The Winter of Peace

This piece, by an unknown artist, shows the tropical foothills of southwestern Urubarra during the Winter of Peace.

Though the name sounds tranquil, winter is not something that most of Adin ever experiences, and peace came only after years of war and at a great cost to all the survivors.
Instead, the Winter of Peace involved the entire world falling into chaos for over two years, as the supervolcano known as Izilakur spewed forth plumes of noxious sulphur and ash into the atmosphere. The skies went dark, Adin's brilliant blue suns barely piercing through the fog. The tropical world cooled suddenly, causing mass die offs of plants, fish, and animals.

Plunged Into Darkness

Several species are believed to have gone extinct during the Winter of Peace, including the famed red maize of Anzakar as well as several species of birds that have not been seen in Gibila since the event.
Crops failed due to the lack of sunlight and poisonous ash in the rivers which fed irrigation canals. Livestock quickly starved as their food sources shriveled and died. Many Adinites turned to consuming ambrita during this period. There were not many Sherdasan shapers left to speak of, and the few remaining could not create enough ambrita to support the population.

Rebuilding Through the Chaos

Guilty over their part in causing the Winter of Peace, the Five Nations sent what food they could to Sherdasa, before the treaties were even finalized. Adinite shapers went along to provide aid to those they had just finished slaughtering. Volunteers helped to rebuild the damage their golems had done to the Sherdasan cities, feeding the people with the ambrita they produced.
The Sherdasan Udug, in turn, taught the Adinite kursu a mildly blasphemous trick they had learned during an earlier period of famine. Kursu are not only capable of repairing tissue, they are also able to grow it. The Adinites were able to supplement their diet of ambrita with a nearly limitless supply of meat using this ability, avoiding the side effect of infertility caused by an exclusive ambrita diet and providing more food for all.

Lessons to be Learned

Surviving the Winter of Peace was only accomplished through the disparate species of Adin working together, and it was a lesson not to be forgotten. Though there will always be some that hold animosity towards their old foes, most of Adin emerged from the Winter of Peace ready to cooperate and learn from each other.
At the marking of the third anniversary of the end of the Great War, though Izilakur was still belching out ash and poison, it was markedly less than before. The Winter of Peace was declared to be over.

Did You Know?

The Winter of Peace officially lasted for three years, ending on the third anniversary of Pact Day. The worst may have been over, but Izilakur still burns to this day! Its end was declared at a convenient calendar date, soon after the temperatures started to get back to normal and new plants began to grow. Ash still fell all over Adin and the skies were murky for several more years to come. The beautiful sunsets and frequent red skies we still experience today are remnants of the damage done in the Winter of Peace.
Weather records from before the Winter have shown us that Adin has yet to fully recover. Rainfall has increased by almost ten percent in the tropical regions. While we have no records for Sherdasa prior to the Great War, temperatures in the Five Nations are around three degrees cooler. Actual snow has also been observed at lower elevations than ever before, and the most mountainous regions report more permanent snow on their peaks since the event.

"Of course, we ended the war. But to rejoice in that would mean celebrating the deaths of countless creatures, worldwide starvation, and perhaps more of our people dead than if we had just let the war continue. We take responsibility for what we did. We thought it was the right thing at the time, but every moment since has been full of doubt.
We didn't win. No one can claim victory when the entire world suffers."

- Roderick Rothwald,

Reflections on What We Lost