Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 flindbar Jan 29, 2004 3:25:39	Hi folks. A quick question which will probably sound a little stupid ....but ... If the cerulean storm is just a massive rainstorm would it not be inadvertently healing athas, or at least a part of it by its mere existance ? Ok, I know its a magical storm, but hey, rain is rain, it has to go somewhere ? Is there a massive lake (or even sea?) speading out from under it or is it more of a cyclical deal? ie what is thrown out by the storm is reabsorbed back to power the storm itself. It kicks out the Tyr storms every so often, which violent as they may be, whip across the tablelands depositing, yep, more water. It seems to me the perfect ironic torture for Tithian and Rajaat, that the cerulean storm was healing athas, albeit very gradually,
#2 korvar Jan 29, 2004 6:03:23	Possibly. In the long term, I think it could be made into something good for Athas. I'd like it to be something that, short term, and without the PC's involvement, will be harmful. Certainly the ecology of Athas would initially be unable to deal with the influx of water, even without the terrible violence of the storms. The ecosystem would need time to adapt. It could also cause bad side effect, short-term. The sequence could be: Tyr Storm deposits a lot of water - more than the local ecosystem can cope with Lots of plants and animals sproud and die (as deserts bloom after the rains) Vermin - the Athasian equivalent of rats and flies - congregate in large numbers to feast on the rotting remains of the temporary abundance The swarm of vermin then rampage through the countryside looking for more food. And darn if the PC's favorite village doesn't just happen to be in the way. Then there's the possibility of Evil Sorcerer Kings trying to take over newly fertile areas for expansion and/or Defiling fuel. Some ikky Pristine Tower Beastie that wouldn't be able to survive in Athas can now survive in the areas doused by the Tyr Storms, and wreaks havok. And so on and so on...
#3 korvar Jan 29, 2004 6:04:46	Okay, I'm replying to my own post, but... Isn't it interesting that Athas has basically been unchanging for 2+ millenia after the end of the Cleansing Wars, but now, less than two decades since the death of Kalak, there is nothing but change? From Stasis to Chaos...
#4 zombiegleemax Jan 29, 2004 7:41:55	but now, less than two decades since the death of Kalak, there is nothing but change? Yup. Adventurers. Give 'em an inch, and they'll take a mile. Alot of people tend to not like change in their campaign settings. The nice thing about Athas is that (and this is likely not intentional) you can easily control exactly which kinds of changes have occured, without mucking up the rest of the setting. If the cerulean storm is just a massive rainstorm would it not be inadvertently healing athas, or at least a part of it by its mere existance ? The frequency of Tyr Storms isn't quite enough to cause any kind of even long term changes. Most areas past the Mekillot Mnts have yet to experience any storms at all. I think the spin off (and I may be wrong since I've no idea where the source is) is about one storm every 3-4 weeks that heads out in the direction of the Tablelands. They're also mentioned as being small and quite localized. They hit hard and fast, lasting less than an hour or two. The devestation is due far more to the lightning and tremendous winds than from the actual rainfall, which may be quite small. The tablelands do experience rain; some areas perhaps once every ten years, so its not unlikely that the amount of actual water comming to the Tyr region has increased by anything but a marginal amount.
