists believed that Sila / Itaqua would be satisfied and convinced to not send his punishment. Sometimes he was satisfied with the sacrifices, but sometimes, in anger, he bury entire villages under the snow, making them disappear forever.

Not by chance, Itaqua was always much more feared than adored, and his cults almost completely disappeared in the early nineteenth century. However, bastions still resisted in certain isolated parts of the far north in little town as Stillwater in the Territory of Manitoba, Canada or Cold Harbor, Alaska. His followers do not build temples, preferring to conduct their rites on the open plains. Worship brought few benefits to those involved since the God rarely offer artifacts or share spells, and when he did so, it was only to strengthen a priest who could control the rest of a community. In any case, Itaqua never cared for the well-being of his cultists and not rarely did exterminate them after some unrestrained fury.

As other Great Old Ones, Itaqua had his freedom restricted by cosmic principles that compel him to manifest only for short periods of time and in predetermined areas. The oral traditions shared by Siberian shamans and Sorcerers of the Cree tribesmen of the Great Lakes claim that Itaqua is not native to our planet and comes from a world, dimension or reality called Borea, a dark land with vast plains of black ice, constantly whipped by storms and furious gales. He have been drawn to Earth for unknown reasons countless millennia ago, settling into the North Pole, which became his Domain and Hunting Area.

When the stars reached their fateful alignment, Itaqua found himself trapped by these powerful cosmic chains, unable to break the prison built to capture the Great Old Ones. Like his brethren, he was prevented from manifesting freely beyond certain geographical limits. In the case of Itaqua he can not leave the area between the North of Manitoba and the North Pole, although in certain favorable circumstances and dates, he is able to manifest temporarily in other parts of the globe. Since cults devoted to him have flourished in regions of Mexico, Japan, and Persia, it is presumed that he has the tolerance to travel to milder climes, albeit in rare instances. In order to move from one place to another, Itaqua draws on colossal storms and other climatic phenomena of substantial intensity that seem to carry Him across the planet. It is possible that He also uses portals and other magical methods, even if its cultists adopt the notion that the God simply flies through the Winds. His moniker "Wind Walker" comes from this characteristic in particular, since the traditions affirm that "he is able to walk in the wind, as men walk on the land."

Little is known about the origin and history of Itaqua. Even by the standards of the obscure entities that form the Mythos, knowledge about Him is minimal. This is probably due to the fact that most of His cultists come from cultures and peoples who do not have written records. Much of the information about the God has remained confined within small isolated communities, orally transmitted. Thus, very little has been learned about him. What is known has been extracted by anthropologists and explorers who have had contact with inhabitants of these remote regions who have told legends about their gods. And even these stories certainly contain dubious information whose truthfulness can not be corroborated in whole or even in part.

Not by accident, Itaqua is one of the most mysterious Old Ones, an enigma obscured by a dense fog of rumors and whispers.

It is assumed that Itaqua is responsible for countless disappearances in the icy kingdon that makes His domains. In most cases, the god's victims simply disappear amidst a particularly violent storm. Nothing of their whereabouts is heard for days, months, years or sometimes forever. Eventually, some of these people are found buried in the snow or trapped in ice, with signs of falling from a great height. It is disconcerting that some of these victims bring with them strange objects that seem to belong to other civilizations separated by long distances. Some victims are still found alive, babbling about a colossal creature flying in the clouds. Not infrequently these victims are found miles from the point where they supposedly to have disappeared, without being possible to determine how they came about in such disparate places.

It is rare, but some can survive this traumatic experience. Among the Inuit people, those who "Wandered in the Wind" are regarded as individuals touched by the God. They experience maddening visions and prophecies to the end of their lives. They are still avoided by tribes and live as hermits. It is said that those who endured the proximity of Itaqua develop a supernatural ability to withstand extreme cold temperatures without the slightest discomfort. In the Siberian taiga, there are rumors about shamans who share this fate and are regarded as insane prophets.

Another curious legend about Itaqua concerns the Wendigo, a well-known myth, spread among the Native American peoples of the north. The myth originally refers to men who turn into wild beasts of grotesque appearance after consuming human flesh. The Wendigo are monsters feared by the Inuit tribes, ferocious creatures who live alone and who give up reason to become terrible predators.

The Wendigo are supposed to be a servant race created by the power of Itaqua. Transformation affects people who are chosen by the God and live in His company as prisoners. How he chose a person to become Wendigo is unknown. What is known is that transformation involves a series of stages in which the victim's body is slowly perverted in a form more or less similar to Itaqua itself, albeit smaller and less powerful. In the final stage, the victim completely loses consciousness, becoming savage. However, they remain entirely subject to the will of the God.

