Flow storms

Flow storms were the magical equivalent of hurricanes, the result of severe imbalances in the flows of essence. These were caused by backlashes of excessive power, including collapsing portals and celestial alignments. Though there could be idiosyncratic, strange effects unique to any given storm, they typically had severe winds and elemental disturbances. They would often cause random portals to form in uncontrolled fashion, whether unstable voids or shimmering tears in the fabric of reality. If they were to anchor on a powerful source of energy, they had the potential to swell up to great sizes, potentially becoming permanent rather than dissipating over weeks or months.

They were extremely dangerous for anyone attuned to the essence. There was even an archaic story of Kai and V'tull being blasted apart from each other by a flow storm during the Wars of Dominion. Sheru was forced to retreat because of the storm caused by the Estrion incident. Flow storms were primarily an I.C.E. Age concept, at least in their most unbridled form.

Due to the instability of the flows of essence, magic would become unreliable at best. The effects of a spell would be greatly reduced or severely amplified, or misfire, or result in a completely different spell entirely. The availability of mana would fluctuate wildly. It was possible for spells to be ripped off or dispelled, as well, which is an effect that still happens under the lingering "mana storm" over Darkstone Castle. When flow storms traveled below ground or through mountains, they were also known to cause earthquakes and volcanic upheaval. Whatever rifts or tears in the veil resulting from a storm could lead to the demonic having access to the world.

Examples of Flow Storms

• Darkstone Castle (anchored by unstable portal)
• Obsidian Tower (anchored by crystal sphere, using Estrion's Staff)
• Drake's Shrine (anchored by Eye of the Drake, no longer present)
• Melgorehn's Reach (Althedeus incident, portal/planar in nature)
• Felstorms (Teras Isle, Maelstrom Bay incident)
• Planar Intersections (DragonRealms phenomenon; The Confluence)
• Energy Maelstrom (Spell 710)

Background Effects

The following are excerpts that illustrate some of the properties of mana storms as they have existed in GemStone IV.

Darkstone Castle

The lingering "mana storm" over Darkstone Castle was caused as a backlash by the attempt of Estrion to open an unholy gate to Charon (Lornon) so that Scalu (Sheru) could freely walk the earth, unhindered by the usual restrictions on deity avatar presence in the I.C.E. Age source material. These storm effects exhibit some of the classic "greater essence focus" symptoms.

Dark flames arc toward the ground, their frightening, reddish-gold glow throbbing with unspeakable power!

All around you, the sound of bells pealing wildly assaults the quiet.

The ground undulates beneath your feet for several seconds.

Horrified screams suddenly pierce the air, as every soul ever claimed by the demonic seems to rip the very fabric of your sanity with their agony.

High above the old castle, a gaunt figure appears, extending his long arms toward the skies in a gesture of summoning.

The clouds overhead converge, and the strange spirit is engulfed in flame, leaving no trace but insane cackling that lingers for several moments afterward.

A bolt of pure red light suddenly arcs down from the sky to bathe everyone and everything in an evil, bloody glow.

The air around you flashes with an intense, pale blue light!

For an instant, the whole world seems blanketed in darkness as the clouds thicken and swirl outward, like some malignant tumor eating away at the light.

Leaves, pebbles, and bits of soil pelt your forehead as a hot whirlwind pops up nearby!

Thundering blasts of heat explode all around you!

Bolts of lightning from the everpresent cloud overhead streak downward, lacing the air with delicate webs of energy.

Suddenly there is a faint tingling sensation that seems to course through your body, you feel as if the energy surrounding you is weakening slightly. The [defensive spell] fades from around you.

Bilious green fingers of energy streak toward the ground!

The scent of ozone rains down from the sky in a thick wave of darkness that stings your eyes and leaves you gasping for breath.

Breath of Luukos

The "Felstorm" called the "breath of Luukos" was an unending "unnatural tempest" anchored off Teras Isle, which has souls trapped within it and was expanded toward River's Rest in 5112 Modern Era. Luukosians used it to rain foul creatures and abominations from the sky.

