Razer
History, erased
When I awoke yesterday morning, I was the proud ruler of a sovereign nation. When I awoke this morning, there was no nation to speak of, and no one left to be ruled.
Tesha Ghaffarov, Queen of Oneia, 1220 AoE
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azer is a general term for all of Excilior's storm systems that originate over water but ultimately wreak havoc on the land. Those that strike from the east - specifically, on the eastern coasts of Islegantuan - are known as dawn razers and those striking from the west - on the western coasts of Isleprimoton - are called dusk razers.
Impact
Razers have had a recurring and distinctive impact on casterway history. They have altered the outcomes of battles - and inevitably, of entire wars. They have "reset" the board when opposite powers are vying for supremacy. They have been responsible for the deaths of prominent world leaders - and this includes those leaders who were widely condemned as "bad" or "evil", as well as those whose passing was deeply mourned. Their sheer force has temporarily placed large landmasses underwater. And in rare occasions, their kinetic energy has permanently shifted a landscape - leveling high ground, wrenching open new waterways, and collapsing natural formations.
Scope
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azers are often terrifying in their reach, force, and the incredible time they can linger over a targeted region before they finally dissipate or move back out to sea. No one has built a system to properly measure the gale force of the winds, but they have reduced massive stone pyramids to rubble. Witnesses have reported seeing fully-grown canopeia trees - with branches that extend more than a hundred meters - whizzing through the sky like javelins. The path of a razer's destruction can extend eighty kilometers. And once a razer makes landfall, it can stall over a given point for up to a week.
In early recorded history, there are tales of entire nations being wiped from the face of the planet by a single razer. The destruction was so complete that no one felt compelled to even attempt to rebuild. And the death toll was so massive that there were few people in the aftermath to even consider such an attempt.
Divine Retribution
Given the type of biblical, wholesale annihilation that can result from a razer, it was inevitable that some cultures came to see these behemoths as divine retribution for any manner of perceived offense. Some legends go so far as to refer to the razers as gods themselves - short-lived, spiteful, petulant children that have been cast out by their divine parents and left to die on this cruel planet, but not until they've taken out their anger and their vengeance on the planet's casterways.
Frequency
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azers are most likely to occur over a three-month period during the latter stages of the year. Planetary conditions required for razer formation are optimal starting in Hielach and ending in Gagavr. Although these months are thought of as "razer season", there is no time of year when it is impossible to encounter one. Razers have occurred during all months and in every year. The razer "season" is merely that time when their formation is particularly likely. Although razers are relatively uncommon from Zielaph through Achiel, some of the most devastating storms in history have occurred during the "off" months. It's not known whether the greater destruction is due to the storms actually being stronger than their summer/autumn brethren, or due to the theory that the targeted populations may have been more "relaxed" and poorly prepared for a storm, and thus the damage was heightened and the impact was more devastating.
When razer season is in full swing, it's generally assumed that there is at least one storm system, attacking somewhere, at almost all times. The question isn't whether a razer is assaulting some population. The only question is where that assault is currently taking place.
Path
The oplanders scowled at the mere sight of our caves. But after three days of the imp razer, we're safe and dry and happy. And they're all dead.
Dwarni Pentana, Nocternal reeve, 1094 AoE
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azers generally move south, away from the equator, and from east-to-west. This means that a southwesterly course is their most frequent path. This also means that nations in the north and the east bear the brunt of razer assaults. Although it's rare, razers can, occasionally, move due east, and this means that the west coast of Isleprimoton is not immune to the storms. However, razers never originate in the south and they never move due north, toward the equator.
Exposure by Region
Nations along the southern coasts of Isleprimoton and Islegantuan are the safest with regard to these storms. Most of their populations have never experienced a razer's awful power and, in general, their civilizations have therefore enjoyed relative stability when compared to their northern or eastern cousins. This tranquility extends to those situated on Sinum Balaena.
Those nations on Sister Seia also experience fewer razers. With storms heading southwest off the equator, they typically slam into the northern nations like Dinaisia in the west, Poglia in the middle, or Kala/Ucarania in the east. However, every so often a razer will come in at just the right angle needed for it to strafe through the alley created by Smugglers' Moot on the west and Poglia/Tollia on the east. When this happens, razers have been known to pinball all around the Sister Seia, lasting for weeks and laying waste to many nations on the sea. This effect is exacerbated by the waters of the Sister Seia, which are shallower and warmer than those in the broader Aequin Ocean. A razer that has made its way into Sister Seia is sometimes called an imp razer.
Imp razers can also occur from a storm that originally travels over the Mouth of Charen and through the center of Islemanoton. This happens because the narrow land bridge known as Brokeneck offers little to slow a razer and the storm will almost certainly go right over the isthmus and end up bouncing around the Sister Seia.
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