Tempest Hart

A typical tempest hart

> "Twixt clouds of grey and black;
>
>
> Where drakes and rocs once flew;
>
>
> Arcs lightning between a rack;
>
>
>
> Of antlers bright of hue."
>
>

> - Virdi Skyseer,
>
>

**Tempest Harts**, are **greater elementals** native to the roiling expanse of the **Stormkeld**. At home amongst the fields of clouds and lightning, they are natural amplifiers of storms and wild magic.

## Description

The Stormkeld is a domain of swirling clouds and unceasing storms. Various enormous creatures dwell in these wilds, with the tempest hart being among the most majestic.

A colossal elk with antlers made of living lightning, a tempest hart has a long mane of fine hair that waves as if tossed by a strong wind. Its patterned hide resembles the twisting branches of the yggdrasti that coil within the clouds they call home, hearkening to their symbiotic relationship with the magical trees.

Storm giants consider tempests harts to be noble and sacred beasts, venerable for their innate power and desirable for the raw lightning of their antlers. Smiths prize their antlers for their innate magical components, using them to infuse items with the unfettered wrath of the tempest.

Tempest harts act as conduits for elemental energy, their antlers conjuring and empowering storms wherever they reside. As such, they often lead herds of air and lightning elementals, and are usually the source of elemental vortices and unusual weather patterns.

## Abilities

The antlers of a tempest hart are formed of raw lightning, making them far more dangerous than their terrestrial alternatives would suggest. Such potent electricity also acts to immobilize their foes, stunning would-be predators and territorial adversaries. They use these antlers to challenge other tempest harts who intrude upon their clouds and the yggdrasti they move within, unleashing greats bursts of lightning and thunder when they clash. Their hooves also form formidable weapons that crack with thunder as they move, unleashing a wake of sound that deafens foes and sends them flying back when struck.

Being formed from the elements, tempest harts possess innate resistances to nonmagical damage, while their elemental bodies are immune to lightning, thunder, and mundane poisons. Their endurance is second to none, allowing them to patrol the clouds they range, and granting them the ability to sprint for days on end without rest.

Tempest harts' mutualistic relationship with yggdrasti grants them the ability to command the magical plants with little thought or effort, allowing the creatures to work in tandem to protect themselves and the clouds they call home. Their elemental attunement also allows them to channel the storm on a whim, calling down bolts of lightning to strike unwanted intruders or to amplify the abilities of their lightning-loving yggdrasti.

## Combat

Tempest harts often roam alone, having separated from their crucible herds early in their maturity. As such, they tend to fight alone, or without regard for tactics when alongside their beloved yggdrasti. Older and wiser tempest harts tend to make better use of their allies, directing them with brays of thunder that shake the clouds.

In battle, tempest harts

## Ecology

Tempest harts are intrinsically bound to the Stormkeld, their souls linked with the natural artifacts known as the Seeds of Yggdrasil. They protect these seeds fiercely, attacking and pursuing any creature that interferes with them. Should a seed be removed from the region of the Keld it occupies, the tempest hart will perish, and the region of the Stormkeld will swiftly dissipate.

### Diet

Tempest harts fuel themselves with the energy released by lightning, which charges their bodies and disperses more electricity into their surroundings. This cyclical relationship is often the cause of terrible storms and hurricanes, leading some to consider the creatures pests.