OPEN ↠ HARING EVENT

[faderifting]

WHO: All
WHAT: WINTER IS HERE
WHEN: Haring 15-Wintermarch 1
WHERE: The Gallows, Kirkwall
NOTES: You can use this post as an event-style mingle log, or just use it as background information for your RP elsewhere!

It's been a chilly month already, but in mid-Haring the temperature suddenly plummets. One day it's merely cold, and the next morning the Inquisition wakes to frost on the inside of the window panes and an icy draft whistling through every crack in the tower's masonry. Downstairs, the pipes that feed the bathing chambers and the kitchens creak in the walls, loud enough to be heard even out in the courtyard, where they run beneath the stones, and around midday, when the sun has failed to raise the temperature above freezing, a blocked pipe finally gives, cracking open to spill water across the central court and send it running down side passages. The whole area floods several inches deep and almost immediately begins to freeze, presenting at first a gigantic, treacherous slush puddle and, after a few hours, a sheet of sheer ice.

Melting a safe path from door to door and laying down sand or wood to keep it from becoming slick again is a simple enough undertaking, but before the entire courtyard can be thawed, someone appears with ice skates—and that’s a better idea, surely, for at least a few days. Anyone who complains about the frivolity can be assured it’s good exercise, not to mention good training for a force that may have to travel or fight on ice in the future.

Temperatures remain cold enough that even some parts of the harbor begin to freeze, first just at the calmest edges of the shoreline, and then the more protected nooks and crannies of the bay, inlets and the spaces between piers and beneath docks. It snows most days--not real storms, just a couple inches here and there--little enough for the window to blow most of it off the icy plain of the courtyard and other wide open, paved spaces, accumulating on branches and in alleyways, and creating growing drifts in corners and against walls.

After a week or so actual chunks of floating ice begin to fill the narrow channels of the harbor, threatening smaller and less-sturdy vessels, and the situation in the poorer parts of the city begins to grow dire. With the Viscount's blessing, Inquisition teams (particularly mages) are called in to help. Some are assigned to the docks, to clear ice that makes landing and unloading treacherous, others to help escort ships into harbor by melting a path ahead. Others are sent into Lowtown to clear ice and snow and to provide warmth and medical attention where needed. At least one mage is sent with each team, and while many neighborhoods are pleasantly surprised and grateful for the quick work fire glyphs make of cold hearths and frozen streets, a few are unable to overcome their distrust, and refuse the teams entry, determined to take care of their own without the help of dangerous outsiders.

In the last week of the year, a true blizzard strikes, snow falling steadily for more than a day, blanketing the city at least three feet deep. Digging out the Gallows will be a group effort, and most non-essential trips outside the base will be cancelled for a few days until travel is less difficult, while those who reside in the city or elsewhere may be encouraged to stay a night or two in the fortress so they might continue to work without traveling through the storm. But on the first day of Wintermarch the First Day feast goes on as planned, with modest but plentiful food and ale served in the Gallows' dining hall for anyone who wishes to celebrate the new year.

Comments

[tar_minyatur]

"Aye - up in the frozen wastes of Forochel they say the ice never truly melts, only retreats for a while!" He grins wryly. "I've never been, but maybe one day. I do find it a little odd, here!"

He nods, frowning in concentration as me tries her advice, wobbling alarmingly but managing to stay upright.

[iceblade]

The Avvar woman nods approvingly, a small smile on her lips. "Not bad, for a lowlander. Now the next thing to learn is how to stop. Starting is easy, it's not crashing into shite that takes some learning. Stay where you are, and watch me do it, eh?"

[tar_minyatur]

"Crashing is a rather painful way to end." He agrees wryly.

"I am quite happy to wobble here in place and watch!"

[iceblade]

Nodding, Skadi then pushes off and loops around once before speaking up. "When you want to stop, you lean forward a bit and use your skates to dig into the ice a little, like this." She comes to a smooth stop a few paces away. Then she starts again, to repeat the action. "Make sure you give yourself plenty of room if others are nearby, until you get a feel for how much space you'll typically need."

[tar_minyatur]

He wobbles a few times as she pushes off, but stays upright watching her carefully.

"Lean forward and dig in." He repeats and nods.

"How do the turns work?"

[iceblade]

"Ah, that's the part people have the most trouble with but you just have to be mindful of how you move. When you turn, it should be one fluid movement. You aim and go, no stopping or slowing down." Skadi demonstrates what she means by making a series of turns, so he can see what she means by that.

[tar_minyatur]

Elros watches and nods slowly.

"Ohhhh. I see! Should I try?"

[iceblade]

"Aye, though I'll tell you now; don't overthink it. When it works, you're doing it on instinct." Hopefully that makes sense, though if it's not enough she'll be nearby to help him.

[tar_minyatur]

"Overthinking is my brother's thing, not mine." He says cheerfully.

"So hopefully, I'm well placed for this!" He pushes off slowly, pinwheeling a little as he goes, but the attempt to turn - slowly - winds up with him on the ice again with a whoop.

[iceblade]

Skadi narrows her eyes at the pinwheeling, and she pushes forward to offer a hand up. "Nay, not like that. I know it's tempting to take it slow, but you need the exact opposite, to do it smoothly and keep momentum. One swift motion."

[tar_minyatur]

"Probably one of the few times I have been accused of being too slow!" Elros grins wryly and lets her drag him up.

"It feels too fast no matter what I do! But I'll try."

[iceblade]

"Aye, it will when you're not used to it. But the more you practice, the less it'll bother you. I've never wintered in Kirkwall, so I don't know how much time we have, but might as well make the most of what we've got now, eh?"

[tar_minyatur]

"No time like the present!" He agrees cheerfully.

"I was always taught to make the most of what chances I have."

Frowning carefully, he pushes off again, trying to get some speed up.