Snowstorm 2011

The "Snowpocalypse" of 2011 was a board-wide plot that occurred in the beginning of February. All of the packs were involved, suffering varying levels of damage to their territory and members.

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  1.   1.  About
  2.   2.  Pack Events
    1.   2.1  Inferni
    2.   2.2  Dahlia de Mai
    3.   2.3  Phoenix Valley
    4.   2.4  Crimson Dreams
    5.   2.5  AniWaya
    6.   2.6  Cour des Miracles
    7.   2.7  Cercatori d'Arte
    8.   2.8  Anathema

1.  About

Late in the afternoon of February 5th, a light snow will begin to fall in the higher reaches of Halcyon Mountain. Snow's been on the ground for months, and nothing looks out of the ordinary initially. The wind is brisk, but tolerable, and snow begins to sprinkle over the base of the mountain and the northern parts of Drifter Bay by sunset. In the night, however, the snow starts to come down much harder, and winds up to 30 mph (48 kph) begin tearing through the forests. Temperatures dip to -5°F (-20.5°C).

17 inches (42 cm) of snow fall in the night, but the snow does not stop falling on the morning of February 6th. Whirlwinds of snow reduce visibility in all regions and screaming winds force temperatures even lower. Older buildings with unstable and rotted structures begin to collapse in coastal villages to the west. Shattered glass and other sharp debris from broken windows in Halifax blow around with the wind, making ventures outside even more risky. Collapsing ledges and build-ups of snow on the mountains cause avalanches of varying severity. Near nightfall, there is a brief moment of reprieve when the winds pause. But the snow continues and drops a whopping 26 inches (66 cm) before dawn.

There is less snowfall on the morning of February 7th, but the winds pick up again and blow around existing snow. Temperatures fall further to -12°F (-24°C). The roofs of many wooden structures cave in, and the city streets of Halifax are no longer visible beneath the mountains of snow. Here and there, the tops of taller vehicles like buses and snowplows can be seen, but the first floor entrances of almost all buildings have been buried, and the second story windows of some are also threatened. A further 8 inches (20 cm) fall in the night, as bone-chilling winds cut through the trees and skyscrapers.

On the morning of February 8th, the wind has died down considerably, averaging around 12 mph (19 kph). A light snow continues to fall until early evening, when it finally slows to a stop. Still, the sky is white and the sun is no where to be seen. In total, 55 inches (140 cm) fell over the course of the three days, and considerable damage is sustained throughout Nova Scotia.

2.  Pack Events

2.1  Inferni

Though the majority of Inferni weathered the blizzard, the D'Neville Mansion suffered heavily. The weight of snow caused sections of the roof to collapse and destroyed the remaining glass windows. A tree also collapsed and destroyed the shed, but thankfully missed the main structure. Some of the caves were snowed in, and the hot springs turned into a death-trap of a swamp. Goldsglen Peak. has become inaccessible due to the heavy snowfall. Kaena Lykoi became trapped in her cave and had to be dug out. A wolf stumbled onto Inferni territory, leading to a confrontation that resulted in the banishment of Itzal. The heat of the springs turned the land in that area into a giant mud puddle. Several animals became trapped, including Cotl Ulrich's horse Maschine, which was luckily rescued. Unfortunately, not everyone make it out so well. A tree collapsed on Talitha Lykoi and broke several of her ribs, and despite the efforts of his daughters, Razekiel Lykoi was lost in the storm.

2.2  Dahlia de Mai

For Dahlia de Mai, several buildings in Wolfville suffered severe damage. A tree fell into Bris and Conor's home, blocking off possible escape routes for those within the building at that time. The cemetery in Flander’s field has been partly destroyed, and Virgin Mary has fallen. Berwick’s harbour has been completely ruined. St. Pepin's vineyards have taken a heavy blow as well, and many of the scattered buildings have been utterly destroyed. Range Soul disappeared during the first night of the storm, and a small search party ventured out into the dangerous weather in hopes of finding the lost child. Overall, the whole of Dahlia shows signs of the storm, though the main damages can be seen in the city, where structures have given in as a result of years without maintenance and upkeep. Though Saluce's shop survived the first days of the violent blizzard, disaster struck when a tree fell into the weapon shop and started a fire, trapping Saluce inside.

