Winter

"Winter, so named for its cause by a foreign human god, is considered unnatural by the denizens of Dandoleon. After millennia of its presence, however, its removal would prove as catastrophic as its arrival."

-Epiphany, Scholar of Dandoleon

While Dandoleon was an evergreen paradise eons ago, the arrival of Fei Invaru and Huereina (human gods of the Summer and Winter seasons respectively) brought a catastrophic shift initiating The Breaking of Dandoleon. Imprisoned at diametric points on the circle of Dandoleon by their father, the foreign gods quickly began exuding auras of Summer and Winter. Over time, the infection of the two seasons overtook each half of the plane. Since the plane was stationary, each side was eternally cast in its specific season, at least until the Indictment of Chaimut. Chaimut, himself punished for the grotesque actions put upon his daughters, was chained to the plane of Dandoleon and forced to eternally pull it about its axis with wings carved from his back. This punishment saw the plane's rotation begin, causing the land to shift seasons as it drew nearer or farther from the Winter and Summer Manifestures.
Winter, compared to Summer, is scarcely written about by scribes of foreign planes and largely not understood by denizens of Summer (who either hibernate through Winter's arrival or migrate to avoid it). Still, some core pieces of information can be assumed or deduced.

Wildlife

Winter species presumably hide away and estivate over Summer or migrate to avoid it. In contrast to Summer's largely insectoid, reptilian, and avian population, Winter is likely dominated by mammalian creatures that cannot hibernate for long periods, making migration the most likely form of Summer avoidance. As for plantlife, the initial arrival of Winter and Huereina quickly culled the evergreen population and produced new species similar to conifers, which persist through Summer. Otherwise, there are several evergreen populations that have developed dormant states in cold temperatures.

Huereina, God of Winter

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As a human god, Huereina is a foreigner to Dandoleon, which is dominated mostly by avian and insectoid species. Her foreign nature only substantiated the hatred felt by the plane's natives when the wrath of Winter infected their lands. Still, Huereina's presence was as much a punishment for herself as it was for her new contemporaries.

Chaimut was a dictatorial father, regularly manipulating the connections with his family and subjects to assert further power over them. Huereina is perhaps the best example, only born to punish Fei Invaru through the oppressive power of Winter. While Winter's culling was certainly effective, Chaimut was dissatisfied, electing to banish both of his daughters to Dandoleon before later being punished for his authoritative actions. To read about Fei Invaru, read "Summer."

Society

The dominant species of Winter are likely tribal Sapendia, living migratory lives in pursuit of their animal food sources. The few references from the region come from Disciples of Thanatorum and Hymendia that have managed to enter dormancy well into Winter's arrival, but Sapendia remains have been found in Summer for as long as the plane has rotated. Along with these skeletons are often those of canines, indicating a mutualistic or exploitative relationship between the two.
While legends of these Sapendia have often been compared to the humans of Laminarum, the similarities are likely coincidental as even the human god Huereina claims to be unfamiliar with Sapendia (and vice versa).

Natural Phenomena

Unsurprisingly, Winter is dominated by low temperatures and humidity. Weather events include sleet, blizzards, rain, and other flash-freezing circumstances. However, at the border between Summer and Winter, extreme weather events can occur, particularly as Summer lands enter Winter. This is known as the "Summer Squall."

Summer Squall

Two major forces result in wind systems in Dandoleon. One is the rotational direction of the plane while the other is the movement of warm Summer air in contact with cold Winter air. In the region where Summer land enters Winter, the direction of these wind systems go in the same direction, causing a unilateral wind force that occasionally leads to catastrophic weather events. The land dominated by the squall is considered a protective buffer by many Hymendia cultures, meant to push Summer denizens away from the Winter border. While major storms are less common than the other border, the standard winds are still nearly insurmountable to fly against, with even the Disciples of Thanatorum often failing to enter Winter. The Winter perspective on the squall is unknown, but small animals occasionally get swept from Winter into Summer (often at speeds far too rapid to survive). To see the accompanying force at the diametric end of Dandoleon, read "Summer." Its sister storm, the Vernal Wind, is considered even more destructive as the winds meet going opposite directions.

Winter Manifesture

The Winter Manifesture is Huereina's prison, exuding the aura of Winter due to her presence. Considered a demi-plane, the manifesture is inaccessible through conventional means but its impacts on Dandoleon are tangible. Unlike Laminarum, Dandoleon's seasons are not regulated through natural phenomena, instead resulting from the divine influence of the time god's daughters. As a result, the lands shift season as they rotate closer or further away from either given manifesture. Little is known about the demi-plane of Huereina, aside from its alleged habitation by Thanatorum after he fled from Dandoleon. Many assume that his Ascertainment of death and Huereina's association with it make the two entities allied, but no proof has ever been found.

Type

Metaphysical, Divine