The Oracle of Life
A Pathfinder Home Campaign
In the Winter of 69 We Were Hungry, Just Barely Alive.
The winter of 4669-4670 has been exceptionally cold, windy. The snowfall was normal, but the temperature much lower than anyone along the Sellen river basin can remember in the last century. The chill penetrated deep into Kyonin. The cynical joke is that Treerazer petitioned the Emerald Queen for relocation to Khatapesh.
And while the cold in Kyonin is no joke, with its agricultural and economic impacts, it has not been the only problem of this winter. The sudden independence declared by Andoran, in the spring of 4669, disrupted trade routes all across Golarion; some routes had existed for centuries; others were as new as the ascension of House Thrune in Cheliax. The summer and fall of 4669 saw scarcity where before there had been none.
Then came the freezing of Lake Encarthan all the way south to Greengold. The cold froze and dried up most of the Sellen River, which upset trade further. Scarcity became need.
It is the Spring of 4670. Need has become desperation. Even Razmir’s cultists are rumored to be so desperate for food that they are buying it. Across the River Kingdoms, bandits either prowl for weakness, or stake claim where mercenaries are for hire, both of which occur where the food is grown, found, or kept. And as if to say an environment of warfare were insufficient misery, the animals, beasts, and the enemies of civilization are on the move as snow melts away, rivers fill with water, and the long freeze comes to an end.
The thawing of Lake Encarthan is almost complete. The Glass river connecting Xer to Kyonin has risen enough to allow barge traffic again. The Western Sellen is likewise rising each day. The central Sellen releases ice blocks from its banks and eddies, the great masses intermixing with springtime lumber moving downstream. The eastern Sellen remains low, but soon it too will release its flotilla of ice.
At Riverton, 10 miles downstream from the confluence of the three Sellen branches, the pilots gather, huddling in groups of tied-together watercraft, improving the ‘town’s’ shore facilities, keeping warm by burning mounds of lumber, and helping coordinate shipments of food up-river.
Still, it is cold, barely above the freezing point overnight. Barely warm enough to thaw ice by day. The daylight hours are lengthening. Leaves and flowers are beginning to bloom. Travel along the roads is extremely difficult, with mud and slush filling any slight depression. The caravans have begun to move, but slowly, and with great effort required. The river is ready for the smaller boats to make the difficult trip up-stream. The mornings along the Sellen and its estuaries are damp, heavy with fog. The animals are out, and the spring promises to separate the resourceful from the complacent, from the inefficient.
The Elves suffer little from the cold, certainly less than most of their neighbors. The borders of Kyonin are patrolled by agents seen and unseen, securing its farmlands, ensuring some measure of intra-nation trade. And Elven biology (and similarly the Dwarves as well) are capable of digesting a wide variety of foods. Taldoran salmon may not be available, generating complaints, but white apples remain as fresh and tasty as always, with a reasonably steady supply.
Prepare your cold weather gear. Ensure you have enough food to travel to your destinations. Have an idea where you may be looking next for something to eat, and how you intend to obtain it.
