The City Turns White Once Again (Open)

[Valkyrie]

Summer 15, 512 AV For over a season Avanthal had been melting and crying out for relief. The snow had disappeared from the land and left mud and slush in its wake. The snow that fell perpetually had turned to freezing rains that splashed the mud up the wooden buildings and soaked deep into the bones of all it touched. The inhabitants of the city had been almost immobilized by the thick mud that coated their roads and slowed their travel. Citizens had not felt clean for days and days as the thick mud soaked into their clothing and slush spattered their limbs while the beloved Icewatch polar bears coats were caked with mud. Their most treasured buildings and works of art had melted and left nothing but barren ugliness behind. Only paintings of the city’s former glory gave any relief from the melancholy of the bleak landscape. But it was more than just beauty and ease that they lost; they lost their safety as well. The protective Icewall Gates had chipped away into almost nothing as the prison followed suit. The confused, enraged fauna slipped past the gates to terrorize denizens as vicious criminals sought escape from the city by any means necessary. The icestone mines collapsed crushing dozens beneath as Coolwater Hold was flooded. Rescue teams were assembled as Icewatch sent its guards out to secure the city. Try as they might the city was stilled gripped with fear and desolation. Even the beloved palace of Morwen had melted and been left in ruin. Many found their faith tested as they prayed for help while Morwen could only look on at her people’s suffering. The fifteenth of summer came as warm and sullen as the days preceding it had. The Ice Palace melted a little more and the mud grew a little thicker. But slowly the residents would notice it. It had gotten colder. The change was slight enough that many wondered if they were imagining it, hope playing tricks on their minds. But by noon they would know for certain that temperatures were dropping. Hour by hour it got colder and a buzz of excitement and apprehension ran through the city. Residents argued whether Avanthal was finally cured of its warmth or if it was only false hope. No one knew what to make of the gradually chillier temperatures. As the day stretched towards evening the final sign came that perhaps Avanthal was not doomed. Dark clouds filled the skies and the Vantha found themselves perpetually craning their heads upwards wondering what would come. As the city turned in for its evening meal it finally happened. It snowed. The white messengers of mercy fell from the sky to kiss the upturned faces waiting below. Each delicate snowflake was welcomed with joy and settled in its rightful place on the buildings and lands of Avanthal. Residents could not believe their eyes and ran out to accept the cold relief on their hair and shoulders. Cries rose up throughout the city as pent up despair was released in exaltations of ecstasy and hope. Some ran towards the Palace to give praise to Morwen and share their delight, others dashed through the streets sharing happiness with all they met, and still others crowded into pubs to share drinks and dreams. Slowly the city came to a halt as all stopped to give thanks and celebrate the sky born consolation that began to dot the ground. Moderation NotePlease feel free to use this thread to record your PCs experience as snow falls in Avanthal again. I will jump in occasionally to provide events that occur throughout the day so feel free to post multiple times between my posts.

[Sliver]

Something small and wet tickled the wolverine's nose. Sliver had transformed to hunt in the outskirts of the city. It was still as the temperatures dropped, and she had been grateful for her thick fur coat as she chased down a couple rabbits, one cleverly evading her, the other not quite so successful. She was finishing her meal, gnawing the last vestiges of flesh off thin bones when the snowflake melted on her damp nose, and coal black eyes peered up in the deep grey sky. She saw them as they began to fall, light at first, but ever thickening into a clumps of many flakes, catching on the muddied leaves and ground, on the pined tree branches. The wolverine rose and transformed in an instant, standing nude and allowing the flakes to shower her body for a short while, ears open to the silence, eyes closed. She stood a few minutes like this, and whispered a soft thank you, to Morwen before walking the short distance to her leathers and slipping them on. The City would be alive today, she imagined, and she wished to see the hope, so absent from the Vantha's faces as of late, return.

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

Balthazaar was reading in his room at the Warrens when he heard the sounds of laughter and celebration coming from outside. This seemed very strange to the young man, as all he ever heard from the people of the city as of recently were sighs of frustration, angry muttering and occasionally sounds of crying. The Djed storm had taken such a toll on the people that he didn’t expect to hear any sort of happiness until the snow returned. It was when this thought crossed his mind that a feeling of hope started welling up inside him. Rushing towards a window, he tried to get a closer look at the atmosphere outside.

“Amazing…” Was all the young man could manage to utter as he saw a group of people laughing and dancing as a flurry of white flakes fell around them. He rubbed his eyes quickly, disbelieving the scene unfolding right before his eyes. When the vision remained unchanged after the brief rubbing, he knew that what he saw was reality. Snow had arrived in Avanthal. The city of Ice was finally on the road to recovery. Realizing that this would be a big deal in the city, he quickly grabbed his cloak, bundled up and rushed outside to join the growing crowd of people.

