The Starless Nights

The Starless Nights

They call it the Darkness. The Starless Nights. It is a storm. A mystical force. A mystery. Some say it is the end of the world.

In truth, no one understands it. The Darkness came to Atios a number of years ago with little warning. It first appeared as a dark storm on the horizon, swallowing and transforming anything it touched.

Though scores of learned individuals have devoted their days to studying this force, it is still only partially understood. Many see it as a mystical element, a divine force. Some see it as retribution for the many wrongs of this world. Others believe it to merely be a natural, though dangerous, weather phenomenon.

The only weapon known to be effective against the Darkness is kinfire, a magical flame. The Holy Flame burning in the Great Lighthouse of Din'Lux is the last pure kinfire still burning. Its magical glow protects the city of Din'Lux, making it the only known refuge against the Starless Nights. No one knows the state of the outside world, if anything or anyone is left. All they can do is hope that the city will survive and that one day the rest of Atios can be rebuilt.

Characteristics

From a distance, a Starless Night first appears as a massive dark cloud on the horizon. It blankets the region, blacking out the stars overhead, before descending onto the land. It is sometimes accompanied by an oily black rain and a thick fog.

Few people have entered the Darkness and survived. Those that have mention a swirling storm, a shimmering black substance that encompasses them. The visibility within the storm is greatly limited, seen only as a dark, ever-changing mass of clouds. One has to tread carefully, for chasms may open right beneath their feet, or emerging mountains may lift them hundreds of meters upwards.

The Starless Nights do not strike every night, but rather tend to come in irregular intervals. Two or even three weeks might pass before the next Starless Night or just a handful of days. On rare occasions, the Darkness has appeared on back-to-back nights. Some orcs, who have the ability to sense oncoming weather, can predict a Starless Night. For this reason, Din'Lux is able to prepare, ringing the black bells as a warning to the rest of the city.

Effects

The Darkness has the power to swallow and transform almost at will. It moves much like a fog, swirling and eddying, covering some areas thickly, while barely covering others. Some places and beings emerge from the Darkness untouched. While others are altered in some way or even changed completely. A ruin surrounded by the rolling blackness might suddenly be encased in ice or covered by thick mosses. Or it could disappear completely, replaced by something else—a great tree with purpled leaves, a field of dandelions, or a gentle spring bubbling up from somewhere underground. Mountains could be reduced to fields. Seas to deserts. Forests to swampland.

The biggest mystery pertains to the fate of individuals who disappear into the Darkness. While many fear that they simply die or are spirited out of existence, some theorize that they are merely transported to a different world or a different time.

Those who are only touched by the Darkness, but not taken by it, experience a number of side-effects. Memory loss is common, though it is most often temporary. For a brief time, the blood in an exposed individual's veins runs black and oily, and they seem vacant as if in a haze. Prolonged exposure can result in black tears forming in the eyes and ears. Some scholars theorize that repeated exposure to the Darkness may result in permanent changes, but there haven't been enough subjects available to further study this theory.

Repelling the Darkness

From what scholars have been able to gather, the only power that can keep a Starless Night at bay is magical energy. This energy exists in small amount throughout Atios, gathering in places of deep emotion and connection, but only condensed and powerful levels of it are effective in holding back the Darkness.

Kinfire

Kinfire, a flame of pure magic, is the only known tangible source of magical energy. The light emitted from kinfire has been proven to keep the Darkness as bay. Anyone or anything within the radius of a kinfire flame is safe, protected in the way that shelter protects from the rain. (See Kinfire.)

Kinfire lighthouses are the most effective form of protection. Centuries ago, these lighthouses were scattered throughout Atios. But due to the destruction of war, the Great Lighthouse in Din'Lux was the last pure kinfire still burning when the Darkness returned. Smaller lighthouses have been crafted using kinfire embers, but these only hold a fraction of the power needed to protect an entire city. (See The Great Lighthouse.)

