Morwen

[Gossamer]

Morwen Queen Morwen is considered the protector and ruler of the city of Avanthal in northern Taldera. The Goddess of Winter governs the entire realm of Mizahar once a season when she leaves Avanthal and walks freely throughout the whole of the world. Once her seasonal reign is over, she retreats to Avanthal, a city locked in ice all year long. Like all seasonal gods and goddesses, Morwen is immortal and has been part of the Mizaharian Pantheon for the whole of the world's existence. Morwen rules over ice, snow, and paints the world in a fragile harsh beauty once a season. She is sometimes misunderstood as cold, callous, and unfeeling, though that couldn't be further from the truth. Queen Morwen's people love her, which is why Avanthal is so well-populated for a harsh northern city, supporting the theory that Morwen is a strong leader under whom people thrive. Queen Morwen lives in the Ice Palace, which has an open door policy to visitors. She might not seem upon first inspection to be the kindest or most caring Goddess, but the truth of the matter is that she turns no one away who would make the far nothern journey to Avanthal to see her. Her personal assistant, Jenna Aviak screens her visitors, but if their request is legitimate and important, Morwen will see them. Queen Morwen has no close association with any of her fellow Gods and Goddesses, but there has been some rumor of her attachment to Sivah, God of Summer. Morwen's followers are zealous in their support of their Queen. One need only to visit Avanthal to understand the lengths the city's people will to go stand up with their Queen. Avanthal is also the home of the Icewatch, a very powerful honor guard that supports the city and its denizens. The Icewatch acts as Morwen's personal guard and are distinguished by the dire-sized polar bears the soldiers ride. Morwen has perfected the art of living in harsh climates and, for all that her people suffer her frosty powers year round, they thrive in ingenious ways.

[Sliver]

1st of Spring, 513 A.V.

Heavy feet padded through thick snow. It was still a new sensation to the wolverine Kelvic, this mark upon her shoulder. The memories of a time before she did not feel cold were slowly fading from her mind. She at once dreaded their disappearance, for she never wanted to take her Gnosis Mark for granted, yet part of her wondered if it was best to let the memories of cold slide past her like snow gave way to flowers in spring. Of course this transition never happened in Avanthal, but the metaphor still seemed fitting.

Sliver knelt in the snow, a good distance from the city gates. She knew her Goddess was back in her seat of power, only a short jog from the Icewatch barracks, but still she felt closer to her in the presence of Morwen's element, a blanket of white surrounding the Kelvic in her entirety.

"You know I'm not so good at this." She snorted to herself, knowing it was the entirely wrong way to go about a prayer. "Winter was colder without you there, I think. The city was...rough. I am glad you have returned, glad things can return to the way they were." She cupped a handful of snow in her grasp, and felt it flow down through her arm, water dribbling through pale fingertips to join the snow and simply re-freeze out of her grasp. It was a meditative event for the Kelvic now, a simple gesture that nearly anyone in Avanthal could replicate, but something that spoke to her of normalcy and balance. She sighed, breath steaming before her face. "You are old and wise, much wiser than any Kelvic could hope to be...I remember you told me not to rush...not to rush into a bond, but I am so scared." Her head dipped down low, and her voice grew much quieter. "I am not young any longer. Spring comes and I can feel older. I know that this is better, that my mind is formed and my thoughts are clearer than a young pups, but I am so scared, my Queen, scared that I will die without being whole."

A drop of water that did not emanate from her fingers fell onto the icy ground. "Soon it will be one year since I joined the watch, and all are required to bond in within that time...I am unsure what they will do with me if I do not." She ran her fingers across the Gnosis mark upon her shoulder and smiled a bit. "But I think I know what you would say. You have lived so long you know that waiting is what is needed, that the answers will come in time. So thank you, and...I am so glad you are back."

The Kelvic rose from the snow, and brushed off damp knees, wiping her face and leaning down towards the ground. Her hand sunk into the icy snow, leaving the print of her appendage there as a temporary marker, a final note upon her prayer, then she began her trek back towards the Icy gates of the Everwinter City.

[Lani Stranger]

7th of Winter, 518AV

Three days ago the keepers of the city had allowed the denizens of Wind Reach to go outside again, although a heavy warning was placed on it, encouraging people not to leave unless necessary for work. But Lani was restless, she was concerned about more than just the five-day lighting storm that barraged the mountain while they cowered inside. Yes, the weather and the impact it was to have on the survival of the city was a constant concern in her mind, with no one to talk to about those concerns they festered and grew, and Lani had to search for a way to vent the worries that plagued her. She was upset with the winter Goddess, who had not answered her calling for years now. But her displeasure manifested in concern as well, and she battled with whether she was angry or concerned for the Goddess. Lani hadn’t understood or condoned the excessive murder in retaliation of this absence, but like every other creature in Mizahar, she wanted answers.

