The cold winter season
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The long months of winter pass and the spring comes late, but the new flowers of spring in the northern most reaches are weaker and more stunted than usual, if they barely flower at all the buds frozen with unseasonal late frosts in the spring months. Farmers start worrying about theirfreshly planted crops.
When the slightly warmer temperatures come in the hottest part of the years farmers mutter about ripening crops and mists lay heavy on the valleys in the morning, as tempratures drop sharply at night. Few can remember cold raining days in the summer so bad, threatening sleet at times. Travellers and those living under canvas on the passes spend longer within the cities and towns and the inns make more money throughout the year. The huntsmen of the giantspire spend longer in their summer camps, and are seen ranging further afield to follow herds of migratory animals while the icelace ice-flows do not receed as much as they usually do.
When again the winter is expected (assume start of October RL) the poorer of the folk of the north look a little thinner than usual and those who live off the land mutter about children dying of the cold and disease, having less strength to fight it off. Some experienced mountain men shrug off the conditions while others murmur that "it nae be natural like, where be tha druids o tha mountain, why do they nae talk, where are they?"
Huntsmen start turning to hunting the wild cats of the land for food and extra skins, and their numbers dwindle at times.
Folk about the city, and the northern lands speak prayers to the deities of cold, protection and flame in equal regard to plea for the lives of livestock, crops and their families.
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late at night and more then once a small lith form is seen dumping water outside of the lady's aspera door a high pitched giggle is heard to have come from the small figure
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Rarely seen coming into the city itself, many from the walls have seen the small shape of a cloak wrapped elf dragging seemingly every frozen animal he has come across in his patrols to the walls of the city to be butchered for meat. The few times he does make it into the city itself he is seen to head straight to the Far Scout office, where he stays only a few hours at the most before leaving back out again.
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Anna Sigerlson is said to have invited people into her home on commerce street for food and clothing. She is said to be providing a substantial portion of her monthly income to support Roland Brynmor's soup kitchen in the docks.
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Syne remains warm, cozy, and comfy in his spacious senatorial cell, smoking leisurely, drinking the fine wine he had smuggled in, and patiently awaiting his trial.
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Within the top rooms of the Ferret a man looks out towards the storm clouds rolling over the city and the snow filling its streets. He smiles slightly to himself before cleaning the last bit of blood from the altar and heads back down to buisness
The cold will bring much pain and suffering. Perhaps they will become wise and find strength through that.
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_In the snatched moments, through the dense mist of falling snow, the pristine, pale form of Lady Aspera is seen moving. She is smiling as the snowflakes coil about the air, casually stepping over the frozen form of a beggar, laced in place by the thick web of rime upon the ground.
"Charming weather," she is heard to remark to bemused passers by._
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Hjoichi Olsen is seen occasionally in town, grumbling, buying up a fair bit of oil, and thawing the ice from his mustache over a flagon of mulled wine. He curses a bit, as is usual, and heads back into the chill air to fight the accursed Menacers, whom he suspects are the cause of this particularly brutal winter.
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Maralina can often be seen walking the streets with a contented smile, a piece of ice in her cheek and her red-blindfold still in place. She occassionally walks into things, but seems to finally have found somewhere she doesn't feel too hot all the time.
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Kerrith ventures to the City, despite loathingthe place, and can be seen buying a few specific herbs and disappearing to Elissa's lodgings with them.
Ocean buys a whole load of scarves and gloves and cloaks and distributes them to those most seemingly in need.
Mal is heard to comment 'Fackin' hells, s'colder than Auril's icehouse, wha' the fack did I do ter deserve this shite. Oh yeah. Well, there was that' grins a diamond grin
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Elissa can often be seen fighting with a cold and if she goes out at all, she's always tightly packed in warm furs. Obviously, though, the cold weather exacts a toll on her pale body.
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Evendur grows grouchier the colder it gets, and he makes no secret of his suspicion that the so-called Corrupt Union of Shar and Auril has had some hand in the worsening of the weather.
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Despite the cold, Talgrath seems to be unbothered. He is seen in his usual routines, his massive form trudging unbothered through snow drifts as tall as small children. He still goes out on patrols with the Defenders, and he still can often be seen standing on top of the west wall, looking out over the hills.
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The hoarran knight Clayton Hocke usually keeps to himself in the brisky wheather, often found sitting alone on a bench, wrapped in a large furr cloak, watching the barbarian shovel the streets, watching that pink haired bard woman and her pot of steamy liquid. As usual, his grey eyes flicker wryly, if not curiously, between the folks, watching and simply observing as his heavy clothing protects him from the frost-bite.
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Oreth is occasionally seen sitting on the northeastern corner of the city wall (being the highest safe vantage point for some distance) and watching the clouds, the sea, and the winds, as if looking for a pattern. He keeps himself well shielded from the cold, magically, but is still seen to shiver and shudder on occasion
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Devath has been seen shoveling snow out of the main streets, especially around the market, and granting protective blessings of Waukeen for free to known merchants and traders, and for a small token fee to all other travellers intend on leaving the city.
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Lilly ventures out into the cold every other day, a steaming pot held in hand usually and a stack of bowls in her pack. Setting up in the docks district, she ladles out bowls of soup for those less fortunate enough to have a roaring fire always near at hand. She especially smiles to any children who approach, often pulling them in front of the adults and giving them little honey-flavored candies after the stew.
The cold doesn't seem to bother her, though her lips begin to turn blue by the time she carries the empty pot back to the Bardic College. Never once does she keep any for herself.
