Freeze or Warmth?

[Lavender]

There is nothing better for a bunny during this time of year than to curl up with something good to read! But alas I have nothing new! So, during this festive season give me your lukewarm limerick, your chilling carols, or your snowy short stories! I think you get the idea, any writing style allowed but the theme must be winter! You have until the end of Winters Warming on February 17 to enter your wintery writings!

[Kailani of Admin]

I approve of this contest.
Perhaps a special prize for the winner?
Let's see how amusing you mortals can be.


K.

[Lavender]

Perhaps this will provide some inspiration to others!



Winters Warming

Tis the season
With joyful reason
Laughing snowmen
Are such great Showmen
Presenting precious presents
Or even a carrot..

Winters Warming
Into white the lands transforming
Scarves and socks aplenty
Pretty sure I have twenty!

Hot chocolate galore
Please can I have some more!
Oh how I can't wait to see what else the season has in store!

[Lavender]

A man named Nick

There once was a man named Nick
Whom in the winter got very sick
To town he did go
wandering to and fro
Drinking warm wine
on his way to the shrine
But in the midst of his trip
on ice he did slip
Along the ground he did go
all rolling in snow.
When finally he did stop
at the doors to the shop
Laying there he looked up to see
What he said were three of me!
And while I was there shaking my head
He stood and instead went off to bed.

Rosaline

[Pallas]

My feet are cold, they’re also wet
But body’s bathed in sheen of sweat
Fighting yet another snowman

The exercise will keep me fit!
I stoop to claim a new gift kit,
I got it from a snowman

Amidst the snow is battle’s heat
The prize is what wild bunnies eat -
The nose chopped from a snowman.

We mould the snow before it’s slush.
Will it form just a pile of mush,
Or give birth to a snowman?

Dundee’s bazaar, near mill’s power
Or seen from Branishor’s soaring tower
On every path a snowman

Winter will soon have fully passed.
As they fade and melt, we call at last
‘See you next year, snowman!’

Pallas

[Topaz]

Wicked the wind, winter's minion.
Icy breath from eastern mountains,
caverns of frost, cold demon-lairs,
sweeps over plains and shivering grasslands
to the southern shore, the sea-border.
Down the desert it drives the sand,
freezing and fierce. Fleeing, the scorpions
hide in the Wall: winter is here.

In the pirate keeps of Kilican Island,
at Ethucan's borders, its barred gateway,
and over Valorn, from Verthedge to Fartown,
the days are short, the dark descending.
Deepening yet, the year's midnight,
cold and heavy, covers the land.

Then Sunrifter turns, retracing its steps:
the long night lightens, lifting the gloom
dark as N'rolav. The day-flower
unfurls its petals, pale and shadowed,
but holding hope, the high gods' promise.

So Valorn's foes, vile darkness-followers,
strive to shadow our strongholds and dwellings,
with a long siege, a slow overcoming.
With cold fear, cruel enslavement
and dreadful death they dare to threaten.

But the light stands. In starkest winter
the fires of Valorn valiantly burn,
holding at bay Balthazar's minions.
They flee the fire by friendship kindled;
they run from the light of laughing companions,
the sound of sword-mates singing together,
glad guild-gatherings, greetings to strangers,
smiles and hand-clasps, shouts of joy.
Against that strength they strive in vain,
as darkness strives, yet Sunrifter prevails,
striding the path of sunreturning.

[Brisingr Blaze]

**The story before you unfolds from a complex weave of knots spun by countless story-tellers. This might not even be the whole truth. Honestly, this whole thing could be a grand lie. One thing seemed certain though: a sanctuary with two people trapped in ice, ring hands outstretched toward the sky. The place in question had recently been discovered by a group of adventurers exploring the caverns in the Western Mountain range during Winters Warming.**

“You didn’t tell me it was going to be this cold down here…” He pondered aloud to the woman by his side. “If I knew that I would’ve DRESSED…” His voice heightened and fell off as he nearly slipped over a rut in the ice. “I didn’t know you could be such a spoil-sport my dear.” She said with gleeful laughter in her voice as she broke his fall.

Everything in their line of sight had been coated in ice. The cavern descends downward as far as the eye could see and the only light given off is from the gear of the pair.

Drip

Drip

Drip

The cavern echoed with a dull drip from several puddles etched into the path over time. The pair stopped occasionally to inspect the pooling water, and to get their bearings as the route downward ebbed and flowed in varying directions.

“Did you see that?” He said quizzically to the woman as he let his eyes dart around as their shadows danced off the icey walls. “No, you have to be seeing things… I don’t think any of the Ice Gnomes could’ve gotten this…” Her voice trails off as something scraped along the ice causing a deafening chill to course down the spine of anyone unlucky enough to have heard it.

“Garret, I didn’t like the sound of that…” He exclaimed to the man as she took several small steps backward. “It sounds like there is something down here with us, did you bring any teleportation scrolls?” She asked him as he reached out to her with a rolled up piece of parchment. “Lena, I told you I always came prepared.” He told her with a cocky grin as she retrieved the scroll from him.

“At the first sign of trouble we get out of here.” They agreed in unison.

After what seemed like countless marcs came and went, they finally emptied out into what appeared to be a grand chamber that gave off its own light. Everything was covered in ice, but several details could still be gleaned: several large pillars of ice that appeared to have erupted from the ground itself, a vaulted ceiling that at one point could’ve passed for marble as well as a carved out archway in the northwestern corner of the room.

