Team Alpha, drop the supplies in the east-side clearing.
Matterhorn
Set up medical tents in conjunction with the Paleroche reinforcements and be ready to receive wounded.
Rescuer A
Right!
Matterhorn
Team Bravo, take your shovels and wineskins and look for survivors in the ruins of the train station. Be thorough and keep your ears open for any cries.
Rescuer B
Alright! Team, grab your gear and follow me—
Matterhorn
Try not to make too much noise. We could still be looking at a second avalanche. A team is on its way to investigate the mountains.
Matterhorn
Trust our people, and trust in Kjeragandr's protection.
Rescuer B
By Kjeragandr.
Rescuer A
...By Kjeragandr.
Matterhorn
By Kjeragandr.
Matterhorn
Time's a-wasting. Get moving.
Rescuers
Yes, sir!
Before the voices disperse on the cold wind, the servants of Clan Silverash are already on the move, spreading out on the snow in every direction.
They are not the only ones here. The white tide has torn a gash in the peace.
Hang in there! You're a son of Kjerag, you can take it!
Injured Man
M-My leg...
Injured Man
I can't move my leg... my leg is... argh!
Arctosz
Don't move! Somebody in the back, report!
Rescuer
We dug a hole, but his leg is pinned under a steel girder. If we can't get it out of the way, we'll need a surgeon to... no, I'll try to dig it open a little bit more!
Rescuer
Grr—okay! Good news, the girder's already broken! All we need to do is lift it up!
Arctosz
All we need is a little elbow grease! Over here, all hands on deck!
Arctosz
Hold tight, one, two, three...
Arctosz
—Hrragh!!
Injured Man
Argh... it hurts...
Arctosz
We got a gap! Pull him out now!
Rescuer
I got him. Take it easy, lift him up and put him on the tarp. Careful not to pull the wound open...
Sir Arctosz... is rescue work in the south already done?
Arctosz
No, not yet.
Arctosz
Gulo's overseeing it. I came to find you.
Matterhorn
We're handling things here, no need to worry. The Browntails' help has already arrived, they brought blankets and food.
Matterhorn
Madame Ratatos wanted to come personally, but she seems to be otherwise engaged.
Arctosz
...I figured as much.
Arctosz
We know what's going on. Nobody blames her.
Arctosz
Schiisdräck! The timing of this bloody disaster!
Matterhorn
It came out of the blue. There were no warning signs, no chance to prepare.
Arctosz
Yes! That's why I came to you.
Arctosz
You know the rules. This avalanche happened on Paleroche land, and we're responsible for the mountains here.
Arctosz
We've been watching the thickness of the snowpack. I've seen the records myself. Everything was normal!
Arctosz
That's why I came to ask. Don't you have people at that research institute of yours whose job is to check on the mountains? What are they saying?
Matterhorn
Research institute... you mean Rhine Lab?
Arctosz
Yeah! They spend all day on the mountains carrying all that newfangled gear. You're not telling me they didn't find anything, are you?
Matterhorn
They have their own projects to deal with, and they don't necessarily focus all their attention on the mountains.
Matterhorn
Besides, we came as soon as we heard about the avalanche. We haven't had a chance to find out what they know.
Matterhorn
Sir Enciodes sent Degenbrecher up the mountains with a team. They should be back soon.
Arctosz
Hm...
Arctosz
This is sending chills up my spine. What in blazes is this avalanche...?
The wind wails, carrying snowflakes with it. The man turns around and stares at the mountain. He may be a mountain among men, but he is little more than a pebble before the silent mountains.
Arctosz
Is that...?
A group is moving quickly down the snowy mountain path, heading for the two men.
Investigator
Sir Matterhorn!
Investigator
We must let Sir Enciodes know at once! W-We found—
The investigator's expression is deathly pale, his fur boots wet and gray with dirty snow.
In the wind, his rapid and ragged breathing sounds almost like wailing.
There has never been such a prophecy in any of the scriptures. Why would Kjeragandr punish us with a Catastrophe? It's preposterous!
Excited Cleric
But it happened! She has left us because She is angry with us!
Excited Cleric
How do we explain this Catastrophe, if not by Kjeragandr's anger?
Excited Cleric
Look at the crowd surrounding the Vine-Bead Court now. They are pious believers in Kjeragandr, gentle children of Kjerag.
Excited Cleric
Are we to tell them that the families and friends they lost, all their suffering, happened for no reason at all?
Old Cleric
The people are troubled. Their faith is shaken... but it is at times like this that our own faith must be stronger than ever.
Old Cleric
How do we know this isn't a trial from Kjeragandr to reinforce our faith?
Old Cleric
Kjeragandr has not abandoned Kjerag... why would She punish Kjerag for no reason?
Excited Cleric
Perhaps it happened because we've acted against Kjeragandr's will—
The young cleric takes one look at the Saintess in the middle of the hall, then lowers his head without a word.
Enya
You may speak your mind.
Excited Cleric
Saintess...
Excited Cleric
I believe this is the fury of Kjeragandr... it's a warning...
Excited Cleric
Because the Vine-Bead Court... because we made the wrong choice.
Excited Cleric
We should not have allowed the faithless to build upon Mount Karlan. We should have remained firm, rejected them...
Excited Cleric
If they did not defile the temple of Kjeragandr and anger Her, why would Kjerag...?
