The black snow was slow at first. Trickling down like one would be used to in Fiore. There were winters here like many other countries, though it was not as harsh as here as it was in others.

The snow of the Demoness fell like descending ash. One would not notice the difference at first until it grazed their skin. With the cold washing away its facade, it felt more ominous than the alternative. To realize the world wasn’t burning, something that may be dreadful but still within the norm, was not harshly conflicting with the reality of “black” snow.

The purity of white complete overtaken by the bashful darkness.

And bashful it was as the raging harpy approaches. The Demoness was soon to arrive. As she did, they snow would kick into a storm. The flurry now whipping into a harsh gale, ripping at the edges of all it touched. The blackened storm staining the world below as if Lumikki brought an eclipse with her. And all below, all the touched the earth, was feeling her wrath with it.

” Tireless. Just bloody tireless….Me whole eternity will be spent making examples of humans….” The Demoness would mumble to herself as she tried to sort her raging thoughts.

           

There were many towns in Erling Peak that Lumikki’s grew to watch over from her line of work. Often taking on quest to mitigate their disputes or help resolve certain conflicts. Some of these towns, the Demoness had taken on as her territories. Giving them favor and attention as they in turn would serve her and her needs. With time, a kinship would grow. Lumi took to really enjoying those who were considered her own.

So hearing of the recent attack sent her on such a frenzy and the idea that the bandits would know that she’d come for them but chose to do it anyway brought out her ire. And what more to purge the remainder of her humanity in the moment, was that lives were taken. These bandits spilled what felt like her own blood. As they raided a town of hers to steal the fabrics often coveted by their like. An easy means for fast jewels paved on the hard work and commitment of others. Not like she cared if humans stole from each other, she just didn’t tolerate them stealing from her.

The storm now approached the hideout of the bandits that scorned her. The frost from her magic would claw its way up the stone. Carving and creeping its way within the cracks and crags of the mountains and almost expanding them as if to rip them apart.

All that was clear below, were her ravens safe from her storm. But they too would blend into the blackened trundra the stretched across the sky.

And the closer Lumikki would come, the more her form would shift. Sometimes looking grotesque as a being of bellowing shadows while other times depicting her avian grace and form. But by the time she would finally occupy the skies about their lair, she had morphed into her full demonic form. Taking up much of the space in the sky as a five meter raven with four wings.

And it would be in this version that she would introduce herself as she delivered a piercing screech. It was her making an announcement that death had arrived.

And soon she would swoop down. Descending from the sky with outstretched talons, Lumi would begin to slash at the mountain’s face. Opening the way further into their stone defense.

Most of the men would be inside the bolthold so that could prepare their plan and make it out, but for the few still caught in the catastrophe, they were simply in terror. Not quite sure of the fate befalling them or how they could mange their way back to the hold. None below could easily discern their hands in front of their faces let along the path for which they’d have to step forward if they had wanted to return home.

And so in the clutches of her cold and frost, she froze them over in a quick passing. Done in a moment was their lives only to be pillaged and pulled apart by her birds that descended from the skies to enjoy their meals. Picking the meat of their bones in no time at all.

The ravens rejoiced in their meals, excited for the carnage their lady could behold. There was no sense of morality in them beyond the simplicity of “them and their own”. And in the rapidness of the events, the men could barely scream of preserve their lives.

The lashing of the Demoness could be heard deep within the bolthold. It stirred the bandits within into a frenzy. Some figured with the numbers they held, they could fight back. That running away through a hidden escape route would do them no good. All their work would be lost, their home taken, and of course- what is to stop the Demoness from still hunting them?

As the men bickered over such notions, eating away their precious time and robbing them a chance for action. Temu, their leader would try to bring back a sense of order. But it would be pointless, the bandits were too divided. Many did not educate them on the trouble the Demoness could bring. Seeing her as a witch but nothing more. Though still their fault, they were not entirely to blame. As Temu would refrain the passing of the knowledge to his men so that it would not hinder their work. Many of the crew would true to remain within themselves, and only a select would opt to enter the nearing towns. So a lot of what they knew would come from their own. But it would be Ro and a few others that would report back on information needed when planning their jobs, so Temu was not entirely blinded.

“ I know we took a bit of cloth in all, but I didn’t guess she would stir up like this. She’s more temperamental than I thought.” Ro would utter his thoughts to Temu as they pulled to the side to be on their own. In the frenzy of the moment, they needed to make a plan on what to do now.

It was then that Temu’s expression turned. During the dispute among his men, he tried to keep a stoic visage, almost appearing indifferent to the dangers outside. This was all to serve the purpose of calm, to sooth the crews fears as if all will be ok.

But the look of fear and remorse that poured out from expression alerted Ro, who was now fully worried. It never occured to him that there might be something he did not know.

“ She might have been able to over look the goods…..but things got..sloppy. The towns folk were more adept in fighting than we first thought. Figured being protected by a witch meant they were soft but many of them knew their way in a fight. And that’s when things just got messed up….on our way out— the only way we didn’t get caught there…..well, we had to cut our way out and it might be coming back to bite us….sooner than we thought too. I was fixing to have a plan but it’s over now….”

A range of emotions would cycle Ro’s face. Confusion, irritation, anger; but he settled on betrayal and disgust. Taking lives was a part of the work, he was not distressed about that. But it was the cost to their own that he was fuming on.