Book VI Chapter 12: Midwintre Away
Kelan Flarionclung to the back of an enormousgriffinas it flew over the great sea, his golden hair whipping against the back of his neck.
There were many places he would have rather been than here, whereever here exactly was; in normal conditions, he and hisFirestarterswould be celebratingMidwintretoday, telling tales over warm bonfires, food, and drink, paying honor to the greattalstagsand remembering those born and fallen in the year before.
Perhaps they could do something small inAensdoun, once they'd arrived-- once the situation withSashaandVoghnwas resolved.
There would be no talstag, no snow, and no cozy lodges deep in the forests ofSchalle.
The Golden Flarion would not be there to oversee the events, nor would the Flamekeeper have the appropriate spiced ale to toast him with.
This is why we fight, he thought to himself. To keep our families, our world, and our traditions alive.
So there will be someone to remember and honor the ones who leave us behind.
The Legend of Midwintre
A long time ago, there was only darkness and cold in the land of Schalle.
Undeadfreely roamed the land, terrorizing the few settlements to be found, whittling away the population as they slowly grew their own ranks.
But one day as the undead armies were creeping towards new villages to ravage, the sky burst into flames.
The Flamekeeper, upon the back of hismighty golden dragon, had found them.
Vampire,zombie, andghoulalike were consumed by the blaze, burning away to nothing in the melting snow.
The survivors shrank back and fled toHeland far-offNox, vowing to someday exact their revenge and reclaim their lands.
But to this day, the undead scratch out a living in barren Hel, for the Flamekeeper beats them away whenever they creep out of their shadows to strike again.
It is said that the golden dragon's breath burned so hot that even the winter months began to soften, snow and ice gradually melting away to prepare for the arrival of spring.
The people of Schalle celebrated their liberation from the undead and the midpoint of Wintertime with a great feast of talstag, winter roots and hot, spiced drinks-- and the natural creatures of Schalle frolicked and played in the soft snows, freed at last from the noxious aura of the corpses who walked.
And so it was that Schalle became a free country, and the Midwintre Feast came to be.
Next Chapter: Book VI Holiday Special I
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