What is Winter Like in Aviandria?
Usually, when I hear the term “Winter,” I think of large snowdrifts, bare tree branches, snowmen, shoveling driveways, and soft fluffy snowflakes. The landscape is in shades of white, blue, and grays, with a vivid splotch of red here and there, like a red scarf on the snowman, or a red cardinal in a tree. Maybe there are a few patches of green where a pine tree resides. But let’s face it. Winter isn’t always that way. Even where I live (one of our catchphrases is “the greatest snow on earth” after all) it’s not always like that. In other places further south, it doesn’t even snow. Sometimes it means just a lot of rain, and sometimes it only means not quite as hot as it was in the summer. So, what does “winter” mean in Aviandria?
The answer to that would be, it depends where you are in Aviandria. If you are up closer to the north of Aviandria, you will get the snowy winters like I imagine winter is like. In the areas where there are mountains, you’ll get the snow-dusted pines. In the lower altitude forests, you’ll get some of those, but you’ll get a lot of leafless branches covered in sparkling snow and icicles. It’s higher in humidity than where I live, so you don’t get as much powder, but the snow sticks to the trees really well, making it very picturesque. Also, very chilly.
South of the mountain range dividing Aviandria, however, the climate is warm enough that what would fall as snow in the north usually turns to rain before it hits the ground. It rains a lot in the winter months around Accipitridaelynn. Sometimes it rains for days at a time. The rain is a cold rain that chills very quickly, so people don’t like going out in it if they don’t have to. They find things to do in the home.
Many homes are not particularly large, so this can really test the patience of mothers with young children who get restless and accumulate too much pent-up energy they need to burn. A lot of the children’s schooling goes on during the rainy/snowy months so that they can do other things while it is nice outside. The streets of Accipitridaelynn get quite crowded on days when there is a break in the rain because people are anxious to run any errands in case there isn’t a nice day again for a while.
In the north where it mostly snows, there are usually a few more breaks in the weather. Although the snow can make it harder to travel, they still enjoy things like winter sports and activities. Other than that, it is very similar to where it rains a lot. They have to find plenty of indoor activities. Sometimes they’ll sing with each other. They’ll tell stories with each other, some classics that have been passed down from generation to generation, and others that they make up themselves. They bake, sew, and repair things. It is a lonely time for some, and for others with a big family, it is a time with limited privacy. Sometimes, of course, there are sibling squabbles, but it is generally known as a time for family bonding, and often it is a stage for the formation of some favorite memories.
Winter isn’t easy in Aviandria, but people make the best of it that they can. What would you do if you had to spend the winter in Aviandria?