White Chalk: The Cold Moon (Almanac 25)

Each full moon I intend to publish an update to the White Chalk sandbox here on this blog, describing the calendar year of a fantasy proto-Neolithic somewhat parallel to the world in which we live. At the time of writing we have already experienced 2 full moons (14th January 2025 and 12th February 2025), so I have to produce 2 further posts in prior to March's full moon.

To begin I have drawn just one six-mile hex, divided further into 1 mile hexes. You can read an introductory overview in this post:

https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2025/02/white-chalk-almanac-25.html

Draft planisphere for the first month of the year, discussed below

The Cold Moon rise with bitterness: though the shortest day—the solstice—is already passed, the worst of winter is yet to come. The peoples of the Chalk Coast brace themselves for battery by the cruel winds of the north.

Weather

The north wind continues to blow, but the southwesterly is gaining in strength. Warm winds occasionally bring thunderstorms from the south and east, but the North winds' daughter—scourge of the Northeast—carries terrible blizzards from the distant realms of ice.

The cold is unforgiving: 

• unprotected pariahs receive 1 HP damage/hour, 1d2 HP if it's windy or rainy, 1d4 if it's both. 
• Travelling in wind or rain for half a day means pariahs lose an inventory slot to fatigue. This is cumulative. 
• Pariahs can't rest or sleep in wet clothes. 
• In harsh weather make morale checks for NPC accomplices: failure might lead to turning back, seeking shelter or simply giving up.  

Additional effects are listed below

However unforgiving the cold may be, the maritime climate means respite is never too far away. Snow rarely settles more than a few days, sometimes not visiting the coast at all.Most conditions can be endured by the well-prepared. 

Roll for weather at dawn and again at midday. For instructions on how to use the weather hex flower, please refer to this post by their creator: 

https://goblinshenchman.wordpress.com/2019/06/03/hex-power-flower-weather/

If desired, weather effects can be pre-rolled and pariahs can be given forewarning as to what it is likely to be over the next day or so, based on their understanding of the natural world. Alternatively provide PCs with the most likely change to the weather i.e. result "1", usually the hex directly below the current weather,

A weather hexflower for the first month of the year, the Cold Moon

1. Clear and bright: no wind or cloud. If snow has settled, travelling in the direction of the sun involves shielding eyes from an almost painful glare
   
   
2. Overcast: the sky fills with clouds blown in from the southwest until it is a grey sheet of flat light. No shadows are visible. Looks like rain any minute.
   
   
3. Showers: intermittent rainfall, but mostly light. Eventually be drenched after a few hours in the  open air. This weather remains on the roll of a "1" (as indicated by the "x" on the bottom edge of the hex)
   
   
4. Bitter north wind carrying snow clouds rolls in from the north. Like all great winds, he can be challenged (see below)
• Visibility is near non-existent. 
• Walking into the wind and snow (northward) penalises movement (2/3). 
• The snow that falls in half a day lingers for 3 days (this accumulates)
• If snow continues to fall for a whole day, movement is further penalised
     
5. Cold north wind, dark glowering skies the threat of rain never materialises, but the wind is bitter. Flat light, no shadows. Attempting to walk into it slows movement by 2/3. 
   
   
6. Biting north winds movement penalised as above, clouds buffeted across the sky make it hard to read but likely to settle into rain later.
    
7.  Bitter northeast wind blows in with heavy snows. The northeast wind rides her white wolf across the sky: like all great winds, she can be challenged or petitioned (see below)
• Visibility is near non-existent. 
• Walking into the wind and snow (towards north or east) penalises movement (2/3). 
• The snow that falls in half a day lingers for 4 days (this accumulates)
• If snow continues to fall for a whole day, movement is further penalised
• The intensity of the cold doubles all damage and fatigue effects
  
  
8. Cold north wind, heavy rain and sleet  as (4), but no snow. Travellers will be drenched within an hour, and the sleet is icily cold.
   
   
9. Showers with sleet intermittent rainfall, but mostly light. Eventually be drenched after a few hours in the  open air. Occasional breezes from the southwest suggest wetter weather moving in, but could clear the sky of cloud.
   