2.3  Phoenix Valley

Phoenix Valley was hit especially hard by the screaming winds and endless snow. Estrelas Praias and Saunder's Mill were wiped out completely, along with Eager Tower, which collapsed and became irreparable debris, and the barn. Half of the livestock escaped, along with a majority of the horses. Red Vine Hollow, while managing to stay upright, has a new entrance thanks to a collapsed tree through the side. Half of the ranch had been severely damaged -- with pieces of the roof torn away, many rooms filled with snow were been damaged by water and ice. Items were strewn everywhere and broken glass hid amongst the wreckage. Elsewhere around the territory, many cabins also suffered from collapsed roofs and are no longer inhabitable.

2.4  Crimson Dreams

Sensing the approaching storm, Savina Marino gathered material together to board up the windows in an attempt to keep the manor intact and her members safe. Before the storm hits full force, a hunting party set out to help supplement the pack's food stores. However, they did not make it back before the snow really began to fall and were forced to take shelter in the Skip Caves. Crimson Dreams's Haven Manor suffered external damages, but because of its mason construction, only windows, shutters and the wooden porch are affected. Two days into the storm and snowed in, the supply of wood to keep the fire going in Haven Manor grew sparse. The Dreamers were forced to sacrifice other flammable items in an effort to keep themselves warm and alive. The Koender Windmill was not as lucky as the Manor, and caved in due to the snow's weight. But most of the damage has been done to trees and old cabins that are scattered throughout the territory.

2.5  AniWaya

In AniWaya, the ladder and parts of D'alli Ranger station have been completely broken, leaving it unreachable to anyone who previously used it as a lookout. The Spirit Oak has also been torn down with the weight of the snow and the harsh winds. In the Village, most huts have been severely damaged, if not leveled, aside from a few more sheltered locations. Tribesmembers sought refuge from the storm in the Town Hall, but found themselves snowed in once the storm calmed. Once free, they found the Stable to be damaged as well, setting loose a few horses and some cattle as its entrance was blown open and needed serious repairs. To the spiritual tribesmembers' despair, the storm has also killed the Great Fire .

2.6  Cour des Miracles

Cour des Miracles suffered less damage than other packs in the area, but the most notable damage was the destruction of Firefly's Cabin, an important landmark to the pack. The hotel was able to stay together with minimal damage to some of the windows, and the pack's mothers and puppies were ushered here to keep them safe. The cast iron fence surrounding the hotel was damaged, broken and twisted, to be repaired later by the pack's blacksmith. Some houses in Lunenburg were destroyed and quite a bit of wreckage was blown into Pirata Grotto, but overall, the damage was small. Damage was done mostly to trees in the area and to the sand dunes along the coast.

2.7  Cercatori d'Arte

Several trees blew over in Cercatori d'Arte, but that was the least of the pack's worries - the Hunting Lodge sustained heavy damage to part of the second floor, crushing a portion of the log cabin. Shawchert's hut also was demolished in the blizzard, as was the garden that had been planted and nurtured throughout the winter. The worst damage was, however, what was experienced in Thornbury - fallen trees destroyed several unoccupied wooden houses, and the snow filled the town so all attempts to get out of a house were a struggle. The flower fields sustained considerable damage. The Border Tree has remained intact, and most of the stone houses in Thornbury have stayed up.

2.8  Anathema

Anathema received little to no damage from the snowstorm. One of their two main entrances had become covered in snow and was blocked for the remainder of winter. One of their many escape routes had also been blocked. During the storm, an avalanche came down the mountain and took down several large trees in the wooded area around the entrances.

Category: Plot