Story I: The Rift

You have just arrived near Bracklewhyte, a remote town at the base of the Winter Court's Grey Mountain. Located on the border between the Valkarian Empire and the Fey Court of Winter, the town remains primarily neutral and protected from many of the Winter Court's more dangerous ideologies. The Explorer's Guild has had a station out in Bracklewhyte for some time, purportedly in the interest of exploring Grey Mountain and the region's ice sheets north of it. Though your own contacts at your respective guilds would not go into great detail, events have transpired to make Bracklewhyte an interest for Underworld exploration.

You've been instructed to meet with a Guild Representative by the name of Callie, once you arrive. Of course, arriving in Bracklewhyte is an adventure all of its own. Luckily, the guild sponsored each of you for the use of various Teleportation Circles around the world. These Circles, collectively known as The Worldway, are managed, maintained and guarded by the Guild of Travel. Their prices tend to be grossly inflated, unfortunately, but with the sponsorship of your own Guild, it shortened what could have taken months to only a brief moment.

One by one, each of you arrived at Bracklewhyte's Circle through the electrifying, dizzying, but curiously addicting means of teleportation. The circle itself is located in a small, open-faced, stone temple located on the side of Grey Mountain. Three walls shield you from the elements, but its southern wall is entirely missing. It opens out onto a wide mountain path that bends quickly out of view. Beyond that path however, you can see the great expanse of tundra that extends for miles before you. A chill wind curls into the opening of the temple, billowing around the yellow robes of the Guild of Travel monks who remain patient and silent all the while.

And now you stand among four others like yourself, presumably here for the same reason that you are, most winded and dizzy from the traveling experience.

Immediately upon leaving the temple the five of you are greeted by the full force of that northern wind, accentuated by your altitude. The chill seems to find its way between every fabric of your clothing---especially for those of you unused to such temperatures---wrapping you in icy chill lest you were fortunate enough to be dressed appropriately. It being autumn, the summer warmth has already fled, and it should only grow colder still. Perhaps even the depths of the Underworld appear somewhat less foreboding, if only because it will get you out of this wind.

The view is spectacular, however. Your eyes trace down a winding path that descends into the ridges and cuts of the mountainside. Though it is not currently snowing, everything is blanketed in a thick layer of white. Laid out before you however is the great expanse of snowy terrain, and far below is the dark splotch concealed in chimney smoke that must be Bracklewhyte, resting against the base of the mountain. It is dizzying to see it, if only because it finally registers how high upon the cliffs you stand, but also that this small splotch of muted color in a field of white may be your new residence for some time. Devanis leads you into a series of winding pathways that never go too steep. As you turn closer toward the mountain and away from the treacherous cliff side that threatens you with a swift death, your path expands into a large, sloping field of snow. The experienced guide navigates it in a series of switchbacks, never allowing your trail to turn too sharply or descend too quickly. Falling here, with nothing to grab onto but snow, would be a quick and painful way to the bottom.



Your words echo off of the rocky walls and spires, and occasionally you catch a glimpse of animal tracks in the snow, or migrant birds above you that flee southward. The snow and cold make the area smell fresh and pure. Though any flowers that may grow here in the summer have been drowned in the snows, there is still little denying this mountain's natural beauty.

After carving your way down the field of snow, your path narrows in between two rocky masses, and a steep descent causes your pace to slow somewhat. After the thin passage opens up once more, you can see a clear trail that winds down the remainder of the mountain's base before it should deposit you into Bracklewhyte. The snows down here are thinner, and a clear trail of footprints shows you safe places to step, making the last leg of your journey an easy one.