   
10. Northeast wind and snow flurries The northeast wind rides her white wolf across the sky, similar to (7). However, the snow is lighter and will not fall deep enough to hinder movement, and will be gone in a day if no further snow falls. The white wolf rider can be challenged or petitioned (see below)
    
    
11. Biting northeast wind and snow as (7), though snow will linger for 3 days (cumulative).
    
    
12. Forceful southwest wind and rain the smiling southwest wind brings with him warm (comparatively), wet weather. Nonetheless, travellers will be drenched within an hour and travel due south or west incurs fatigue unless they slow to 2/3 speed. He can be challenged.
    
    
13. Light breeze, cloudy grey clouds threaten rain but never deliver, sweeping across the sky toward the northeast. Wet clothes might even dry if hung out (wow, am I writing a laundry RPG?)
    
    
14. Cold, clear skies see entry for (1). It is colder than the sun suggests, and there will be hoarfroast across the hills if this occurs of a morning.
    
    
15. Bitter northeast wind, snow as (7), though snow will linger for 2 days (cumulative).
    
    
16. Warm wet wind, showers the smiling southwest wind brings with him warm (comparatively), wet weather. Nonetheless, travellers will be drenched after half a day's travel; venturing into the wind (south or west) incurs fatigue unless they slow to 2/3 speed.
    
    
17. Heavy rain and southwest wind as (16) but clothing is saturated in an hour. The wind feels this is all part of the fun.
    
    
18. Thunderstorm playful southeast wind brings her friend, the Sapphire Princess. Heavy rain falls, saturating clothing in an hour. But the great fear are the bolts of lightning slung toward the earth, crashing all around as thunder echoes across the downs. Everyone makes a save vs. sun & Heavens every hour spent walking across open ground, failure results in being struck by a thunderbolt. This inflicts 3d10 damage on them and 2d10 on anyone within 10' (save vs. shock for half). Any present who survive will receive a blessing from the Sapphire Princess if the site is transformed into a shrine.
      
19. Heavy rain, southeast wind brings with her warm (comparatively), wet weather. Nonetheless, travellers will be drenched after an hours travel; venturing into the wind (south or east) incurs fatigue unless they slow to 2/3 speed.

During high winds, attempts to conjure wind spirits are more favourable. Likewise lightning spirits during thunderstorms. Spirits of the Beyond respond best when the new moon falls on a clear night (1, 14).
 
Alternatively, anyone in the presence of a high wind can petition or challenge the Great Wind directly. The GM makes a reaction roll, making any modifications for the tone and content of their cries. On any result other than a 12, 1d4 wind spirits are sent to briefly harass or scare the petitioner. They are not harmful if shown respect, but will fight anyone challenging them. Only if they are defeated (or indeed a "12" is rolled) will the  Great Wind respond to the petitioners directly.

The Great Winds can be persuaded to abate or relent, if the objectives of the PCs align with those of the wind.

The North Wind takes the form of a great dragon or serpent, sometimes with the upper body and head of an elderly human warrior instead of a reptilian head. He is stern and conservative, seeing his cyclic conflict with the southwest wind as a part of the essential natural order. He responds to humble, respectful petitioners and is dismissive of physical challenges. He would like his daughter (the Northeast Wind) to be less impulsive, and follow his example more closely.

The Southwest Wind is usually seen as a green-turquoise fish riding atop an ocean of clouds, but takes on various humanoid forms when communicating with humans. He is friendly and good-humoured, but has no concept of mortality and is not sympathetic to most human woes. The Southeast Wind appreciates humour in the face of adversity, and responds to physical challenges made in good humour rather than anger. He would 1ove to make the North wind look foolish, but would love it even more if he could make that same North wind smile. Above all, though, the Southest Wind would love to win the affection of the Southeast, for he is secretly in love with her.

The Northeast Wind is most often seen as a huge, white wolf or sometimes a woman in the clothing of the north-easterners, riding such a wolf (as legend says the northeasterners are wont to do). she is ferocious and sometimes cruel, ut respects boisterous challenges and displays of might. Of all, it is she who most appreciates physical challenges. The Southwest Wind is a silly fish she would love to impale on her spear, and the attentions of the Southeast Wind utterly baffle her. The Northeast Wind would especially like to punish those crossing the Lord's Sea during the winter months—namely, the Bleak Isle Folk. Deep down, she would also like to hear her father express words of pride in her work, but is more likely to hear that from the Ocean Lord, whom she deeply respects.

