Seasons of the Otherside
LIBRA09 - Dover
About half of the Planes in the Otherside don't experience any sort of seasonal shifts. The Necropolis is perpetually cool and still as death, the Morningstar and Infernus are always bright and blazing hot, and the Ouroboros is perpetually frozen in time. However! The Skalds and Mayda still experience changes in their weather consistently.
The Hauntaurskald's Campaigns of War
The seasons of the Hauntaurskald are entirely artificial constructs created by Satan to shift the tides of battle in the trenches of Pandemonium. There are five Campaigns of War each Hauntaurskaldian year, and they even impact the vibe of the Vile City, though their effects are mostly felt down below. The changing of Campaigns is controlled by the Vile City itself, automagically—so, no Satan or otherwise Ruler required… unless, of course, the Vile City was somehow destroyed entirely.
The first War Campaign of each year is known as Siege and turns the trenches into a completely chaotic nightmare. The sky above the Hauntaurskald darkens considerably and is filled with unpredictable firestorms. In the Vile City, there are occasionally light ash flurries!
The War Campaign which follows the Siege is the Stalemate. This is where an eerie calm falls over Pandemonium as the dark skies clear and the fire storms fade away. During the Stalemate, resources in the Pandemonium are replenished, and the air fills with a strong sulfuric smell. In the City, things are really nice during the Stalemate! It's sort of like Spring, in a way. This is when the less combative demons head down to the trenches to plunder the bounties of the Stalemate before the lowly non-Vile demons get a chance to.
After the Stalemate ends, the Training begins. This is sort of the other half of the Stalemate but for the old war dogs of the City. They flock to the trenches to prove their might and earn their Tokens of Tribulation. Some even find promising young demons to mentor and train so they can add younger blood to their hunting parties. This is also the time of the year when Satan allows the latest-born demons to enter into Pandemonium for the first time.
Training is swiftly followed by Treachery. This is the season of purging, where those who have been disloyal or have otherwise not lived up to Satan's standards are cast into the trenches to be hunted. This is also when the trenches regenerate their traps and hazards. In the City, assuming you haven't had your citizenship revoked, the City takes on a sort of late-summer vibe.
Lastly, the year ends with the Ritual. Unholy ceremonies are conducted throughout the Vile City to curry favor, commune with the spirits of the damned, and prepare oneself for a powerful new year. This is also the time of year when all the festivals and festivities in the Vile City are conducted. It's very similar to Halloween—though with less candy and more blood. All of the neon signs in the City glow even more hauntingly with an unusual hue, foreboding the oncoming Siege of the new year.
The Esterskald’s Verdant Variances
The Esterskald, being connected with the natural world of the Flipside, naturally has its own seasons! And its seasons line up with the Flipside's seasons pretty well! The main catch is which hemisphere is currently linked to the Esterskald. Due to how the boundary lines move, sometimes seasons can play out in one direction and then move in the opposite way, causing a double-up of certain seasons. These are usually referred to as "Twinning."
Lining up with Winter, the Esterskald has the Howl. Wild storms frequent this season, and the barrier between the boundary lines is at its weakest. The most notable feature of the Howl is the Frostfire Flares, little storms of blue fire that freeze instead of burn. Due to the dangerous and unpredictable weather, most avoid traversing the Esterskald during this time of the year… but this is also when the "Great Beasts" awaken and roam the Plane. Successfully hunting one of those scores big points at the Hollows' Feasts.
After the Howl and tied to Spring is the Bloom. A season filled with rapid flora growth and vibrant colors. All the plants that died off during the Howl come back in full force. It's generally a better time to explore the Esterskald, though the plants have been known to be… especially excitable during this season. This is also when a lot of new cryptids come to the Plane, those who were unable to survive the Flipside's Winter.
Following Spring comes Summer and the Feast! This is the season that belongs predominately to the Fauna of the Esterskald. This is the primary time of the year for hunting, though the Cryptids are also at their strongest and most aggressive during this time. The Feast is named as such, as this is when the biggest Feast of the year is held in the Hollows, which lasts the entire season.
Lastly, tied to Fall is the Wilt. It's a quieter season where things in the Esterskald slow down, and magic is at its weakest. Demons begin to store up for the coming Howl, and the Witches in the Tangled Thorns cast strange magics. This is also the time of the year when the annual Cryptid Flora die off and the perennials go dormant. I personally think this is the best time to visit the Esterskald! Oh, it's also when enrollment at the Hypha Campus begins.
The Flippant Storm of Mayda
Mayda sort of has seasons, though they are tied to where the Tempest currently is, which can be a bit unpredictable. There are generally four commonly accepted "seasons" in the Mayda—though there could always be more if the Tempest ever changed its course. There are also strange years where the Tempest doesn't move or moves very rapidly and without reason.
The Calm is the most common season in the Mayda—thankfully—and it's when the Tempest is far out in the ocean, and the seas are, you guessed it, calm. This is when it's easy to navigate and the ideal time for exploration and treasure hunting in ruins and far-off isles. It’s also the best time to visit the Tempest itself, if one is so inclined.
The Torrent is the second most common season, and it's when the Tempest is near Asmayda. Storms all throughout the Plane intensify, which does at least fill the Coral Gardens with fresh nutrients, but it makes traveling on the ocean's surface very dangerous. It also makes hanging out on Asmayda unpleasant due to the constant downpours brought by the Tempest.
The Twilight is the third most common season, and it's when the Tempest stays to the distant edges of the ill-named infinite sea. When the Mayda is in Twilight, bioluminescent events occur, giving the whole of Mayda an eerie glow. This is the season most hoped for by Witches and weirdos in places like the Creaking, as magic is at an all-time high.
Lastly, there is Abyssal Shift. This is a rare, but not unheard of, season where the Tempest lies directly over the Locker. Not much is known about the Abyssal Shift other than it brings with it strange phenomena and very dangerous waters.