OK, OK. Here is the quote from Sartar Rising! This is a boxed aside from
the scenario.
But do me a favor and please don't ask for details about the winterizing
effect that is mentioned. Buy the book when it's out (before Xmas we hope.)
The Whole World?
This scenario describes this catastrophe to be universal. As far anyone
here (and in your scenario) is concerned, it is in fact world wide. The
highest spiritual authorities know this because everything they can do in
this world or out says so. In fact, it's not universal. Don't confuse the
players with the truth. When you play this scenario, just say "everywhere
in the world." But here is an approximate explanation of the actual
physical effects that this huge magical event causes.
A super sized ritual has been completed, and triggered this huge effect. It is part of building the Reaching Moon Temple.
The Reaching Moon Temple near Old Temple is being built upon a new design. The whole old empire is now solidly defended by a series of Yara Aranis temples that are all strictly regulated in design, personnel and calendar. The Sartar Temple is an experiment. The designers calculated its effective radius would be close to 250 miles (instead of the mere 45 of the customary temples.) The site was carefully selected because a tremendous amount of unquantifiable energy lay beneath it (believed by dominating Lunar thinkers to be a form of raw Essence.) The designers proved that it would work to the satisfaction of many priests and bureaucrats first; then to high priests and administrators; then to the emperor himself who ordered the plan funded and implemented in 1580. Worship groups were seeded and linked to the process, and it has continued underway since then, stalled more often by political changes and allocations than by enemy action, but never stopped.
The Assiday Family has their entire fortune riding on this, and it looks like it will occur. Tatius has the resources and now the command to complete it. This success will prove them to be superior to all the rival families in Dara Happa and catapult them to importance in the entire empire. They will get power from the moon and wealth from imperial coffers to do this job. They are banking to dominate the empire's future magical power works.
The Lunar magic requires many large tasks to be finished. They all have
their own esoteric requirements too complex to explain here. However, when
Whitewall fell the Lunar conditions were met for "killing Orlanth," and the
effect was triggered. Everywhere within a radius of 250 miles of the
proposed temple site went to dead air. This area includes Pavis, most of
Esrola and Heortland, and would cover Tarsh except that kingdom was
protected by the current Glowline. In the lunar grounds priest cheered when
the winds failed. The affected area indicated the area defended by the
intended temple. Within that area the winterizing effects described above
occur.
Outside of that circle, though, a secondary effect occurs. All of Dragon
Pass becomes an "air hole," and then all the nearby air moves in to fill
it. That air rushing just "piff" disappears at the edge of this magical
effect. After a couple of weeks most of the winds in Glorantha are affected
by this and blow steadily (more or less) in its direction. The event is
noted in many contemporary chronicles.
At the edge of that area, the wind simply fades away into nothing, coming in from the outside and just quickly but gently disappearing. It goes away. It goes nowhere, just away.
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