The Southeast Wind takes the form of a red-robed sorcerer of the eastern steppe, long limbs resplendent with gold and topaz jewelry. She dances gaily across the sky for those keen-eyed to look, sometimes bringing the Sapphire Princess with her. The Southeast Wind favours beauty above all, but has a tender spot for those injured romantically. She is able to detect when false expressions of love are made. Otherwise, like most of the Cardinal Winds, she has no sympathy for the plight of mortals, but is willing to listen to those complimenting her dance. The Southeast Wind expresses her love for the Northeast Wind, whom she views as an unparalleled exotic beauty. The Northeast Wind remains unimpressed.

The Sapphire Princess is the daughter of the Sun himself. Usually in the form of a blue-plumed phoenix or giffin, she rains down thunder and lightning to the downs when the Southeast Wind invites her. If petitioned, she will send Lightning Elementals in lieu of wind spirits. The Sapphire Princess is most susceptible to flattery, but is also the most vindictive and most powerful. If it suits her, she possesses the might to order all of the winds, though she is ever at the mercy of her father, the Sun.

Encounters

The labours of the Chalk Coast Peoples and Bleak Isle Folk have subdued the spirit of the land, and its favour has no bearing on the travails of outsiders crossing this territory. When walking through human land in winter, simply roll 2d6 every hour:

2 Predator or threat

3-5 Hazard or weather worsens

6-7 General ambience (describe landscape elements)

8-9 As above, but also describe how the weather looks set to change

10-11 Weather improves

12 Positive discovery or happening occurs

The woodlands are still ruled by their petty spirits, so encounters respond to them. Roll 2d6, but with approval (3d6 drop lowest) when pariahs are respecting and honouring the environment and disapproval (3d6 drop highest) when they are behaving poorly.

Garlic Wood
The domain of Urug-Kha the Badger, who just tolerates hazel coppicing on the edges of his wood. 

2 Urug-Kha the Badger manifests, angrily instructing the pariahs to leave the wood

3-5 Hazard

6-7 General ambience (describe landscape elements)

8-9 Weather improves

10-11 Positive discovery or happening occurs

12 Urug-Kha the Badger materialises to greet the PCs

The Oldwood
The ancient spirit of the forest slumbers deeply, but it reverberates through the outcast pariah band, The Loveless. They are deeply connected to this landscape and respond to its cries

2 The Loveless have set an ambush: the PCs will be aware something is awry, spotting one of the 2d4 warriors at a distance of 100 feet or so... but they won't have seen all of them, yet.

3-5 Predator 

6-7 General ambience (describe landscape elements)

8-9 As above, but also describe how the weather looks set to change

10-11 Positive discovery or happening occurs

12 The Loveless send a welcoming party and invite the PCs to their main camp

Fellbeech Hill
The site of a horrible massacre, when a band of Painted Ones made their last stand against a much larger force of Bleak Isle folk. The ghost of the last to die haunts the hillside: scaring away humans, but ensuring a safe haven for the remaining wolf pack of this territory.

2 Ghost of Fellbeech materialises to scare or attack PCs

3-5 Predator

6-7 Hazard or weather worsens

8-9 General ambience (describe landscape elements)

10-11 Positive discovery or happening occurs

12 The Fellbeech wolfpack seek the counsel of the pariahs, greeting them cautiously. The alpha wolf is able to growl some words in a language the PCs understand, but little more. If the PCs are disrespectful, the wolves call upon the Ghost of Fellbeech

 

Terrain & Territory

Downland (grassland and hill) in the Cold Moon 

Wind-blasted, undulating grassland decorated with smatterings of tree and shrubs in small copses, still dormant in the depths of winter. Hardy tups patrol the hills, but most of the flocks of sheep are herded into barns and fed hay. Down in the lowlands, beets are harvested: the Cold Moon is not enjoyed, it is endured.

