Post by Echo on Aug 2, 2013 23:46:20 GMT
((ooc: My general aim is to finish this quest in time for it to be edited and put up as a document for Christmas. Anyone who joins, bear that in mind - We've got 5 months, people! Also, this is set about a week (QAST) after the end of Portal Flux and before Creatures Great And Small. I'm not sure if it's before or after Diplomatic Immunity, because that makes no difference to my timelines at all...))
It hadn't snowed in two weeks. This was bad news for Christmas Town. It always snowed there, that was the point. It had to feel like Christmas, and everyone knew there was snow at Christmas; traditionally, at least... Sometimes...
What was worse than the lack of snow was the temperature. It was warmer than it had ever been in the history of Christmas Town. Ever. The snow that was on the ground was melting, and the icicles were starting to drip water and shrink. Something was not right here.
The whole town had turned to Santa.
Santa had turned to the only people he thought might be able to help...
High up in one of the towers at Questing Association Headquarters, Xani was practicing her spells. She'd taken to practicing for at least an hour of relative time every day that she could, and one of the somewhat disused towers seemed like the perfect place to do it.
Her father's staff whirled over her head as she shot a fireball at the target she'd painted on the wall. That was something she'd been very excited about: paint. It was a new concept to her. She'd worked with natural dyes, of course, but this 'paint' substance was something completely different. There was so much more to learn out here.
Xani rarely regretted leaving her homeworld, Thedas, but when she did it was alongside thoughts of her Mistress, and the Elves in the Alienage, and the Mages in the Circle. She hoped someone was helping them now that she'd gone.
It had only been a week since she'd first stepped through the portal that had brought her here, according to the clock and calendar in her room, but someone had once explained to her that time was relative, and it might have been more or less than that on Thedas. That gave Xani a headache and she'd decided not to think about it after that.
"Xani, are you alright? I heard an explo-" The official walking through the door was obliged to stop as Xani sent a wave of ice and cold hurtling towards a target next to the door without realising he was there. A fair bit hit the official, covering him in snow and ice.
"Sorry! Yes, I'm fine." She said, hurrying over to help brush the snow off him.
The official brushed himself down and shook off the cold.
"Are you alright...?" Xani asked him.
"Nothing a little heat and some dry clothes won't fix." He sighed. An idea struck him then. "Xani, can you make ice and snow appear at will?"
"Of course, it's magic." Xani smiled, a little confused.
"Then I think I have a job for you... Come with me, please."
In the portal room, Xani waited. She'd been told they would send at least one other Quester with her, as this was her first real quest. She fidgeted with excitement and anticipation. She was going to another world! She could hardly believe it. She probably wouldn't have believed it, if she hadn't already come here through one of those portal things.
Of course, she had absolutely no idea who this 'Santa' person was, but apparently he'd hired them to deal with something on his world. And what was this 'Christmas' thing? Xani didn't understand it one bit. Still, she was going on another adventure, and that was something!
What was it they'd said? Go through the Christmas Tree door? Well what did a Christmas Tree look like?!
It hadn't snowed in two weeks. This was bad news for Christmas Town. It always snowed there, that was the point. It had to feel like Christmas, and everyone knew there was snow at Christmas; traditionally, at least... Sometimes...
What was worse than the lack of snow was the temperature. It was warmer than it had ever been in the history of Christmas Town. Ever. The snow that was on the ground was melting, and the icicles were starting to drip water and shrink. Something was not right here.
The whole town had turned to Santa.
Santa had turned to the only people he thought might be able to help...
***
High up in one of the towers at Questing Association Headquarters, Xani was practicing her spells. She'd taken to practicing for at least an hour of relative time every day that she could, and one of the somewhat disused towers seemed like the perfect place to do it.
Her father's staff whirled over her head as she shot a fireball at the target she'd painted on the wall. That was something she'd been very excited about: paint. It was a new concept to her. She'd worked with natural dyes, of course, but this 'paint' substance was something completely different. There was so much more to learn out here.
Xani rarely regretted leaving her homeworld, Thedas, but when she did it was alongside thoughts of her Mistress, and the Elves in the Alienage, and the Mages in the Circle. She hoped someone was helping them now that she'd gone.
It had only been a week since she'd first stepped through the portal that had brought her here, according to the clock and calendar in her room, but someone had once explained to her that time was relative, and it might have been more or less than that on Thedas. That gave Xani a headache and she'd decided not to think about it after that.
"Xani, are you alright? I heard an explo-" The official walking through the door was obliged to stop as Xani sent a wave of ice and cold hurtling towards a target next to the door without realising he was there. A fair bit hit the official, covering him in snow and ice.
"Sorry! Yes, I'm fine." She said, hurrying over to help brush the snow off him.
The official brushed himself down and shook off the cold.
"Are you alright...?" Xani asked him.
"Nothing a little heat and some dry clothes won't fix." He sighed. An idea struck him then. "Xani, can you make ice and snow appear at will?"
"Of course, it's magic." Xani smiled, a little confused.
"Then I think I have a job for you... Come with me, please."
In the portal room, Xani waited. She'd been told they would send at least one other Quester with her, as this was her first real quest. She fidgeted with excitement and anticipation. She was going to another world! She could hardly believe it. She probably wouldn't have believed it, if she hadn't already come here through one of those portal things.
Of course, she had absolutely no idea who this 'Santa' person was, but apparently he'd hired them to deal with something on his world. And what was this 'Christmas' thing? Xani didn't understand it one bit. Still, she was going on another adventure, and that was something!
What was it they'd said? Go through the Christmas Tree door? Well what did a Christmas Tree look like?!