Caroti

Gifts of Winter

Overview

Carlotti, the last descendant of the exiled Torets, is a master of ice magic. After lifting her exile to aid in the fight against dragons, she traveled to Cariblue, where she cast the "Winter's Embrace" spell during the Battle of Cariblue, exhausting herself to death.

Chapter One

(17861–17903, Era of Frost Veil) The last descendant of the exiles, the Master Glacimancer, the Watcher of Cariblue. In the frozen lands of the far north, where even dragons fear to tread, a group of exiles practices magic. They call themselves the exiles of the city of Toret, once noble, but in their differences over Toret's magical direction, they were exiled after a failed rebellion. For centuries they have lived here, breeding and enduring the harsh conditions. No escape. For all southern routes were watched by Toret, and the mountains were home to dragons. They lacked the wood to build ships. They studied magic, mastering ice magic over the years, but in this world of snow and ice, it was without meaning. Imprisoned in this land of death, their numbers dwindled daily. When they first arrived, they attempted escape, but none succeeded. Now, they accept their fate, even seeing death as a form of release... When Carlotti was born, only a few exiles remained. People died, but magic endured. Only the last generation of exiles remained to pass on their knowledge to the young girl.By the time Carlotti came of age, she was the last of the exiles, wandering the desolate land, quietly awaiting death. "Those who died before me said, the higher you climb, the colder it gets...The cold here is unbearable, yet up there, do you feel it?" Her only conversation was with the moon. "If you don't feel the cold... could you share some warmth with me?" Yet as long as a mind wasn't lost, the moon answered nothing. "..."And so, she spoke less. Her only task became survival. Gathering food, collecting firewood, and in the time left, she studied the magic passed down by the dead. Words were unnecessary. Feelings irrelevant. Only seriousness in her actions. Unnecessary things faded away, even if those things were inherent in one's being. Loneliness was colder than ice and snow; ice could freeze the body, but loneliness froze the heart. Each day, she walked the barren land, her eyes growing colder with each step. Even though the scenery had been frozen for eons, her frozen eyes longed for something that did change… The clouds. Clouds stretched from one horizon to the other, the only things in this world that changed. The best place to watch them was the empty shore. And so, each day, she walked to the cliffs by the roaring waves, gazing far into the distance, silently.Then, one summer day, a mysterious dark dot appeared on the horizon...

Chapter Two

A three-masted ship anchored in a quiet fjord cove. A lone messenger rowed ashore, bearing news for the last of the exiles: the city of Toret had fallen, and the chains that bound them had vanished, unbeknownst to them. Carlotti stood in confusion, longing to escape the desolate land. But hearing only of her ancestors' failed attempts, she believed escape was impossible—and never tried. Since the dragon's flames had leveled Toret, the exiles were finally free; now, only they held themselves back. From the messenger, Carlotti learned that the dragon who destroyed Toret was on the verge of uniting the north and waging endless war through alliances. When the messenger asked her to join the alliance, Carlotti—isolated for years—was uncertain how to respond, but knew one thing: even hell was better than this endless white sea. In the end, Carlotti nodded in agreement. In 17881 of the Era of Frost Veil, Carlotti disembarked onto the shores of her fated destination—Cariblue. Unlike Loisford, which fell to the Dividraggon Kingdom, Cariblue was a small town that thrived due to its strategic location as a north-south crossroads. To the outside world, it was just another prosperous town, but to Carlotti, everything was new and strange—she'd never seen so many houses, people, or unnameable things. At first, Carlotti remained on high alert. Having spent her life fighting against the encroaching tundra, she instinctively kept her distance from the unknown. As Carlotti's curiosity stirred, she gradually understood the city and blended in—perhaps more accurately, the city embraced her. Over time, Carlotti, once familiar only with snow and treacherous mountain trails, became accustomed to strolling along cobblestone streets and nodding to each passerby. She shifted from isolation to wandering parks, enjoying birdsong and floral scents, and exploring bustling markets filled with the lively chatter of merchants and travelers. Over the years, Carlotti sampled all kinds of food, read thousands of books, and discovered the world's vivid colors—not just the cold, sterile white she had once knew. As night fell, even with the cold winds howling outside, a warm haven waited for her...She lived like any ordinary person now. These simple, everyday joys—easily overlooked by most—were what slowly began to thaw the frozen heart of Carlotti. Carlotti started to speak with others. Though her face remained impassive, her heart no longer harbored any distrust. A glimmer returned to her eyes. She lived like an ordinary person, no longer like a banished exile. Most importantly, Carlotti began to look forward to each new day. She knew that as long as this city endured, her ordinary life would go on too. Carlotti knew this wasn't paradise—just a humble town—but it was a world more beautiful than she had ever imagined. Here, she found warmth she had never known, and soon, she began to depend on it.Carlotti knew she was reluctant to leave, but she had sworn to aid the alliance. So why venture into the conflict-ridden, cold north? Staying in Cariblue and supporting the alliance from here might not be so bad after all. With ice magic far surpassing that of any other mage, Carlotti became one of the key magical advisors for the Alliance defending Cariblue. Every day, she diligently reinforced the city's ever-growing fortifications with defensive spells. As the seasons changed, the Alliance's situation worsened, and the climate deteriorated each year. The days of dark, heavy clouds seemed endless.In 17892 of the Era of Frost Veil, Queen Parrel of the dragons, after conquering several regions, led her vast army toward Cariblue, marking the start of the Battle of Cariblue. Thanks to years of preparation, the Alliance had fortified the roads leading to Cariblue, slowing the Dividraggon Kingdom's army. By the time Parrel's forces reached the city's walls, it was already three years later. Now, Carlotti has become a renowned mage in Cariblue, responsible for most of the city's ice magic defenses and traps. She has settled into this quiet, routine life. Though Carlotti seeks peace, the constant stream of refugees and fleeing soldiers heading south reminds her that war is approaching. On the walls of Cariblue, Carlotti observes the unstoppable force uniting all of northern Ciaran—a power that inspires awe and one she has witnessed countless times in her youth.The furious sea crashes forward with unstoppable force, as if to swallow everything in its path, until it smashes into the unmoving rocks.

