When one thinks of the Tethers of Saminga, the Prince of Death, the mind tends to wander to catacombs and cemeteries, homes of mass murderers, and sites of devastating atrocities and accidents. These are places few want to visit; or, at the very least, rarely bring smiles. But the Shedite Prince has his share of links to the corporeal realm that are popular with the populace. Here are five Tethers to Death that are also tourist attractions.
Mont Blanc, France
Mt. Everest may be a deadly and difficult climb, having claimed over 300 accounted deaths, but the tallest peak in the world remains a strong tether to David, Archangel of Stone. Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, is the deadliest climb. On average, 30,000 people per year attempt to reach the peak of the White Mountain, 16,000 feet above sea level, and that snow-covered climb hides the blood of over 100 annual deaths. While 100 to 30,000 is a low percentage of death, the constant stream of tourism and attempts to climb the mountain regardless of inexperience, weather conditions, or avalanches have linked this part of the Alps to Abaddon.
Seneschal: Nachmanke, Captain of the Infernal Legion
Taking the role of Abban Dubois, a mountain guide that lives at the base of Mont Blanc in Chamonix, Nachmanke is a gregarious and charming demon who claims he was created shortly after The Fall. The Captain not only serves as a guardian for the Tether, he takes a special delight in directing inexperienced hikers to the most dangerous paths up the mountain.
Yungas Road, Bolivia
It was titled the “World’s Most Dangerous Road” by Inter-American Development Bank and is often referred to as “Road of Death.” The shoulders of the single-lane thoroughfare that curves around the Cordillera-Oriental Mountain chain is lined with crosses and altars, memorializing the dead. With its steep slopes, narrow single track, lack of guardrails, as well as weather conditions of rain and fog, the road claimed over 200 drivers and cyclists a year since the 1930’s.
Modernization of the road began in 1998, increasing the road width to two lanes and adding guardrails. 2006 saw the construction of an alternate route to the 64 kilometer road. Though death is much rarer along the road, it is still known to take the lives of local workers, backpackers, and thrill-seeking mountain-bikers.
Seneschal: Aralu-Mot, Calabite Demon of Yungas Road
Word-bound to the Tether, the Destroyer is no longer as strong as she was in the late 20th century, but the decades of death along the roadway have not left her weak. Aralu-Mot has a few corporeal forms, but takes no Roles with them, seeing the bodies as disposable as the humans among her. During the height of tourist seasons, she travels to La Paz, suggesting the cheapest Death Road tour companies to cyclists; leaving the daredevil mountain-bikers with the most unprofessional and unsafe guides.
Eagle’s Nest Cave, USA
Sometimes called the “Mount Everest of cave diving,” the sinkhole and cave system in the Weeki Wachee river of Florida is 300 feet deep and is one of the most difficult dives, requiring a high level of expertise to traverse the maze-like cave system. Though it has the relatively low death count (compared to other Tethers on this list) of a dozen people since 1981, the newsworthiness of those deaths has created a weak tether to Hell. Though the dive site is closed to the public after each death, calls for tourism find it re-opening soon after.
Caretaker: Korbran, Djinn Knight of the Dead
With the threat of a permanent ban following each death and the slow stream of Essence flowing from the Tether, Saminga has not deemed the site worthy of an official Seneschal. Yet. Korbran watches over the area, but doesn’t really care if the Tether becomes important enough for him to be promoted. Really. Honestly. Seriously.
Boa Viagem Beach, Brazil
Beautiful blue-green water splashes into perfect white-brown sandy shores; the beaches of Recife in Pernambuco, Brazil are spectacular. Especially Boa Viagem Beach. Based on the thousands of people that visit the five mile beach in the summer, one might not think it’s home to the deadliest shark attacks in the world. Tiger sharks and bull sharks–already aggressive species of sharks–have only become more plentiful since the early 1990s after construction of Suape port began. The death rate for these attacks is 37%; more than double the global average of 16%. Even with surfing bans and specially trained lifeguards with SharkShield electronic devices, the waters remain deadly.
Seneschal: Vedrias, Impudite Demon of Shark Attacks
Vedrias isn’t Word-bound to the Tether, but their Word of Shark Attacks is perfectly suited to the area. The Taker has many Roles; including lifeguard and city planner. The former Role never quite manages to save people and the latter Role is used to plan city growth that will eventually push sharks to swim to more human-populated areas. When asked if the Impudite had anything to do with Suape port’s construction, they’ll neither confirm nor deny–but the observant will likely catch the slight smile and glimmer in their eye.
Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
Rising 400 vertically from rough waters, it’s no wonder these cliffs of shale and sandstone were chosen as the “Cliffs of Insanity” for the movie The Princess Bride. Subject to sudden high winds and unpredictable downpours of rain, the steep paths of loose gravel and smooth stone have claimed an unknown amount of lives. Unexpected rock breakages have also taken the lives of many visitors standing near the edges of the cliff. These continual accidental deaths, coupled with the destination being a popular location for suicides have made it a Tether to Saminga’s domain.
Seneschal: Caphriel, Habbalite Demon of the Cliffs of Moher
Once a Elohite of Stone, the former servitor of David Fell alongside her brother, Magog. She escaped the imprisonment of Prince of Cruelty and his followers simply by not being there. Disillusioned by her Fall, she wandered the world Princeless and near powerless, angry at God, Heaven, and humanity alike. Eventually, she joined Saminga’s ranks, believing death was the ultimate test. The Punisher often assumed the Role of a nun or priest, pushing the emotions of a confessor to despair, convincing them to take their own lives. In her way of snubbing her former Archangel, she’d subtly urge her victims to thow themselves off cliffs. How fitting, then, that she is now Word-bound to the Cliffs of Moher.
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