Atop Whitehawk Hill the entrails of the Winter Queen still carpet the ground. Jackdaws and carrion crows peck at her remains

Downland ambience 

1. Crows, jackdaws and magpies (1d100) pecking at the pasture
2. Frozen dew pond
3. Hare bounding down a distant hill 
4. Herd of roe deer (3d10), seen far away 
5. Herders or foragers (2d4): 50% chance they've not yet seen the PCs
6. Scattered tups (1d12) , distance of 3d100 feet, forlornly chewing the cold ground

Downland foraging: firewood is plentiful around small copses of trees and shrubs. There are no entheogens growing on the downs in the winter. Chalk and flint are easy to unearth. It's hard to find food, however:

1. Chickweed: weedy groundcover tastes a bit like bean sprouts
2. Dandelion root: very bitter but plentiful. Good as a tea.
3. Garlic mustard: salad leaves, taste like the name suggests
4. Small game
5. Small game
6. Sorrell: sharp tasting leaves, can  be used in a soup

Downland hazards & anomalies: there is little real danger on the downland, and uncanny anomalies are very rare indeed

1. Extreme weather effect: ball lightning, blizzard, fog, tornado 
2. Mire (lowland) or slippery slope (upland)
3. Time loss: one hour vanishes
4. Timeslip: a vision of the deep past

Downland positive signs & discoveries

1. Abandoned shepherd's hut, dry and potentially warm
2. Boulder marked with glyphs from the Old Days, possibly a shrine to a forgotten spirit
3. Chalk stream providing continuous, clean water
4. Dead tup: roll 1d6 for how many days. Still probably good to eat...
5. Small copse of trees: there's about 1d6 rations of uneaten blackberries, hazelnuts, crab apples, haws, rosehips etc.
6. Small settlement (1d4 households), occupied  

Downland predators & threats (roll 1d4 for natural predators)

1. Badger (alone, not interested in humans... edible?)
2. Bird of prey (circling something interesting?)
3. Fox: not interested in humans unless (50% chance) it's actually the Fox Spirit his/herself
4. Wolves (1d6, hungry and weak)
5. Spirit of the Dead, hungers for life, draining touch
6. Warriors of a nearby settlement, patrolling for raiders and predators  

Small game of the downland

1. Crow, jackdaw, magpie 3d20 feet
2. Distant sighting of possible animal
3. Hare spotted, 2d100 feet away
4. Passerine bird (starling, robin, blackbird) 3d20 feet
5. Predator (roll 1d4)
6. Tracks or droppings of animal, 50% chance sheep or deer

Woodland in the Cold Moon

Ambience (Fellbeech Hill) 

1. Crow caws in boughs of tree
2. Howl of a wolf, distant
3. Icicles hanging from branches of tree
4. Resplendent holly tree
5. Silhouette of deer glimpsed between trees towards the centre
6. Whisper into the ear of a random pariah: "Get. Out."

Ambience (Garlic Wood and Oldwood) 

1. Blackbird whistling its beautiful melody
2. Carpet of snowdrops in a small clearing
3. Chattering call of the magpie
4. Less beautiful melody of wren 
5. Pariah hunting party (Oldwood) or hazel coppicers (Garlic Wood)
6. Robin darts branch to ground and back

Woodland Foraging: much richer pickings than out on the downs, firewood a-plenty but the only entheogens are dawn mushrooms... and they're rarely found.              

1. Bittercress: nutty flavoured salad with peppery aftertaste
2. Oak moss: not really moss... edible lichen. Barely a ration but has a pleasant, mushroom-y taste and unique aroma
3. Small game
4. Small game
5. Velvet shank: mild flavoured golden mushroom growing on elms
6. Cat's ear: curious rubbery texture but very good to eat and nutritious 

Hazards & anomalies of Fellbeech Hill

1. Boggy mire or snowdrift (weather pending)
2. Entangling brambles slow progress
3. Falling ash or sycamore, seconds to act
4. Food of one pariah inexplicably spoils, instantly
5. Omen of the ghost of fellbeach (wail, deathly chill etc.)
6. Timeslip: a vision of the deep past, specifically the Fellbeech massacre in which the ghost of the hill was made.

