Ravelwinds
Ravelwinds are a much-studied, ill-understood and justly feared weather phenomenon in Acaelica. They are chiefly characterized by the indiscriminate genocide left in their wake.
Appearing to result from the movement of large groups across even short distances, ravelwinds have almost single-handedly forged the continent's tribalistic culture. By preventing the mobilization of large armies, these "winds" have assured that Acaelica's city-state structure remains pervasive and enduring.
For aeons, the existential threat posed by ravelwinds has promised ultimate failure to all bids for imperialistic expansion by any one faction. For this very reason, a national sovereignty has never been established and is unlikely ever to be achieved.
Manifestation
Observable Characteristics
Ravelwinds appear as semi-transparent "tears" in space outlined by thin borders of vibrant and shifting hues of every color imaginable (including many which defy categorization). Looking through them directly reveals a warped, disorienting perspective of anything beyond. For example, a person's limbs might seem inverted or detached from their body. Facial features might be rotated in strange ways or go missing entirely.
When a ravelwind passes through a living body, the creature's soul becomes "detached" from its anchor before being (apparently) destroyed outright. Following the creature's instantaneous death, it becomes a so-called "husk," shriveled and drained completely of all color. Dissection reveals that the blood and organs within these husks have turned the same pallid gray as their exterior. "Huskblood" is believed by some to possess strange alchemical properties but there is no concensus as to what these might be.
There is no verifiable record of an individual being resurrected after having died in a ravelwind. Those who have attempted such a feat have all reported the same grim discovery, finding it is as though the victim's soul was banished from every plane of existence simultaneously.
Localization
Ravelwinds have only ever been known to occur during the procession of large groups over even relatively short distances. Gradual gathering over time does not appear to result in the phenomenon (and thus have cities managed to grow in Acaelica). However, attempting an exodus or marching an army from one location to another is not simply dangerous, but rather doomed to a significant measure of casualty.
The travel distance required to invoke ravelwinds is unpredictable, with some reports indicating a few miles to be sufficient. Identification of the exact size or nature of the group required has also eluded scholars to this day. Given the danger of testing any hypotheses related to ravelwinds, it is not certain they will ever be fully understood.
The Demon War
The ravelwinds of the Demon War were among the most lethal ever seen. Because they ravaged both sides indiscriminately, the winds took more lives than either side individually even before The Scourge of Acaesura. Rather ironically, if the same Acaelica were to be invaded in a hypothetical universe without ravelwinds, it is all but certain that the demon horde would have emerged victorious from this war.
Unfortunately, though the winds killed countless demons in the first days of the war, the ferocity of the survivors went undiminished. In smaller groups formed naturally by their own multiple decimations, the surviving demons advanced without fear of the winds that had killed so many of their number. Afterward, they found themselves naturally splintered into factions sized perfectly to avoid further invoking the winds and their rampage continued unabated.
Ultimately however, ravelwinds were still responsible for the deaths of Ozcymath and his horde. The ritual designed by Lady Mallory and enacted by the voltas served not only to summon the winds but also to direct them purposefully--a feat which had not been accomplished before and is unlikely to be accomplished ever again.
Though these winds destroyed Acaesura itself as well as virtually all life remaining upon it, they also ended The Demon War in a single masterstroke.
Notable Exceptions
Kester Braedon
The numerical size of the traveling group appears to be fundamental in predicting the winds. Kester Braedon's complete avoidance of the pattern during his ancient conquests was at least ostensibly achieved by heavily splintering his forces. By coordinating his total army through ingenious maneuvering of smaller, ideally-sized factions, he was able to come closer to establishing a true Acaelican empire than any before or since.
Unfortunately, Braedon's understanding of the winds was evidently innate and unique. He never outlined a meaningful blueprint for his success during his lifetime and whatever insight he possessed was lost forever when he was killed by The Void Song.
Underdark Rising
The events of the Underdark Rising--during which time an enormous drow army completed a successful invasion of the surface world and laid claim to much of western Acaelica--raised many questions about ravelwinds. While it had long been known that the Underdark itself did not experience them, the fact that large forces were able to travel upward from below without invoking the winds shocked all who became victims of their incursion.
However--utterly oblivious to the existence of the winds--countless drow were later killed by them as they attempted to regroup centrally following geographically disparate victories across the west. Several mass graves can still be found throughout the region and are frequently sought by unscrupulous adventurers seeking valuables buried therein. Many are actively guarded by devout protectors and are even heavily trapped as a result.
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