The Summer of Snow

In 566 AL, Valissa experienced its worst summer in history. The lands were covered in ice and snow after being plagued by freezing temperatures and relentless snowfall. The ordeal was short lived, but the damage was immeasurable.

Crops failed. Livestock died - from the cows and sheep out in the field to the goats along the mountain side. Even it’s people, unused to such a freezing summer and the harsh conditions it brought along, found it difficult to survive.

The Valissans weren’t the only ones affected, though they received the brunt of the disastrous weather. The surrounding areas, such as the northern regions of Yondar and Lo’Gar, the southern regions of Vorne, the eastern regions of Rennarsie and the western regions of Tennith also became covered in snow, albeit their snowfall was much lighter and the temperatures far less cold.

Affected Area(s)

Valissa
Northern Yondar
Northern Lo'Gar
Eastern Rennarsie
Western Tennith
Southern Vorne

Type

Natural

For the people of Vorne, they saw little difference. Their winters are usually much colder, so the people of the region already knew how to survive in such cold temperatures. To them, the whole ordeal felt like a slightly chillier summer.

On 1 Fire Fall Moon, 566 AL the people of Valissa awoke to the first signs of snowfall. It started slow, steady, but the lands were dry and temperatures continued to drop. By midday on the first, the snow had already reached two inches in height. By the evening, the clouds had dispersed and the people thought that the snowfall relented; but that steady snowfall was merely a sign of things to come.

By midnight, the snow had started to fall once more and temperatures had dropped once more. Over the course of a week the snow kept falling, until the temperatures dropped so low that even the snowfall was forced to cease. The temperatures remained consistently and devastatingly low for four days.

When the sun rose on 13 Fire Fall Moon, the temperatures had risen to above freezing and the snow finally began to melt, but for many the damage was already done.

As the snow melted, it uncovered the death and destruction that it had wrought. Bodies of livestock, humans, daelin and beastfolk alike were found frozen beneath the snow all over Valissa.

Tristan looked out of the window, eyeing the barn standing in the field. “You sure this is a smart move, Cleo? We’ve got cattle to keep, we don’t need people in there too.”

“What if you were in their shoes?” Cleo replies, turning to face her husband with a grimace. “Wouldn’t you want the same kindness shown to you?”

He sighs. “Suppose I would,” he says quietly. Cleo follows his gaze.

“It’s just for a night or two, love. Don’t worry too much over it.”

The idea that the Valissans were facing the wrath of their two most worshipped gods was adopted by the Nightsingers in order to cause tension between Valissa and Yondar (and by extension, the Church of Van-Hael). The Nightsingers and the Church have been at odds ever since, each claiming that the other worships false gods.

There is much debate over the cause of the snow storm. Many believe it to be the work of an extremely powerful affinity arcanist. Others believe that the storm was the wrath of Valis and Sar, both of whom were angered by the formation of the Church of Van-Hael a couple of years prior.

In reality, the storm was strange but natural. The exact cause is unknown, but scholars believe that it may have been connected to the eruption of Mount Sargont, just north of Everlight Peak, though no one is able to explain why Valissa was so badly affected when the surrounding areas were not.