Mist Maelstom

Mist Maelstroms, also called Cloud Blights, are rare and terrifying weather phenomena that emerged following Skyfall (Astral Descent). These chaotic tempests create violent, crisscrossing air currents and are most commonly found within the heart of the Aerial Expanse / Veil. However, on occasion, they make catastrophic landfall upon the floating cloud-isles, leaving devastation in their wake.

Legends claim Mist Maelstroms are the wrathful manifestations of enraged Air Elementals. Those caught within their swirling mists are stricken with profound anemia and exhaustion, as if suffering severe blood loss, despite bearing no visible wounds or injuries.

Greatly feared by airship crews, these storms have an ominous reputation for deliberately altering their paths to envelop airborne vessels. Once caught, escape is rare, as the Cloud Blight relentlessly holds its prey, draining life until all aboard succumb to its relentless grasp.

Mist Maelstroms are revered and worshipped by the Khalruka.

Unknown to all but the Archmagus of the Collegium, the Mist Maelstroms are not a natural phenomenon but the lingering aftermath of a catastrophic spell. During the infamous Hivedrax Onslaught, when the hornet-like Hivedrax of the The Hollows in the Shadowreach waged a brutal war against the defenders of Wretinridge, desperate measures were taken to ensure the city's survival. Wizards and sorcerers gathered, setting aside their rivalries to weave a colossal spell aimed at obliterating the nearby Hivedrax hives.

This apocalyptic casting, now known as 'The Conjuring', summoned the Mist Maelstrom—a storm of immense magical fury which annihilated the Hivedrax forces and forced the swarm to retreat. The casters were cheered as the saviors of the city. The prolonged war ended, but at dire cost. The spell, once unleashed, could not be controlled. It continues to churn across the Veil, multiplying, disrupting shipping, at times sweeping across land like a hurricane.

The Conjuring not only saved Wretinridge, but also laid the foundation and set the political landscape for the emergence of The Collegium and the construction of its wondrous Spires.