Arc 721, 17th of Cylus
"The sky looks angry."
Lars' voice cut through the still, dawn air.
"Aye," Darius nodded, a grim expression on his face as he squinted at the horizon.
"Really, really angry."
"Aye."
The two men stood atop the crest of a small hill not far beyond the outskirts of Hopetoun. They were both looking to the east, where the sun would rise, were it any season other than Cylus.
Staring back at them was a redness that attempted to penetrate the gloom; a silent rage that on the one hand, looked beautiful, but on the other, struck terror into the two men.
"I reckon there's a storm coming," Lars added, and once again Darius agreed.
As soon as he'd seen the foreboding sky, the bearded blond had been reminded of an old mariner's saying:
He turned, so that the morning glimmer of light was upon his back, and stared down at the collection of tents that made up most of the homes in Hopetoun.
Cylus was a cold season. Nobody had ever disputed that. Limited sunlight and snow in abundance meant there was little room for error when it came to the outdoors. To the settlers of Hopetoun, the elements were just par for the course. Their existence as a settlement was largely dependent on the weather - at least until they had established an effective means of resisting it. For the fledgling community, that meant building permanent structures to replace the canvas tents that had been their homes. To stay warm, they had taken to keeping lining their beds with Faldrass sand. But warm granules would be no match for a storm.
"How long do we have, do you think?" Darius asked.
"Hard to say," Lars admitted. "Less than a trial. Breaks at the most."
Darius nodded silently, his grim expression still across his features.
"The tents won't hold up to a storm," Darius added. "We need to find shelter."
"I'll look for something," Lars responded. "There might be somewhere in the mountains. The leeward side might offer some protection."
"Aye," Darius acknowledged. "Move swiftly, but don't endanger yourself. In the meantime, I'll ready the people."
Lars nodded, and the two men immediately began to descend the hill as the angry red sky watched on.
Lars' voice cut through the still, dawn air.
"Aye," Darius nodded, a grim expression on his face as he squinted at the horizon.
"Really, really angry."
"Aye."
The two men stood atop the crest of a small hill not far beyond the outskirts of Hopetoun. They were both looking to the east, where the sun would rise, were it any season other than Cylus.
Staring back at them was a redness that attempted to penetrate the gloom; a silent rage that on the one hand, looked beautiful, but on the other, struck terror into the two men.
"I reckon there's a storm coming," Lars added, and once again Darius agreed.
As soon as he'd seen the foreboding sky, the bearded blond had been reminded of an old mariner's saying:
Red sky at night, sailors' delight.
Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.
Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.
He turned, so that the morning glimmer of light was upon his back, and stared down at the collection of tents that made up most of the homes in Hopetoun.
Cylus was a cold season. Nobody had ever disputed that. Limited sunlight and snow in abundance meant there was little room for error when it came to the outdoors. To the settlers of Hopetoun, the elements were just par for the course. Their existence as a settlement was largely dependent on the weather - at least until they had established an effective means of resisting it. For the fledgling community, that meant building permanent structures to replace the canvas tents that had been their homes. To stay warm, they had taken to keeping lining their beds with Faldrass sand. But warm granules would be no match for a storm.
"How long do we have, do you think?" Darius asked.
"Hard to say," Lars admitted. "Less than a trial. Breaks at the most."
Darius nodded silently, his grim expression still across his features.
"The tents won't hold up to a storm," Darius added. "We need to find shelter."
"I'll look for something," Lars responded. "There might be somewhere in the mountains. The leeward side might offer some protection."
"Aye," Darius acknowledged. "Move swiftly, but don't endanger yourself. In the meantime, I'll ready the people."
Lars nodded, and the two men immediately began to descend the hill as the angry red sky watched on.