Cold Conditions
Cold conditions describes a temperature range between -1 and -10°F. This is a bitter and relentless chill, where breath escapes in thick plumes and the air bites at exposed skin with a cruel and persistent edge. This is the kind of cold that seeps through even layered garments, making warmth something that must be fought for rather than taken for granted. Persons speak of frost that stiffens beards to ice, of a wind so sharp that it feels like a blade against the face, and of a silence so complete that even sound seems frozen in place.
Such conditions make travel hazardous and grueling, as the ground is frozen solid, coated in thick layers of ice and drifting snow that threaten to swallow carts and wayward travellers alike. Roads, where they exist, are slick and treacherous, turning even a simple journey into a battle against numb fingers, stiff limbs and the ever-present threat of exhaustion. Streams and ponds are locked in ice, their surfaces sometimes deceptively thin and deep snowdrifts make even open plains into mazes of impassable barriers.
Within settlements, survival hinges on warmth. Houses are shuttered tightly, their walls hung with furs and cloth to trap precious heat, while fires burn day and night, greedily consuming wood at an alarming rate. Those without ample fuel stores risk frost creeping into their bones, and even well-kept homes feel the chill press in through cracks in doors and beneath floorboards. Wells freeze over, forcing people to break ice for water, and food must be carefully rationed, as hunting is scarce, and anything left outside is instantly hardened beyond use.
Daily life slows under such cold. People avoid the streets unless absolutely necessary, keeping movements short and purposeful to prevent the creeping numbness that comes with prolonged exposure. Trade still moves, but only in goods suited for the season — thick woolens, pelts, fuel and preserved food take precedence, with luxuries often set aside until the thaw. Community gatherings dwindle, as even the hardiest folk would rather huddle near the fire than risk the agony of the cold wind cutting through their bones. Those forced outdoors wrap themselves so thoroughly that only their eyes remain visible, and even those must be shielded from the stinging bite of windblown ice.
For those travelling beyond civilisation, the cold is a merciless adversary. Horses struggle to find footing, their breath turning to frost along their muzzles and gear stiffens, making every action slower and more exhausting. Water skins freeze solid unless kept near the body, and even a momentary lapse in vigilance can lead to deadly frostbite. Wildlife, too, adapts to this frozen world — many creatures burrow deep to escape the worst of it, while others prowl the icy wastes, perfectly suited to the killing cold. Encounters with such beasts, from wolves grown desperate with hunger to creatures sculpted by the frost itself, are inevitable in these conditions.
Even underground, the world is not spared from winter's grasp. Dungeons, caves and ruins take on the deep cold, with frozen walls that sap warmth from the body and icy stalactites hanging like jagged teeth from above. Traps once triggered by pressure or weight may instead be locked in frost, while ancient corridors may be coated in a treacherous sheen of ice, waiting to send the unwary tumbling into unseen depths. Even fire struggles in such places, requiring extra fuel to stay lit, making torches an ever-dwindling resource.
To survive in such conditions requires not only preparation but endurance. This is a cold that kills slowly, creeping in at the edges, sapping strength, dulling the mind and whispering of the sweet, dangerous lure of sleep. The wise fight against it with layers, fire and constant motion — for in a world this cold, stillness is death.