[Nate Frostfawn]

Nate had been holed up in his room for the better part of the day. Avanthal was no longer the beautiful white place he had grown up in. Now it was brown, dirty and far too warm. He hated the rain and he hated the mud. Each time he went out to hunt he would return filthy, caked in the brown stuff that took forever to wash out. He was not the only one who thought like this. The majority of the city residents were in despair. Nobody knew if things would ever be the same again.

Earlier in the season, Nate had come across a wolf inside the city. Nothing like this had ever happened before; the city was a safe haven from the things that roamed the barren reaches. But now they had no gates; there was no ‘safe’.
Long after noon - not long before the evening was to draw in - Nate had given up whatever menial task he had been doing, grabbed his bow and wandered outside. He never went anywhere without the weapon anymore. After a long while of simple meandering, he stopped to lean against a building. Occasionally people would walk past him, muttering about the temperature or imaginations and things. Nate barely paid them any attention. He sighed, and then froze.

A surprised frown wove its way onto the boys brow. After a short pause he sucked in a breath and blew it back out again. He hadn’t been imagining it. The air was cold enough for his breath to linger as a thin white mist momentarily. Nate looked up at the sky in bewilderment. Was Avanthal getting colder again? He could scarcely believe it.

The dark clouds hanging overhead threatened rain. Oh how Nate hated rain. When the weather finally broke he started to walk, hoping to get inside before he got too soaked. When the bitingly cold drops hit his face he grimaced, before realizing that rain just never got that cold.
Never got that cold... He looked up again.

A grin spread over his features as the beautiful white snowflakes settled on his cheeks. Nate gave a whoop of laughter, and rushed down into the main part of the city, for once not caring if he got mud all over his shoes. It was snowing! Avanthal had its snow back! He joined the crowds of people laughing and cheering, the smile never once slipping from his mouth.

[Sheva]

Avanthal The Winter City...yeah right! Ever since Sheva had arrived here on boat she had witnessed nothing remotely 'winter-ish' about the city, besides it's melting structures ofcourse. After the residents of Denval were forced to evacuate the small town, Sheva included, they had set sail for Avanthal. According to the people on the ship the city was a winter wonderland, snow as far as the eye could see aswell as magnificent ice structures made of what seemed to be ice. Yet Sheva had seen nothing of the sort, infact all she had seen since she got here was chaos. The townsfolk were in a state of panic, their city was melting before their eyes and there wasn't so much as a snowflake in sight. Sheva tried to avoid any and all contact with the residents of the city, there was way too much happening for her to cope with and so she spent most of her time outside the city's walls, which was more of an imaginary border than an actual barrier. Sheva didn't like it here, it rained too often and everything was covered in thick brown mud. Her snow white fur was filthy! Every time she cleaned herself it lasted only a short while and then she was filthy again. People may have thought that all wild animals cared little for cleanliness but that wasn't true, tigers especially disliked being dirty so Sheva was NOT a happy kitty. There the mud stained tigress sat, not far from the city in a small area which was comprised of out-cropped rocks. Around her was only dirt and mud but something was different. She felt the slight prick of cold on her nose, could it be? Was the temperature finally beginning to drop? She could only sit and wonder as to whether it would return to the cold climate that so many had claimed Avanthal used to be suspended in. The sky began to darken, an ominous cloud floating above, but it would seem it came baring gifts for the distressed city, as slowly millions of tiny beautiful white snowflakes fell gently from the sky. They were the exact color as her fur, well...when it wasn't dirty. Sheva's head tilted up, her tail swaying in amusement as the snowflakes danced gracefully toward the earth. She watched as a minuscule white snowflake landed on the tip of her nose, melting under the influence of her body heat. In the distance she could hear the city coming to life, as laughter and screams of joy echoed through the air. So the Vantha's beloved city was beginning to return to it's usual winter wonderland state...Good for them.

[Arcadius]

The storm had caused much distress and false hope not only within himself, but within just about everyone in the city. His deer form could handle the muck and temperatures, but his human form just wasn't used to this. His boots were covered with mud and there wasn't much he could do about it. The Icewall Gates were melting, the prison as well, and with the Ice Palace melting, he felt there was no hope left. Couldn't Morwen do something? Anything? But if she could, she surely would have by now. He looked down at the mucky ground as a tear slightly escaped. He was watching the Ice Palace as a drop of water escaped down the side. He shook his head with a bitter aversion for whatever had caused this. Everything was... ruined. If this kept up, he would have to migrate and leave his house behind. He looked down at he hanging backpack then slung it over his shoulder. He ran a hand through his brown hair then noticed how the lighting got darker. Naturally, he looked up. When he saw the dark clouds, his heart rose from the very bottom and hit the ceiling. A small amount of hope was restored to his fallen heart. When he saw the small pure white crystals of ice, it broke free completely. A wide grin grew across his face as he held out his hands with a small laugh. The smile brightened and the laugh grew louder as the small white ice crystals accumulated on his outstretched palms. He looked at his shoulder towards Ren "Snow, Ren! It's snow!" The bird left his shoulder then flew through air over the heads of the hundreds in the streets. For once, he didn't care where she flew since he knew she would return. This made him want to morph and run through the streets with ribbons and bells tied to his antlers and legs. This was a sign of restore! Maybe the city wouldn't be doomed! if this kept up, he wouldn't have to migrate! he looked at the others surrounding him. Some were jumping, some were screaming, some were crying, and others like himself, were laughing. The bird returned and settled onto his shoulder. She had small flakes on her head, but at the point he didn't mind. She nuzzled his cheek with her head which made him laugh even more. Snow. He looked up in awe as the small flakes touched down then melted on his warm face, his brown eyes twinkling brightly.

