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As Spring rolls into Summer in Tendaji it appears that something is not as it should be. In fact, strange and unpredictable weather is happening all across the world. Strong storms, bizarre heat waves, unheard of snow storms, floods, and other similar events are happening in all of the countries. Some are superstitious, seeing it as a warning of great evil, others blame the Dretch, some shrug it off as a freaky incident, and others ignore that it's even such an oddity.

However, one thing is certain - all the lands are dealing with these weird weather outbreaks in their own way. How are you handling matters? Do you try to help others, are you too focused on yourself, or do you want to try and find answers for the causes behind these recent events? Or did you get caught out in the disaster yourself and these are your memories of how you had to fight against the odds to get to safety?

Tale, Sauti, and Oba are experiencing massive amounts of rain to the point that some of the desert is flooding.


The rain had been falling for days now, heavier and more relentless than Cassia had ever seen in her lifetime. The sound of water pounding against the rooftops of her home and shop had become a constant companion, an ever-present reminder that something wasn’t right. Spring had rolled into summer, but instead of warmth and sunlight, Tendaji was gripped by strange, unpredictable weather. The once parched deserts of Oba were now rivers of mud, and the streets of Tale were flooded to the point where it was nearly impossible to navigate without wading through ankle-deep water.

Cassia stared out of her window, watching the steady stream of rain as it washed down the glass. Her small tea stand, once a bustling corner of her neighborhood, was closed. No one was venturing out in this weather unless they absolutely had to. The streets were eerily quiet, the usual sounds of chatter and footsteps replaced by the relentless drumming of the rain. She felt a gnawing sense of unease in her chest. The weather wasn’t just unusual—it was dangerous. Reports of flash floods and landslides had come in from the neighboring villages, and even here in the city, the water levels were rising to alarming heights. Yet no one seemed to have an explanation. Some of her fellow merchants had taken to blaming the Dretch, claiming that the strange weather was a result of their dark influence. Others shrugged it off as a freak incident, something that would pass with time. But Cassia wasn’t so sure.

She sighed, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders. The chill in the air seemed unnatural for this time of year, and it added to the growing sense of dread she felt. She had always been more sensitive to the subtle shifts in the environment, something she attributed to her time spent tending to plants and working with natural herbs. The earth felt… unsettled. It was as if something beneath the surface had shifted, and now the land was reacting in ways no one could have predicted. Cassia had never been one to dwell on superstitions or jump to conclusions, but even she couldn’t deny that the world around her was changing in ways that felt ominous. Was this truly a warning of something greater to come? Or was it simply the result of forces beyond anyone’s control? She didn’t know, and that uncertainty gnawed at her more than anything else.

Her first instinct had been to help others, as she always did. When the rains had first begun, Cassia had made a point of checking on her neighbors, offering what little she could in terms of warm tea and comfort. She had even ventured out into the streets, despite her own discomfort with crowds, to help a group of elderly villagers move their belongings to higher ground as the floodwaters rose. Her kindness and willingness to lend a hand had always been a part of who she was, and even in the face of these strange events, that part of her hadn’t wavered. But as the days went on, and the rain showed no signs of stopping, Cassia found herself feeling increasingly helpless. She couldn’t control the weather. She couldn’t stop the floods or the landslides. All she could do was watch as her home, her community, and the land she loved were battered by forces beyond anyone’s comprehension.

In the evenings, when the rain was at its worst, Cassia would sit by the fire in her small home and pour over the maps and notes she had gathered from her travels. She had always been a collector of knowledge, particularly when it came to herbs and the land. Her tea blends were carefully crafted from ingredients she had sourced from across Tendaji and beyond. She had learned to read the subtle signs of the seasons, to understand the rhythms of nature. But now, none of that knowledge seemed to make sense.

She thought back to her recent trip to Sauti, where she had marveled at the lands and the careful balance the farmers had struck with the earth. Even there, she had felt a strange unease. The weather had been unpredictable, the storms rolling in with little warning and leaving behind fields drenched in water. The farmers had spoken of crops rotting in the ground, of harvests that were less bountiful than they should have been. At the time, she had chalked it up to an unfortunate season, a rare but explainable anomaly. But now, seeing the same strange weather patterns affecting Oba and Tale too, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was all connected.

As the rain continued to pour, Cassia’s thoughts turned toward the idea of finding answers. She had always been a quiet, unassuming person, content to stay in the background and focus on her own small corner of the world. But now, she felt a pull—a need to understand what was happening. Was there something deeper at play? Something that could be explained, or perhaps even prevented? She didn’t know where to begin, but she knew she couldn’t just sit by and do nothing. The floodwaters were rising fast in Tale, and Cassia knew that soon, people would need more than just tea and comfort. She had seen the look of fear in the eyes of her neighbors, the quiet panic as the rain showed no signs of letting up. Supplies were running low, and some of the more vulnerable members of the community were already struggling. Cassia couldn’t shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come.

One morning, after yet another sleepless night spent listening to the rain, Cassia made a decision. She couldn’t stop the weather, but she could do what she always did—help. Gathering what supplies she had left, she packed a small bag with dried herbs, teas, and whatever food she could spare. She knew of a group of villagers further up the hill who had been cut off by the floodwaters, and she was determined to reach them. The rain was still falling heavily as she stepped out of her home, the streets of the village nearly unrecognizable beneath the water. Cassia pulled her cloak tight around her, the fabric already soaked through as she made her way toward the higher ground. The path was treacherous, the mud slick and dangerous underfoot, but she pressed on.

Her thoughts swirled as she walked. Was this truly just a freak incident, or was there something more sinister at play? The stories she had heard from other merchants about the Dretch lingered in her mind. She didn’t want to believe that they could be responsible for such widespread destruction, but the possibility gnawed at her all the same. The climb was difficult, the rain making every step a challenge, but eventually, Cassia reached the small cluster of homes on the hill. The villagers were huddled inside, grateful for the supplies she had brought, though their faces were etched with worry.

“We don’t know how much longer this rain will last,” one of the villagers, an older woman, said as she accepted the tea Cassia offered. “If it doesn’t stop soon, we may have to leave. The water’s rising too fast.”

Cassia nodded, her heart heavy. She wanted to offer comfort, to tell them that everything would be alright, but she couldn’t lie. She didn’t know how long the rain would last either, and the thought of more families being displaced weighed on her. After staying for a while to ensure that the villagers had what they needed, Cassia made her way back down the hill, her mind racing. The floodwaters were creeping ever closer to the homes at the base of the hill, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before more people were forced to evacuate.

As she trudged through the mud, Cassia’s thoughts returned to the idea of finding answers. The strange weather patterns weren’t just affecting her small corner of Tendaji—they were happening all over the world. There had to be someone, somewhere, who understood what was going on. Perhaps the scholars in the larger cities had already begun investigating the cause of these events. Maybe there were others like her, people who felt the pull to uncover the truth behind the weather. For the first time in a long while, Cassia felt a flicker of determination. She wasn’t a scholar or an adventurer, but she was resourceful. She had connections with merchants and travelers who moved between cities and countries, people who might have heard something, anything, that could shed light on what was happening.

As the rain continued to fall, Cassia resolved to seek out those answers. She couldn’t sit idly by while her home and the people she cared about were threatened by forces they didn’t understand. There had to be a reason for the strange weather, and if there was even a chance that she could help find it, she would. For now, though, there was still work to be done in Tale. Cassia wiped the rain from her face as she returned to her tea stand, determined to do whatever she could to help her community weather the storm—both the literal one outside and the metaphorical storm of uncertainty that loomed on the horizon.

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