His voice grows lower, but at the same time firmer. The hall is quiet, with no one speaking out in objection.
Enya
I see.
Enya
You believe that I, the Saintess, have offended Kjeragandr and brought Catastrophe upon Kjerag.
Excited Cleric
N-No, Saintess, what I mean is...
Enya
No, your words offer valuable insight. It is not only the people at the foot of the mountain; many who sit among us think the same way.
Enya
This is what is happening now. People doubt the Vine-Bead Court, and you, too, are anxious and wavering.
Enya
Cleric Fangot, Cleric Ronoa. One of you believes that Kjeragandr continues to favor us as She always has. The other believes that Kjeragandr has...
She bows and thinks for a moment, her alabaster face calm as ice.
Enya
Recite to me the Three Protections detailed in the Kjeragandr.
Clerics
...Yes, Saintess.
Excited Cleric
The First Protection, Page 7, Line 9 of the Kjeragandr.
Excited Cleric
'And so She spoke to the shepherd boy, saying—'
Excited Cleric
'I shall grant you shelter, and all that you may need.'
Excited Cleric
'I shall hunt in the woods, and I shall plant seeds in the earth, such that you will have furs to wear and food to eat, and neither frost nor famine shall take you.'
Excited Cleric
'And thus, She protects us from the harms of cold and hunger.'
Old Cleric
The Second Protection, Page 25, Line 17 of the Kjeragandr.
Old Cleric
'And so the protector came forth from the people, awakened in the clouds of myriad colors, and built high walls of earth watered with snow.'
Old Cleric
'And thus, She protects our homes and our kin, and She taught us the means to defend ourselves from our enemies.'
Excited Cleric
And... Page 32, Line 2 of the Kjeragandr, towards the end.
Excited Cleric
'That day, She proclaimed to the people:'
Excited Cleric
'My eyes shall watch over you, my fur shall warm you, my backbone shall protect you, while my flesh and blood shall bless you.'
Excited Cleric
'You have learned the way of wind and snow, and learned the form of walking.'
Excited Cleric
'You are the people of Kjerag, and the land of Kjerag belongs to you from this day forth.'
Enya
Very good...
Enya
Now tell me... is there anywhere in the Kjeragandr where Kjeragandr promises that Kjerag will always be safe from Catastrophe?
Enya
Are you making that promise to Kjeragandr's people on Her behalf?
Many of the seated clerics look down without a word.
It is quiet enough to hear a pin drop. The smell of incense fills the nostrils, but it feels as though their breaths have been frozen in place by the exchange that just occurred.
Vine-Bead Court Elder
Your words ring true, Saintess.
Vine-Bead Court Elder
Catastrophe has struck Kjerag. Some have died, and others have become afflicted.
Vine-Bead Court Elder
The entire Snow Realm has heard the news. Fear, anxiety, sorrow, and even anger, are spreading throughout the people of Kjerag.
Vine-Bead Court Elder
Our duty is to seek a solution.
Enya
Certainly. Now is not the time for debate, and my words are intended as a warning, not to fall into the twin traps of panic and prejudice.
Enya
You are the faithful devotees of Kjeragandr, and you understand the weight that words have. No member of the Vine-Bead Court is to speak of 'Kjeragandr's punishment' from this moment forth.
Enya
Tomorrow, I will go into the Hall of Writings, and devote myself to studying the scriptures and hearing Her voice.
Enya
Elder Adso.
Adso
Yes, Saintess.
Enya
As the new Great Elder, you shall oversee the Vine-Bead Court in my stead, during my retreat.
Enya
You are to carry out the duties of the court faithfully and diligently, from placating the people to conducting the memorial service and copying the scriptures for the repose of the deceased.
Adso
Understood...
Enya
We must have faith...
Enya
...Kjerag has weathered many storms and overcome many challenges. The Vine-Bead Court is ever with the people.
The girl exhales and slumps over the desk, finally able to relax the back that she has kept straight as a fir in the snow.
Enya
I don't understand. Why do people keep treating our god as a wishing well? Why do they attribute everything good and bad in their lives to Her?
Enya
I know, this is not how I should think, as their Saintess, but...
Enya
But I don't understand why a Catastrophe would strike now, either.
Enya
*sigh*...
Enya
Bring in the dressers, please, Kjarr.
Enya
The funeral preparations are done. Starting tomorrow, we'll...
Enya
Kjarr?
The room is quiet except for the whistling of the wind and the cracking of the fire.
Enya turns to find that the room is completely empty.
Enya
Kjarr... where are you?
The handmaiden who should be at the Saintess's side at all times is nowhere to be seen. There is only Enya's own shadow, thin and long in the light of the fireplace, flickering in the dim room.
The cracking of burning firewood echoes through the empty room.
The wind continues to wail outside the window. She can almost hear the cries of the bewildered devotees at the foot of Mount Karlan.
Enya recalls the day that she first came to the Saintess's quarters.
An unfamiliar room, an unfamiliar smell. Home was well in sight, yet she would never return there under her own name. At that time, she felt the same emptiness, as though this room were a snowy cave.
But she has grown accustomed to having a companion, someone to whom she can pour her heart out, someone on whom she can rely.
But now...
The Kjeragandr scriptures lie open on the desk. The dressing mirror reflects the girl's helpless expression.
Enya
Kjarr...
Enya
You promised me you wouldn't disappear so suddenly...
