Eclipse Storm (ih-KLIPS STORM)

Eclipse Storms. A dance of destruction and creation. The greatest storms ever to touch the lands. One either respects their might, or are consumed by it.

- Sagecaster Friwind, Eldermage of the Gray Company

There are storms, typhoons, and tornadoes. But those pale compared to the celestial spectacle of an Eclipse Storm. These tempests are randomly given birth by a full eclipse of Summerdark’s sun, three moons, all four in alignment, or the rarest of all, an eclipse that aligns with one of the mysterious, seasonal Sunstars.

The storms mark their presence with raw celestial fury, ripping the very sky and heavens open with burning hail, rain, and bolts of enchanted lightning. This searing blue-white energy of raw, unfocused power reshapes the land. It batters the ground with a mythical fury that floats boulders and even transforms the very stones into glowing minerals.

Such storms give birth to the elusive Eclipse Embers. Those fragments of these storms that are condensed and captured inside transformed rock. The creation process is anything but tranquil. Accompanied by torrential rain and fierce winds, Eclipse Storms embody the essence of raw, unchained elemental power. Events that create an environment where only the bravest, or most desperate, dare to tread.

These storms appear at random mountain locations and last for hours. Afterwards, these once rocky regions are left as an ethereal landscape. A land renewed, yet changed to something far different from it was before.

An Eclipse Storm by CB Ash *

Type

Metaphysical Triune (Elemental, Arcane, Divine)

Related Items

Eclipse Embers

But the storm’s power chaos of lightning, rain and more, doesn’t just create the precious Eclipse Embers. They can be a threat to life itself. One strike has the arcane power to maim, kill, or trigger a mystical transformation in survivors. A transformation that potentially binds them to one of the primordial elements. The victim may find themselves as a half-elemental, caught between their original form and the elemental force they now embody.

Interpretation of an Eclipse Storm

Caught in an Eclipse Storm by CB Ash *

The Free Peoples of Summerdark view these storms in different ways. For some, an Eclipse Storm is a physical manifestation of the Ethereons, the great Celestial Powers that first shaped the world. Some cultures focus on their reverence for one particular Ethereon over others. Elsewhere, others choose not to limit their reverence but embrace that the storms from all the Ethereons. In either case, the storm is a holy event. A touch from the divine that must be respected and honored.

But for some, these storms herald doom. Their arrival is a harbinger of disastrous events or great upheavals that could reshape the world. These cultures view the storms with fear and awe while they try to prepare for the calamity it may bring.

Then there are some who view these storms through a lens of opportunity, rather than divine intervention or impending doom. These individuals are called Eclipse Runners. Fortune-seekers who dare chase these destructive tempests. Using detailed records, they try to predict where the next Eclipse Storm will manifest. They are daring individuals who risk life and limb, hoping to be the first to arrive where fresh Eclipse Embers are born. All for the chance to profit off collecting those powerful artifacts.

Reality of an Eclipse Storm

While the interpretations of these storms vary, the threat posed by an Eclipse Storm is indisputable. Every element of the storm poses a grave risk.

Powerful winds stir loose sand to polish stones as bright as gems. Torrential rain could be a warm downpour, but might also freeze a victim where they stand or boil them alive. Deadly lightning shatter rock and cause boulders to fly, turning both into lethal islands or projectiles of glowing stone. Unless they strike living creatures, which then the results turn more lethal. These celestial tempests alter landscapes, obliterate settlements, and take lives with impunity.

Surviving an Eclipse Storm requires more than just courage, dexterity, and planning. It requires a respect for the unchained celestial forces at play and a willingness to face them head-on. No matter if driven by belief, fear, greed, or curiosity, those who brave the storms must tread lightly. They are dancing in a storm spun by the Ethereons themselves, that can both fortune and ruin to the dancers.

Full Eclipse Storm by CB Ash *

An Eclipse Storm is a deadly dance of nature and magic. It’s a maelstrom to fear, but it’s also a crucible of wonders too profound to ignore.

- Danrion Uave, Herbalist of the Embermyst Fellowship