[Kroth]

The reclusive giant had spent most of his days in Avanthal clearing roads and moving heavy objects since he had arrived. Today was no different. Kroth was caked from head to toe in muck and dirt, giving his usually coal black fur a rather browny-grey tint. He had been helping to clear heavy rubble and ice from what remained of the ice stone mines for most of the morning.

The ice watch guards and miners that had been posted there were extremely grateful for his help. More than once had they told him to take a rest, carrying over a hundred kilos worth of materials through almost impossible-to-travel-through terrain was no easy task. Kroth had continued to work however without pause or complaint.

It wasn’t until he moved on to help patrol clear the worst of the slushy mud from the main traveling routes that he began to feel exhaustion take over him. Once the large iron skip was full to the brim with icy muck Kroth grabbed either end and lifted it out of the slushy dirt with a heave and a grunt. When he stood up on his hind legs to carry the skip to the edge of the city he was truly enormous, taller than two fully grown Vantha’s one on top the other.

Upon reaching the edge of the city walls he tipped out the contents of the skip with a mighty thrust to join the other towering piles of muck beside it. Tired beyond belief the Jamoura placed the skip carefully onto the ground and collapsed onto his backside to peer up at the sky. Dark clouds were forming above he took note.

More rain? These gods the Vantha worship sure are cruel... he thought reluctantly, another rainstorm like the last he believed would break the Vantha’s strong spirits. As small as they were he had come to respect that part of them. Their willingness to never give up. Kroth was getting up from his small rest when the sky began to leak little flakes of white down to the earth below. Snow? It was almost as if the skies had read his mind and felt pity for its fellow underlings.

Then it came. A wave of joy and happiness that had been built up over an entire season suddenly exploded at once. The city of Avanthal had come alive with shouts, cheers, laughter and even screams. Kroth couldn’t help but sigh with relief as he pushed himself from off the ground. Slowly, still struck with exhaustion, Kroth made his way back into the heart of the city to where the people of Avanthal were celebrating.

[Yuralria]

Yura shivered slightly for the first time in a while, not being marked by Morwen, she felt the change in temperature more than many of the Vantha her eyes shifted to a panicked orange as she remembered the events surrounding Ivak's release, and the terrible Djed storm and it's effects. Maybe now they would be able to rebuild the city, but that was a job for the marked ones.

She sighed and leaned on Josaan. They were in the library as was thier usual routine, and Josaan was reading a book. Being marked, he hadn't yet felt the change in temperature, but he felt Yura's shiver, and knew it was getting cold again. A gentle breeze played about her hair, careful no to disturb Josaan's papers, he hated that. [b]"Snow is falling once again"[b] it breathed.

[Valkyrie]

OOCAnyone who hasn’t joined in yet and wants to can feel free to post at any time. Balthazaar and Sliver will not be able to post again so Nate can start the next round at his leisure. The snow fell harder and harder as the people of Avanthal rejoiced. Within twenty chimes of the first flake falling the air was thick with cold gusts carrying the frozen hope to reclaim the city. Groups of citizens congregated in the streets and shouted the news in each other’s faces in their excitement. Vantha from Snowsong Hold brought out their instruments and stood in the roads. They struck up a jolly tune on lute and drum and flute. Some groups of instrumentalists were joined by singers who made up lyrics on the spot celebrating the freshness of snow and the delight of relief. Electric excitement buzzed through the crowd and all knew it was going to be a special day. Any who neared a group of people would hear shouts of news coming from each mouth as everyone fought to be heard and ignored the words of their neighbor. The situation was far too overwhelming for manners or politeness, and each wanted to explode with their pent-up words. Rumors and speculation were passed around each group. Some said that the Jenna Aviak was going to be giving a speech and message from Morwen at the palace soon while others urged their friends to hurry to the Red Diamond as the owner was passing out drinks on the house. Some were happy to watch the musicians play in the streets and watch the movements of the people while others insisted that the Icewatch polar bears were giving out rides they were so happy. The city was filled with activity and residents dashed around trying to take in what they could. As all the residents of Avanthal were rushing about in their happiness the snow got thicker and thicker. Most hoped that a blizzard would come and shake Avanthal once again in its icy grip to scream its dominion over the warmth and melt.