The Rainy Season

The Two Kingdoms enjoy a hot but consistent climate most of the year.  In early spring and early fall, however, changing winds and the collision of hot and cold weather fronts cause a torrential rainy season that lasts up to 3 weeks. During the rainy season, storms constantly thunder overhead. The rain may clear up for an hour or so, but always pours down again soon.

Without the rainy season, the Two Kingdoms would dry up and most of its creatures would die. The rain fills the numerous basin lakes that hold water but have no external feed; without the rain, the lakes would be but shallow depressions. Once filled, these basin lakes sustain the plant and animal life of the country for months to come.

Celebrations mark the rainy season whenever it arrives. In the city of Zep Tepi, vendors raise brightly colored awnings of oiled canvas over their stalls to shield them from the rain. Most hang chimes of brass or silver from the awnings, and their musical chimes sound constantly as they sway from the weight of rain on the canvas. Hawkers travel the stalls with buckets of steaming cider or mulled wine for sale, and young people gather in mobs for barefoot dances on muddy street corners.  Though Haon’s presence in Zep Tepi is limited most of the year, during the rainy season his faithful conduct parades, hand out shells for good luck, and receive special treatment from merchants, innkeepers, and citizens alike.