The High King was dead. The news had spread exceptionally quickly throughout the various holds and houses of Caldoria, and very few souls did not know that the highest Lord in the land was dead at the hands of an unknown assassin. It was not uncommon for Lords and Kings and other ruling men to die at the hands of another, as it was almost every year that several did. But for a High King to die? Along with the majority of his own house? Well, that was something that had not occurred for many winters. The last assassination of a High King was nearly a century ago, and the near extermination of a house even longer. And how was it that a rather well liked king was found dead? Popularity was an ever changing shape, but generally a well liked Lord, let alone High King, did not perish at the hands of a mere assassin.
Alas, that is how it is. Lords watch their backs closer than usual and draw only the most trustworthy close. Some prepare to raise their armies to war, as when else can one take desired lands without fear of repercussions from the High King? When else can the lord of a house or city rise up and do as they wish without one they must answer to? For all it's worth, the law of the land was effectively gone until a new High King was in power, which could take weeks, and everyone knows that weeks can change the course of history.
But the battles of mere men are not the concerns of all, for mother nature herself brings greater suffering. It is the time of the year that the rainy seasons begin, and rain will fall off and on for months, turning dirt roads into canals of mud and fields into seas. Naturally, not all are affected as bad and some rainy seasons have been rather dry, ironically. But it is not the rain that the people fear, no, it is winter. Winter, when the snow piles up as tall as a man and the wind howls into the ears of the travelers. Winter, when rich men become poor and the healthy die. Some survive, some die. That is simply the way it is.
And so, another year continues. A king is dead and winter is just over the horizon.