Hazards & anomalies Garlic Wood

1. Entangling brambles/ ivy slow progress
2. Falling ash or sycamore, seconds to act
3. Mudslide, tumbling rocks or mini-avalanche (weather pending)
4. Omen of the Great Badger (growl, droppings, heckles up etc.)
5. Predator (roll below)
6. Spatial loop: party appear to have arrived at the exact spot they were at 1 hour ago...

Hazards & anomalies the Oldwood

1. Entangling snare: save to avoid becoming stuck, takes time escape, otherwise
2. Gorse, ivy or nettles slow progress
3. Hostile tree guardian spirit materialises
4. Party stumble upon an obvious trap—pit trap, tumbling rocks or logs—set by The Loveless. Not yet triggered, but requires careful negotiation to disarm or navigate
5. Predator/threat (roll below)
6. Timeslip: a vision of the deep past, specifically an ancient winter ceremony of a lost band of Painted Ones, honouring the Spirit of the Oldwood. The first time this is witnessed it is chilling, but repeat viewings teach an ancient rite of winter to those willing to learn

Positive signs & discoveries (Fellbeach)

1. Ancient shrine from the era of the Painted Ones, features stone antlers. Overgrown.
2. Cache of cob nuts. 1d rations.
3. Hibernating animal. Edible (roll small game)
4. Improved weather visible through break in the canopy
5. Precious item, hidden in the snow/wet leaves
6. Rotten hunting hide/shelter, half an hour to "make good". 1d10 arrowheads. 

Positive signs & discoveries (Garlic wood)

1. Camp of coppicers/charcoal burners. Party catch first sight, can easily avoid without detection if desired.
2. Deer tracks/droppings: relatively fresh
3. Hibernating animal. Edible (roll small game)
4. Improved weather visible through break in the canopy
5. "Rose" of winter (a hellebore), brilliant crushed-velvet purple bloom, a positive  sign
6. Sackcloth bundle, 2 rations of dried meat and a flint blade. Probably dropped by a coppicer.

Positive signs & discoveries (Oldwood)

1. Deer tracks/droppings: relatively fresh
2. Hibernating animal. Edible (roll small game)
3. Hunters' camp (pariahs from The Loveless band). Party catch first sight, can easily avoid without detection if desired.
4. Improved weather visible through break in the canopy 
5. Small sack, a food ration and a handaxe. Probably dropped by a pariah
6. Shrine originally built by the Painted Ones, features stone antlers. Maintained by The Loveless.

Predators (Fellbeach)

1. Fox: not interested in humans unless (50% chance) it's actually the Fox Spirit his/herself
2. Ghost of Fellbeach, hungers for revenge, draining touch
3. Giant bat (1d8) swoops down from trees
4. Owl, 50% chance it's a moon spirit
5. Wolves (2d4, hungry but reasonably well fed)
6. Wolves (3d6, defending their territory)   

Predators & threats  (Garlic Wood)

1. Badger (50% chance this is Urug-Kha himself, otherwise disinterested)
2. Fox: not interested in humans unless (50% chance) it's actually the Fox Spirit his/herself
3. Hunting party, checking for wolves
4. Hunting party, looking for small game
5. Tracks of (roll again)
6. Wolves (1d6, hungry and weak)  

Predators & threats (Oldwood)

1. Badger (alone, not interested in humans... edible?)
2. Fox: not interested in humans unless (50% chance) it's actually the Fox Spirit his/herself
3. Hunting party, pariahs
4. Hunting party, from Whitehawk
5. Raiding party from one of the watches (Downview, Droveview, Roundhill)
6. Wolves (1d6, hungry and weak)

 Small game

1. Hare, distance of 4d20 feet, fast runner
2. Hibernating animal (dormouse, hedgehog, ordinary bats, frog or toad)
3. 1d6 pheasants 
4. 1d4 Squirrels, very skinny
5. Stag beetle grub (1 ration, very bitter)
6. Tracks or droppings of animal, 50% chance wild pony or deer

Marshland

The marsh all falls within the human territories of Stoneditch, a series of fisher-folk and small-scale farmers allied to the Whitehawk tribe. In winter they rely on the bravery of their fishers to keep the community alive: it is very risky business.

