{"product_id":"the-winter-palace-one-time-box-purchase-oddment","title":"The Winter Palace - One-Time Box Purchase - Oddment","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlease note that these oddment boxes do NOT include a Badge of Affinity.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn February 2025, subscribers explore the Winter Palace.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAs the grayness of winter begins to wane and the days grow incrementally longer, each family sends its representatives to a gathering at the Winter Palace. The Houses gather to make plans for the year ahead. During the day, they compare notes on the landscape and weather to decode any portents. They catalog sightings of the Darkness. In lighter work, they start seeds in the warm and ample conservatories. At night, they gather around the Palace’s oversized fireplaces to work on handicrafts and gossip. Many creatures don’t have time for languid storytelling during the planting and harvesting seasons, but winter offers some fallow hours for rest and conversation.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eEvery House has a stake in the Winter Palace. Over time, they’ve all added to its ornate interior.  The Foxes contributed carpets woven with motifs of herbs and flowers; the Crows, doorways ornamented with acorns and oak leaves; the Wolves, inkwells carved from agate and jasper.  The visiting members of each House, spotting these flourishes, feel a renewed affinity \u003cbr\u003ewith their historic kin.  \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Winter Palace Box includes an abundance of beautiful objects; hints and additions to expand the story; a mysterious document; and a lore card.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Birdmoss Winter Palace Box\" href=\"https:\/\/birdmoss.com\/collections\/february-the-winter-palace\"\u003eSome items are available for individual purchase.\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca title=\"Birdmoss Crystal Desert Box\" href=\"https:\/\/birdmoss.com\/collections\/may-the-crystal-desert\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca title=\"Birdmoss Hot Springs Box\" href=\"https:\/\/birdmoss.com\/collections\/february-the-hot-springs\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMysterious Document\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn instructional document is augmented with marginalia which will help you interpret clues.  It is available only in the Winter Palace Box.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLore Card\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Winter Palace \u003cspan\u003eare\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eintroduced in a full-color collectible 4x6 inch lore card.  The artwork for this month's lore card was created by Joanna Rzepecka, a Warsaw, Poland-based illustrator. She says, \"My work is inspired by biodiversity, mainly animals. Through my work, I'm trying to capture moments where nature is untouched by humans. Peaceful scenery, colors, and rough textures are some things that I enjoy the most.\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eBirds and Rainbows\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAfter you enter the Palace’s immense doorway, it takes a moment for your eyes to adjust. In contrast to the white and gray landscape outside, the anteroom is rich with colors: deep browns and reds, exquisite blues and yellows.  The facets embedded in the stained-glass windows scatter rainbows across the floor and walls. You hear birdsong and wonder if the birds depicted in the windows are magicked to sing; then you realize that the timbered ceiling is filled with real, fluttering birds, representing many Houses.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"OYPEnA font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"\u003eThe House of the Turtle\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUncertain of your House Affinity, the Scarred Crow asks the assembled creatures: “Who will sponsor the Dreamer?” The hall is filled with the clamor of their calls as they all volunteer.  Your presence is a novelty and everyone in attendance is curious about you. After a quick discussion, the group decides that the Turtles should have the honor; they are not in the room to plead their case, as they are mostly confined to the grand underground cistern known as the Sunken Palace. You are given a turtle-shaped locket to serve as a sort of hall pass for your visit. It contains an egg-like pearl.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDainty Handkerchief\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYour locket allows you to wander the Winter Palace at will. You take the opportunity to peer into room after room, peek behind tapestries, and open drawers in oversized bureaus. Every House adds to the Palace’s supplies and ornaments each year.  Over time, almost every surface has been embellished and beautified.  Even the handkerchiefs provided in the washrooms have been embroidered with pretty designs by the Hedgehogs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSparkling Sugar Cubes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA row of glass-roofed conservatories lines the back of the Palace. Prismatic rainbows are here, too, quivering on the leaves of trees and the cushions on benches. You pause to sit at a table that’s been set for tea.  The overflowing sugar bowl glistens with golden sparkles and stars.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSugar Tongs\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA golden-hued serving tool is propped against the sugar bowl. It has also been embellished, this time with a floral pattern.  As you handle it, you experience a wave of feeling similar to déjà vu or nostalgia. These tongs have been quickened with rose petals.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWinter Fruit\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe conservatory is filled with potted plants and trees.  Careful cultivation of the pear trees allows them to bear tawny fruit year-round.  A pear-shaped candle on each table is lit in the evenings to evoke abundance, even when the nights are chilly.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBadge of Affinity - Not Included\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhoto props are not included.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Birdmoss","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48283313864925,"sku":null,"price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0549\/1756\/2529\/files\/winter-palace.jpg?v=1739818133","url":"https:\/\/birdmoss.com\/products\/the-winter-palace-one-time-box-purchase-oddment","provider":"Birdmoss","version":"1.0","type":"link"}