The Day of Omens (Late Summer 835)

 The day had been warm and pleasant in the camp; the work teams were celebrating the early arrival of a pair of supply wagons bearing ale and fresh meat, and work was preceding nicely on the old watchtower. Deep below, the excavation was thought to be nearly finished, the miners having detected a small flow of cold air the previous day; they believed a breakthrough would be imminent.

It began a little after noon. A low breeze rose rapidly into a howling, freezing gale out of the northern mountains, strong enough to tear open some of the tents in camp. This was only the beginning--over the course of a few minutes, the sun dimmed and then went out, its light extinguished but for a rim of gold, so that it was as night, and the stars were plainly visible. Stars fell in great number, making blue streaks across the sky, a shower falling from north to south, though in the terrible wind few took much notice. 

About half an hour after the first gust, the wind suddenly receded, and the sun began to regain its strength. The rising twilight revealed great numbers of small birds, dead upon the ground. 

Many of the men whisper about the coming of a second plague, or the Day of Judgement. The day's omens are almost universally thought of with dread.