Half Past Midnight

Time Update : Anesus 6, 1715

Weather: The storm doesn't start to let up until dawn, and even then it's only the lightning and thunder that gives up the ghost. The rain continues heavily well into the next day, and the wind continues to be high and cold. Still, even though no one can see it behind the dark clouds, Parnsehi rises full tonight, after sundown.

12:30 AM
Again, half-past the hour is rung in with a blinding flash of lightning and a deafening clap of thunder practically simultaneously: lightning strikes within the castle courtyard. No one is hurt, aside from being temporarily deafened, but all the herds inside the courtyard don't like that one bit, and there is an attempt at a stampede inside the enclosed space. The recipe for one disaster is replaced by another as, at precisely the same moment, the castle gates slam open, providing the panicked animals the perfect, and only, escape. Within moments, they stampede out, leaving the herders-- and anyone else who they can round up-- to chase after them and bring them back. It is a miserable, all-day affair, and once Tayne is informed, he immediately sets about trying to round up volunteers. All other chores except necessary ones, such as the kitchens and hall duties, are suspended until the animals can be returned.

Weather: At midnight, the storm really hits. Lightning, thunder, hurricane-force winds, torrential rain... all of it. It's like nature is throwing a fit and making everyone else suffer for it. Going outside is really not an option today, and the poor Lenhakriron-clan Lykos who had been locked outside the castle the night before to keep the hole-filled castle safe from them really have it bad. The head of compound is ready to let them in first thing in the morning, once the moon has officially set, but if they don't show up right when he opens the door, they'll be stuck in the storm all day. The horses, cattle, and sheep are moved to the courtyard by the night guards.

12:30 AM
It seems that, today, the test is the storm, or at least some aspect of it. The very instant the clock hits half past midnight, the first strike of lightning hits on compound ground, and the first roll of thunder rumbles in seconds after after. The little "windows" into everyone's rooms disappear, the staircases return to their proper places-- regardless of any other methods rigged to get from floor to floor; they miraculously return to wherever they were, and anyone using them at the time is transported safely to the floor which is nearest-- and only the storm remains.

Weather: Dark clouds cover the sky, creating a rather dim dawn to start the day. By noon, it starts to drizzle, the light rain made colder by the continued winds. Rain falls harder as the sun sinks down over the horizon and a full Lenhakriron moon rises in the sky. Lightening strikes bright in the night from the mountains to the north. A storm is on it's way.

12:30 AM
With holes still littering the walls, it seems the castle is disappearing, brick by brick. As the clock strikes half past midnight, the stone steps that lead up to the second floor vanish from sight. The basement stairs are quick to follow, leaving gaping holes where the stairwells used to be. There is no easy way to move between floors, as the distance between them is too far for even a Lykos to jump in full form, let alone a Vrykola or Human. Getting to and from one's room is apparently the challenge tonight, and it's definitely going to be a challenge.

Weather: The wind from the previous day picks up further, bending the trees in the orchard and stripping some of the magically-ripened fruit from the boughs. By sunset, high clouds are starting to roll in, and by midnight not a star is to be seen. It isn't quite as cold today, as long as one is out of the wind, but the wind is frigid and makes it seem much colder than it is. Cloaks and/or fur are a must again today.

12:30 AM
At exactly half-past midnight, holes suddenly appear all over the castle in the inner walls-- regular holes, two bricks wide by two bricks high, big enough for all but the biggest in the castle to climb through. All of these holes are in the basement and the second story, in the walls between bedrooms and between bedrooms and the hall, though a few unlucky people get holes that look out into the sitting room, solar room, and basement lounge. Every room on the hall has a hole out into the hall, so anyone can see in, and everyone sharing a wall with another bedroom also has a hole into that bedroom. Thus, every bedroom has at least two new "windows", and most have three. Privacy, at least for the duration of the day, is going to be a rather rare commodity.

Weather: The tail end of winter is still holding tight to the grounds, and though there is no snow, cleared by a brief thaw the previous week, it is even colder today, and everything has a light frost over it. An even colder wind picks up around sundown, though the sky is still cloudless all day. Anyone going outside would be wise to take a thick cloak and dress in layers, or to stay on one's animal form so make good use of the fur.

12:30 AM
This day's "challenge" is mainly for the first years and one rather nervous sixth year. The only obvious change at half-past the hour is the sudden appearance of notices all over the castle for a meeting that day, just past sundown, in the main hall. All newcomers to the compound are strongly urged to attend, though anyone is welcome. The notices say plainly that common practices, rules, and functions at the compound are to be explained, and an order of duties will be set.

Weather: This is a day when the outside Mages who help maintain the compound make an effort in controlling the weather, and those with the ability to can sense it. For the arrivals and departures, the sky is clear and, while the air is cold, it is not too cold. Once everyone has had time to reach the castle, the magical control is lifted and weather continues on its course. A wind picks up around dawn and temperatures drop a little, making it uncomfortable outside for anyone who is not a Vrykola.

12:00 AM
The Anesiel moon is high in a clear, chilly sky, shining blue and full over the Trivald compound. The few Anesiel Lykos in residence are locked in their rooms, unable to take out their full-moon frustrations on anything but their own belongings. In the Main Hall, the rest of the residents gather, listening as the clock rings out twelve times. For the senior residents, it is time to leave, some with smiles, some with tears, all with a touch of anxiety about what the outside world will hold for them now. Their time is over, goodbyes have been said, and they leave in order to reach the compound gates in time for the opening; their rooms left empty for the next round to come. For everyone else, it is a time of waiting. A flood of 18 year olds will be coming soon, along with the trials to follow.

12:30 AM
The clock sounds twice at the half hour. The occupants of the compound can return to their rooms. This is the one test they know, the one test they expect-- the young one's arrival. The compound gates are opened for just long enough to let the old out and the new in, at exactly half past the hour, then are closed for another year, leaving a group of newcomers to find their way to the castle and claim their rooms. Each carries their belongings with them to their new home, none certain what their future holds. The Anesiel tribe Lykos are harried and guided by the other tribes, to be either chased into the woods or locked up upon reaching the castle, so they don't cause any damage.