Marsh ambience 

1. Cry of coot or moorhen
2. Falcons chasing flock of 2d100 lapwings through the sky
3. Fishing nets left out to dry in the cold air 
4. Fishers or foragers (2d4): 50% chance they've not yet seen the PCs
5. Herd of roe deer (3d10), seen far away 
6. Smell of smoke from a nearby settlement

Marshland foraging: brushwood is easily sourced but will need to be dried out There are no entheogens growing on the marshes in the winter. Big lumps of granite and sandstone are surprisingly easy to find by the Whale Bone River. For food, roll 1d6: on a 6 the forager finds some small game (roll below), otherwise their hands are empty. Opportunities to hunt abound, and an hour spent fishing with a line produces 1d6-3 rations worth of fish (you could use the pariah's "fishing skill die" in lieu of 1d6 if you wish)

 

Marshland hazards & anomalies: the danger on the marshes arises from the water.

1. Bog or mire 
2. Boog +tide: as above... but the tide is coming in and the river is rising fast
3. Extreme weather effect: ball lightning, blizzard, fog, tornado
4. Predator or threat: the party have alerted a potentially hostile presence

Marshland positive signs & discoveries

1. Abandoned bird-hide, dry and potentially warm
2. Basket in water containing 2d6 shellfish and/or fish
3. Graceful swan descends onto the water from the air
4. Small game (roll below) surprised! Easy to catch
5. Small settlement (1d4 households), occupied  
6. Weather improves one step

Marshland predators & threats (roll 1d4 for natural predators)

1. Bleak Isle Folk warriors (1d6) on a "diplomatic mission"
2. Bird of prey (circling something interesting?)
3. Fox: not interested in humans unless (50% chance) it's actually the Fox Spirit his/herself. If in water threat is giant eel or pike
4. Silverscale "warriors", patrolling for raiders and predators
5. Spirit of the Dead, hungers for life, draining touch  
6. Wolves (1d4, hungry and weak)

Small game of the marshland

1. Coot, moorhen, wigeon (1d6)
2. Hare (1d3)
3. Greylag geese (3d6)
4. Herring gulls (3d20)
5. Lapwing (1d100)
6. Swan (1d4)

Coast

The White Chalk Coast is characterised by shingle banks, occasional rock pools and (of course) massive chalk cliffs. Here the coastline is considered human territory, but in truth it is a liminal space between land and sea, between settlement and The Ocean Lord himself.

Coastal ambience 

1. Gulls, 1d100, feeding on something 400 feet ahead
2. Seal spotted, 4d100 feet ahead
3. Tide is slowly coming in
4. Tide is slowly going out
5. Weather worsens (odds) or improves (evens). 
6. Whale sighted out to sea

Coastal foraging: firewood is tricky, some driftwood after an hour of searching. There are no entheogens growing by the sea. Chalk and flint are easy to unearth from the cliffs. 

1. Limpets
2. Razor clams or cockles
3. Sea beet (wild spinach)
4. Sugar kelp
5. Whelk or winkle
6. Winter laver

Coastal hazards & anomalies: 

1. Eerie mist drifts in from the sea, visibility reduced to 1'
2. Narrow coast path: big waves batter at walkers
3. Predator or threat
4. Rocks fall from cliff
5. Siren call from the sea
6. Tide coming in rapidly: turn back or climb up cliffs OR if tide is going out, trapped in sinking sand

Coastal positive signs & discoveries

1. Abandoned fisher's hut, dry and potentially warm
2. Basket in water containing 2d6 shellfish and/or fish
3. Distant whale calls from the sea
4. Small settlement (1d4 households), occupied  
5. Washed up boat from across the channel, unoccupied but 1d4 precious items on board
6. Weather improves one step, storm calms, tides abate, golden light shines down 

Coast predators & threats (roll 1d4 for natural predators)

1. Bird of prey (circling something interesting?)
2. Fox: not interested in humans unless (50% chance) it's actually the Fox Spirit his/herself
3. Mother Sawtooth, old witch, out for a walk
4. Silverscale "warriors", patrolling for raiders and predators
5. Spirit of the Sea, awesome and terrifying
6. Wolves (1d4, hungry and weak)

Small game of the coast

1. Albatross (50% chance a Spirit of the Sea)
2. Blackhead gulls (1d100)
3. Distant sighting of possible animal
4. Herring gulls (1d100)
5. Seal (50% chance a Spirit of the Sea)
6. Tracks or droppings of animal

The sea is full of fish. you need to get in a boat to catch them though, and it looks pretty rough this time of year.

