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Ahem... Freelancer... This page is about The lore of Icetide. For Full Seasonal Event, go to Season of Icetide. For other uses, go to Icetide (Disambiguation). |
Icetide Holiday Artwork by Ken Fairclough
There’s a welcome chill in the air that foretells the coming of an event celebrated by the people of Bastion—Icetide. It’s a time when even the steamy jungles are covered by a blanket of snow, lakes freeze, and ice is harvested for the warmer days ahead. While a joyous season with many festivities, it’s not—as with all things in the world of Anthem—without its dangers.
Icetide is a time of joy and a time that usually marks the end of a year. Let’s celebrate!
This page is for the festival and lore of Icetide. For the seasonal event, see Season of Icetide.
Narrative[]
Active Shaper Ice Globe
Icetide is a portmanteau of Ice (frozen water) and Tide (denoting a specified time or season), so essentially like the Season of Skulls, it means the Season of Ice!
Icetide doesn't make the world less dangerous but it makes everyone a little bit silly. This is because, for a short time it can make people forget about the outside dangers while they remain in a state of bliss. The weather is cold, so there are fewer Scars and Fauna in the wild. Outlaws take this chance to go on more heists.
Ice Bubbles or Shaper Ice Globes usually show up with localized ice storms inside them. This is a perfect environment for a special flower called the Ice Flower to grow.
White snow falls everywhere, while the leaves of the trees become completely red—even in the Emerald Abyss. Bastion becomes a snow covered carnelian winter wonderland!
Cortex Entry[]
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Whether by accident or intelligent design, frosty Shaper ice globes suddenly appear throughout Bastion, chilling the air from sea to mountains. The drop in the temperature dresses the world in sparkly white and brings many welcome changes--most notably, the emergence of the rare Ice Flower plant. The sap of the Ice Flower is very valuable and its harvest becomes a frenzy.
Along-side the serious and dangerous work of harvest, there is fun to be had. The accompanying festival is cheerful and sometimes wild. Pilots take breaks to zip through the frosty air on challenging race courses. People give gifts and attend ice-bath parties. Snowball fights are common but always in good fun.
Although never predictable in its timing, Icetide is welcome whenever it arrives. |
For a Collection of similar Cortex Entries, See: Icetide Cortex Collection |
Traditions[]
Blue Fire Braziers Outside the Walls
Seasonal Icetide decorations such as greeting cards, colored lights, paper snowflakes, tinsels, plush toys such as stuffed korox dolls, and many more are made in Heliost and sent to all places in Bastion. Striders are decorated and painted in festive colors. Blue-fired braziers are lit outside the walls. While inside the city walls, colorful lights and ornamental trees make the place bright. Ice sculpted statues are made the center of attraction during this time, while a snow-like substance is made to descend inside the cities.
Perhaps the most prominent traditions are ice-blue fires, ice sculpture competitions, korox in a box, snowball fights, and the cheerful Frost Fellow. But Icetide is also a time of sharing and giving. People also like to take leisurely ice baths and play puzzles and games of chance.
The preferred seasonal greeting is Happy Icetide or Icetidings.
Relics of Heliost by Herschel's Hut
Korox dolls, usually carved, are kept on the shelves—this tradition dates back to the times of the Legion of Dawn. They are thought to watch over kids and decide if they have been naughty or nice. The nicer children get all the presents.
In Northern Bastion, some of the more common traditions include wearing Icetide sweaters, knitted caps with pom-poms, singing Icetide carols, and enjoying festive foods such as shaved ice, baked snacks, alcoholic beverages, and cheese.
While in Mirelands, Icetide is a somber reflection on the past year, and a preparation to face the future.
Every walled city and town holds Icetide celebrations in their own way.
Fort Tarsis Traditions[]
Fort Tarsis Launch Bay during Icetide
Fort Tarsis and its Launch Bay are decorated in lights, wreaths, and a prominent tree. Inside the courtyard, there is a huge ice sculpture of a javelin from the past situated on the fountain, now covered in frost. All Sentinel banners are removed. A snow-like substance is found gently falling in open areas.
The bar is always lit up in bright lights. So, it is left as is. However, the market is a different story. Piles of “snow” are found everywhere. A Relics of Heliost puzzle can be found located inside the fort, and in 468 LV, by Herschel’s Hut. If successfully solved, the puzzle lights up and moves.
Icetide Means it's Time for Ice Smash! The fort also organizes an ice sculpture competition. These sculptures are then flung from high above the walls to the ground while spectators enjoy this smashing fun.
Sentinel Traditions[]
Harvested Coolant in a Cargo Mule
Sentinels organize wreath lighting ceremonies all across Northern Bastion. Lancers are encouraged to light these wreaths and discover secret Icetide wishes left behind by the Sentinels.
