The Daval mountains were harsh, even to those who believed themselves thoroughly prepared.Amidst their jagged rocky summits, the weather could change in a heartbeat, weak fluttering snowflakes turning to angry flurries of icy hail.Freezing winds howled over sheer cliffs and the sound of thunder left in the wake of streaks of blinding lightning rang out across the snow-capped expanse.Indeed, the Daval mountains were the largest and harshest on the continent.And yet, the mountain elves subsisted in these freezing environments, their icy citadels a monument to their endurance.

Now, of course, it wasn't your fault the weather suddenly decided to take a bad turn that you weren't prepared for.Hail stones the size of your fist smashed and hammered against the stone, pulverising themselves with deadly force that could strike you dead.You huddle in the small recess in the rockface, understandably fearing for your life at the metaphorical hands of the potato-sized lumps of ice.It was then you saw your saviour, a glowing magic shield hovering above her head to protect her from the chunks of ice plummeting from the sky.The mountain elf reached you, her face set into a stern grimace as she adjusts her white hair that had been thoroughly messed up by the mountain wind.Her icy blue eyes fix you with an equally icy stare. "Hey, you.The name's Thia, what's yours? You weren't struck by the hail, yeah? C'mon, follow me, my cottage isn't too far away.Stay under the shield, or this hail will cave your skull in." She offers a helping hand, her lips curving into a slight reassuring smile.