The Doom of Nations and Bane of Parties - The Maelstrom of Ending

Forces of nature have been revered and worshipped as gods since the beginning of time. The ocean has been given names like Poseidon by the Greeks while the clouds are the domain of figures such as Thor. Natural forces are immense and change constantly.

The cloud has left endless devastation in its wake - Crying Sky by Yang Xueguo

The shifting miasmas over us bring rain that feeds the land. Sometimes these presences over our heads can bring foreboding. That dark cloud on the horizon brings a storm, and has been used time and again in fiction to be a metaphor for impending doom. But what if it's more than that. What if in the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons, the cloud itself is the doom.

Maelstroms of Ending

Some get truly miserable when the weather is bad. The looming black clouds on the horizon bring a storm that most people do not want to have to weather. It'd be totally different if the storm had swirling, malevolent faces spewing vitriol and doom.

Ending Maelstroms appear overhead as immense storm clouds. Roiling black plumes twist around themselves as they drift across the sky. The closer a person looks, the more they can see the details in its shape. Twisting faces and skulls whirl around each other letting the acidic contents dribble free and tarnish the earth beneath them.

There are times when air elementals can gain a charge of dark magical energy. This is usually from places deep underground or from the realm of shadow. It takes in toxic matter that wears down the soul of other living beings.

By being tainted in this manner, the maelstroms become very destructive and eternally hungry. They drift across the skies of many worlds, seeking to consume other clouds and living things in the air. As they pass over populated areas or wandering strangers, the rains tumble from its immense form.

Like all clouds, maelstroms exist tens of thousands of feet above the ground. Well out of the range of most spells or all ranged weaponry. The rain that maelstroms drop bring corrosion but also ground dwelling beings that destroy in service for the cloud. Defeating smaller beings greatly hinder the life of the maelstrom. The maelstroms also branch around high points, mountains and tall super structures. If the characters scaled such things, they'd be able to walk into the cloud itself, where it would be susceptible to all their attacks.

maelstrom of ending stats generated with hOMEBREWERY

Toxic Deluge

thrall of the cloud stats generated with homebrewery

The Maelstroms of Ending are named as such. The black, acid rain of these living evil clouds have wiped kingdoms off the face of history. An entity like this could dominate the arc of a campaign, as players strive to learn more, find a weakness or way to ascend, while racing against time to save their home before it washes away in deadly precipitation.

Now we want to hear from you. Would a maelstrom ever appear over a city in the games you GM? What inventive ways would your characters try to take out a death cloud? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com, he writes about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out himself. On Youtube, he can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes, or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere. Follow his Twitter @IzzetTinkerer.