[u]Wind howls at the gates as a snowstorm rages throughout the Dojo, white dust piling up against the massive doors as snow pelts all who brave the miserable conditions. The storm had been raging for days on end, getting worse every hour with no sign of an end. There were seldom any guards, all who had come to work that day either snowed in or left outside, slowly falling into the dreamless, endless sleep of death. Many families were holed up together in their homes, fires crackling at all times of day and night to keep them warm and safe from the cold bite of the winter storm. At the gates and under a pass, snow crunched underfoot as a strange man made his way up the mountain towards the Dojo. He was not strange in the creepy sense, but instead in what he carried and his appearance. Covering the man was a multitude of blankets that muffled most sounds of movement, but you could not miss the distinct sound of armor clanking against metal as armor would when one moves inside it. On his back was a massive hump, seemingly created by a weapon of some sort. The strangest thing about this man was not his secrecy nor the massive weapon on his back, but the extremity of his size. His tall figure even hindered by the deep snow was distinguishable from long distances. From what one could guess, he stood a bit over twelve feet tall. The cloth blankets that covered his body could easily cover a small building, let alone a normal sized bed. His face was covered in shadow by a large hood, but a long, white braided beard could be seen trailing down the front of the man's body, snow encasing it in a fluffy coating. As he moves closer to the gate, he looks up with a sigh as a cloud of warm vapor escapes his mouth. Standing in front of the foreboding doorway, he speaks in an aged but powerful voice, thick with what could be called a norse accent.[/u] "[i]No welcome for a returnin' old man? I suppose this weather must've scared most of th' sensitive inside, back t' the warmth of a crackling fire. I can't help but hope but one person resides behind this door, or all will be for naught.[/i]" [u]Raising a large arm, the mysterious figure knocks on the door three times in succession, the sound echoing throughout the storm and the village like the ringing of a ceremonial gong.[/u]