In the deepest, coldest days of winter; as the Winter Wolf snaps and rages across the land, there is some small hope to be found. On the coldest day of winter, Sularion will send his servant down to Ianis, calm the Winter Wolf, and bring about The Gifting.

The Gifting is considered by all across Ianis to mark the middle of winter, and the coldest day of winter. Just as the ravages of the Winter Wolf become too much for the land to bear, Ianis drifts close enough to the sun for Sularion to send his representative.

When this occurs, the Winter Wolf is calmed and warmed by the sun and turns into something else entirely. The Present Wolf. In this state a transformed Sarnea is far more aware of her actions and is filled with regret. To make up for all the hurt she has caused Sarnea, as the Present Wolf, roams the land with the servant of Sularion and distributes presents to every inhabitant of Ianis. This is known as The Gifting.

However, the people of Ianis are nothing if not consistent. Before The Gifting was established, people would leave clothes, food, or other trinkets on their doorstep in an attempt to placate the Winter Wolf. Once The Gifting was established, this practice evolved. Now, cakes are the order of the day.

Every night before The Gifting every household will gather and prepare a cake for the Present Wolf. Every house has their own traditions, recipes, and styles; but the Present Wolf doesn’t truly care for any of this. If there’s a cake, she’ll eat it. Some villages have recipes that have been followed for generations, while some cities even turn it in into a friendly competition.

After the night of The Gifting winter is finally halfway over and the weather slowly begins to warm again.

Outside of this, the largest cultures of Ianis have their own special ways of celebrating.

Dwarves:

With most Dwarven holdfasts sitting in the north, Dwarves are usually well locked away for the winter by the time The Gifting rolls around. The Gifting is a time for staying at home, snuggled up, and celebrating with the community.

In the past, Dwarves had the responsibility of warning the rest of the land when winter had arrived, sending representatives south as fast possible to warn against the Winter Wolf. This is no longer needed so the holdfasts will celebrate by inventing and competing with gliding, flying, and otherwise zooming machines designed to travel incredibly fast. When the night itself arrives many Dwarven cakes are works of art crafted from fine metals.

Elves:

The  Elves have something of an odd relationship with the Winter Wolf, and The Gifting Wolf in turn. Two weeks prior to The Gifting, Elvish cities go all out and throw incredible, colorful parties. All in an effort to distract their patron deity from the fact that his wife has recently morphed into a two headed-wolf. When The Gifting itself arrives, every cake made is thrown into a huge pile, and the day after is considering the most drunken and raucous day of the elvish calendar.

Halflings:

In typical Halfling fashion The Gifting is a time for celebration, charms, and small tricks.

The wagons that many halflings live on will come together for warmth, food, and games of chance. Even for Halflings that have moved away and put down roots elsewhere The Gifting is seen as a chance to return home for a little while. On the night of The Gifting Halflings will burn figures of the Present Wolf, harking back to a practice of burning figures of the Winter Wolf to keep her away.

Then, Halflings will bake no less than 10 cakes each for the Present Wolf. However one cake is made of wood. Its said that if the Present Wolf is fooled and eats your wooden cake, you’ll be blessed my Antalia for the year and have nothing but good luck. The morning after every present left behind by the Present Wolf is gathered in a large pile and given out at random to every person.

Humans:

Humans have always had an odd relationship with the sun and winter, the time when the sun is at its weakest. Being born of the sun, when the Sularion departs this world, Humans undergo a change and their skin becomes pale as their God leaves the world. On the night of The Gifting Humans will celebrate their appearance and the world returning to normal with extensive face paints and decorations. Indeed, most humans are experts at basic face-painting and the night of The Gifting is considered a time to really flex your creative muscles.

Orcs:

The winter is a deeply spiritual time for the Orcish people. With Kurzaal having faced a winter like no other in his quest to create the Orcs and journey through the universe, Orcs see the winter as a test. A test of themselves as a people, and as individuals. For several weeks before The Gifting Orcish tribes will gather together and hold contests of strength, speed, wits, and poetry. The contest over the years has evolved with prizes, leagues, and all kinds of friendly rivalries developing. There’s even been talk of non-Orcs competing in some contests.

On the night of The Gifting most Orcs will collapse, exhausted from the games. Sometimes though, young and rowdy Orcs will attempt to stay up late and catch the Present Wolf. None, thus far, have been successful.

Gnomes:

What does one do when the progenitor of your society turns into a two-headed wolf and brings winter to the land? Gnomes view winter and The Gifting as something of a time of mourning. As winter progresses, the Gnomish platforms that roam the land progressively slow down and begin to fall asleep. Eventually, the Gorge Lizards will simply stop and rest for the middle of winter, and the Gnomes will follow suit. This is a time of reflection and overly long ballads and dirges.

On the night of The Gifting itself, many Gnomes will stay up to personally give their cake to the Present Wolf. The morning after Gnomes will begin to play incredibly loud and obnoxious music in order to wake the Gorge Lizards.