Astral Hail Storms
Astral Hail Storms are a rare but serious phenomenon caused by large amounts of celestial debris falling through the atmosphere and making impact on the world's surface. The debris is made up of many different materials, from metal and stone to crystallized fragments of stars. Scholars are divided on whether or not the debris comes from natural collision of moving celestial bodies, or if it is a product of the destruction waged during the ancient War of Nine. There have only been a few recorded instances of Astral Hail storms since the beginning of the Known World era, all occurring within the republic of Sidusimpere, but study of excavated materials suggest they were once common in the Lost World and Ancient World eras, and may have happened in many other areas across Gilden, though a majority of confirmed Astral Hail sites are also within modern day Sidusimpere.
The star crystals typically explode into fine shards on impact, releasing powerful shockwaves of concentrated mana and causing additional damage to the site. Residual traces of this radiant energy can linger even decades after the event, and long-term exposure to large amounts of raw celestial mana can have adverse effects on people's health and the environment. The crystal shards are too fine to collect, but there have been rare instances of whole star crystals being discovered and recovered intact.
Did you know: the largest star crystal ever found was nearly a metre in diameter and weighed about as much as a Giant Mountain Moose! Due to the extremely powerful energy radiating off it, the actual crystal is kept in a controlled environment at the Sidusimpere University D'Arcane, but a replica can be found on display at the national museum.
It is not just the force of collision that causes this phenomenon to be so destructive, but also the scale. An Astral Hail storm can cover an area from as small as a single square kilometre to as large an entire city. In 154 KW, an Astral Hail storm in Sidusimpere's northern province completely levelled a small town, resulting in over 50 deaths and almost 200 injuries. The ruins are now a designated research site monitored by the High Mage Council, and much of the surrounding area is still uninhabitable, even over two centuries later. The most recent occurrence was in 349 KW, but was much smaller and happened in a remote part of the region. There is an entire Council division run by Archmages specializing in celestial study dedicated to monitoring astral movements and preparing for the possibility of another major Astral Hail event.
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