Chapter Three

In 17903 of the Era of Frost Veil, Cariblue was on the brink of falling. Carlotti walked Cariblue's bloodstained, cracked streets, mourning the brutal three-year siege where relentless kingdom forces battered its walls, and allies stood firm without retreat. Carlotti poured everything into the fight—freezing flames, striking dragons with ice meteors, and reinforcing defenses. As long as she stayed conscious, she held the walls. The kingdom's supplies came via the long northern route, while reinforcements of the Alliance streamed through the southern gates. Yet, hope still lingered. Eventually, the kingdom's army shifted its strategy, easing pressure on the city walls to target the outer strongholds around Cariblue. Each month, another fortress fell, or small allied forces were wiped out. Slowly, the banners outside the city shifted from the allies' to the kingdom's. Carlotti aided outer strongholds, but the tightening noose was inevitable as dragon-marked forces closed in on Cariblue. By the eighth year of the siege, the kingdom had surrounded the city; reinforcements and supplies ceased. Cut off from the outside world, Cariblue became an isolated island, slowly being drained of its strength. The kingdom's final assault began. The assault lasted for three years. After eight years of Carlotti's involvement and three years of siege, Cariblue's proud triple-layered walls were finally breached. Neither side imagined the final battle would last so long, yet the small city withstood for eleven years. But the eleventh year didn't mark the end. Even as the battle reached its climax, Carlotti and the battered allies still clung to hope for a miracle. They fiercely battled the kingdom's army as it surged into the city like an unstoppable tide. Exhausted by long supply lines and losses, the kingdom's soldiers faced brutal street combat. After the walls fell, every inch was agony. The dragons, impatient, sought only to end the conflict. The kingdom's army resorted to extreme measures to force the barricaded defenders into submission. The garden Carlotti cherished was consumed by flames, leaving only scorched earth. The market she once loved became a battleground, the vibrant stalls now replaced by lifeless corpses. The shopping streets she adored were crushed beneath the weight of dragons' feet, leaving behind nothing but ruins. And the library she treasured burned for three days—when the fire finally died, not a single book remained. Even Carlotti's residence was reduced to nothing but rubble in the chaos of battle. As snow fell on Cariblue in 17903, Carlotti and the resistance hid in ruins and sewers, evading the Kingdom's army. After another forced retreat, Carlotti took refuge in the snow-covered ruins, listening to the wind's howl. She felt the air grow colder. Each destruction of a place she once called home deepened the chill, and as Cariblue crumbled, it reminded her of Tundra—her cold, desolate homeland. But the true cold had yet to come. Once loneliness filled the city, the real chill was only just beginning. As Carlotti had predicted, that winter was bitter. Before the long-awaited warmth arrived, even the dragons, used to the cold, paused their assault to scavenge the ruins for warmth. The winter of 17903. Carlotti walked through the towering white ruins, gathered her magical measuring tools, and gazed into the distance. Cariblue no longer held anything familiar to Carlotti; everything had turned into a blank white expanse, as if time had rewound to before her exile ended. She felt like the person she was when she first arrived—cold, with a sharp, unwavering gaze. Her solitude contrasted with the army's fading spirits. But this was the twenty-second year since Carlotti had arrived in Cariblue. She hadn't returned to the person she was before her exile. In that frozen Tundra, she carried something new—something she didn't have before. The past eight years since 17895 had been painful, a gradual loss of herself, piece by piece, from a box bearing her name. Unlike others, Carlotti had never been good at calculating what she had left. It was only when the box was empty, when only the weight of pain remained, that she realized what had been taken from her. Carlotti avoided a dragon flying overhead and made her way back to the ruined