The Arktikos is an inhospitable region. It means: “Near the bear.”

Some southern Uropian cultures claim “Arktikos” is in reference to the prominent constellation of the Great Bear… northern Uropian cultures attribute the name to one of the most prominent megafauna of the tundra: the tonanuuk.

The tonanuuk has the body of a polar bear. It has tremendous, curved, ram-like horns, and a wide mouth filled with layers of teeth like that of a shark. The tonanuuk, standing upright, can reach heights of 25 feet.

The Inkaput people tell stories of avalanches being caused when two males clash horns during disputes. These stories are not far-fetched. For a creature weighing in at 15 tons, the impact of such blows are heard like a deep, booming thunder for miles.

Inkaputs call it the “polar bear devil”. As much as it is feared by them, it is also respected. To some clans, the tonanuuk is even worshiped. The way they see it: anything that makes meals of killer whales is a pseudogod. Period.