Garrett and Lena blinked several times as they fought to gain their bearings from the sudden onslaught of light. They slowly advanced throughout the room, checking as they went leaving no stone un-turned.

“The noise from earlier… you don’t think we are in its lair now do you?” Lena finally chirped out to Garrett who stopped in his tracks to look over at her. “This appears to be the entrance to some sort of temple.” He proclaims as he spotted the archway. “For now I think we could go deeper in, we’ve got our scrolls if we need them.” He reminded her. She simply just nodded.

As the two wandered toward the northwestern corner the details of the archway began to be more pronounced in detail. It depicted several robed individuals at a raised altar, all in varying poses ranging from prayer to deceased. Several shadows danced around them; shadowy claws drawn. Two rings at the center of the altar. Two robed individuals managed to make it to the rings and put them on. They held each other close and outstretched their ringed hands toward the sky.

“This looks like we’ve stumbled upon something we shouldn’t have Garrett, this looks like something was imprisoned here.” Lena explained to him as she looked over the archway, “We should go further in, we have to be certain…” Garrett told her, as he began to take the lead while she hung back.

He motioned for her to come into the altar room, and once she’d arrived he simply gestured to a pile of rubble in the middle of the altar. “It looks like the two people…” He paused and scanned the remains? The whole time he wore a confused look, before the color started to fade from his face. “I might be just a simple warrior and I don’t have the training of a cleric like you… but it looks like the two people did exist.” He pointed out several facial features before finally landing upon the rings, still very much real.

While Garrett had been making observations, Lena had only been half listening to him as in one corner of the room she found a stone tablet. It appeared to have been etched in an older Valornian tongue but with her cleric training she could make out certain words.

“Shadow Dwellers.”
“Ice Binding.”
“Sealed Within.”
“Two Rings.”

With each word she voiced aloud, the very room began to throb. Garrett leaned over to pick up the two rings, “Lena come over here to me! Now!” He screamed out as he had seen her shadow begin to move on its own accord.

Lena now by his side, he slipped the ring upon her finger. He didn’t hesitate as all around them shadows began to dance around the icey walls. “Someone must’ve busted the whole Protectors.” Lena mustered out in a defeated tone and Garrett picked up after, “And when we entered and you echoed the words…”

His voice trailed off as the throbbing room began to echo with laughter. “Wwwwe’veeeee bbbb-bbbeeeennn wa-waaaaiitttting forrrrrr sss-ssssomeone to let us OUT!” The words dug into Garrett and Lena as the gravity of the situation became painfully clear. They had only one choice and that was to seal this place up once more.

With heavy hearts they did exactly as they’d seen in the archway. He drew her in close to him and they outstretched their ring hands toward the sky and locked hands. A brilliant light flashed bathing everything in pure warmth then a sudden chill as everything froze. Stopped.

All that was left of Garrett and Lena: A frozen statue of two people, embraced, rings to the sky.

**Happy Winter’s Warming, adventurers. It’s up to you if you find that story true or false… but I will leave you with this: Did you happen to hear about the statue recently found in the Western Mountains with hands outstretched to the sky?**


Brisingr Blaze C#115695

[Zelele]

Is not tale from otherhome: there ice is luxury from far mountains.

Was a well, a great well, in Valorn, among the snow, and a Stranger came there, among the snows, and saw a glint in the distance. Is walked down and saw a great sheet of ice. So is sang:

On the cold lake, on the cold lake, the wind howls.
Up the scale, down the scale, the cold winds sing.
The storm blows, the storm blows, the ice cracks.

And a mist came on the lake, and figure in the mist, and is sang again:

On the cold lake, on the cold lake, figure stands.
In the mist, under starlight, white figure dances.
The storm stills, the mist clears, what does wish?

And the mist drifted away, and Rifter rose behind the well"

On the cold lake, on the cold lake, maiden dances,
In the light, in white gown, maiden beckons.
My feet are warm, my feet are hot, the ice will melt.
But my robe is green, and I will follow pale maiden.

And this is how Spring came to Valorn.

[Blossom]

I walk on icy lakes, and skies show grey;
No flower blooms among the frozen globes;
The sleet is glimmering upon my robes,
And breaking booms will have no word to say.

Yet under snow, the change is on the way:
Now the argent sheet from frozen hillocks flows.
The grass explores, the eager snowdrop grows
Before the coming of a warmer day.


The green shall soon replace this far-spread white,
No more will the world's children walk alone;
The fowls of heaven sing aloft in tone.
And cubs shall rise to see the shores of light.
Blossoms shall bloom in garden-sweet romance
And Fuchsia shall with lovely Iris dance.

[Lavender]

Thank you all for your entries! They are all so wonderful you certainly made my decision hard this time! Though I certainly prefer the hard decision to not having something lovely to read!

So without further ado...

First Place is: Pallas - A treasure box, 100 plat, and 100 potions of your choice.
Second Place is: Topaz - 100 plat and 100 potions of your choice.
Third Place is: Bris - 100 plat.

I have prizes through for all who entered so contact me in game for your prize!

For Blossom and Zele 50 potions of your choice.

And a very HAPPY WINTERS WARMING to all!!!

[Kailani of Admin]

I was very impressed and entertained by the entries!
The three winners will find their entries contained within a Small Book in their packs.

Thank you for another wonderful Winter's Warming!

K.