White. The first thing Cain saw when he opened his eyes was a blinding white. And then the second feeling hit him. Cold. Not just any cold, but a bone piercing chill, so deep that he feared he might never warm up again. Cain looked around, and noted the towering trees surrounding him, powdered in snow. He stood in a clearing, amongst a group of similarly confused and cold people, surrounded by titanic trees, and it was snowing. Cain lamented his poor luck, appearing in a snow filled wonderland, instead of a tropical paradise. He shivered, wondering where he was. As goosebumps rose on the neck from the sudden chill, Cain tried to remember how he got here.
The last thing Cain remembered, he had just gotten back from his job late at night, and immediately flopped into his bed, not even bothering to change. He was asleep instantly, and the next thing he knew, he was here. Wherever here was. He turned to the other people here, about 20 others, and noted that they all seemed as clueless as he was. Everyone was in a haze of confusion, but someone soon stood out. A young man, with handsome features, dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and a remarkably calm smile, given the situation, spoke to the whole group. "Everyone, we must not panic in this situation. First we should get acquainted, and make a plan on what to do. My name is Noah. I'll assume everyone here is from Earth, correct?" As nods of assent came from the crowd, he once again spoke. "We should get our bearings. I don't know where we are, but I've never seen trees like these, and I could've sworn I saw an owl the size of a helicopter passing through some trees to the west. We don't seem to be anywhere on Earth judging by these two things." Cain was somewhat shocked he arrived at such an outlandish conclusion. As murmurs of disbelief and fear infected everyone, another person spoke up, a young woman this time. She was Noah's sister, Theresa, and they quickly gathered the group into a more orderly form, combining everyone into one group. While some, mostly older, people seemed to have problems, they soon caved in as Noah and Theresa showed a startling cool headedness in such a strange situation, quickly setting most people's nerves at ease. Cain was placed next to a teenage girl named Cara. She was quite bubbly, as she insisted on introductions around the group. When it came to Cain's turn, he used sign language. The rest of the group seemed confused, till he pointed at his mouth and shook his head. The energetic girl excitedly asked, "Oh, are you mute? Wow! I've never met a mute before. And was that sign language just now?" As Cain nodded, she continued to barrage him with questions, the majority of which he couldn't answer as it was clear no one knew sign language in the group.
Cain had been a mute since birth. He was born with a condition, one he couldn't care to remember, that robbed him of his ability to talk. Unlike some other causes of muteness, such as physical or emotional trauma that sometimes caused various other problems along with loss of communication, his muteness didn't hinder his cognitive abilities or understanding in any way. He just couldn't talk. It wasn't just that he couldn't form words and sentences, but rather, no sound came out. He couldn't make a sound. It was an increasingly strange thing. His sneezes, coughs, and burps were all completely silent. It baffled his family, doctors and many others to no end, but ultimately, it didn't really bother him. Cain wasn't social to start with, and his condition provided a perfect excuse to have as little social interaction as possible. This wasn't to say he hated spending time with people, but rather cherished time alone by himself. He found the silence tranquil and relaxing. But as he was lost in these thoughts, a commotion rose in the group.
Cain saw one of the people, a middle aged woman, point excitedly behind him. He turned, and saw a group of people appear from the forest. They were dressed in a strange attire, pure white fur garments, with metal helmets on and an assortment of weapons on their backs. Strangest of all was that they were all mounted on horses that were transparent, and looked like they were made of ice. The foremost person, or rather warrior, by the looks of him, spotted the crowd and hurriedly galloped over.
He came to a halt before the crowd of people, and quickly scanned through them. "Arrivals?! But it's been so long since the last group!" The man looked shocked, but he collected himself. He motioned his companions over, who unpacked some animal pelt coats, and began handing them out to the crowd. At that moment, he addressed the crowd. "Hello everyone. I know this must be confusing. I can fill you in on the details later, but for now, all you need to know is that this is not the same world you previously lived in. This is Glacias, the frozen continent. This place is like no other, a brutal, unforgiving place that will chew you up and spit you out if you are unprepared to face its challenges. Now, take these pelts so you don't freeze to death. We will be leading you to a nearby settlement, where we will get you settled. Of course, you don't need to follow us, but if the cold doesn't get you, something else will." As if on cue, a ground shaking roar resounded through the forest, and flocks of pure white birds, previously unnoticed in the monochromatic environment, were startled out of their perches, taking off into the sky. The man took in the confused and somewhat fearful faces, and smiled. "I know it's a lot to take in, believe me. We've got to get you out of these woods as soon as possible."
Among some doubtful nods and murmurs of assent, he took off, leading the way through the forest. Noah and Theresa began to follow, and seeing their two de facto leaders following, the rest soon did as well. The man's companions were like guards, forming an outer ring around the group of stragglers. Cain took one last look around the clearing, and caught a glimpse of motion in his peripheral. He turned, and could have sworn he saw some type of humanoid flit behind the trees, so fast that he thought he was seeing things for a second. He kept on staring for a few seconds before dismissing it and heading after the group, quickly catching up on the group who were trekking through the snow.
A long time passed, and finally, as many people began to tire, a massive wall came into view through the trees. The walls towered over everyone, but were still dwarfed by the trees that seemed to scrape the sky. The man led them to a tall gate and shouted up at the wall. "Bringing some newbies. Open up before they freeze to death!" Two guards, in pale white armor, stood on top of the wall. They shouted something down the other side of the wall, and the gates began to open, producing a metallic grating noise. As the massive goats opened, a lively town filled their vision.
