Realm of Winter
This realm appeared in a huge snowstorm that occurred during the summer. It took place less than a day's travel north of Krinets, but it does not seem to be permanently present in that location. The Yokels had been in that same location a few days earlier, and neither the storm nor the realm were present. As noted by Chonkorchuk, the veil between the Realms in that location is thin. It is possible that different realms intrude into the Visible World, or that the Realm appeared in that place because it had previously been frequented by Baba Yaga (who dropped the Yokels off there several days earlier).
Once a person walks into the realm, they become trapped beyond tall walls of ice. It is not clear whether the walls can be climbed or crossed in any other way, because no one has so far tried.
At the center of the realm lies an ice mansion, shaped as something resembling both an ice-covered massif and a castle. At the center are five towers. The two on the left contain guest quarters, the two on the right house the Realm's denizens. The central tower Has a permanent storm inside it. It is not clear whether it can be climbed - Drazhan, for one, chose not too. He did climb one of the lateral towers, and was able to behold the entire Realm, but nothing beyond the wall. The rooms in these towers are quite cold, which is why he was issued warm furs for sleeping on top of the ice beds.
The Great Hall, which lies at the entrance is dominated by ice tables, which are usually set with a variety of foods - primarily fresh, salted, smoked and pickled meats, sliced very thinly. A grand staircase leads up from here to the central tower.
As far as the recent visitors of the realm are aware, it has only a few beings that reside in it. There are two huge white wolves, whose function is to watch the guests, and to lie under the table during mealtimes. There are several icemen - tall, vaguely humanoid presences which serve meals. These remain silent at all times. There is also Nastia, an attractive young woman dressed in furs. She is the Realm's hostess, and the one who greets new arrivals after they become trapped in the realm. She is also the granddaughter of Grandfather Frost, and apparently divine being, who is the master of the Realm.
Grandfather can determine the conditions for leaving the realm, and will not release people until they have pledged something of great personal value to them if they violate the terms of their agreement with the Grandfather. It is not clear how he enforces this agreement.
When the agreement had been struck, the guests spent a final night in the Realm. When they awoke, rain was falling on them, and there was no trace of the wall, the ice mansion, or any of the denizens.
Type
Dimensional plane
Characters in Location
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