It's Very Cold Here

After having spent her entire life in the temperate climate of Corone, with its serene woodlands and endless meadows, the young faun Celandine found Salvar to be intensely frigid. With the hard brutal ground beneath her hooves, and a bitter wind that was unforgiving she was surprised anyone would make their home here. The earth had to be unbearably tough to till and grow crops in, and surely only the sturdiest of beasts would survive here. Most especially after did not like the look of the snow atop the horizon's hills, for they rumoured of an even colder place.

Hugging herself tightly, pulling her many layers of knitted produce around her body she walked faster, eyes trying to find some form of comfort. But so far the path from the port had been lonely and wild - nary a settlement in sight. What she wanted was a town to spend a few nights in, one that could give her exactly what she wanted, which was a new experience. The smoke in the distance she had recently seen and was now heading towards was hopeful, but she could not be fully certain of its complexity.

At the very least smoke meant fire. And fire meant warmth. Hot food and warm wine perhaps, a cup of tea and some satisfaction. If it was a village, well better, perhaps she could barter some of her wares. Truly now, at least, she was alone, having gotten rid of her protective tail back in Stonevale and now she had escaped to the ends of the world.

All she wanted was independence, and she hoped she could find it in this cold, cold hell.

There was something so endlessly endearing about these little roadside villages, particularly on cold, bitter nights.

The air was so chilly, it seemed to cut into one's nose as they breathed. However, here in the hamlet, that biting cold was mitigated by the rich, smokey warmth of woodfire smoke. Warm, golden light bounced off the glittering snow and coaxed many a weary traveller into the tavern, the aromatic promise of hot food and hot mead completing the enthralling spell.

It was here that I found myself, one again.

Being a native of Salvar, I knew better than to travel this frigid land at night, so I'd returned from the port town with plenty of time to reach my little village-stop before sundown. It was a stop I made with every trip to the port; one night, with dinner, hot milk, and a bath if I could afford it. For now, I sat in my normal seat, a little table tucked into the corner.

As I lifted the mug to my lips, letting the steam warm my features, I closed my eyes and felt my muscles relax in the warm, pleasant atmosphere of the tavern. Things seemed to be settling in for a nice, calm night.

... Oh, how wrong I was.

Built like any small, low-level and ordinary town of Salvar the buildings were arranged in a cluster, with the fields and woods and barns for livestock surrounding. They had thatched roofs and stonework walls, that could be made from the land and did not need many more supplies than what could be found locally. It was a tiny mostly self-sufficient habitat that needed only imports for luxury goods, but else could survive the harshest winter by itself.

Perfect for a simple new start. Celandine nodded her head and started down the main street, finding it as winding as any other. There was only a small market square, with dark narrow alleyways leading to the rest of the town. Because of the size of the place there seemed to just be one inn, which was the primary source of the smoke, and it had a sign outside it saying, "The Thresher's Rest."

That name suited her. It spoke of a farming community and little more. Quiet and peace was what she was hoping for and so the faun covered in her own knitted garments headed right towards it, barely noticing the tower from which a bell tolled.

There was little she knew of religion, aside from the goddess she had been raised on. Therefore she paid no heed to the symbols and stained windows of the tower, nor what time it said as she strode by. But for one who might know they spoke of a faith so deeply engrained into the hearts of the people here that nothing else mattered at the end of the day.

Nothing else.