The town was filled with houses, but seemed to be quite lacking in comparison to the gates, being quite small in scale, looking to hold around a few thousand individuals. The man leading everyone, who seemed to be called Harvey, as he was called by the various other guards who greeted them, led the people through the city, heading towards a tower that loomed in the distance. The material of the tower shimmered in the sunlight, and the shape of the tower seemed strange, closer to a naturally formed spire of ice than a man made creation. As Harvey took in the looks of awe in the eyes of the group, he chuckled. "That tower that we're heading to is called the Frost Spire, and it's where we will settle you all in, but I'll give a brief summary of where we are as we go. This world has many different names, but we usually call it Titan, on account of the sheer size of it. I don't know how your old world was, but here, monsters, magic, and many other fantastical things are present. Titan is home to a large variety of races, from humans, to beastkin, demons, angels, dragons, you name it. Thankfully, languages have a way of blending here, and there will be very few situations where you won't be able to communicate with people. There are 5 continents, including our own. We are currently in Glacias, the frozen continent, in the far north. In the west lies the storm continent, Ventus. To the east, the earthen continent, Terra, and to the far south, the fire continent, Ignis. Their climates should be quite self explanatory. And finally, the central continent, which funnily enough, doesn't have a name. It's often called the forgotten continent, the land abandoned by the Gods. You haven't seen much of this place, but Glacias is home to a myriad amount of things that can put you 6 feet under before you know what's happening. However, the central continent is many times worse. Only the strongest and smartest can reside there, and even then, survival is no sure thing." Harvey continued talking about Titan as Cain looked around, observing the city. He noticed that many of the people seemed exhausted, and looked at the group of guards wearily. As Cain looked around, they arrived in front of the Spire. Harvey inhaled deeply, and clapped his hands together. "Well, as much as I'd love to bore you to death with the history of this place, we have arrived. You will be meeting the 5 members of the council, who are the leaders of this town. They will fill in what I have missed. I hope to see many of you around. Farewell for now!" Harvey waved, as he and his group of guards set off, back in the direction of the gate.
The Spire glimmered a deep blue color, and the very air around it had a cool, fresh feeling to it. A modest gate made of the same ice-like material opened, and more guards stood posted in a hallway that led to a long table, where a group of 5 people sat, all of different races. As Cain and the group walked down the hallway, the startling differences between the individuals began to become visible. One, a elderly woman, was a human like them, dressed in dark robes. Right beside her was a minotaur, a towering 10 foot tall specimen who impassively stared down at them through his reddish dreadlocks, wearing nothing but a kilt, baring his bulging muscles to everyone present. Next to him was a small beastkin, a leopard woman who regarded the newcomers with vigilant eyes, in an exotic belly dancer-like outfit. However, in contrast to the serious appearance of the first 3, the fourth lay sprawled on the table, fast asleep. The man had white hair, and creamy skin, and was dressed in a roman style toga. The final member of the council was a floating ball, with a singular pale yellow eye in the middle of its body, and many small tentacle-like appendages swaying around its body. As its gaze swept over the group, a chill passed through them. An attendant then stepped forward and announced the group.
"Esteemed council members, Harvey and the scouting squad have brought the new arrivals. They were found near the Ice Fiend territory, but there were no confrontations on the way back." The elderly woman chuckled, and leaned forward. Eying everyone, she spoke in a raspy voice, "I recognize some of these clothes. Earth right?" The group nodded, and she laughed. "Yes indeed. Afterall, I am also an earthling. Welcome to Titan, and our humble town of Frosthaven. You are the first new arrivals in more than 20 years! Let me introduce us all, and then we can get straight to business. I am Andromeda,a human like you all. On my right is Brutus, a minotaur." The minotaur, Brutus, gave a nod. "Next we have Leena, the leopard-kin next to Brutus." Leena looked at the group, before snorting and looking away. "This sleepyhead is Erin, a dream spirit, and next to him is Kree, a lesser beholder." Erin kept on snoring as Kree's body shook and a warbled voice came from it. "Welcome, earthlings." As many of the group gawked at the creatures straight out of myth, Andromeda smiled, and faced the group. "Well, I'm sure you're wondering why you're here on Titan, instead of at home, reading a nice book, or having a nap. Well, in all honesty, I can't say anything more than random chance. Like you, we were all brought here quite mysteriously, and it has been going on for longer than the written records of this world. It is a bad situation, but we strive to make the most of it. I hope you will all join us in our family here. The city is extremely safe, and is the best place for all of you. We are a subsidiary of the Ice Phoenix Empire, which is how we receive supplies. If you stay, you can gain connections, and perhaps one day travel to the capital of the Empire, the center of civilization on this continent, and one of the greatest Empires in this world." Andromeda seemed to grow excited just talking about it, but quickly calmed herself. " Now, enough of the serious talk. We should get you all settled." Andromeda clapped, and many began leading everyone to temporary rooms to freshen up and change.
Cain arrived in his room, and found it oddly similar to a typical medieval prison cell. The floor, walls, and ceiling were made out of blue rock, and the window had metal bars in place. But unlike a typical cell, it was quite spacious, with a large bed covered in many blankets. There was even a shower, although it was activated by a stone in the wall. There was only cold water, but Cain welcomed the cool water, as it helped him clear his mind. As Cain dressed in the new clothes provided to him, thick pants with a soft long sleeve shirt and a thick cloak. The whole outfit was matched, the pants and cloak a pale blue, and the shirt was cream colored. Cain pondered about the world, Titan, and the continent Glacias he'd found himself on. Cain found the whole situation odd, as the elders seemed to not be giving the whole story. If the empire and city were so safe, what was up with the citizens? Why, after 20 years, did they arrive? Countless questions swirled in Cain's head as he grew internally wary of the "safe city" of Frosthaven. Cain almost missed the knock on his door, and opened it to a servant standing outside. "The council calls. Are you ready to go, sir?", the servant politely inquired. Cain nodded, and they set off down the winding hallways to the council room.