Winter

Frostharrow - January : Noxvar, the Shadowed Raven

Frostharrow is the Hallowmere name for the month of January.

It is the first month of the year, marked by deep winter, long nights, frozen roads, quiet homes, and the feeling that the world itself has drawn inward. Across much of Hallowmere, Frostharrow is not treated as a month of loud celebration. It is a month of stillness, endurance, reflection, and careful watching.

Frostharrow begins the year in darkness and cold. The land is quiet. The trees stand bare. Roads are harder to travel, voices carry farther in the frozen air, and even familiar places can feel distant beneath snow and shadow. It is a time when people are reminded that not every beginning arrives with warmth or comfort.

This month is associated with Noxvar, the Shadowed Raven, because Frostharrow belongs to hidden things, patient observation, and truths that are not yet ready to be spoken. During this month, the people of Hallowmere often believe that understanding should be sought slowly. The year has only just begun, and wisdom comes first through listening.

Frostharrow is a month for reviewing what has passed and preparing the mind for what may come. Old records may be revisited. Strange events from the previous year may be remembered. Families may speak more quietly, travel less often, and keep closer to the hearth. In settlements shaped by temple law or old custom, Frostharrow may also be a time for preserving accounts, gathering testimony, and watching for patterns that were missed in busier seasons.

The meaning of Frostharrow is not fear, but awareness. It teaches that the first step into a new year should not be careless. Before the fields thaw, before the roads open, before vows are tested and journeys begin, there is value in silence. There is value in noticing what others overlook.

Frostharrow reminds the people of Hallowmere that not all beginnings are bright. Some begin in darkness. Some begin in patience. Some begin beneath the watchful shadow of a raven, while the world waits to see what the year will become.

[Enter the Hall of Noxvar →]

Evergale - February : Olvrida, the Celestial Seer

Evergale is the Hallowmere name for the month of February.

It is the second month of the year, a time when winter has not yet released its hold, but the first signs of change can be felt in the air. The nights remain long, the roads remain cold, and the winds often move across the land with a strange persistence, as though carrying messages from places too distant to name.

Evergale is associated with Olvrida, the Celestial Seer.

Olvrida is the deity of stars, prophecy, visions, guidance, and truths seen from afar. Where Noxvar watches what is hidden in darkness, Olvrida looks beyond the present moment, reading the patterns of the heavens and the quiet movements of fate. Her presence during Evergale reflects the belief that the second month is not only a time of endurance, but a time of watching for signs of what is coming.

In many parts of Hallowmere, Evergale is considered a month of omens. People may study the stars more carefully, record unusual dreams, listen to the wind, or seek meaning in repeated signs. A raven’s silence, an owl’s cry, a ring around the moon, or a sudden shift in the weather may all be treated as something worth remembering.

Those who honor Olvrida during Evergale often do so beneath the night sky. Some light pale candles near windows. Others leave bowls of water outside to reflect the stars, believing that still water may catch messages the eye alone would miss. In certain regions, children are taught the names of constellations during this month, while elders speak of old prophecies and warnings written in the sky.

Evergale is also a month of preparation. Farmers, travelers, temple keepers, and sworn orders may begin planning for the seasons ahead. They do not act blindly. They watch, listen, compare signs, and seek guidance before stepping into the year’s first true changes.

Evergale reminds the people of Hallowmere that not every truth is buried below. Some are written above. Some arrive on the wind. Some are seen only by those patient enough to look beyond the storm.

Winterwane - March : The Brother Dire Wolf, Veilskarvard, the Veilwarden

Winterwane is the Hallowmere name for the month of March.

It is the third month of the year, when winter begins to weaken but has not fully released the land. Snow turns to mud, rivers strain against thawing banks, old roads reappear, and the world enters a dangerous in-between state. It is no longer the deep stillness of winter, but neither is it the safety of spring.

Winterwane is associated with the Brother Dire Wolf, Veilskarvard, the Veilwarden.

Veilskarvard is a guardian figure connected to thresholds, crossings, protection, the wild path, and the boundary between the known world and the realms beyond it. He is often honored as a watcher at the edge of things: the edge of the forest, the edge of the road, the edge of the firelight, and the edge between Hallowmere and what waits outside it.

Because Winterwane is a month of transition, many people believe it belongs naturally to Veilskarvard. The land is shifting. Ice breaks. Paths change. Fog rises from thawing ground. Boundaries that seemed firm during winter become uncertain. In such a time, travelers, hunters, wardens, and those who live near wild places may offer respect to the Veilwarden before crossing into unfamiliar ground.

In some regions, Winterwane is known as a month of testing. Roads may open before they are safe. Rivers may look shallow while running strong beneath the surface. Forest paths may return changed from the snow. The wise do not assume that a familiar road remains familiar after winter has passed over it.

Those who honor Veilskarvard during Winterwane may leave offerings at boundary stones, forest paths, old gates, or crossroads. These offerings are often simple: a strip of dark cloth, a carved wolf mark, a portion of meat, or a quiet vow spoken before stepping beyond safety. The purpose is not to ask for ease, but for passage, protection, and the strength to recognize danger before it closes in.

Winterwane also carries a deeper meaning in the Archive. It represents the moment when things begin to move again. Secrets buried under snow may surface. Tracks hidden by storms may be found. Old wounds may reopen. The year has begun, but now it starts to walk.

Winterwane reminds the people of Hallowmere that every crossing has a cost. To leave winter behind is still to pass through its teeth, and those who travel during this month do so beneath the watch of the Dire Wolf at the boundary.