[Wind Tunnel]
The wind speaks with a passionate voice, the voice of the damned souls that have been borne here from the swirling storm off-shore. Throughout the years the unnatural tempest has been known by many names. Sailors call it the Felstorm, or simply "the Squall", and you remember a mendicant preacher once mumbling something about "...the breath! The foul breath of Luukos..."
Obvious exits: east, west

[Dark Palisade, Fissure]
Black volcanic rocks rise abruptly from the sea forming a wall against the furious tide. To the east, malignant clouds blot the horizon in a roiling storm front. Several fissures split the dark rock nearby, one looks as if it is dormant. The largest spits an almost constant geyser of boiling steam and black ash.
Obvious exits: north

Melgorehn's Reach

The extreme power nexus that resulted from the artifice of Melgorehn's Reach also caused a planar vulnerability which allowed the Cross Into Shadows story arc. In the final struggle with Althedeus there were effects that could arguably be called a mana storm, beyond the blood rain that had been happening for months prior to his defeat. The disturbances in this case were temporal, with visions of the past and adventurers chasing Althedeus through time. The following may be significantly incomplete, and took place late into 10 Lormesta of 5115 Modern Era.

Instabilities Around Town

Dark, chilling laughter echoes across the sky like a powerful thunderclap.

Stars begin to blink out of existance, overtaken by large forms approaching in the distance.

Streams of crimson bleed across the sky like jagged, dripping wounds

A flash of crimson light flares in the distance. (these effects were probably Walkar's armor)

Airships soar into view over Wehnimer's Landing, crimson lightning crackling around them as golems fall from the sky along South Ring Road!

Shadows writhe and flicker along the ground. The shrieks and moans of those long dead resound around the exterior of Wehnimer's Landing!

The air bends and shimmers, odd sounds popping and humming in the distance. Colors bleed away all around you and you feel a brief, but powerful sense of vertigo as your surroundings shift. (random teleportation effect)

A low rumble echoes through the room making your hair stand on end. A single point of light flickers to life in the center of the room moments before erupting into a massive swirling vortex! (random temporal rift effect)

Slowly, Lake Eonak shifts to black like living, writhing shadows. The stars reflected in its once smooth surface bleed away.

A shadowy, bone-chilling haze settles over Wehnimer's Landing, flashes of crimson lightning arc within it as the moan of the undead echo around you!

Shadows bleed through the night sky, suffocating the stars. Around Melgorehn's Reach, a crown of shadows slowly forms.

The stars begin to fade in the sky as it darkens, blood dripping from the air. The stars soon return, glowing fiery red like a black banner filled with a thousand glowing crimson eyes.

The shadows spread across Lake Eonak begin to bubble and twist.

The shadows of Lake Eonak begin to slowly dry up, visibly shrinking..

The shadows of Lake Eonak shrink further and further.......

The last of the shadows of Lake Eonak close up, returning the waters to normal, cutting off those who had traveled beyond.

Under Melgorehn's Reach

Temporal Instability

Colors bleed away all around you and you feel a brief, but powerful sense of vertigo as your surroundings shift.
[The Reach, Ravine's Edge]
Far above, the stone bridge is almost entirely concealed by a thick cloud of ethereal smoke that swirls along the jagged outcropping inside the ravine. Likewise, far below, tendrils of ethereal smoke coil about like ghostly ribbons, accompanied by the faint cacophony of a thousand voices. Further into the depth of the gully is almost complete and utter darkness.
Obvious paths: none

