Disturbances

Not many people know about disturbances. We try to keep them quiet, you see - better for our safety if we do. They don't summon Riftbeasts, so 'less you know where they are, you won't find them. But if someone does happen to know where they are, and how to use them, we have a problem on our hands.

Disturbances are sometimes termed "mini-Rifts." Produced in a similar way to their more dangerous counterparts, they are typically created when somebody with poor spellwriting ability attempts to create and use their own aggressive spellwrit in anger.

Properties

Disturbances do not produce Riftbeasts or the characteristic altered terrain that true Rifts do. Rather, they exist as presences within the natural environment surrounding them. Typically appearing as anything between a small orb and unusually isolated heat shimmer, they also do not radiate the feeling of unease that many describe feeling when in the presence of Rifts.
It is rumoured that disturbances hold the ability to give those who know how to exploit them incredibly rare and useful materials.  It's said that the Notorious Kales's first exploit involved the extraction of an object from a Disturbance, although what that object may have been nobody knows.

Secrecy

The existence of Disturbances is kept a guarded secret by the Guild of Spellwriters.  They are much more common than Rifts, and the Guild believes that should their existence get out those who do not use spellwrits overmuch would impose sanctions to prevent the proliferation of the Disturbances.  The prevailing thought is that Disturbances have no destructive potential, but the Guild does not trust others to share that view and hence the existence of Disturbances is only shared to senior spellwriters and the higher-status members of the guild.