OPEN | Blood And Ice

[northcliffpass]

Civil Blood

I. News from the West

The story of why gets twisted and distorted between its departure from the Crags and its arrival in Northcliff Pass, but the town criers maintain consistency on a few points: Althea of House Jessamy, Duchess of Black Rock, has at last thrown down the gauntlet against the Duke of Cliffside, and has called on her vassals to rally their bannermen. It seems there will be war within the borders of Maireglenne for the first time in a hundred years.

Given the state of the roads leading through the pass, it is understandable that the news is a few weeks’ stale by the time armed soldiers sporting Duke Galein’s colours march (or gallop, if they are astride a horse) past the village walls and garrison themselves on the festival grounds. Anyone objecting to this new arrangement is encouraged by the soldiers to bring their objections to the garrison commander (who, rumor has it, personally oversees the flogging of objectors himself).

Like it or not, the regiment is here to stay, at least until they receive orders instructing them otherwise. On the bright side, the soldiers did the hard work of clearing the pass for the season; travel between Northcliff Pass and the city of Cliffside just got a heck of a lot easier this winter.

II. Cold Snap

And it’s highly likely that those orders will be as delayed as the news, for the regiment has hardly been within the city walls a week before the temperatures plunge to dangerous lows. This is not the seasonal frigidity accompanied by blustery blizzards that encourage snowball fights and a bit of ice fishing down by Sands Creek, but a cold so biting and bitter that any prolonged period spent outside in it runs the very real risk of hypothermia and death. This is the kind of cold that leaves the air clean and clear, with nothing to impede the watery white light of the sun for the few hours it spends above the horizon each day before setting again; it cuts the lungs when inhaled and bites straight through to the bone. Many of the village’s poor are brought within the sturdy walls of the Town Hall and the chapel, because the alternative is finding them frozen solid in the streets.

The silver lining to this development is bare indeed; avoiding the cold means that, for a time at least, the village residents and soldiers are too preoccupied hunkering down to endure the cold to be at cross purposes.

III. A Howl in the Night

On the third night of the deep freeze, an animal’s piercing howl shatters the oppressive silence that has settled over the village.

It’s not a wolf’s howl; it is far too shrill and keening, and comes from a great distance away, that much is clear. The few villagers brave enough to risk exposure to the cold will find nothing of immediate danger within the city walls--but should they lift their eyes and look to the gossamer clouds near the summit of Gods’ Reach, they will glimpse the dark silhouette of a massive winged beast circling the mountaintop in search of a safe place to roost.

Comments

[ellrigaeta]

Lorne has, by now, seen Elena among the soldiers with some frequency, but his concern has been them more than her. That smile makes him wonder if he should keep closer watch in the future, for one reason or another.

He offers a slight bow, keeps his expression neutral save mild curiosity. "Lorne Ward, watchman. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Bevans. I've seen you playing at the tavern, I believe. You're quite talented. Have you been in Northcliff Pass long?" He's going to ignore the mention of services for now.

[strumpeting]

He thinks she's talented. Well, yeah, of course she is, but hearing it on the lips of an attractive man is always a good feeling. Her smile grows wider, and while it's meant to be pleasing it likely would cause something more like concern to a smart individual.

"Lorne, that's a strong name. I'm sorry I haven't seemed to notice you in the tavern, though, sometimes I just get so lost in the music."

That or stoned and drunk out of her mind. She purses her lips as she thinks over her time here.

"A few weeks I think, maybe longer. But time flies when you're having so much fun! This is the longest I've stayed in one town for a while."

Or hasn't been kicked out. The snow probably has a lot to do with that.

"Wait, Ward, Ward ... are you related to the Magistrate?"

[ellrigaeta]

Lorne tends to stick to the periphery for a reason when he's at the tavern. Elena had always been thoroughly engaged in one thing or another the few times he's spotted her there, so he's not surprised. To the last he gives a slow nod. Her smile is-- possibly worrisome. He makes a note to be conscientious about what he says around her, just until he has a better grasp of her personality.

"Yes, he's my father. I grew up here, but I've been away for some years working in a nearby town," Lorne explains. "I moved back just before the pass closed with the snow." He pauses, glances towards the tent she emerged from. She looked cheerful enough, but he can't help asking: "Have they treated you poorly at all?"

[strumpeting]

"Aaah, well you came back at a good time didn't you?"

What does that mean? What time? Shit, who knows.

"Poorly?" Her malicious grin vanishes as a look of surprise crosses her face. "No! Absolutely not! Everyone here is fantastic! I mean, some could use a little loosening up, like a certain watch captain whose name may rhyme with 'prance' (actually that's a good suggestion for him to do, I need to write that down) but ... no, everyone here is wonderful."

[ellrigaeta]

What time indeed. After the ghosts, before the heavy snow and bitter cold and now there's soldiers to contend with. Anyway. Lorne's rather distracted by the comment about Lance to wonder about timing and only barely suppresses a startled laugh.

His eyebrows do rise towards his hairline, clearly amused. "I wish you luck with that." Lance is perpetually reserved and committed to his duties. "I meant the soldiers, specifically, but if they're included I'm relieved to hear it. Things have been a bit tense."

[strumpeting]

"Oh, I'll crack that nut, no worries." Elena laughs about Lance. She still doesn't realize, girl, you really, really don't want to.

"Oh, the soldiers are just people like any other, I think too many people forget that," she says in a rare moment of wisdom. "They just want the same things we do! Food, entertainment, a place to piss, and I'm only to happy to provide for them! And honestly so many of them barely want to be here, it's not like they're the ones pissed at the duke. They're just following shite orders."