Post by The Rising Dragon on Nov 12, 2009 14:52:24 GMT -5
The Maelstrom
Beyond the Great Wall, far across the northern wastes cut off by it, the continent of Kouchi breaks away into ice floes and a frozen sea that only grows colder the farther one travels north. As one progresses, the winds grow more and more fearsome, scouring away at life itself as they howl through the craggy mountains and out over the ice. The violent winds spiral around as they head towards the peak of the world. Here, covering a landmass of unknown size, lies the deadly, unending storm known as the Maelstrom. Expanding nearly seven hundred kilometers in circumference and nearly four hundred more in height, the Maelstrom appears as a massive inverted cyclone of white, spinning in a counter-clockwise motion. The white clouds that make up the walls of the Maelstrom appear charged with energy, as lightning can be seen dancing through it constantly. The eye of the storm is massive, yet a darker, sinister cloud lurks within it, obscuring what lies beneath it from view.
The storm is unapproachable from all angles; the terrible force of the wind rend airships apart as they approach, and drag down satellites from orbit should they get near—the blackened mists within the Maelstrom were only revealed from the brief few images transmitted back before the satellites were completely destroyed by the winds. Only deep scans from the ancient technology hidden within the satellites sacrificed to the unending storm revealed hints of some sort of landmass beneath the Maelstrom. Nearly all scientists and sages who have studied this fascinating phenomenon agree that the Maelstrom, for as large and as dangerous as it is, is an unnatural creation, something grand and terrible born of the lost technology from ages past. No one, however, knows what exactly lies beneath it.
Beyond the Great Wall, far across the northern wastes cut off by it, the continent of Kouchi breaks away into ice floes and a frozen sea that only grows colder the farther one travels north. As one progresses, the winds grow more and more fearsome, scouring away at life itself as they howl through the craggy mountains and out over the ice. The violent winds spiral around as they head towards the peak of the world. Here, covering a landmass of unknown size, lies the deadly, unending storm known as the Maelstrom. Expanding nearly seven hundred kilometers in circumference and nearly four hundred more in height, the Maelstrom appears as a massive inverted cyclone of white, spinning in a counter-clockwise motion. The white clouds that make up the walls of the Maelstrom appear charged with energy, as lightning can be seen dancing through it constantly. The eye of the storm is massive, yet a darker, sinister cloud lurks within it, obscuring what lies beneath it from view.
The storm is unapproachable from all angles; the terrible force of the wind rend airships apart as they approach, and drag down satellites from orbit should they get near—the blackened mists within the Maelstrom were only revealed from the brief few images transmitted back before the satellites were completely destroyed by the winds. Only deep scans from the ancient technology hidden within the satellites sacrificed to the unending storm revealed hints of some sort of landmass beneath the Maelstrom. Nearly all scientists and sages who have studied this fascinating phenomenon agree that the Maelstrom, for as large and as dangerous as it is, is an unnatural creation, something grand and terrible born of the lost technology from ages past. No one, however, knows what exactly lies beneath it.