Eadar-Amail; The Darkening of Albrun
The Waver in the Weave
For five days of the year, Albrun (also known as Arcania's Beacon) goes dark, bringing with it Eadar-Amail, the Transitioning, which has become something of a festival or event within itself. It is not known specifically why Albrun goes dark, but Arcania's clergy believe it has something to do with the Antimagic Curtain that was torn down by Aegis during the Primeval War. The cosmological event is predictable and yearly in nature, lasting for five days, and has a profound impact on how magic works within A'arde.
During this time (between Bleakmoot and Wintersun in the Northern Hemisphere and Goldrise and Firewane in the Southern) the Weave Wells across the world enter a period of unstable activity, and it becomes exceedingly dangerous to attempt magics above the First Level. Portals between worlds become perilous to traverse, and beings not of this world become temporarily restricted, or cut off completely, from their sources of power as a result. Because of this, many beings of this nature tend to return to their Realms and abandon A'arde during this time, in order to prevent their own accidental destruction. Only Arcania, the Goddess of Magic, has been known to remain on A'arde during this time, and it is theorised that she does so in order to strengthen and repair the Arcane Weave to prevent the collapse of magic and the instigation of pure Chaos.
While considered a Natural phenomena, the Darkening of Albrun is also considered a Metaphysical one, linked closely to Arcane magic upon the world.
Manifestation
The largest star in the sky can be seen from both hemispheres close to the horizon, and is known as Albrun, or Arcania's Beacon. Albrun is generally a large, bright star with a yellowish-white hue. When viewed with a telescope, a glimmering aura of shimmering colours can be seen around the star, though it is not known specifically what this aura is made from.
At Eadar-Amail, the star disappears from view completely. Explorers at first believed that the star simply moved too far below the horizon to be seen, however research quickly indicated that this was not the case, as Albrun can clearly be seen from both hemispheres throughout the rest of the year. During the five days of the Transitioning, the space in the sky normally inhabited by Albrun becomes an empty void, with no light or other indication that there was ever a star there at all.
In the day preceeding Eadar-Amail, the Arcane Weave begins to act in strange ways. Arcane Paths and Weave Wells begin to become unstable, often releasing large blasts of explosive magic that can cause serious injury, and what are considered simple spells become difficult to control. Additionally, the use of other types of magic (such as Sylvan Weave or Divine) in close proximity to high concentrations of Arcane Weave has the potential to trigger an Arcane Cascade, a form of magical backlash that drains a person's Mana Pool, often causing damage to Mana Pools and Weave Channels.
The Darkening of Albrun renders most forms of interplanar travel unusable, as well as completely eliminating the ability to teleport across the Material Plane.
Localization
The Darkening of Albrun can be witnessed from anywhere across the world, so long as there is no cloud cover in the sky. The "void" left by Albrun darkening can be seen with the naked eye.
The effects of the Darkening can be felt most intensely close to Weave Wells, while Pactkeepers and Clerics are most likely to notice the absence of the voices of their Patrons or Gods. Permanent portals to other dimensions or locations upon the Material Plane are visibly shut down during Eadar-Amail.
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