The air bends and shimmers, odd sounds popping and humming in the distance. Colors bleed away all around you and you feel a brief, but powerful sense of vertigo as your surroundings shift.
[Beneath the Reach]
Far beneath Melgorehn's Reach, a huge earthen cavern expands out, its jagged walls hugged by shadows and shaped like a giant bowl emptying out into a wide tunnel that declines sharply. The air is chilled and hums with a powerful, ever-constant energy. Throughout the darkness, lengths of ghostly white smoke twist and coil, like the moving bodies of ethereal eels. Along the ceiling of the cavern, a network of glistening black roots spreads out like webbing, steady droplets of blood falling from them.
Obvious paths: down

A ripple of heated air begins to waver in midair, emitting waves of heat throughout the area. Soon, a jagged crimson line begins to form in the center of the disturbance, extending both vertically and horizontally, the line begins to rip a tear in reality. Within moments, a blood-covered large silver eyeball emerges from the newly formed opening and when it is clear, the tear shuts rapidly behind it.

The air grows warm and ethereal lights drift through the area like ghostly white smoke. Among the pale mist, images form and shift, first depicting a vast stretch of dunes swirling with sand, a small band of black-veiled tehir moving across them, and then next to a swath of a night sky as a bright green star falls.

The air grows warm and ethereal lights drift through the area like ghostly white smoke. Among the pale mist, images form and shift, first depicting a sky filled with ancient Drakes, their fiery breaths pouring out to burn a gnarled black Ur'Daemon that floats through the air like a giant squid, and then next an Ashrim ship gently floating on the waves as fires rage on the distant land.

The air grows warm and ethereal lights drift through the area like ghostly white smoke. Among the pale mist, images form and shift, first depicting a fleet of krolvin warships maneuvering through a network of jagged icy islands, and then next a cloud of ash erupting from a huge volcano as the sky above it goes dark.

The air grows warm as a myriad of voices echo through the area. Faces and images flash across the walls in flittering moments, some full of war and ruin, others filled with places of beauty and peace.

[Beneath the Reach, Tunnel]
The tunnel declines more sharply now, curving at a dangerous angle, and the walls continually shift. Ethereal white energy coils through the air, curling up like the pale smoke of a candle. At the end of the tunnel, a nest of glistening black roots spread out like a bed of shadows, each one twisting off into the distance and disappearing into the darkness. You also see a shifting portal of silvery light. Obvious paths: up

The air grows warm and ethereal lights drift through the area like ghostly white smoke. Among the pale mist, images form and shift, first depicting a port town being lost beneath a huge watery tide, and then next a mountain filled with the clans of dwarves and giants, both races locked in a ferocious battle.

The air grows warm and ethereal lights drift through the area like ghostly white smoke. Among the pale mist, images form and shift, first depicting an ancient battle of elven armies clashing with hordes of undead, and then next a sky filled with airships and stained the color of blood.

The air grows warm and ethereal lights drift through the area like ghostly white smoke. Among the pale mist, images form and shift, first depicting a trio of Nalfein elves wading into a swarm of imperial soldiers, their swords dancing as they move about, and then next to a glowing white sword shattering into four pieces.

A whirling snowstorm approaches you from a distance. As it gets closer it becomes evident that the snowstorm is really a spirit. Tiny hailstones drop from the core of the spirit and fall to the ground in a pattern that spells out the name "Jodeco." * Jodeco just bit the dust! (note: he was somewhere else, not in the room)

The air shimmers, and for a brief moment you see: Flashing against the battered sky, crimson streaks of lightning illuminate the area briefly with a ruddy haze. The barren countenance of the landscape becomes even more so here, stretching out flat and unblemished by anything larger than the small stones found here and there. An ever-constant tremble runs through the ground underfoot, subtle but unrelenting.

The air shimmers, and for a brief moment you see....Lord Nottinghamm, Xanith, Anru, Roblar, Morgahan, Puptilian, Shimmerain, Czeska, Durakar, Hadya, Jeg, Grand Lord Raincail, Vault Guardian Fyrentennimar, Yinh, Lady Aeavenne, Cruxophim, Vohndolarr, Anyauma, Sarvia, Grand Lord Masrath, High Lady Evia, Bellaja, Rtune, Qistra, Lord Balantine, Kembal, Ta'la'hai Azimar, Eshielle, Sepher, Jaqen, Archales, Lady Lylia, Alasatia, Laelithonel. (note: glimpse of shadow plane)

The air shimmers and for a brief moment you see....In the distance sky, dark clouds form, pooling together, beads of crimson light forming with them like a host of glowing eyes. The shadows descend slowly....