Breaking from the Sanikas Gates, Lani was immediately assaulted with the icy rain that flew sideways from the mountain. She knew it was not freezing, for it was rain and not snow, and the wind carried the humidity of the rain, which made the wet cold seem to sink into her bones quicker than if it had been truly freezing. At least if it had been freezing there would have been snow. But Lani was not prepared to let the weather stop her. It was not considered dangerous anymore, and she would have to remedy the cold in the steamy baths as soon as she was done. The half-blood liked to speak to the Gods whether their domain was most powerful. She spoke to Aquiras in doorways, she spoke to Priskil at her shrine. She had begun to even speak to Leth, although she understood the moon God little. It didn’t seem appropriate to speak to Morwen under the cover of a roof, and she had no shrine for the unfamiliar Deity. Wind Reach had a lack of temples, and so the spiritual girl had been forced to make her own. She valued her life more than to make a shrine for Morwen within the city, however she still wanted to speak to the Goddess. Wrapping her arms around her shoulders, she tugged the hood of her old cloak over her head. She was not going to risk the rain on her new fur-line Katinu, but this wool thing would be easier to dry out, and if she was not able to, not missed when it was tossed.

Other than her cloak and some simple clothes, the mixed blood braved the storm with only her daggers. She had rustproofing oil for her Talon Sword, but as she did not think she would encounter any danger in the short walk to her little clearing she had only her throwing daggers with her. Even though the hike down the steps to the little clearing offshoot that she had come to frequent lately was about fifteen chimes walk away, it took her only a few chimes to begin shivering, thoughts turning back to the warm baths inside the city that were waiting for her return. But she had no intention of disrespecting Morwen and attempting to pray on these steps without properly setting aside the place and time. That and the mixed blood worried that questions may be asked about what she did today. It was common for her to come to this clearing on her days off, to practice or pray or just enjoy being outside after being holed up in the stony corridors of the mountain for so long, but paranoia still hinted in the back of her mind.

When she reached the clearing, she ducked under the wood railing, seeing the disruption in the damp leaves from her past pursuits here. The rain had weighed down the leaves so that even the aggressive wind could not pull them from the ground, and she grimaced at the thought of kneeling on the cold damp clumps of dead vegetation. Still, she had no intention of disrespecting Morwen, and so she lowered herself to the ground, folding her legs in front of her, and attempting to cushion the cold with the length of her cloak beneath her. Within ticks she could feel the wet seep through the wool and cool her legs beneath her. Still, she set her open palms on each thigh and attempted to meditate. Lani wanted to pray to this God that she had no shrine for, she thought that the vulnerability of opening her mind and body to Morwen would strengthen the connection, and so she did.

The shivering was inevitable, and no matter how much she clamped her teeth, the chattering did not stop. Her fingers were so icy she could no longer feel the wind and rain surrounding her through the Chaktawe dots on her fingertips. Still, she let her eyes close and attempted to even her breathing through the violent shivers that racked her torso and arms. The meditation was nearly impossible, but Lani needed to pray.

”H-hellooo M-morw-wen.” She attempted to speak the words, but nearly bit her tongue off in the pursuit, so she elected to think with intention instead. It was hard to keep her pose open to the assault of wind and rain, and difficult to keep her thoughts from drifting from her intention, but nevertheless she persisted. I know little of your religion or domain, only that you are mentioned to be synonymous with the winter moons. As far as I understand it there is a dance that the nature deities must do to keep the cycles in our world flowing, but you’ve elected to abandon your realm.

Lani did not know how to make her thoughts not sound accusatory. She had never known anyone who worshiped the deity, or how the Goddess was told to react to such things, whether she was neutral and real with her followers like Leth, or kind and warm like Priskil, Lani did not know. Perhaps the Goddess was even dead, or plunged into an unwilling slumber like Lani’s beloved Aquiras, she did now know. I have no intention of blaming you for this, or arguing why you should return, but you must know that we are curious and frightened. I don’t condone the cold murder of your followers in the past seasons, and I don’t fault you for continuing your absence in retaliation to those horrendous actions. But as one who knows not why you have abandoned us, and yet bears the consequences of everyone else, I must ask: Why? When will you return? What do you require to be pleased if you are angry? Or sad? Or if, and I fear this might be true, you are dead or injured, how would we help? Our world cannot last in this dead season where it is neither spring, nor summer, nor fall, nor winter. We need your guidance and compassion, and without it we are lost. So what do you need? If you elect to answer, answer me merely this. If not, I can only hope for a solution to whatever plagues you and caused this abandonment of us.

Her mind scrambled for more to say, but she found none. Her jaw began to ache with the shivering, and her skin felt painful, and so she was only able to last until the end of her prayer before she was struggling to stand with stiff joints, determined to make it back to the safety and warmth of the mountain, but glad that her thoughts were at least properly conveyed to the unfamiliar Goddess.