The random-yet-coordinated shapes and forms - appearing in the aethyr, then disintegrating, only to reform into new configurations - make them a favorite target of mystics and soothsayers. Like someone gazing upon active cloud formations, those staring into the aethyr for long enough will, inevitably, see whatever they were hoping to see. This includes putative messages from the gods, deceased loved ones, or even the Absents . Fortune tellers love to establish shop in regions known to be favorable to aethyr formation. And they will never fail to assure that they can see your future in the mysterious conflagrations of the aethyr (assuming, of course, that you are willing to pay for the privilege).

Although aethyrs are undoubtedly real, they have been associated with all manner of myths and legends. Their hypnotic visual effects, coupled with a general ignorance of how they form (even the cognoscenti struggle to explain the phenomena), makes them an easy fit for fanciful tales. Many fictional protagonists have seen visions in the aethyr, or they've had explicit messages spelled out to them in its shimmering waters. In other legends, the aethyr itself is a near-malevolent force, snaring the unwary traveler like a siren's song. There are even legends of unfortunate souls - or entire armies - being surrounded by an aethyr and never being seen again. In common parlance, to say that someone is "trapped in the aethyr" means that they're in a daze - hypnotized, lost, or confused.

here are few things more consistent across Excilior than its rain. In most regions, the distinction between the "dry" season and the "wet" season isn't whether it rains, but rather, how much it rains. With that in mind, casterways , over the course of millennia, have identified dozens of fine distinctions between different types of rain. An aethyr is one of those distinct types.

Manifestation

A

n aethyr represents a distinct set of atmospheric conditions whereby fine water droplets don't fall. Rather, they dance, and shift, and even rise in the air. In the midst of an aethyr, these droplets will combine, move in tandem, and separate. The effect is like watching a vast shoal of fish moving in tandem - and then suddenly parting - then coalescing again - as they work to evade predators. It's also been compared to a great flock of birds swirling through a twilight sky.

Not a Mist

An aethyr should not be confused with a mist. Mists are far more common and, quite frankly, far more boring. The water vapor in a mist just hangs there. But an aethyr is characterized by dynamic and seemingly-choreographed motions that often defy logic.