High above Wehnimer's Landing a burst of fiery-orange light erupts in the sky, radiating outward and shining with intensity. The searing glow lingers in the air for a few moments before fading away. Suddenly militiamen take to the streets, rushing off in different directions as orders are shouted out amongst them.

You step into the shifting portal of silvery light and all colors fade around you, blending and blurring as you feel yourself being torn in multiple directions. Suddenly, your surroundings change.

[Shifting Cavern]
The walls of the cavern are more crystal than rock, their glass-like surfaces in a constant state of shifting, each one reflecting a myriad of images and hues. Hushed voices echo through the chamber like a dissonance of sounds, and wisps of ethereal light curl and bend in the chilled air.
Obvious paths: none

The air bends and shimmers, odd sounds popping and humming in the distance. Colors bleed away all around you and you feel a brief, but powerful sense of vertigo as your surroundings shift.

[Beneath the Reach, Nexus]
The air bends and shimmers, odd sounds popping and humming in the distance. The cavern is huge, surrounded by smooth polished rock walls that constantly shift between shades of light and dark. Descending from the tunnel above, blood drips like a steady rain, covering the entire earthen floor in a pool of crimson.
Also here: Madelyne, Elithain
Obvious paths: none

Shadows and Elithain Cross

Shadows begin to slowly seep in through shimmering pockets in the air, twisting and coiling like black ribbons.

Ribbons of shadows infuse into the air, swirling about like ink in water.

A thousand voices echo across the chamber and some of the walls go black, completely engulfed by shadows.

The ground beneath you violently shakes and rumbles causing you to fall down!

Madelyne goes to move forward, trying to lower herself to your mercy, when tendrils of shadows bleed through the air, snaking around her head, throat, torso, arms and legs. With a ear-piercing cry, Madelyne's voice echoes on the air and a pale ethereal specter, her blurry form appearing like Madelyne, rises from the urnon golem and is pulled into a shimmering pocket of air.

Madelyne grins coldly, her eyes reflecting no emotion. (golem possessed now by Elithain)

Narrow bands of shadowy energy bleed in through the walls, twisting and bending to attach to the back of Madelyne, (what was once her) back.

The urnon golem, still somewhat resembling Madelyne, stands near motionless, as shadows continue to fill the chamber around you.

A voice can be heard faintly in the distance, resembling Aralyte's at first. Her voice, alien and beautiful pierces your mind, "Ledo patan rena tilnak tenek klaloc de lenath!" (Ithzir language)

The room begins to pool with shadows, Madelyne's form begin to slowly shift. Silence suffocates the air for a moment.

The silence of the shadows is pierced by a melodic voice resonating all around you, "Leneth da roh klaneo cra heef, leneth da roh klaneo cra heef, leneth da roh klaneo cra heef."

Suddenly, a tendril of shadows snaps off of the golem's back, recoiling into oblivion.

A gnarled, demonic growl echoes through the chamber. More shadowy tendrils leap forward, grasping onto the golem.

Another tendril shatters, breaking apart.

Like a tapestry of shadows being slowly unraveled, the threads of darkness go taut, fighting, resisting, trying to pull back. A dark, cold voice rumbles across the broken and bleak realm, "You are weak... you are powerless... you are..."

A soft voice echoes, "Undone."

The shadows swirl about the chamber, some desperately grasping at the urnon golem.

Voices, many familiar to you, echo throughout the chamber of time, "Undone...."