#5 jihun-nish Jan 29, 2004 20:54:01	Mach2.5, your probably right about the tyr storms but what about the cerulean storm itself?? If I recall correctly,the storm is,slowly but inexorably expanding(or at least nearing) the Tyr region. So maybe not in the near future. But one day athasians will find their silt sea refilled(from 2000 years past) with water. The following is mere speculation from my part, but I like to dream that a new age is approching which would be a cross between the Blue and The Green Age.(This is merely because I'd like the Rhul-thaun to re-establish their Rhulistic glory.) Rajaat is the essence of this storm(I know Tithian's soul(or what ever) is linked to it but I assume he doesn't play any major role it the storm itself. That said, we all know the primary action the first sorcerer wanted to do following his freedom: to destroy the 2000 year old betrayers. And we all know what goal Rajaat gave himself: the reason for the Cleansing War.(to return Athas to a new Blue Age and the glory of the Halflings--Rhul-thauns-- So my guess is the Celurean Storm was created by Rajaat(in its last free actions) for a precise purpose: to destroy all the city-states and in the same *process*, redreate a water world(at least try) Anyway I leave the rest for your own imagination thus your futur post on the subject. Now to be more realistic, I think the silt sea and beyond(Its shore near the pristine tower) will become a vast sea before the magic storm cease to exist. (either by some PC's involvement or self consume, which I doubt the later)
#6 dawnstealer Jan 29, 2004 21:09:41	Also keep in mind without a lot of root structures keeping the water in place, you're basically just going to get mud. Desert plants tend to drown very quickly, topsoil is washed away. Bad things happen to deserts during heavy downpours. Even so, if it were to rain for a very long time, it's possible the sunrise sea could be reborn. If there's one thing Athas does well is it adapts to change.
#7 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Jan 29, 2004 22:14:25	There's one other thing to realize when it comes to rain in a desert. The ground in a desert tends to be very (very) dry, and in many places, quite hard. This does make deserts actually rather resistant to rainfall, as the ground doesn't absorb as much as it would have if it was more damp. One of the usual results of this is flash flooding, which can be just as destructive as a tornado in places. I've always figured that would be one of the threats that a Tyr Storm brings. Now, the Cerulean Storm, itself, is mainly raining on the former Valley of Dust and Fire region, and with the open volcanic vents there, I'd say it's possibly a very deadly area, what with the rather hot rain turning into steam, with the rinse, wash, repeat process between the two. In the Sea of Silt, I'd say there is probably a....very big muddy spot that is slowly spreading. Or maybe not. I have seen in the desert before, that if the conditions are right, it can actually rain, and the drops never make it to the ground, instead evaporating (sometimes merely inches) above it. I've always considered the Cerulean Storm as actually being a scalding, hot rain, that isn't soothing, but actually could do significant damage to those within it.
#8 nytcrawlr Jan 29, 2004 22:34:57	I can't remember, but does the storm come close to the vanishing lake area? If so, I bet this sucker is a major mud hole now, especially since it was decreasing in size slowly over the years.
#9 zombiegleemax Jan 29, 2004 23:42:17	If I recall correctly,the storm is,slowly but inexorably expanding(or at least nearing) the Tyr region I hate it when I miss the most painfully obvious. I hadn't even thought much about the actual Cerulean Storm itself :D I would think that eventually the storm would be able to cool and solidify the open magma, creating a huge expanse of obsidian (don't forget that the entire field would then function as the Dark Lens to anyone who can manage to find a way to survive there). If the lava ever cooled, the region might very well be one heck of a war zone for that very reason. Depending on the amount of rain the storm itself drops, it may over time begin to turn the silt sea into a huge expanse of mud, which would compact the silt down and lower the overall height of the Silt Sea itself. You'd have clifs leading into the silt sea rather than a normal shoreline (from the drop off points of the land). I can't remember, but does the storm come close to the vanishing lake area? Nope. The vanishing lake is much farther to the south and west of the Cerulean Storm itself. A few spin off Tyr storms might help the lake out a bit though, much to the dismay of those that live near there.
#10 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Jan 30, 2004 1:14:24	Originally posted by Mach2.5 Depending on the amount of rain the storm itself drops, it may over time begin to turn the silt sea into a huge expanse of mud, which would compact the silt down and lower the overall height of the Silt Sea itself. You'd have clifs leading into the silt sea rather than a normal shoreline (from the drop off points of the land). Wouldn't it be called the Mud Sea after that?
