Eight Intertwined

36 - Stillsnow

It didn't take long for the party to reach Stillsnow after they departed from the shrine of Aelfric. The cave closed itself away from the world once again as soon as they had left, and the Ember's glow started to die down. The words of the goddess continued to ring in all of their ears, offering reminders of this supposed power of second chance that Aelfric had provided them. Beyond that, the goddess of light had offered them all the ability to use her specific brand of magic, including those who had never tried to do so before. All of Aelfric's gifts had been granted to the team, and they would be more than able to take advantage of them from then on. 

Stillsnow wound up first appearing to the group as an outline on the horizon, a small silhouette of black against the cerulean blue of the setting sun of the Frostlands. Since the sky was perpetually shrouded by clouds that consistently offered new flakes to the ground below, it was impossible to see the actual sun in the Frostlands, but it was easy to see when the day was drawing to a close. The normal pale blue of the clouds was dyed bright blue before tapering out to navy as a marker of the ending day, and Ophilia found herself relishing in the snowy colors as Stillsnow grew ever nearer. 

The group had been quiet ever since they left the shrine behind, and they had been lucky enough to not be attacked by any wild monsters. Ophilia had to wonder if perhaps this was a gift that Aelfric had left behind for them, temporary safety from the brutality that the monsters of Orsterra were capable of unleashing upon unsuspecting travelers. She still held the Ember a bit tighter as a path began to emerge from the snow below. 

Stillsnow offered a climate that Ophilia was used to, and she was glad that she had dressed for the weather when she first left behind Flamesgrace. In Ophilia's opinion, it was always best to have dressed too much for the weather than to have not dressed enough. She would be able to take off her cloak if she had to, but she wouldn't be able to add more fabric if she grew too chilled. 

Tressa and Alfyn, clearly not used to the scathingly cold climate of the Frostlands, had shown signs of shivering since the group left the shrine behind. The temperature in the cave had evened itself out to be tolerable regardless of the attire of the travelers, but that benefit had been ultimately short-lived. Both of them practically melted with relief at the sight of Stillsnow in the distance. 

The town itself was a simple place, Ophilia found. Stillsnow was hardly anywhere near as large as Flamesgrace, instead simply consisting of a few relevant buildings in the main area of town. The inn could be seen nearby as long with stores for weapons, clothes, and other supplies. Tressa and Alfyn stared longingly at the shop that would provide them with warmer clothing to combat the cold temperatures, and Ophilia already knew where they were going to be spending their time for at least the coming half hour. 

Primrose didn't seem to mind the cold contrary to Ophilia's expectations. Given that Primrose was from the Sunlands, it only made sense that she would detest the chilled temperatures of the Frostlands, but she didn't seem to mind in the slightest. It was as if she wasn't focusing in the slightest on what was happening around her. Primrose's dark eyes had been overcome by an unfocused and glassy texture, like she was entirely detached from the situation at hand. Ophilia couldn't help but feel a pang of concern knowing that they were there for Primrose to begin with, and she was the one struggling to focus upon their arrival. Then again, perhaps that was the whole point. 

"It's getting late," Olberic declared. "I'm off to get us a few rooms for the night at the local inn. We're going to want to get settled as soon as possible. I... I sense something is amiss in this town."

Ophilia was admittedly taken aback by that at first. Stillsnow was the closest place that she had found in terms of climate when compared to Flamesgrace, and as such, it seemed to feel the most like home compared to the other places that the party had explored up to that point. She didn't know what Olberic was referring to, saying that there was something amiss with a place that felt so much like a perfect snowy paradise to Ophilia.