There is rumors that some remote places in Canada or Alaska, are still inhabited by Wendigo servants of Itaqua. As such, they serve His master and perform any tasks without question. It is possible that these beings are the basis for various legends about anthropoid creatures such as the sasquatch, yeti and the big foot. Those in warmer lands who are supposed to be safe, away from Itaqua grasp, may be visited by these servants of the Wind Walker. Arctic boundaries do not apply to the Wendigo, who can be sent anywhere in the world to extract vengeance on behalf of their master.

Unlike most of the Mythos horrors, Itaqua is clearly a humanoid entity. In a simplistic comparison, some might try to describe His general appearance as simiesque, but a second observation removes the notion that He bears similarity to any terrestrial life form. For all intents and purposes, Itaqua is totally alien in appearance.

His form is described as that of a polyphemic giant, more than 30 meters high, thin and emaciated. Many describe him as a colossus of pale, almost cadaverous appearance, with very long limbs ending in hands and feet endowed with claws. His face is a disfigured scowl, lean and angular, with a powerful jaw and a lip-less mouth. His white, pointed teeth protrude outwardly, like knifes. From its throat emerge misty puffs of ice crystals. The hairs on the top of his head are long and fall over his broad shoulders like a chalk white cascade. The eyes have a pale bluish coloration, strangely blurred and without iris. When furious, those wild eyes turn a reddish hue. It is supposed, that he has a acute scent, being able to perceive His prey at considerable distances. Itaqua is described as terrible predator, dedicated to the pleasure of the hunt. Strictly carnivorous, its voracity is well known.

The giant is covered with a rough coat of grayish-white or beige-gray color. This hair that grows in battens seems to offer a natural protection, accumulating in greater quantity in the neck, chest, back and genitals. Underneath this coat, his skin is pale and rigid, lining a solid musculature with tissues that resemble tendons. It is not easy to hurt that sturdy skin that has the texture of hard leather. Normal weapons find extremely difficult to pass through hair, skin and muscle. Firearm are generally diverted, except for projectiles with high penetration power, which can deflect this natural armor, without, however, producing great damage. A shotgun shot is more likely to merely irritate Itaqua.

    

Itaqua's body is supported by two legs, assuming a completely erect posture. It moves with long strides that cover an arch of at least 15 meters in each step. Its feet are palmed, endowed with six fingers, with a thick and rough soles that assures him adherence in the snow or ice. For some, the God does not really touch the ground, yet this notion seems to be false, since he often leaves his trail in the snow. His stride is powerful and the creature does not seem to care about whatever is in its path. Despite its colossal size, Itaqua can float in the air, covering hundreds of meters. The Entity is also capable of flying as long as there is a storm or blizzard in the vicinity. To take flight, Itaqua simply floats in the direction of the storm and lets Himself be engulfed by the clouds. He is able to move quickly this way, making miles in a few seconds.

A freezing aura seems to emanate from his body and individuals who got close enough to the God have described a freezing sensation that leads to hypothermia. In fact, all who have been close enough, and have survived the experience, claim that the cold emanating from God is almost unbearable. Loss of fingers, whole limbs and mucous membranes are a sad trophy carried by these survivors. Some believe that around Itaqua there is a kind of icy fog that seems to accompany Him. In general, the God chooses to manifest physically only when there is a strong storm or blizzard, and is rarely encountered under a clean sky.

Of all the horrendous characteristics of Itaqua, one deserves to be highlighted. This is described by many who crossed His path and became some kind of trademark. Itaqua produce a terrible noise, which, in the absence of a better interpretation, sounds like a howl. The Hunter Howl, as he is known among his cultists, seems to have a poignant effect on those who hear it for the first time. The howl is described as a snarling growl, but it can not be compared to any sound produced by animals of nature. This exasperating sound seems to affect its victims with a primal fear so monumental that many simply lose their reason. Faint, hysteria, and uncontrollable panic are frequent reactions. There are cases of individuals who never recover from the experience; they end up being consumed by an overwhelming sense of despair and desolation that invariably leads them to physical and mental ruin.  Those who go crazy, commit suicide or just start walking north to surrender themselves to the God.

Itaqua knows no mercy, offers no consolation, and is cruel in her disinterest for all that is around her. A true force of nature, he does not care about the fragile beings that are crushed beneath his feet.

In many ways, Itaqua is like the winter itself: Relentless and terrible.