ZARIAH
I know I am a fierce Queen
Zariah smirked, sipping her wine at the disbelief in Ingrid's tone. "At least the creatures of the Tundra can be fought. They can be seen. They are what they are and guise themselves no more than any creature might." she said softly, swirling her wine languidly. Hazel eyes flickered away, staring into the roaring fireplace of the tavern, the glow reflecting slightly. "During the week of LongNight in the Hollowed Grounds, the people bar their doors and windows. They pad out their floors with snowmoss - not for warmth but to dull the sound of their steps. The smallest of candles and fires are kept to hide their presences, and few dare speak above a whisper." she explained, setting the scene. The idea of keeping one's fires as low as possible, especially in the dead of Deepfrost, would leave any from Halo aghast. To let a fire go out was criminal here, and yet the people of the Hollowed Grounds were so fearful of what lay outside they dared to tempt that fate."The monsters guise themselves, crying out in voices perfectly human, occasionally sounding like your loved ones and friends. They shriek in fear, banging on doors, begging to be let in for safety. But if you do..." she trailed off for a moment, before snapping her fingers loudly. "Dead. Instantly. Not a trace of you left, save perhaps pools of blood if you're so lucky. Of course, sometimes the cries are of real people. So you must ask yourself: is it worth opening the door to see if it is a person, knowing it could just as easily be death incarnate awaiting you in the dark?" she said, sipping her wine, shrugging as though not discussing something so dark. "It is a traumatizing time for the people, one that fills them with dread upon the first snowfall and lasts near to the end of Flowerbirth."
And they know it too