Calendar

A note about constellations

I'm working on a stellar calendar but it's a big project: consequently, later entries in the almanac are likely to have greater detail than these earlier ones. 

New Moon

The official mourning of the Winter Queen is over. Though it is still cold and bleak, the promise of a new Spring Princess instills hope.

At Downwatch a fire is lit, which should trigger a string of similar fires at strategic points all along the White Chalk Coast west of Whitehawk. The watchers will keep the fire burning all through the last months of winter until the arrival of the Spring Princess. 

At Flatfield Holdings and Whitehawk Camp one or more tups are slaughtered for the first feast since the solstice. They are joined by members of smaller communities.  

Introduced by the Bleak Isle Folk, Stoneditch Residents perform a rite invoking the Red One, embodying the belief that the Red Star feasts upon the blood of the Winter Queen. This is a sombre costumed dance around a great fire, performed by two prominent young people in the community. 

Days 2

The Red Star is at its brightest, said to have been fed by the blood of the Winter Queen. If the weather is poor and the Red Star is not visible it augurs poorly for the forthcoming year. 

Days 3-7

Shooting stars appear in the sky, appearing to emerge from the void between The Cave Bear and the Warrior (not pictured in planisphere). They are most frequent in the dark before dawn, and at their most intense in the days just before the first half moon (5-6).

In the far west, if the bacons have not yet been sighted the Spring Princess will remain with her people. In her stead, an elder accompanied by 7 warriors begins a trek to east. This has occurred once in living memory (owing to a series of errors), and once in legend (The Song of Old Spring).    

Half Moon (day 8)

All being well, a beacon is lit at Pig Hill in the far west. This signals the departure of the Spring Princess. 

At night the foxes call to one another, their cries at times resembling those of anguished children. However, their pain is merely loneliness: more than any other time of the year they seek companionship.

Full Moon (day 15)

Tonight, the Cold Moon rises in full. At Downwatch, eyes will be looking keenly west, looking for confirmation of the Spring Princess' arrival at Firetower Fort: if the beacon is lit at Gravewatch, then all is well.

By the tooth Mother Sawtooth knows she must bring the cave spirit its tribute. In these months she needs to take bigger risks in order to ensure she captures prey. If the weather is acceptable for night fishing she assumes the form of an orca, seeks out a boat off the coast of Stoneditch and capsizes it. If the weather is too harsh, she uses all her magic to transform into a giant gull-harpy, taking any shepherds or travellers along the coast path back to feed the spirit of the cave.

Waning half moon (day 22)

If there are no rains or snow on this night, the Loveless send out 3 raiding parties. They have had a horrific winter. One will head west to the Flatfield Holdings and east towards the source of the Winter Spring (a tributary of Whale Bone River). Both are looking to seize at least one tup each. The third party are to harry the occupants of Round Hill. preventing them from assisting any alarm raised at flatfield Holdings. 

If rain and snow persist, they will head out by the 25th day, regardless of weather.     

Lambsong (day 29)  

Traditionally the midpoint between winter solstice and spring equinox, occurring when the Red Star moves between the Dancers. Though lambs will have been born through winter (and won't really get going until Lamb Moon, 2 months hence) this date is the traditional start of lambing.

Litters of precisely 2 healthy lambs, born on this day, are considered especially lucky. Whitehawk Camp affords these lambs a special honour for the rest of the year. At the Flatfield holdings, they are sacrificed and stewed.

 

Links

Introduction to White Chalk:
https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/05/white-chalk.html

Introduction to the White Chalk almanac:
https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2025/02/white-chalk-almanac-25.html

Weather hex flowers:
https://goblinshenchman.wordpress.com/2019/06/03/hex-power-flower-weather/