In the short time since the Darkness returned, scholars have developed a portable container for kinfire as a way of protecting an individual out on a Starless Night. These magical containers are known as kinfire lanterns and are lit with embers taken from the Holy Flame. Due to the tight regulation of kinfire and the expensive materials required, these lanterns are rare and are only granted to certain individuals, such as Seekers. (See Kinfire Lanterns.)

Places of Power

Places where magical energy gathers, known as “places of power," have also been observed as safe harbors from a Starless Night.

Magical energy is present throughout the world of Atios. It moves and gathers and grows if not used. It is also attracted to deep emotions and connection. Places with a history of deep emotion are scarred in some way. Magical energy pools in these places--battlefields, cemeteries, temples--and they are known as places of power. It is believed that these areas are unlikely to be completely consumed by the Darkness, though they will be affected in part.

There are those who frequently travel beyond the protection of the Great Lighthouse who are sometimes forced to seek a place of power as refuge. Some of these places are rumored to be marked with some kind of symbol as a signal to other travelers that the area is safe.

Beliefs and Superstitions

There are many people that do not grasp the full nature of the Darkness or its relationship with magic. Most are, however, aware of the ties between magic and emotion. It is a common belief that you can protect yourself from being taken by the Darkness simply by concentrating on deep feelings of grief, anger, or love. A variety of talismans are sold at the markets in Din'Lux by merchants claiming that they are imbued with powerful emotions.

It also believed that the Starless Nights do not penetrate the land below a certain depth. Some travelers have claimed that they were able to escape by hiding in particularly deep caves. While some scholars believe this is possible, it seems likely that even if an underground cave provided protection, the Darkness would likely cause the entrance to collapse, turning the refuge into a prison.

Many orcish communities have passed down songs about the Starless Nights from generation to generation. These songs personify the Darkness as a cloud-like creature that swallows the land, digests it, and spits out something new. Seeing as some orcs have the ability to sense an oncoming Starless Night, it is possible that these songs were originally sung as a warning and a call to take refuge.

Altanists

Followers of the Cult of Altan believe that the Starless Nights are the will of their god, Altan. According to these cultists, Atios has fallen to selfishness, greed, and violence. Altan means to remake the world in order to save it from destroying itself. Altan's followers intend to aid their god in what is known as the Great Cycle, the necessary renewal of Atios and everyone in it. Their wish is for the Darkness, which they refer to as the "Shroud of Altan," to transform the world into a new and far better place. (See Cult of Altan.)

Left Behind

When the Darkness recedes, drawing back across the land as the sun rises, it leaves behind unfamiliar landscapes with little rhyme or reason. Deserts may meet glaciers, mountains may be cut in half. There are whole landscapes left behind that are completely unfamiliar to Atios: forests of tree-sized mushrooms, rocks coated in carnivorous moss, bottomless dark holes swarming with bioluminescent creatures.

There are some explorers brave enough to travel into these strange environments and collect unfamiliar plants, minerals, and creatures that have been left behind by the Darkness. These items fetch large prices at the markets in Din'Lux and some collectors will even commission explorers to seek out specific things.

While the landscapes left behind by the Starless Nights are often unsafe just to traverse, the larger danger is what might be lurking in these areas. A variety of strange creatures have been encountered, many of whom are massive and predatory. Parts from these animals, including furs and tusks, can earn a good deal of coin in the city. There are also craftsmen who specialize in transforming these parts into useful items.

On occasion, beings have been known to emerge from the Darkness speaking unknown languages. Most are so deeply affected by the experience that they never recover. Some however, manage to learn the local language and settle down in Din'Lux as sole representatives of their unknown heritage. (See The Displaced.)

Strange structures have also been found in the wake of a Starless Night. Seekers and explorers investigating these buildings have reported finding unfamiliar symbols, contraptions, and artifacts. Sometimes, powerful objects can be retrieved from such ruins: they are of great interest to scholars and might also be quite valuable.