Not to be confused with the Storm of Chaos.
"These storms are to be much feared - for in them are echoes of the bitter past and promises of an abominable future."
- —Teclis, teaching at the Colleges of Magic.[1c]
Storms of Magic are events that occur when the Winds of Magic rise from a strong gale into a howling tempest. Monsters awaken from slumber and emerge from their lairs at the bidding of sorcerous masters. Armies assemble, ready to defend their realms or seize the opportunity of boundless power, while tenuous pacts are sealed between realms long-thought firm enemies. No kingdom is safe from the tempest.[1a]
Overview[]
The cause of such raging typhoons of magic is, like all things of Chaos, mysterious and often erratic — as likely to be explained by superstitious lore as by applied logic. Some blame the wrath of the gods, others see such violent storms as opportunistic, a time of great revelry and bloodshed. Nearly every race has some theories, legends or apocryphal tales about these turbulent and dangerous storms.[1b]
Some eldritch tempests are foreshadowed by omens, such as an eclipse of the sun or bestial faces seen on a moon's surface. Often, however, there are no portents — blue skies are swallowed in the blink of an eye by great thunderheads of ominous clouds, while strange-hued lightning splits the sky. The ground shakes as titanic amounts of energy sweep across the lands and the veil that separates reality and the immaterial stretches even thinner. Many learned scholars suspect that the baleful moon, Morrslieb, is associate with the ensorcelled storms, its proximity creating an unnatural lunar pull which alters the Winds of Magic in ways incalculable to mortal minds. Morrslieb waxes impossibly large during storms, filling the horizon as its green-tainted face leers down upon the world.[1c]
There have been innumerable instances throughout history where the Winds of Magic have risen beyond their normal fluctuations, growing into great storms or even hurricanes of pure magic that sweep over the lands. This arcane inundation might be localized to a small area or, in the most cataclysmic examples, rage like a tidal wave across the entire globe. Most storms strike and then dissipate soon after; others spiral across the world in a haphazard manner, drenching the lands in a torrential reign of magic that can alter the landscape beyond recognition.[1b]
Being the stuff of Chaos, there is no fathoming exactly what the effects of such storms will be or how long they will last, but there is one certainty - with so much raw power available for the taking, these magical storms are epoch-changing and have altered the course of history many times over. Into such turmoil march vast armies, whilst wizards rush to wield the enormous energies that run wild. In the most calamitous of storms, nations can rise or fall and the fate of the very world hangs in the balance.[1b]
A clash beneath a raging storm of magic is a battle like no other. So devastating are the spells that flash and arc across the battlefield that a single one can destroy a better part of any force, but magic is fickle and can betray those who wield it at the most inopportune of times. So armies, and monsters bound into their service, join the fray - fighting and clawing at the enemy battlelines while wizards duel and and spells crisscross the skies. The only surety in such battles is that much blood will be spilled.[1d]
Magical Anomalies[]
When a Storm of Magic sweeps into the world, the Winds of Magic become more unpredictable than ever. They will be wrathful and strong one moment, only to fade almost to nothingness within seconds. Such unpredictability can be a wizard's greatest enemy and ally both — if he can time his spells correctly, he can harness the rage of an ascendant wind to unleash unbelievably powerful spells.[1e]
At the height of major storms, a window into the hellish Realm of Chaos is opened, and maddening squalls of utter pandemonium are visible to all. The massive influx of magic can momentarily breathe life into the inanimate, causing mountains to move or rivers to alter course, perhaps for a time flowing backwards or, even more improbably, shaping its waters into human form and striding long miles away. A gale could rain blood, melt rocks or reverse the aging process, reducing tall Drakwald Oaks to saplings or proud men to mewling babes. Ancient monuments erupt from the ground or form instantaneously to act as conduits for the raging energies swirling about them.[1c]
When the Winds of Magic blow strong it awakens long-slumbering monsters. Hydras slither out of deep tunnels. Manticores are goaded to new levels of rage and Chimerae end their hibernations. All magical creatures feel the siren call of the supernatural storms, and beasts seldom seen suddenly appear before the gale. Wizards can draw upon the boundless energies that are unleashed to bind the monsters that rise to greet the tempests, for a time sorcerously chaining the beasts, and their destructive powers, to the wizard's will. Thus the roar of monsters joins the howling of the storm.[1c]