Magic Storms

Awldor    Natural Laws      Magic Storms

One of the most difficult things about traveling is the magic storms. You never know when one will happen or where. The storms are not all that common- not like it was some one thousand years ago- it's that they are unpredictable.

— Artur Neha, Traveler

Sometimes, the free-roaming fragments of magical energy- which usually form the relatively benign Magic Fields in isolation -coalesce and then violently react with one another. What follows is a violent storm of magical energy whose nature is dependent on the kinds of arcane energies that meet. For example, when fragments of freezing magic combine they develop into a blizzard that ices over anything caught within it. This would not seem too far out of place in an arctic region, but such storms have been known to form in deserts and jungles. Some storms are not limited to a single kind of effect, but a mixture. Magic storms that had phases of freeze then conflagrations are a particularly devastating variety of storm.

Manifestation

The best way to survive magic storms is to act ahead of them.

— Sanev Vensandoral, Archmage

These storms are often preceded by an unnerving calm. Then, a sudden howling as winds begin to pick up. Shortly thereafter, the storm manifest the specific type of arcane energy that fuels it. Acid rain could storm pouring down from the sky, or a violent lighting storm can ensue. Another kind would be that of a massive conflagration fueled by the fragments of fire magic. These storms may last a few minutes to several days, depending on the potency and number of arcane fragments that have gathered. Additionally, these storms trigger the natural energy build up of the area so storms of a natural sort form near the magic storm. The magic storms end once the fragments have expended their pent up energy and disperse from the area to wander the world once more. A period of fair weather will follow in the aftermath of the storm in stark contrast the devastation wrought beforehand.

Types of Magic Storms

• Acid - An area is doused in acids that can eat through almost anything. Thankfully, these are a rare occurrence.
• Freezing - A blizzard that can exist anywhere and that will freeze anything or anyone far quicker than even the storms of the arctic.
• Fire - An area is turned into a blazing inferno. The flames can get so hot as to melt steel. In the most intense storms, rock is turned into lava.
• Shocking - Picture the most violent lighting storm the imagination can conjure. Something like that, only worse.
• Hastening - Time moves far faster than the surrounding areas, effectively granting more power to entropy. An outsider can witness the entire life-cycle of an object or a being in minutes. These "storms" are exceedingly rare. To someone caught within one, it would seem as if the world outside had stopped. Fortunately, that means no one remains within one for long, provided nothing impedes their movements.
• Slowing - The "storm" halts any and all activity within a small radius. While these are exceedingly rare, it is not known when the effect will dissipate. Some of wondered if someone trapped within such fields will witness the remaining days of the world go quickly by.
• Aqua - Any water within the affected area is driven to a violent frenzy. Any living being should avoid these storms if at all possible as nearly every body is made in part of water.
• Thunder - An area is bombarded by waves of sound sometimes powerful enough to shatter rock.
• Petrifying - It turns anything within to stone. At times it does this quickly, and at other times very quickly. It depends on the strength of the wild magic fragment responsible. Thankfully, these kinds of storms are a rare occurrence.

Localization

Magic storms can appear almost anywhere at anytime for any reason. Only within arcane deadzones will such storms fail to form. Such zones are rare. Research into how to predict the occurence of these storms is being conducted in Centrum, Sol, and Luna. Researchers in Lunaria have been making further progress than the rest, and they are not sharing everything they know.

Defending Against the Storms

Most settlements feature a large crystal, or set of smaller crystals (it depends on the wealth of the settlement), that emits an arcane field meant to defend the settlement against magic storms. These crystals are commonly cut from Schutz Crystals. The field produced from such a crystal is not meant to prevent the occurrence of magic storms, merely to shield a defined area against the storm's destructive effects. This method of protection is effective most of the time when it is properly maintained by trained mages. At other times, the storm in question is so potent that the defensive field can only reduces the effects of the storm.
It is important to note that the size of the defensive field is dependent on the size of the crystal used to generate it. Larger crystals produce a larger field, some capable of shielding entire settlements as is the case for Luna. Settlements with a set of smaller crystals use them to produce protective shields over designated shelters as opposed to the entire village, town or city.

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane

Note(s) from the Archivists:

I still remember the acid storm that hit Centrum. So many buildings either had to be repainted, refaced, or rebuilt in their entirety. Even the library had to have the roof and several walls replaced. - Archivist Bob Ironrock
Don't forget about how rough the city pathways were. I sprained my ankle just walking back from the market once. - Archivist Enna
What happened to the shield that was supposed to protect the city from that sort of thing that day? - Archivist Theta
The Director's Council has yet to answer my inquiries on that matter. - Archivist Taenya Naïlo