The Blaze is a period during the [[Early Reign of Blood]] marked by a sudden rise in temperatures observed around [[Erathia]]. It was one of the most tragic series of events in Erathia's history, as it occurred barely 2 generations after the end of the [[Scorched Conquest]], at a time where the population of the planet was rising. As one of the most significant events in Erathia's history, the Blaze had far-reaching population, economic and cultural impacts. Among them, the massive displacement of populations away from the equator and towards the more temperate regions, as well as the fall of the major kingdoms of that time, and the death of as many as 40 million people[^1]. The origin of the Blaze is disputed. The [[Thanirist Tone]]'s records mention the Blaze as being a trial left by the [[Aspects]] after their [[Second Twilight of the Aspects|leave]] off the planet, and a way to ensure [[Humankind]] would not forget the cost of betraying them. Some records of the time mention the Blaze concurring with a period of wild use of the [[Iconurgy|Iconurgists Arts]] and an unchecked consumption of [[Brilliance]] by their practitioners. This theory has been largely debunked in the essays of that time, and has failed to prove a link between the harvest and use of [[Brilliance]] and the warming of the planet. There are of course narratives that are bordering on the edge of conspiracy theories, suggesting that the Blaze was a way for the heirs of the [[Aspectdom of Than]] to unite the population behind a common goal after living over a hundred years without a unifying threat, or that creatures of fire were expelling their formidable heat from the belly of Erathia, warming the planet up in the process. This lack of evidence has made the Blaze one of the most retold stories of this Age, second only to the tales of the Scorched Conquest; While there is no one date to pinpoint the exact start of this period, it is usually accepted that its first perceptible effects were recorded around 264 RB. This period ends approximately in 281 RB, leading back to a progressive cooling of the planet. The Blaze has been documented through the lens of two forms of consequences : the direct consequences, and the ripple effects. The direct consequences are the environmental and climatic changes caused by the Blaze. The ripple effects are the results of the direct consequences' impact on the population of Erathia. The direct consequences, also called first-level consequences, have been observed as the large environmental impact of the Blaze, with the polar and equatorial expansion of the deserts, unexpected heat waves, storms and hurricanes, sometimes amplified by [[Momentstorm|momenstorms]]. This also came under the form of longer and more intense droughts, wildfires and in some regions, flash flood because of the melting of the glaciers. *We are currently waiting for the final contributions of one of our researchers to publish the consequences of the ripple effects.* [^1]: This number is highly debated and varies greatly from one source to another. The main point of discourse stems from the fact that records of the time have been lost in the fall of most central places of power. Another cause for the debate is that while many did die in the period, many of these casualties occurred because of conflicts between kingdoms over scarce resources. These casualties are sometimes considered a direct result of the Blaze, while some scholars consider them a by-product, but not caused by the main events of the Blaze.