stronghold where the remaining soldiers were stationed. The officers debated endlessly, leaving soldiers to await either reinforcements or destruction by dragons. Despite the overwhelming odds, Carlotti still joined the meeting, bringing with her the data and a new proposal. Her idea drew swift criticism. A general condemned it as a suicidal gamble, though his gaze stayed fixed on the map. It was the last hope to hold Cariblue, or a path leading them into irretrievable doom. After half a day of silence, the remaining forces cast their vote, and Carlotti's proposal was accepted. They wasted no time and quickly laid out a detailed plan based on her proposal. Days later, a spy in the kingdom's army contacted the reinforcements, revealing the remnants' plan to break the siege. With their response, the remaining forces began pulling back to conserve strength for the final push. They had to hold out until the coldest day. When that coldest day finally arrived, the dragons laying siege to them noticed something ominous.A powerful magical energy surged within the remaining forces, its oppressive force making the need for swift action clear. The kingdom's army faced the bitter cold, throwing everything into battle to eliminate the unknown threat. The enemy's remnants fought with unprecedented resolve, refusing to retreat until the end. By the time the last soldier fell, the sun was already setting. When the kingdom's army finally reached Carotti, she stood as the last defender of Cariblue. If they could defeat her, it would mean the fall of the entire city. The remnants had bought Carotti enough time. Her forbidden spell was ready. She raised her staff to the sky.And with her soul as the price, the "Forbidden Spell: Winter's Embrace" unleashed its fury upon the ruins of Cariblue. A vicious hurricane, hungry and unrelenting, began to devour everything in its path. A massive dragon, maddened by searing pain and chaos, roared and thrashed, destroying everything in its path. In the distance, a colossal storm twisted the horizon, expanding rapidly to engulf everything in sight. The hurricane consumed the dragon, darkened the sun, and plunged everything into blinding white.This whiteness blanketed Carlotti as well, but she paid it no heed. She could only listen to the hurricane's roar—sharper than thunder, more commanding than a tsunami. It felt as though she'd finally screamed it all out. Only then did she feel it—she was ready to say farewell to Cariblue, to leave it behind and move on. Why? Because in that moment, all the pain she had both understood and never fully grasped finally came to an end. When the forbidden spell was cast, reinforcements far from Cariblue were still affected, though they retained most of their strength. The first contact with the city's remnants succeeded. With renewed hope, the reinforcements launched a fresh assault once the storm cleared. The attack unfolded with remarkable ease, and the reinforcements stormed into Cariblue. Inside, they quickly found Carlotti, frozen into an icy monument amid the ruins, still holding her staff aloft like a silent sentinel, a testament to Cariblue's spirit.

Historical Notes

The Battle of Cariblue: "Ironblaze" Parrel, after unifying the north and consolidating power, formed the Parthen Legion. In 17882, the Era of Frost Veil, they began their southern campaign, capturing cities until reaching Cariblue in 17892. The Battle of Cariblue lasted eleven years, nearly destroying the Parthen Legion. Their defeat was sealed when Carlotti, "Winter's Grace," sacrificed herself to cast the forbidden Winter's Embrace, plunging Cariblue into deadly frost and crushing Parrel's ambitions, halting southern campaigns for decades. Winter's Embrace: Winter's Embrace is a devastating forbidden spell of immense power. The only recorded use of Winter's Embrace took place in 17903, the Era of Frost Veil, when "Winter's Grace" Carlotti cast it during the Battle of Cariblue. The Exiles of the Far North: In the Golden Age's twilight, rebellious mages were exiled by Toret to the frozen north. Isolated and shrouded in mystery, no reliable records confirm their survival. "Winter's Grace" Carlotti, the last heir of the exiled mages, ended her banishment in 17881, the Era of Frost Veil, bringing their tale to a close.