Backers Only: Panukan, the Owl Rider | Out of this World

Born in a long night, Panukan grew up in a world, where the winters were long and the nights were dark.

His people have been worshiping the light for centuries, celebrating it’s warmth and guidance as they roamed the icy tundra of their homeland. They never stay in one place for too long. Instead, they lead a nomadic lifestyle, living out of their backpacks, hunting along the way. They are a restless people, always on the search for light, to help them weather the long periods of darkness. The purest form of light can be found in the form of glowing crystals, hidden in deep icy crevasses. Retrieving them can be a dangerous deed, but once surfaced, the crystals emit a warm glow for up to several months. Only the braves set out to supply the tribe with new crystals: the Crystal Riders. Panukan is one of those riders.

When Panukan was 12, he was made to choose his mount, as was customary in his tribe. It was then, that he met Ynuqi. Enthralled by the crystalline light herself, she can spot the faintest glow from miles away.

Rider and mount form a deep bond, which lasts a lifetime. Wherever they go, they go together. It is believed that their very souls become linked. Some even claim, they share a single one.

Panukan and Ynuqi might not look it, but they are fierce warriors in times of danger and resilient survivors in the icy wilds. Through all hardships, they manage to sustain a sense of wonder, always looking for the light, in even the darkest of winter nights.