Direwinter

Every couple of decades Farjord experiences a particularly harsh and bleak winter. During such a winter black snow falls from the sky and the sun fails to rise for weeks on end. Blizzards howl for fortnights and the legendary hag-god Betanyaga is said to stalk the forest with her horrid hag covens and Betanyaga's merciless "children" feasting and babes and spreading death in her wake. During such a winter hope itself freezes in the darkness of the long night. Indeed, all clansmen who survive a Direwinter receive a special tattoo to signify their accomplishment.

Fortunately, Direwinters have become increasingly rare during the imperial era, and it has been almost 40 years since the last time the black snow fell.