The Winter Wizard
Deep inside the land of F’Cade lies the town of Noshen which was been stuck in a perpetual winter for nearly a hundred years. Were this an Arctic town, this would not be unusual. But seeing as it lies within one of the most beautiful and pastoral regions of the Land, it remains a curiosity and a warning. There are a few of the older folks who remember the legend and, ply them with enough of Pommeroy’s Plonk from the ale-house and they will tell you the tale.
Nearly a hundred and fifty years ago, during one of the more severe winters in the Land, a stranger came to the town of Noshen. It had been a harsh fall and the villagers were already nearly on the brink of starvation when the Wizard arrived. Huddled in their homes, they saw him walking through the snow covered roads to the center of town where he rang the huge meeting bell over and over again. Eventually, a few of the hardier souls came out to meet him. “I am Galatri,” he said, “and I bring you hope and salvation.” For the cost of 100 gold coins he would reverse the winter and bring sun and prosperity to the town. They would have fresh crops when other villages shivered and starved. There was much debate for Noshen was not a rich town but eventually they paid. The Wizard stood in the town square and raised his arms. He mumbled a few words and made a few signs with his hands...and nothing happened. The villagers cried out for his blood and their money but the Wizard merely smiled. “Wait,” he said, “Nature does not give way so easily.” Within the hour, the clouds overhead broke and the sun came pouring through. The temperature rose and the snow melted so quickly that it nearly caused a flood but everywhere that the snow receded from, crops arose. The other villagers came out of their houses, stunned and amazed. In a matter of a few hours, the village had gone from a dire winter to a warm and inviting summer.
They patted the Wizard and joyously shook his hand. Their lives had been saved and, outside the village lines, the winter raged and ravaged but could not break through the Wizards spell. “This summer will last you ten years. At that time, I will return.” With that, he left.
For ten years, Noshen thrived and became one of the most populous towns in the Land. Hundreds flocked to it to enjoy their perpetual summer or their abundance of food that never seemed to end. At the end of ten years, the Wizard came back. This time, he price was 200 gold pieces which the villagers happily paid. Galatri performed his spell and went on his way again, promising to return in ten more years.
The town continued to grow and the villagers continued to become wealthy and rich. When the Wizard returned again, his price had gone up to 300 gold coins which the villagers paid but far slower this time and with much grumbling. Galatri promised to return again in another ten years and, like clockwork, he did so. This time, he asked for 600 gold coins and the villagers openly balked at the price. By this time, there were few left who remembered the dire winter that Galatri had rescued them from thirty years previously. A few had a bold plan. Pay the Wizard but, before he could leave, kill him and steal back the gold. The others, blinded by their greed and arrogance, agreed. The Wizard was paid and he cast his spell but, as he finished, the villagers crept behind him and struck him down mercilessly. As he lay dying, the Wizard pitied them. “You know not what you’ve done. Nature has waited for this.” With his last breath, the air turned to ice and the skies filled with snow. Within minutes, the village was covered. Some tried to flee but, at the town lines, they were blocked by an invisible force. They could never leave.
Nearly a hundred years later, it still snows in Noshen, even during the hottest days of summer. If you walk up to the town line, you can see the villagers, cursed by perpetual life, stumbling about in the freezing cold, begging for food that can never be brought them. In Noshen, the winter that mirrors the cold of men’s heart never ends.