Arcanist Traditions[]
Arcanists do not stop to celebrate even during Icetide. Well, not entirely true, but even during Icetide, they team up with Engineers to prepare coolant harvest canisters and cargo mules. Ice flower sap is harvested by any interested and skilled lancers for them.
Freelancer Traditions[]
Freelancers organize Time Trials, previously called Venter Race. These trials are javelin races all across Northern Bastion. All lancers are invited to participate in these races. The lancers beating the fastest time are presented with vinyl rewards and also declared Icetide Champions.
Past Icetide[]
Carved Korox Doll in Jani’s Grandmother’s House (From the Comic)
Icetide usually begins a couple of months after the Season of Skulls. Previously, coolant harvest missions would run out of the Freemark Enclave and Freelancers from all areas were welcomed to join. But since the epoch of the Heart of Rage, it was moved to different locations.
Episodes from Past Icetide[]
- More than a decade ago, when Freemark was full of life, Jani’s grandmother used to keep a Korox on the shelf that dated back to the times of General Tarsis.
- Several years ago an old veteran, Freelancer Thetes, celebrated his birthday by winning the Venter Race in his custom Interceptor.
- During the Icetide of 466 LV, Burn Hardigan escaped with a small family who were being tracked by the Regulators to the Great Expanse.
- During the Icetide of 467 LV, Herschel’s uncle’s strider was hijacked, and he was brainwashed into joining the Outlaws.
- Aushkiir found a new type of ember near Heliost and collected a pheromone sac of a mantikar for Zhim around the Icetide of 467 LV.
Present Day[]
Fort Tarsis at Night during Icetide
In 468 LV, the Icetide took several special turns. Four Shaper Ice Globes surfaced in Northern Bastion. Arcanists and Engineers prepared to collect the coolant from the mysterious ice flower and several lancers joined the cause to help them.
Fort Tarsis was fully decorated in Festive lights and colors. Although, all the Sentinel banners from the open areas were removed for safety purposes.
The Freelancer Enclave invited the whole fort for shaved ice treats. This year, Lucky Jak became the honorary Frost Fellow. The Cyphers ran games of chance with the proceeds going towards scholarships to join a Satomi for impoverished altered children.
It turns out the resident Bard of Fort Tarsis won the trophy of the top dramatist of Bastion for his dramatization of General Tarsis and the Ice Titan.
As usual, Sentinels set up 100 wreaths all across Northern Bastion for lancers to collect secret Icetide wishes; Arcanists collected all the coolant they need for the summer times of the following year; Freelancers set up eight Time Trials. One of the secret wishes also revealed a new javelin model, Ranger Mark 3.
A Frost Sculpture in the Fort Tarsis Courtyard
Yarrow reflected upon all the good the Freelancers had been doing. Haluk set his mind to stop trying to be the hero and decided to become a Freelancer mentor. Faye listened to her Dawnguard Icetide special and sought help from the Freelancer to pick a nice present for Haluk. Madam Chronicler finally uncovered what species Kit belonged to, much to Herschel’s surprise. Rythe went to meet her friend and share some pie with her. She also stopped several outlaws from causing trouble.
The Enclave also decided to get the brand-new Songbird Amplifier so that unexplored and remote corners of the world could be reached when the Freelancers are outside the walls.
The Freelancer also participated in all the events and became an Icetide Champion. They received greetings and wishes from their dearest companions. They were also contacted by a “friend” from the past to wish them season’s greetings and warn them to keep an eye out for the changes.
This was one of the longest and among the best Icetide celebrations.
News and Stories[]
Read more about the stories and accounts from 468 LV and before that:
- A hunt that began in 466 LV and whose bounty was rewarded at Princess Zhim’s court in 468 LV—Bountiful Hunt
- How Haluk and Faye celebrated the Icetide of 468 LV—Songs of Icetide
- Freelancer Rythe and her troublemaking escapade—Troublemaker
- Korox, Anrisaur, and Frost Fellow… Is this a folk tale or is this what Sayrna did—Korox in the Box
- After Icetide ends and the snow begins to melt, Spring begins with a hint of love in the air—The Cypher’s Kiss
Read all the news of the events that happened before and during the Icetide of 468 LV:
- The shenanigans of an Outlaw gang that tried to steal Icetide—Outlaw Correspondence: Icetide
- The bittersweet past of someone who loves sexy danger—Promising
- The letters sent to Princess Zhim by her gunslinger posing as a hired gun—Found Archive—One Last Chance
- The hidden Icetide wishes from the Sentinels—Icetide Wishes
Read all the mail that brought Icetide greetings and chills during 468 LV:
Icetidings to all, and to all a pleasant next year!
Gallery[]
