The Winter Nights
Real-world date: 2026-09-07
Author: Stella Heartwood
The Winter Nights
Maybe it was a sign from the divine; a cruel punishment, or something else wicked. During the Autumn, the harvest was almost pitiful. A few dozen crops survived. I donated them to the Demeralian markets, but that wouldn't make what was coming much easier. The Winter had arrived.
In October, the temperatures had dropped drastically, but still survivable. A coat, wool pants, was enough to get by. The lack of food was worrying of course, but still survivable.
Then November came. Any time you went outside, you stood the risk of frostbite on your fingers. In Demeralia, trips for firewood always resulted in injuries; maybe some missing fingers, toes, occasionally half a limb, if not death. We survived off of many hunting trips to the nearby forests, and our food supplies continued to dwindle day by day.
Then the worst came; December. The temperatures, while steadying out, had reached their lowest yet. I spent many a day in the estate, next to the fireplace, shivering. One day, in search of supplies, I rode into town.
Demeralia looked as if it was on its last legs. People weren't on the streets, but their shelters weren't much better. The miners, still in tents, suffered from frostbite. I ventured over to the mine, where many people were gathered, shivering while they hoped the heat would be trapped inside the mine.
The only store open was the General Store. I walked in, spotting no supplies. Sold out, I was told. This wouldn't do. I found one of my trusted hunters nearby, huddled around a campfire. I offered him diamonds, and he keeps half the meat. He deliberated, but ultimately accepted.
The other Demeralians wouldn't be so lucky. I could tell they were even more displeased than during the Autumn, but they hadn't the energy to express it. Everyone was starving, freezing, and miserable in every way.
After I got my meat from the hunter, I rode back home. The estate was certainly looking better. The weather hadn't been kind to it, and it was clear that much of the wood would need to be replaced during the spring, maybe summer.
But that was the least of my concerns. The Union was suffering. Drought had already taken out one of the original four towns in Dredgewater Falls, and now? The rest of them could be finished off by this winter. Something new, maybe even radical, and certainly unprecedented, must be done. I will convene the Coronadan Council.
