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There they are! The unclean who defiled Mount Karlan and the faith of Kjerag!

This iron house of foreigners has angered Kjeragandr!

O Kjeragandr on high, forgive our sins...

The sound of praying and sobbing, mixed with angry shouting.

The sounds weave into a rope, connecting tearful, fearful and angry faces, surrounding the newly-built observation station.

The steel door remains unmoving. A wizened voice cuts through the crowd.

'Remember that the wind wrapping the mountains does not come from nowhere.'

The wind continues to roar. The old woman walks across the snow to the tightly shut door, her voice clearly heard by the others.

'It is Her breath, sweeping down from the snow-white peaks.'

'It is Her ever-vigilant watch, rising from the deepest valley to the highest cloud.'

'It will drive out the miasma of evil, and the parasites that hide amongst the rocks.'

'It brings all the sounds back to Her ears, so that She will hear, and the mountains bright and clear—'

Wait... is that door moving?

Yes! They're opening the door! Our protest worked!

Open up! Open up and hear our voice!

Listen to the true voice of Kjeragandr's people! Listen to the voice of Kjerag! You are not welcome here! You must leave!

Outsiders off Mount Karlan! Go back where you came from!

Outsiders off Mount Karlan!

Outsiders off Mount Karlan!

The cries grow louder and clearer. Someone stretches out and waves toward the sky.

Is it the result of sincere prayer? Or did the combined force of their invocations cause steel to tremble?

The door opens.

All breaths are abated in the silence.

That garb... are they from Clan Silverash?

The one behind them... the Edelweiss? Did he come to send these outsiders away?

He'd better. They were the ones who brought those people in, and they should be the ones to pick up the mess. But... something about his expression...

Clear out the protesters. Avoid casualties.

Put down your weapons! Back off!

We're not backing off! Why are you telling us to go away? The ones who should go away are...

Keep your hands off me!

Edelweiss! Whose side are you on?!

Whose side do you think they're on? Their weapons and shields are pointed towards us... isn't it clear enough who his friends and enemies are?

A blizzard is coming.

You should leave before the road is completely blocked.

No need to worry about the dangers along the way. Clan Silverash's guards will ensure your safety and bring you back to...

Ugh!

Grandma, wait, don't—

The old woman forces her arm through the guards' ranks.

Her movements are swift and without hesitation. The cold snow splashes upon the Liberi's face.

May Kjeragandr forgive your sins.

Pity and resolute mercy congregate upon the wrinkled face.

Her cold finger touches Gnosis's forehead, leaving behind a simple curved line.

A Kjerag ritual, intended to drive the evil out of a child afflicted by fever.

May Her miracle drive out the miasma of evil, and the parasites that hide amongst the rocks from you...

Remember that the winds of Kjeragandr have visited upon your stubbornness before.

Now, you send Her away.

Go home, madam.

There is no change in Gnosis's expression as snowmelt flows down his face.

The winds on the mountains are harsh. Don't catch a cold.

Kjerag. The beautiful paradise, clean and pristine beneath the wind and snow, pious and pure under divine protection.

The faith of its people is firm as the mountains, never wavering... or perhaps, a single flake of snow is all it takes to begin its collapse...

'What do you think of the Catastrophe? Will it shake your faith in Kjeragandr?'

The faith of Kjerag isn't so weak! The people of Kjerag have never wavered, even before the toughest trial!

I'll set out for Mount Karlan once the Catastrophe is cleaned up and my leg is good again.

The sun of Kjerag will drive out all corruption and evil, and those who bathe in it need fear neither pain nor illness, nor the Stone Disease...

Kjeragandr is great, Kjeragandr is kind. She will never abandon Kjerag. Everything will go back to the way it was, once we clean up the snow...

Of course! It's all the fault of those Rhine Lab people!

Everything started going bad when they came! Kjerag doesn't need no observation station! All we need is Kjeragandr's protection!

Drive them out! Give me back my peaceful life... and my mom and dad...

Is there anything I can help... wait, you're Victorian?

Get your pitchforks! Who let this one into the village? Columbians and Victorians, is everybody making their homes on our turf now?

Get lost! You're not welcome here!

Phew... this will be tougher than I thought.

Do you need some help?

Hi... I'm fine, I'm just short on film. I don't suppose I'll be able to find any here...

Let me see... you can get this model from the central mall in the Silverash domain.

Nice pics. Are you a photographer from Victoria?

A reporter, to be exact.

Good timing. May I get an interview?

Who? Me?

How do you view the Catastrophe that just occurred in Kjerag? How do you view your faith, when Kjeragandr no longer protects Kjerag from Catastrophe?

Ah, I thought I heard you talking about Kjeragandr and Catastrophes from over there...

You want to know how Kjerag people think?

Of course. We came to report on the true Kjerag. People in other lands know very little about it, and we want your voices to reach them.

There's no need to be burdened by the weight of religion. Liberate yourself from the systemic oppression of rules and tradition, and tell me what you truly feel.

Wow, I've never heard so many big words spoken in a single breath...

My view on Catastrophes is simple... Catastrophes outside Kjerag are really bad, and it's the same for this Catastrophe in Kjerag.

People suffer and get hurt everywhere. It makes me sad, and I wish these things never happened.

As for 'faith'... may I ask a question? Does Victoria have a god too?

Victoria...?

Yes. I'm curious what the god of Victoria is like. Is He really petty? Does He get angry easily?

You've been going around the village asking questions for days, but you don't talk about anything other than 'Kjeragandr is angry' and 'Kjeragandr has abandoned you.'

So I thought, maybe 'faith' to you is something that's colder, harsher.

A smile appears on the girl's face. Her cheeks rise, and her voice is light and spry.

I believe the god of Kjerag isn't like that.

Kjeragandr is like the people of Kjerag, generous and kind.

She doesn't get angry over cable cars and factories, or light bulbs and books. And, She won't throw a tantrum by causing a Catastrophe and taking lives.

Kjeragandr isn't petty like that.

Heave, ho! One more box, move over—

Alright, put it down. You've got room on your truck. We got another fifteen barrels of burdenbeast milk wine? Can you bring it with you?

Fifteen barrels? Mm...

You ought to keep it. Can't have a big bar like this and nothing for guests.

The three great clans alone have donated plenty of stuff to the affected village, not to mention the local gentry. A few barrels of wine more or less won't make much difference.

I don't like to hear that.

They can donate but I can't? Who are you to decide whether they need it or not? Which of us has actually seen a Catastrophe before?

But that's too much...

It's not. I know you're short on wine.

Not only does wine keep people warm, it can also be used in medicine, and even to disinfect wounds when necessary.

If we had all this stuff back then... well, never mind.

Anyway, you're taking it, not one barrel less, or I'll take it as you saying that I'm not one of you and I don't belong to Kjerag!