Through the shimmering air you see....Aralyte's eyes shatter like glass, tiny shards of feystones scattering and dissolving away. The four shadowy tendrils pull tight one last time and a loud, painful, and harsh growl resounds all around you. The threads of darkness split, each one torn from the others, and each one dissolving into the distance as the demonic growl fades to silence.

Suddenly, the air grows warmer, the chill fleeting. The walls fade from black, to grey, to white, to nearly like glass. Shadow tendrils thrash around the golem...some limp, some writhing, some reaching....grasping...

The shimmering veil between the nexus and the shadows beyond thins and fades, the tendrils of shadows severed in half.

The coils of shadows try to wrap around the urnon golem, trying to survive...trying to make contact....

As the shadows reach out to the urnon golem, the structure of the golem shifts slightly, turning various shades of black...and the metal stops moving.

Shadows twist, trying to burrow into the urnon golem, and the metal appears vulnerable.

With nothing left to grasp, nothing left to contain it, nothing left to give it life....the last of the shadowy tendrils falls flat, slowly wilting and crumbling away.

Blood Rain (generic weather at the time)

Blood trickles down from the grey skies.

A sudden gust blows the bloodrain at you in a stinging attack.

Sanguine rain soaks the area.

Dark droplets of blood rain from the grey skies.

Puddles of blood form along the ground as the blood rain continues.

The sky is stained crimson as the blood rains down from the heavens.

Blood oozes from the clouds high above, as if the very sky is bleeding.

>look up
Blood rain completely obscures the sky.

Melgorehn's Reach Summit (its usual "unnatural" clouding effect)

[Melgorehn's Reach, Lift Apex]
You are on a small shelf on the face of the mountain, very near its summit. The air is terribly misty and above you lurks the bottom of a cloud, looking strangely unnatural this near. The view of the lands below is spectacular and frightening at the same time. The side of the mountain from this point up is completely hidden behind an opaque wall of fog descending in plumes from the cloud above. You also see a wooden cab which is riding the wooden trellis and is presently parked at the level of the ledge allowing easy entry.
Obvious paths: none

(inside)

Suddenly a beam of moon light peeks through several tiny holes in the intricate ceiling and converges in a star pattern upon the altar. The light carries with it a strange shearing sound. The onyx of the altar begins to glow faintly blue.

Suddenly the moonbeam ceases and with it the strange shearing noise it made. The altar's blue glow fades back to black onyx.

Elemental Confluence

The Elemental Confluence was an enormous nexus of the prime elemental planes that traveled through space, devastating Bre'Naere by grazing it and almost colliding with Elanthia in 5115 Modern Era. As the Confluence approached, there were "elemental disturbances" that were characteristic effects of flow storms, except that they were slowly developing over weeks given the magnitude but distance of the source. There were early reports of mana fluctuations and random rifting, and a stated risk of elemental magic becoming unstable. Mostly, there were elemental invasions, breaches into our plane of existence. When Alusius betrayed us by anchoring the Confluence to Elanthia, the planar intersection ripped open unhealing tears in the fabric of reality across the world. These points of elemental instability were quasi-permanent portals to the nexus. Flow storms from space were prevented by the Eyes of Utha in Shadow World, whose analog in Elanthia was destroyed in the Vvrael incident.

There was severely atypical weather for given regions, other than the more obviously magical effects. Raining in Icemule Trace in the winter, for example, but snowing on Teras Isle. There were invasions of what turned out to be native elementals of the Confluence, but also other elementally attuned monsters such as ice spiders. Companion creatures were observed anticipating weather effects shortly before they happened.

Common Weather Effects (1x/hour)

Beads of water form along the ground and slowly spread out like a blanket of tiny bubbles. One by one, the watery globules dissolve without a trace.

Puddles of water form briefly along the ground, but are quickly sucked back into the earth.

A rapid and drastic change in air pressure forces your ears to pop.

Sliver-sized cavities open like mouths in the ground beneath you, the rigid earth undulating with a slow, reverberating hum. Thread-like wisps of steam escape each breach and curl upward. The tiny openings quickly fold over and vanish.