#11 Kamelion Jan 30, 2004 2:43:09	The following is mere speculation from my part, but I like to dream that a new age is approching which would be a cross between the Blue and The Green Age.(This is merely because I'd like the Rhul-thaun to re-establish their Rhulistic glory.) Well, there is that quote from the inside cover of "Mystery of the Ancients" adventure from the DS2 boxed set: "In the fourth age rhulisti shall return. The gray age becomes the blue age and the wanderer shall return". It's all in capitals, so we can only guess at what the returning wanderer is. I doubt it's the Wanderer who writes the chronicles and am split between thinking it's Rahn Thes Onel or that planet-killing comet spaceship thing.
#12 zombiegleemax Jan 30, 2004 4:19:22	Dregoth wanders the planes. Going on hints from Nyt's random talkings of DA, Dregoth does something in the Pristine Tower. Possible he actally uses it to do something very drastic, along the lines of actually using the tower, powered by the sun, to make some big changes. Or maybe he just uses it to rejuvenate himself. I dunno. Back to the storm, something to remember is that Ur Draxa is essentially a giant stone bowl. The gates on the outer wall, if I recall correctly, are psionic ones that phase solid rock plugs in and out, right? Going on the prism pentad, only the inner sanctum wall was destroyed. The city probably is filling like a cereal bowl, ever so slowly. The rain raises the water level, with nowhere to escape from the city. eventually it would be entirely full (which would make for an interesting and very large lake), and start spilling over the sides. Not that this brings anything worthwhile to the discussion beyond something interesting, but, ya know . . . So what form does the storm take, you think? Just a huge rainstorm, or is it more like a stationary hurricane? Because if it's the latter, Ur Draxa would be in the eye, correct? And if that's the case, it could theoretically sill be essentially fine, beyond some damages from Rajaat's return. Canon would suggest otherwise though, wouldn't it? On the other hand, only RaFoaDK actually says the city is getting rainfall like mad, isn't it? PP5 only has the charcters standing outside the city while it's raining, right? So there might yet be a crazy city full of Draxans in there. What's a sorcerer-monarch to do, with the jewel of athas sitting there doing nothing? i'm sick, tired, sleepless, and not thnking clearly. time to jet. nick
#13 flindbar Jan 30, 2004 5:44:21	Well that has answered quite a few questions for me. (and stirred up a whole raft of new ones !) Thanks to all for answering. IMHO :- The cerulean storm will be rejuvinating athas, albeit in a very slow fashion. I love the idea that Ur Draxa may be sat in the centre (eye of hurricane theory)
#14 jon_oracle_of_athas Jan 30, 2004 7:55:01	If Tithian gets his way, the storm will be dissolved and he will be released. So much for the environment...
#15 zombiegleemax Jan 30, 2004 11:14:49	I was under the impression (the draj adventure?) that even if Tithian were released, the storm would continueo to rage without him, as he does not power it, but was merely trapped within and melded with the storm. Whispers said that, right? nik
#16 nytcrawlr Jan 30, 2004 13:49:56	Originally posted by Cap'n Nick I was under the impression (the draj adventure?) that even if Tithian were released, the storm would continueo to rage without him, as he does not power it, but was merely trapped within and melded with the storm. Whispers said that, right? nik PP5 said that too if I'm not mistaken.
#17 nytcrawlr Jan 30, 2004 13:51:06	Originally posted by Cap'n Nick Dregoth wanders the planes. Going on hints from Nyt's random talkings of DA, Dregoth does something in the Pristine Tower. Possible he actally uses it to do something very drastic, along the lines of actually using the tower, powered by the sun, to make some big changes. Or maybe he just uses it to rejuvenate himself. I dunno. Very drastic yes. Uses the Pristine Tower, yes. Very big changes, yes. Remember his whole "wanting to be a god" complex and take it from there. ;)
#18 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Jan 30, 2004 14:33:09	Well, darnit.... now I want to see Dregoth Ascending. Hurry up with it athas.org team!
#19 jon_oracle_of_athas Jan 31, 2004 22:23:37	Cap'n Nick, you're correct in that the storm would not be dissolved by the ritual in Whispers. I answered that one a bit too fast.