Chaos Storms

It was when I saw the storm there, poised to topple over me, an entire mountain in its grasp, that I knew I was dead.

Fragment of papers
carried on the wind

Chaos storms are things a vast destruction. Anything can happen. You have been warned.

Origins

Chaos is a magic that is contained within the core of the planet. The storms are merely an outlet of this, escaping into the upper realms where they are less contained.

The Tomb of Earth
Author unknown

The source of chaos storms, although suspected, is not fully known. They seem to be connected with the magic of creation itself that is simply been let loose. The random effects of the chaos resemble many of the fumes that permeate the underworld and many of the chaos storms occur near areas that are high in volcanic activity. It is suspected that the lava, the earth's lifeblood, carries the chaos up from the deep and once it is no longer confined it lets loose on the planet's surface. Additionally, in the aftermath of particularly powerful earthshakers chaos storms have occurred, again hypothesizing that the chaos is being released from the deep.

by Leonardo Yip

However, it is also said that the maelstrom is composed of the chaos magic which is what makes travel to other dimensions more difficult. This could possibly explain why travel in such places is so difficult.

Locations

A Chaos storm cannot be predicted. It simply appears and everything changes.

A Captain's phrase

There are certain regions across Orlos that seem particularly susceptible to chaos storms. The Storm Surge Sea is probably the most susceptible area. The waters are a convergence of currents that create a mix of waters that, when mixed with the magmatic vents in the ocean bottom, create humungous racks of storm clouds that surge across the Alliges and Madaitas continents. Although most of the chaos is spent by the time it makes landfall, these storms are still impressive phenomena that nearly completely block travel through the sea between the continents. Only the bravest (or most foolhardy) of captains would set his vessel against these flash storms.

The Sandswept Wastes, a vast desert on Tangearin, is another place prone to chaos storms. The volcanic vents in the deserts center spark many storms that sweep through the desert. Although not as frequent as those that plague the Storm Surge Sea, these storms are more powerful and can change the topography of vast regions before the sand blows over and obscures them again.

Finally, the continent of Highdranus is another place with more frequent storms. However, the magic seems to be more dispersed here and only infrequently are large chaos storms seen, despite the levels of volcanic activity present.

Effects

It was when my shadow began to move and I followed that I realized our roles had been reversed.

Story of the storm

Anything can happen in a chaos storm. Mountains may be moved. Rock changed to glass. Rain fall upwards. Mucus spew over the land. Skin grow tentacles. The dead come back to life. Anything can happen.

It is this that sometimes draws people to the storms. Some come for just that chance to be healed. For their partner to return. To be sent back into the past to revert a deed. To find a new life. Only the odd wild story gives hope to their needs.

Additionally, it is known that there are creatures who can traverse the storm. How they survive its harsh environment is unknown; perhaps they can sense its changing winds? In any case, they are just as likely to kill you as aid you in your plight. At the very center of the storm it is said resides

by Arimel using Midjourney

the Eye of the storm. Although many legends depict this creature, few have reliability and the exact appearance of it seems to change, with the only constant feature being a single, wild, eye.

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Regions
Tangearin
Alliges
Highdranus
Strength
Varies
Appearance
Varies
Likelihood of Survival
Varies

Formed from chunks of the storm that have been crystalized, Chaos Gems are a rare and powerful resource to those who know how to handle them. To the unprepared magicians they can spell death.