A wave of shimmering heat ripples through the area, temporarily causing the air to grow hot and stagnant, to the point of near suffocation. A moment later the environment returns to normal.

A small funnel appears in midair, churning and twisting as it briefly expands before blinking out of existence.

The faintest of tremors resonates through the ground.

Low rumbles echo in the distance as green-yellow arcs converge overhead, crashing together in an electrifying display. Luminous sparks plunge to the ground and crackle just before sizzling out.

*CRACK*! A bolt of incandescent blue lightning abruptly leaps down from the sky, slamming into the ground nearby.

Uncommon Effects (concurrent with less unusual weather effects)

From the west, a high-pitched whistle rings out, echoing in intensity as the sky lights up with a bright crimson hue, indicative of burning embers in a raging inferno. A large meteor shoots across the sky and explodes with a clamorous clash!

The sky is filled with a blanket of low clouds, pale and unmoving. Sounds seem muffled and the air feels thick and takes on a quiet stillness.

A small thread of silver-white energy crackles into existence, twisting briefly like an angry serpent before fizzling away.

A vibrant red-orange fireball streaks across the heavens, landing somewhere in the distant landscape with a tremendous burst of flying sparks and embers.

A blast of frigid air surges past, chilling you to the bone.

A funnel of wind coils around you, gradually strangling the air from your lungs. You start to gasp for air, but the wind dies down, and you are able to breathe once again.

High above Wehnimer's Landing a burst of fiery-orange light erupts in the sky, radiating outward and shining with intensity. The searing glow lingers in the air for a few moments before fading away.

Large dark clouds suddenly swirl together over the Bay, only to be scattered apart by a torrent of strong winds a moment later.

Birds erupt from the trees of the Lower Dragonsclaw, taking flight into the sky. The air around them suddenly bends and the birds blink out of existance.

Streaks of red, yellow and azure lightning streaks throug the sky!

Dark red and orange hues bleed across the sky.

Dark red and azure lights bleed across the sky above the Lower Dragonsclaw.

Snowflakes continue to fall heavily from the sky, a huge pile of snow forming along the southern edge of the Lower Dragonsclaw forest. (note: snowing in a lightning storm)

More piles of snow begin to form along the streets of Wehnimer's Landing, expanding before collapsing as swarms of ice spiders break free.

Tornado

A blinding flash of lightning is quickly followed by a low rumble of thunder.

Small funnels begin to coil down from the storm cloud over head, like twisting shadowy columns as powerful winds rush through the area.

A heavy drizzle trickles down from the grey skies.

Roaring wind rushes past you, forcing the pelting rain to sting your skin.

From the storm cloud above, Evialla is tossed out and goes free falling to the ground!

Sheets of heavy rain drown you in an unrelenting curtain of water.

The sky is full of rain-sodden clouds.

Trees are uprooted along Upper Trollfang, some tossed about wildly, while others are torn to shreds before scattering in the wind like a shower of wooden shrapnel.

Quickly the black cloud overhead scatters, spreading out like a tattered shawl as the rain weakens.

Before Alusius and Aadyra Firebird Appearance

The sky begins to fill with huge clouds, dark and grey on the bottom, pale and white atop, their puffy crowns ascending toward the heavens.

A small vortex appears in the waters of Darkstone Bay, just inside the sea gate of Wehnimer's Landing.

*BOOM*! Thunder ripples across the heavens like the angry roar of a dragon, as arcs of brilliant green and yellow lightning tear through the sky!

>[people] falls to the ground!
>The ground beneath you violently shakes and rumbles!
>Roundtime: 6 sec.

The small vortex of spinning water dissipates near the North Docks, and moments later another appears in the waters below the Coastal Cliffs.

Thin jagged bolts of yellow, green, and cerulean lightning streak down from the sky along the waters of Darkstone Bay beyond the Cliffs, and small fishing vessels begin to turn, hastily tryng to return to shore.

