Red phoenix down
"It's still raining," he said flatly.
"Yes. It's the curse." Tivia replied without looking up from her book.
"I feel so restless, I can't stand being cooped up. I want to go out."
"Yes" she said again, still not looking up. "You went out this morning and spent the whole time moaning that you were cold and wet and wanted to come back inside. It's the curse."
Iarus stuck out his bottom lip and glared at his sister.
"I just feel so useless!" he exclaimed.
"Curse again," Tivia replied. Then she looked up laconically, and favoured him with a faint smile. "Alright in this case it is mostly the curse."
Iarus maintained poise. He grumbled a little under his breath, and began to pace back and forth, shooting the rain a hateful glare whenever he passed the window.
A few moments later, an ushabti plodded dutifully into the room, carrying a tray on which was a steaming porcelain pot, two small bowls, and an urn of herbs.
"Put the tea on the table," said Tivia, engrossed in her book.
The ushabti paused for a second, turned ... and fell over. The pot shattered when it hit the ground sending boiling water everywhere. One of the cups rolled across the floor until Iarus stopped it with his foot.
Tivia stared at the fallen construct for a moment and then hurled her book across the room with an incoherent shriek of anger.
"Stupid ushabti!" she screeched. "How am I meant to study without something to calm my nerves! What is wrong with you, you useless hunk of ... of ..."
She shouted again, no words just a frustrated roar. Now it was Iarus' turn to smirk.
"Yes," he said when she quieted down. "It's the curse."
He barely made it out of the room ahead of the second book that his sister's catastrophic loss of poise sent slamming against the wall behind him.Overview
Shortly after the Spring Equinox, a vicious malaise crept over the peaks of Urizen. It struck Redoubt, Zenith, and Morrow simultaneously.
First, it began to rain. Not the torrential rain of Reikos but a thin, cold, drizzly rain that seemed particularly... wet. It soaked through even some waterproof clothing, and demonstrated an almost supernatural capacity to find its way into sealed containers, libraries, and storage rooms where it was not welcome.
Then, a malaise struck the magicians of Urizen which amounts for a sizable proportion of the population. It made some lethargic and restless, while others became short-tempered and aggressive - making it extremely hard to maintain poise in the face of even minor frustrations. Even those with enough self control to avoid the extremes - or access to a Circlet of Falling Snow - feel restless, unsettled and short of concentration. Headaches are rife, as are sleepless nights.
The spires of Urizen are not blind; the magicians knew what was coming next although some of them perhaps entertained the faint hope that they were wrong. Every mana site in the Urizen territories have slackened off and produced only half the normal crystalline mana.
The magicians of Urizen are also not slow on the uptake - there is no doubt what is going on. Someone, somehow, has placed Morrow, Redoubt, and Zenith under the effect of the Winter ritual curse Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence. There is nothing that can be done to regain the lost mana, but it seems unlikely that a nation of very annoyed magicians are going to leave the matter be.
Significance
The magicians of Urizen find themselves particularly affected by the curse. You may wish to role-play being more short-tempered and aggressive - or more lethargic and despondent. Regardless, your personal mana is not affected. The effects are likely to be muted in Anvil, but may take some time to fade completely.
The decline in magical energies has also caused several weak regio to collapse completely. This is a much more serious consideration that it might have been in another nation... as are the increase in attacks from magical creatures. The trogoni in particularly have been driven into a ravenous frenzy by the effect of the curse. If it continues, they are likely to begin attacking mines - especially tempest jade mines - in pursuit of alternate sustenance.
The worst of the effect should fade over the Autumn Equinox... but until then every Urizeni magician will suffer.
The bad temper, bad weather, and bad mana production are all problems for Urizen but, following as it does on the heels of a similar situation in the League last season, the Empire is beginning to become a little cautious with regard to its supplies of crystal mana. Civil servants associated with the Imperial Bourse have confirmed that there will be no crystal mana available in the public auctions during the upcoming Equinox. According to sources, people are keeping their mana in anticipation that it will increase in value even further.
If this situation worsens, then it may even begin to affect the mana that is placed into the Conclave vault...
Resolution
The curse on the Urizen territories appears to have abated, and the situation is returning to normal.