The Black Wind is the name commonly given to a monster that manifests in a blackened, smoky tornado. It descends from the skies and will seek out any human not carrying warding stones, and destroy towns if their perimeter wall is disrupted. Warding stones mask the visibility from the Black Wind. The stories say that the Black Wind was once a denizen of the Bison Tribe whom got a hold of the god stone, in order to help win the war against the neighbouring Horse Tribe. That unfortunate mortal became corrupted by the god stone, and was driven by an unquenchable need for more power their corporeal being was capable of maintaining. They mutated into the ethereal manifestation than give themselves a larger form, capable of channelling the god stone’s power unhindered. Unfortunately, upon this wish it became a mindless entity that was stuck on its mission to kill people Horse Tribe soldiers. However once in this form it was no longer able to discriminate friend from foe, it began to kill all humans wantonly.
The Black Wind began a war path on all humans and descended upon any that lay in its wake, with many trying and failing to vanquish the phenomenon. A channeller from the Gull Tribe discovered the secret to creating warding stones. Gaaveikur, who was said to be the last known wielder of the god Stone, used the wisdom gained from the object to make the warding stones. He distributed them across Norheim and helped erect the walls to keep their towns and cities safe from the Black Wind.
This was a devastating time for Norheim and many fell victim to the Black Wind. Some cities didn’t have the infrastructure in place to remain behind walls, and some failed to feed, or provide enough water for their people. Faced with a decision to starve or risk destruction, many cities fell to ruin.
The most common method of survival for the cities was to convert nearby villages into farming communities that could provide for the nuclear city. While this has worked feasibly well for a while, cities have become overcrowded, and without free exchange of trade, people or ideas, the growth and advancement of technology has come to a grinding halt and Norheim is seemingly stuck in the iron age.
On the upside, the entrapment caused by the Black Wind has helped against was the spread of plague. As towns are their own quarantine, any towns stricken with plague died off and the disease could not spread very far.