Far out into the Bay, air and water collide and suddenly huge funnels rise up from the sea, lifting half a dozen fishing vessels with it, and propeling them into the air! The fishermen and crew flail wildly in the air, tossed aside and then engulfed by the spinning vortex within the waters.

Solhaven Incident

The sky suddenly comes alive with a brilliant display of silver lightning, each bolt dancing across the sky in all directions.

From the east, a high-pitched whistle rings out, echoing in intensity as the sky lights up with a bright crimson hue, indicative of burning embers in a raging inferno. A large meteor shoots across the sky and explodes over the Bay with a clamorous clash!

Violent winds whip in from the Bay, and a large funnel begins to form out over the waves, churning and twisting as it briefly expands before blinking out of existence.

The ground shudders violently as small jagged cracks spread out like shattered glass, finally closing back up as the tremors subside.

A web of glowing lightning burns in the sky like a dome of white netting.

The earth oddly shifts and fractures from the center outward, quickly filling the gaps just as quickly as they formed.

A flock of small birds fly overhead, soaring through the sky before they suddenly blinks out of existence, swallowed up by a bend of air surrounding them.

Hundreds of small globules of fire falls from the sky, churning with a bright glow, until they just burns up before touching ground.

*CRACK*! Bolts of incandescent blue lightning abruptly leaps down from the sky, slamming into the ground all around Solhaven.

A point of light forms in the sky, rippling and crackling, bright as the sun but much smaller. As it draws nearer, it resolves into a sweeping current of energy, red and gold in turns, chaotic in its dancing but inexorable in its motion.

The ground underfoot rumbles like a thing alive.

A flare of crackling light leaps off of the nexus of energy in the skies overhead. Thunder without sound ripples through the air, leaving silence in its wake. And then, raindrop-like percussion, as hundreds of birds begin to fall from the sky, stone dead.

The nexus of energy in the skies has grown so great, so bright that it outshines the sun, casting shifting shadows across the ground like those cast by a guttering candle.

Slowly, the ribbon of energy bisecting the sky begins to diminish, as if it is veering away.

Alusius sharply says, "No. You cannot escape from me so easily, not after I have hunted you for all of these years."

Alusius flings his free hand toward the skies, and a bolt of energy strikes toward the crackling energies above!

The crackling energies above begin drawing nearer once more at an accelerated pace!

Without warning, a solitary jolt of blue-green lightning descends from the parted clouds, making a direct connection with Aadyra. Her instantly limp cadaver is snatched into the air and fiercely thrown far off into the distance.

The very air begins to thin, growing stretched, tattered.

Rapidly developing in the heart of the sky, a whirlpool of dense blue-black clouds blots out any traces of daylight that reigned across the lands moments before.

The darkening mass churns and writhes in the heavens, finally expanding into attenuated fingers of smoke that branch outward from the formation. As the clouds dissipate, the remaining light is distorted into an eerie glow that cloaks everything in a deep violet-blue haze.

Heavy, pulsating convulsions erupt from somewhere beneath the ground, the rippling aftershocks working jagged cracks in the surface of the earth.

The sky appears to split open like the brittle shell of an egg. A breathtaking scene of silver-white lightning bolts through massive torrents of rain, wind, and airborne hailstones.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes XXXXX!
... 30 points of damage!
Arcing bolt of electricity galvanizes left leg to knee joint. Won't be using it for awhile.
XXXXX screams and falls to the ground grasping his mangled left leg!
He is stunned!
A tremendous crack of thunder follows instantly!

Glowing rents and tears shiver across the sky, spewing forth convulsing ripples of elemental energy!

The elemental calamity settles abruptly, as all of the energy is sucked out of the unfolding scene of chaos. The obtrusive sound of shifting subterranean rock accelerates underfoot, before ceasing completely with a single, final reverberating thud.

A huge XXXXX elemental bursts forth into existence!