light up the world

cover you when the sky comes crashing in

That semblance of pride was difficult to erase from the lines of his shoulders as he stepped before the Citadel’s shrine. Halo, dedicated, strong, and stalwart, had completed another regional proportion, and weeks ahead of time for the Deepfrost layers to fall. It granted a lot less apprehension, and a lot more contentment, satisfaction, in knowing their capabilities, fortitude, and might, continued to stretch and persist through the ongoing years. Repose had granted them opportunity, and they’d taken it.

Before announcing anything into the ether though, Deimos pulled open his bag of holding, beginning to unfurl the offerings for their favored goddess. Handspun, ornate layers of windchimes hastened in delicate reveries; all fashioned and faceted after Safrin herself from the community and himself. Some with glass, others with metallic sheen, casting her in various images of power, prestige, or cosmic endeavors themselves, meant to represent the moon and the stars. He hung them neatly beside and amidst the pillars, and when the breeze caught the sounds were mellifluous.

Thereafter came the required celestial beacons and materials found by their citizens – bottles of captured starlight from the Greenwing’s beckoning streams, stargazer lilies, and moonshrooms. The blue goldstone made by Iskra and himself at the guild had been placed amongst the altars around the Citadel, and the trenches long since re-dug and repaired. Once everything was placed, completed, he took a deep breath, permitted a smile to chisel through his features. “Safrin, Halo has completed its quest.”

--

Halo has finished their regional quest to upgrade their warmth barrier from small things brought together

Tasks. There is no time limit. There are currently 8 active Halovians. This means 4 unique characters have to participate. Characters can participate more than once. Deimos must participate in at least 2 threads.

1. A PQ of 4 Halovians ensuring that the previously dug trench around the perimeter of the Citadel is still in good shape, making any repairs as needed
- (Deimos, Marcus, Iskra, Nina) [PQ][RQ] into the grit and grime

2. 3 threads gathering celestial-related materials (can be as literal or abstract as you like, so long as Safrin would approve)
Thread 1: Noah, Amhran [SE] the portals of the night
Thread 2: Marcus, Nina [o][RQ] can you hear my heartbeat singing
Thread 3: Deimos, Erebos [RQ] a constellation prize

3. Commission a PC from the Guilded Market to make you Blue Goldstone to incorporate into the altars
- (Deimos, Iskra) [RQ] then listening is gold

4. A PQ of 3 Halovians placing various altars around the Citadel to house Safrin's light (3 must be completed first)
- (Noah, Erebos, Nina) [PQ][RQ] resurrecting reasons

DEIMOS

The windchimes begin to sing before she appears. At first the sound is only the quiet clinking of glass and metal stirred by the Citadel’s restless air, but gradually the notes align into something softer and fuller, the tones layering into a delicate harmony that seems almost too precise to be accidental. The sound gathers like a beckoning, and soon after warmth follows. It spreads through the shrine in a slow, gentle bloom that pushes back the alpine bite, the air growing lighter and easier to breathe as though Halo itself exhales in quiet relief. Starlight gathers above the altar, threads of pale gold and silver unwinding through the dimness until Safrin steps forward from their glow as effortlessly as though she has always been standing there.

Her eyes drift first to the offerings; the windchimes earn a look of clear appreciation as they sway beside the pillars, the small celestial figures and delicate glass catching and scattering the shrine’s light. Her fingertips brush one of the strands, setting it chiming softly again before her gaze continues across the gathered pieces: the lilies and moonshrooms, the bottles holding fragments of captured starlight, the careful arrangement of materials brought together by the people of Halo. The attention she gives them is neither hurried nor ceremonial; it carries the unmistakable pleasure of someone genuinely pleased. When she looks back to Deimos, her smile deepens. "Once again Halo has done very well."

For a moment she simply regards the Sword, the quiet pride in his posture reflected in the calm brightness of her expression, before her eyes close. Fragments of starlight slip free from her skin as though her radiance has begun to shed itself into the air. They scatter first in a delicate spray, then gather again, twisting upward in slow spirals that glitter and weave together above the shrine. Across the Citadel, the blue goldstone set within the altars stirs to life, each piece answering the call with a steady glow that deepens from soft cobalt to a radiant, celestial blue.

Above every altar a small starfield blooms into existence. Pinpricks of living light ignite against the air itself, constellations forming and drifting slowly overhead as though the night sky has lowered itself just beneath the dome. The starlight hums faintly as it settles into place, a quiet, persistent warmth spreading outward from each altar until it threads through the streets and walls of the Citadel alike, forcing the chill to loosen its hold. No longer biting, no longer creeping through stone and timber with relentless patience, the cold recedes into something manageable and distant. Even when Deepfrost returns in its full ferocity, the warmth seeded through the city will remain, steady and enduring.

Safrin opens her eyes again, the glow fading from its brilliant crescendo into something gentler as the magic settles. "The Citadel will never fall below the freezing point again while these altars stand." she says softly, her gaze lifting briefly toward the newly kindled stars before returning to Deimos.

---

Halo has received:
Starlight Braziers | Braziers that shine with balls of suspended starlight all around the Citadel that ensure the city's temperatures will never drop below 0°C even during Deepfrost.

SAFRIN

cover you when the sky comes crashing in

Alert and attuned, he listened as the windchimes songs changed and altered, not by wind but by stars and power, celestial beings brought to life. He took a long inhale, then let the breath filter and flow through his lungs, waiting, watching, as she appeared; gaze flickering back and forth, wanting to see how she reacted to the offerings, the gifts. When it became clear that they were suitable, his grin went fuller, wider, and he bowed his head at her response. “Maybe we will not receive as many complaints,” at which he granted a slight wink, knowing better. He preferred it that way – the hardy survived.

But Deepfrost wouldn’t be so hard and worn and difficult, wouldn’t carry the transgressions of fear or hunkering so far into their homes that they couldn’t do much more than hibernate. The Citadel would stand strong amidst the LongNights and the coming seasons, and she, amidst the people, had a massive part in doing so. “Thank you again for everything.” And by the time they saw Safrin again, there might be a new idea transforming Halo into another strong fixture.

[FIN]

DEIMOS