Location The Icewall Gates

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

16th Spring, 512 A.V. As they rode up to what was supposed to be the Icewall Gates if what Ragnor had told him was correct, much of the words had already been said. The ground was still sodden from the melted gates, though the Icewatch and their Kelvic polar bears stood on guard all the same. Sama'el and his wife and friends had finally made it to the Everwinter City only to find that it was no longer wintry, even though Morwen had returned to her Seat of Winter sixteen days ago. It must have been the selfsame magical storm that drove them to cover and melted so much of the snow, drove the wild animals so crazy. He managed to find a guard who spoke Common, and that confirmed his suspicions, but they still didn't know the cause of all this. Sama'el told him from whence they came and what their purpose was, as much as he could safely say, and they were welcomed in. The guard commented upon the mark of Inavalti on his face with some respect, and Sama'el thanked him. He supposed they would be expected to help, but he could live with that. "Let's find a dry spot to set up camp," he said, "and then I'll go to Winterflame Hold to look for Izurabelle and the children."

[Sliver]

76th Day of Spring, 512 A.V. The small caravan that Sliver had been traveling with halted at the...dare she say gates, of Avanthal. The Kelvic glanced around. She had been so elated to come to a place whose temperatures she could weather, but this...this was not what she was expecting at all, somehow she hadn't imagined that the storm would have wreaked such havoc here in the most northern reaches of Mizahar. As Lisbeth and Harold explained their purpose to the gate guards, Sliver squelched through the mud and debris that once was the deep snow that bordered the city. After a small circuit, boots now soaked in mud, she made her way back around to the group of traders who were talking heatedly with the guards, who seemed a bit put off. "I did not say that you had to go back the way you came," pleaded one of the guards", but I wanted to warn you that the storms have hit the city hard, and our own shopkeeprs, many of whose wares and livelihoods were torn asunder by the weather, will not take kindly to outside traders." Lisbeth stepped forward, the guards looking disconcertingly at her swollen stomach, "They may not like it, but we will also have supplies that they need, we will be sure to keep our prices as low as we can afford, but we have to make a profit before we go or this trip will be for naught." The guards nodded their acquiescence, and Sliver noted not for the first time how well the trader woman held herself as a sensible no-nonsense sort of individual. One of the polar bears, nudged it's guard, who seemed to take notice of Sliver for the first time. "Is this Kelvic bonded to any of you?" Lisbeth shook her head and the guard examined Sliver closely, "And what is your business here then?" "To gain an audience with Morwen and..." she just couldn't utter the words in the confidence she tried exude "...join the Icewatch." The guards looked at one another, their expressions indecipherable as one spoke, "I would not get your hopes up for that, but there is plenty of work to be done in the city if you are able." The guards returned to their posts and the caravan passed through. Though her admittance into the city hadn't gone as she planned, as Sliver glanced at her surroundings she couldn't help but feel that this was the place she was meant to be.

[Vespirus]

The recent storm had caused so much trouble. So many people's houses were damaged, the merchants lost much of their wares, and Vespirus couldn't due to the fact that all of her game had run off somewhere to escape it. Besides, even if there was game to hunt, it would be suicide to go out in to that storm with no equipment or company.

Speaking of company, the loneliness was killing Ves. She needed a friend. All of her friends just seemed to go away from her. Wasn't she beautiful? Kind? Fun? Vespirus couldn't necessarily judge herself, but she was pretty sure she wasn't an unpleasant person. Maybe she just had a bad run. Today she was going to get a friend or companion if it killed. Ves strode out of her house looking around for people. There. The woman with the tattoos and piercings. She was different from the others, and she wold be very intimidating to any threats. She was also obviously very kind. That guard had called her a kelvic so she had to be a kind person. Every kelvic she knew in this town was.

Vespirus decided to confront the woman and her three companions. She held out her hand with a smile and brightly said, "Hello, my name is Ves."

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

77th Day of Spring, 512 A.V.

After a long journey through the countryside of Taldera, Balthazaar had finally made his way to the towering city of Avanthal. He and his group of travelers were tired and hungry and looking forward to a warm welcome from the city. The last leg of the journey had been the most taxing by far, it had reached a point where Balthazaar was almost unable to control his fellow travelers and the threat of violence was all around him. Luckily, the view of the city came just into view as the tension seemed to reach its highest point. Now, all thoughts of violence had dissipated and the only thing that the group wanted was a warm meal and a warm bed.

"I'm only gonna say this once and only once, this city is in economic turmoil. This stupid storm has caused more problems than you can possibly imagine. So if you are looking for hospitality and warm welcome, you came to the wrong place." grumbled the guard as the group approached the gates.

Balthazaar was surprised by the bluntness of this statement, but decided not to respond with negativity as he noticed that his group was itching for an argument and didn't want to "cast the first stone."

"We'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you for letting us know" Balthazaar said politely as he motioned for his group to move forward into the city. Whatever troubles lay ahead in the city could be resolved as they arose, there was no point arguing with a guard who was just trying to do his job. Once everyone had finally filed their way past the gates, Balthazaar turned to the guard, mustered a smile and a nod and then was on his way.

