Maelstrom

In Wraith: The Oblivion, a Maelstrom is a storm in the Tempest. Originally singular events, Maelstroms are now the basic state of the tempest, although they occasionally become more severe.

Maelstroms erupt from the Labyrinth and then can touch anywhere the tempest touches - from the Shadowlands to the Dark Kingdoms. Maelstroms are composed of the stuff of the underworld - relics, spectres and tempest-stuff itself, ranging from rains of plasm to rains of soulfire. The fall of material is coupled with extreme wind activity akin to a hurricane in the living world. When a maelstrom hits, the safest thing any wraith can do is hide in a haunt or citadel.

Because maelstroms are a storm of "stuff", and given the general dearth of stuff in the underworld, enterprising wraiths will sometimes trail behind maelstroms, winnowing through the debris for any useful relics. The tempest is a storm of memory, and a lucky scavenger can find a useful item or two hidden among the dross. Maelstrom harvesting is more common during periods of severe activity, such as in the wake of a Great Maelstrom.