Yetferara

The wind howled and the snow blinded us. I had never been so cold before. I had never felt so lonely, even though I know the next man in the line was only inches in front of me. I fell, I cried out and no one heard. I lay in the snow and looked up to see a raging sky, pulsing blood red, laughing at me. I was a plaything of the storm.

— Nastrian Soldier

The mighty storm of Ularr. This strange cyclone has raged since the beginning of time. Its origins are unknown, but the storm has significant effects on Ularrian culture, magic, and weather systems in The Void.
Yetferara, meaning Yatyan's wrath in Ularrian, is a titanic voidstorm that dominates the high eastern region of the Void. Ularr orbits around it, but the world is a speck in the face of the God Storm.

Geography of the Storm

Yetferara is shaped like a torus, about a piril in diameter. At its center is the storm's signature red light, called the Stormcore. The entire storm emanates a complex of cold winds, chilling the Void for pirils around it. Directly above and below the storm are warm currents that originates from the Stormcore.

(1) The Outer Wall

Black violent storm clouds make up the walls of the storm. They crackle with red lightning and are impassible by all but the most sophisticated aircraft. Once within the storm's walls, the conditions become a little calmer. Within the storm's torus are a number of islands as well as habitats for all manner of strange creatures that live within the storm (see sidebar).

(2) The Stormcore

The source of the Stormcore's red light is unknown. It haunts the dreams of those who look at it for too long and calls sailors in the night to leap from the bows of their ships into the darkness below. Despite extensive efforts, no one has ever flown close enough to the Core to figure out what it even is. Some say it's a portal into the darkness or the eye of an ancient god. Once every 32 years the Core shoots out two beams of light from its top and bottom that last for about 90 cycles. During this time the storm is far calmer.

by Aerroscape

(3) Polar Warm Zones

A warm current of air blows off the poles of the storm. This region of the storm ecosystem is highly habitable and it is a large breeding ground for leviathans and mendoloids. In this area is the city of Windarantheria as well as a few other communities of dwarves. They are centers of trade and tourism given the region's natural beauty and easy accessibility to the rest of the Sarlin Islands.

Regional Weather

Aside from the polar drafts, the area around the storm is violent and cold. Gravitational winds make long-distance void travel impossible. This place is not uninhabited though. A large population of void jellyfish fills the region. They occasionally drift in the polar warm zones or get grounded on Ularr, creating chaos and confusion wherever they land.

Effects on Ularr

Given the Tundra World's proximity to Yetferara, it is the most impacted by the storm. The God storm affects the climate and weather of the world as well as the culture of the world's people.

Climate and Orbital Pattern

The Ularrian year is designated by the world's orbit around Yetferara. Ularr's orbit is highly elliptical, flying close to the storm during the winter, and shooting out away from the storm during the summer. The shape of the orbit is on a cycle as well. It moves from tighter to wider over a 20-year cycle and then back, taking another 20 years. When the orbit is the tightest Ularr dips into the storm, bringing blood-freezing temperatures and deadly winds for months on end. These years even the summers are freezing and miserable. On the contrary, 20 years after one of these deadly winters, when Ularr comes to be the farthest from the storm there is a year of summer. Then, the tundra melt and Ularrians can walk out onto the streets without jackets. Most are only lucky enough to experience this once in their life.
Beyond the predictable seasons, Yetferara is the primary factor in Ularr's climate. The Storm's random outbursts and strange internal cycles have massive (and often deadly effects on Ularr)

Cultural Importance

Being the source of Ularr's brutal weather, Yetferara is of great cultural significance throughout the world. It is a visible celestial body as well. During the winter it fills half the sky with a wall of clouds and lightning, While during the summer it can be seen at night in the distance from its internal red glow.
Across Ularr the storm is seen to possess some level of divinity. In Nangarim Yatyanist culture, the storm holds great importance and given the name "Shli". Rituals are held weekly to ward off Shli and his minions. To Silrian Yatyanists the storm is seen as man's punishment for sin and disobedience. Preachers speak of a summer utopia that will someday be reached if all human evils are purged from the world. Regardless of culture or religion the storm is a symbol of madness and death to all Ularrians and all avoid looking directly at the evil red light in the sky.

In the Sarlin Islands

To the Sarlin Islands Yetferara (known as the Sloga Voidstorm to them) is an important geographic location as it marks the end of the island chain. Depictions of the storm can be found in many state buildings often alongside a sword, representing Terimar at the other end of the islands. The storm is also a symbol of ethnic pride for Dwarves. Their cultural capital, Windarantheria, is positioned above the storm. Young dwarvish aeronauts often test their metal against the storm's upper winds.