This was a new beginning for Balthazaar, a chance to fulfill his wildest dreams and start life anew. There was still sadness when he thought about those he was leaving behind, but now that he was in Avanthal the excitement from the possibilities at hand were helping him forget about his sorrow and guilt. He had his whole life ahead of him and he planned to make the most of it. Taking a large breath of fresh air, Balthazaar took his first steps into Avanthal and his new life.

[Arcadius]

Spring, 1 512 AV Arcadius returned to the gates he knew so well. He was home once more. He passed the polar bear Kelvics then walked in gracefully with a smile, Ren on his shoulders.

[Torsten]

summer, 87 512 AV

as the party neared the gate Torston was grateful for the comforting sight. 'whether it's the first or fourty-first time entering the gate, i am always awestruck by the beauty and magnitude' he thought idlely. the group he was with were all miners or carvers from the Iceglaze hold; they were a scouting party looking for Icestone and other usable minerals and gems after the collapse at the mine. the trip had been long and fruitless, finding no new veins of any minerals.'at least i'm home' he thought, walking into the city. grateful he had beaten the seasonal change by mere days, Torsten would not have liked trudging through the wilderness once it started to get colder. as he passed into the gate, Torsten knew he was back home

[Jynx]

The 6th of Fall 512 Six horses, four oxen-pulled wagons loaded with goods and supplies, two Kelvic guard bears, eleven men, three women, and Jynx. The weary traders passed through the Icewall Gates and into the safety of the City of the Aurora. They all carried the vacant stare of people who had been on a long and difficult journey. And they had. All the way from Novallas. Jynx spent most of the trip in his hawk form riding on one of the wagons. They were happy to have him along because he help provide food by hunting. Whatever romanticized images Jynx previously had about the life of a traveling merchant had been seriously damaged in the first few days and were thoroughly dead by the time they reached Avanthal. One of the Icewatch guards directed him to the Savintar Warrens where he rented a small but comfortable cabin for the Fall season. At the library he secured the services of a boy named Jack to have a small poster advertising his business, along with several copies. Jynx paid him 1 gm for this service.

[Maringar]

The Icewall Gates. The appearance of the crystalline monolith was both unnerving and breathtaking, he could imagine few ways better to greet an enemy. Maringar let out a sharp whistle to get Ripper moving faster and began a slow jog, truth be told he was eager to get into the city and have a break from ceaseless travel.
As he got closer he rejected his earlier thought that the wall was the most intimidating feature of the Avanthalian defenses. Polar Bears, the gate was gaurded by Polar Bears. If there was any place he could learn how to intimidate and kill the monsters of the world it would be here.
When he arrived at the gate Maringar was a little concerned by the gaurd's assertion that -for now- any passage into the city would be one way, there would be no leaving until the chaos of the region was sorted out. He was a little concerned that he would be unable to hunt and tarried at the entrance for a short moment, before the gaurds mentioned that a child had recently been carried off and killed, and that he should probably seek the safety of the city. That sealed it, if even the children of these kind people were unsafe he would do his best to help in any way he could.

[Blizzard]

Winter 20th, 512AV

There were the long awaited gates and even off from a distance, Blizzard received a warm fuzzy feeling in her stomach. The bloodlust that had been fading back through, was fading away again, just as it had that first time where she could swear the wind spoke. She was home again, her real birth home. Not Alvadas, not the Unforgiving, just Avanthal. Despite the long journey and times where she had gotten lost as well as ran into trouble, she still smiled at the sight of the icy gates.

She was in her snow leopard form, as she had been for the entirety of her trip in which it was best for her survival. She had been relying on her instincts for the trip, hunting when need be. Her possessions had been strategically placed in her pack in which had been tied around her stomach and neck so it stayed around her chest. She had to tie it with her mouth and paws so yes it was indeed a chore but worth it so it wouldn't obstruct her hunting capabilities as well as travel for it had slowed her down enough. Now, however, it was time to get rid of that pack. Blizzard gripped the lose part of rope with her mouth then bit and pulled, placing her paws on the rope as well to help pull it free. Her pack fell into the snow below.

Blizzard shifted, then got her clothing on quickly to keep the elements from getting to her completely. She quickly got her shawl on then put the cloak on over it, her body heat producing warmth as she moved towards the gates. She flashed a smile at the Icewatch with a meek hello as she moved through the gates, for she was home and she was happy. Her ice blue eyes, slanted from her feline form, scanned the city. It was beautiful and it glowed since it was at night.

[Brighid Killian]

Winter 25, 512AV

The female watched the Gates, her pale green eyes never wavering from the guards of their Kelvic companions. Her mount, a Frostmarch mare,nickered softly and nuzzled her. Brighid Killian lifted a gloved hand to her neck and the mare soothed by her touch quieted. Brighid felt the cold harsh wind bite at her but ignored it. She was adept for the icy conditions, and oddly enough enjoyed them.

Although the sun was high the clouds blocked it out making little difference in the temperature. She sighed and tried to focus, hunger was gnawing at her stomach. The last time she fed was three days ago further south, now closer to the city the game was scarce and she saved the food in her saddlebags for emergencies only.

She had been watching the gates for a few days, never wandering too close as to risk detection. She was growing restless, she needed supplies and the city was the only place to find them. She only hoped that she could slip past the gates with out running into others.