OPEN | this winter brings all the cold to the yard

[northcliffpass]

𝕒 𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕪 𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕒𝕝

surprise!

I. Snow!

A mere week after the grisly discovery in the Deep Forest and the subsequent dispersal of the eerie spectral visitors, all Northcliff Pass residents wake one exceptionally frigid morning to find themselves buried under several feet of snow. It is of the light and fluffy variety--at least for now--which provides no shortage of entertainment for the village children, and means one is less likely to throw one's back out while trying to shovel it clear of doorways and the streets.

That is your first order of business, as it happens: free yourselves from your wintry entrapment. Or don't, if you've got enough food and drink squirrelled away in your tiny peasant house that you don't need to venture out into the elements. The world is your cold, shitty, socially stratified oyster; ditch your responsibilities, sleep in.

II. Fete! at ye olde tavern

All Souls' Day came and went, and nobody can really be blamed for forgetting about it what with the ghosts and the gloomy business of seeing to the bodies. All that aside the Hammer and Spoke seems especially welcoming that first wintry night, once all the snow shovelling is finished and the streets are clear enough for foot traffic again; lit lanterns glow warmly outside the door, and from within come the sounds of joyful music. Fiddles, whistles, a drum, and plenty of laughter; it seems the snow has stranded a troupe of minstrels in the village, which means at least two or three nights of great fun for village residents.

In truth it will take more than a few nights of drunk mischief to lift the pall cast across the village after the previous month's discoveries, but maybe that's why so many people gravitate to the light and levity and warmth of a party. After such a close call with so much death, it's good to remind oneself that there's joy in the world, too.

III. Cramped Quarters

The nights might be filled with good company, food, and drink, but during the day the village has to contend with another frustration: the roads in and out of Northcliff Pass are closed until the snow melts.

This is a common experience--in late December, January, and February. Not so much in November, when farmers are preparing to take their surplus harvest and livestock down the mountain to Cliffside, or when caravans with schedules to keep to are preparing to head east towards Woodsedge. (The only road clear in that direction is guaranteed to take them past Turn--something no one wants to risk.) Even a few late-season pilgrims have found themselves stuck between Gods' Reach at the summit of the mountain, and the creature comforts of Cliffside below.

There's nothing to be done for it, of course, except to endure the unusually crowded streets, the lack of vacancies at the tavern, and the occasional herd of sheep or goats picketed in very odd places.

Comments

[wardsdottir]

"Oh, those are my favourite!" This, cheerfully observed right over Colin's greeting, and Pippa trots over to the rack of tarts on display to scrutinize each one. She ends up pilfering two, and fishes out more than enough coin to pay for them.

"This must be good business for you," she adds, gesturing towards the outdoors with a pastry-wielding hand, "all the travellers stuck in the village."

[keenly]

"Very good business," he admits happily. "Even better now I'm encouraging people to gamble. And if people weren't so bored, I'm sure the church might...care, or something." Not that Adhemar really seems to pay attention, and Vervain can't see the sign, so. Best town in Maireglenne.

[wardsdottir]

"Oh, no one's going to call the Shepherds over a bit of harmless fun," she scoffs. She brings up the tart and takes a bite out of it, sighing out her nose with clear relish at the taste, then leans her elbow on the counter. "Do you want to go down to see her? Camilla, I mean." Obviously. "If the snow will just melt a bit, my caravan can give you a lift."

[keenly]

A smile breaks across Colin's face. "Really? I mean, yes!"

Usually he has to wait for someone to take a cart to Cliffside and hope he can get a ride with them. Travelling with Pippa would be much better.