Difference between revisions of "Weeping"
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{{culture
|related=[[Highstorm]]s
|type=Weather pattern
|world=Roshar
|universe=Cosmere
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]
}}
{{quote
| Never furious, never passionate like a highstorm. Slow, steady. Like the blood of a dying year that was taking its last few shambling steps toward the cairn.
| Kaladin's thoughts on the Weeping{{book ref|sa1|44}}
}}
The '''Weeping''' is a four-weeks-long period of time on [[Roshar]] marking the end of their five-hundred-day year.{{book ref|sa1|44}} The [[singer]]s call it the lull.{{book ref|sa2|i|11}}
== Description ==
[[File:Shattered plains bg.jpg|thumb|right|200px|<center><small>by [[Coppermind:Artists/Sheep|Sheep]]</small></center>]]
In the weeks preceding the Weeping, [[highstorm]]s grow more and more infrequent, before eventually stopping altogether.{{book ref|sa1|25}} A few days after the last highstorm, the skies cloud over and it begins to rain. The rain continued ceaselessly for two weeks, until Lightday, the Rosharan New Year.{{book ref|sa1|44}} On Lightday, one of two things happen. If the Lightday marks the start of an even-numbered year, the day will be calm - such years are called Light Years. At the start of odd-numbered years, the Weeping is instead interrupted by a hightorm.{{book ref|sa2|76}} Following Lightday are two more weeks of constant rain.{{book ref|sa2|46}} At the end of the Weeping, the highstorms return, albeit they are initially weaker than usual.{{book ref|sa1|4}}
The Weepings are characterized by a slow, steady, unstopping rainfall that doesn't deposit crem. It doesn't feature any heavy winds or other extreme conditions generally found during a highstorm.{{book ref|sa1|44}}{{book ref|sa2|81}} The sky is perpetually overcast, bathing the land in twilight.{{book ref|sa2|77}} [[Rainspren]] are commonplace.{{book ref|sa1|44}}
Halfway between two Weepings in the year is [[Midpeace]], a prolonged period of time with no highstorms.{{book ref|sa2|45}}
== Culture ==
The people of Roshar are used to the Weepings. While they do wear protective clothing, such as long coats and wide-brimmed hats, it's generally understood that everyone and everything will be utterly soaked throughout.{{book ref|sa3|10}}{{book ref|sa2|78}} Most Rosharans approach this stoically, weathering the rain while enjoying the break from the highstorms.{{book ref|sa2|78}}{{book ref|sa2|79}} Sometimes, they measure their age in Weepings, saying "sixteen Weepings old" or "hadn't reached her twentieth Weeping".{{book ref|sa1|16}}{{book ref|sa1|29}}
In the [[Vorin]] religion, the Weepings is supposed to be the time for self-reflection and contemplating the [[Almighty]].{{book ref|sa2|80}} In [[Yeddaw]], the Weeping is celebrated by eating the city's ten famous pancakes.{{book ref|sa2.5|2}} [[Urithiru]], in turn, isn't affected by the Weepings, as the tower stands far above the clouds.{{book ref|sa2|87}}
The prolonged period of no highstorms leads to a lack of [[Stormlight]]. Rosharans try to preserve it throughout by using large, oversized gems capable of storing vast amounts of it, with a particular, multi-faceted cut. Despite that, few gemstones make it to the next highstorm still infused.{{book ref|sa2|81}} A [[perfect gemstone]] could keep Stormlight for that long, but those are extremely rare.{{book ref|sa3|99}}
=== Military ===
The peace of the Weeping is utilized by the various Rosharan generals. The lack of highstorms allows for greater mobility, as the army does not require [[Stormshelter|stormshelters]] during that time, allowing them to resupply and quickly cross large distances.{{book ref|sa2|44}} Among others, [[Alethi]] armies sometimes set out on shot military excursions during thr weeping to take advantage of this.{{book ref|sa2|79}}{{book ref|sa2|68}} Fighting itself, however, is made more difficult during the Weeping -- among others, the rain makes it difficult to employ archers.{{book ref|sa2|82}}
=== Industry ===
Farmers generally don't work during the Weeping, as any seeds or seed-paste planted during that time would be washed away by constant rain, and some plants might even die from excess water.{{book ref|sa2.5|12}}{{book ref|sa3|10}} The period of calm highstorms directly following, however, is a prime time for planting.{{book ref|sa1|4}} In contrast, fishermen work especially hard during the Weepings, as their ships are constantly filling up with water.{{book ref|sa3|i|1}}
In some places, the Weeping is harnessed for cleaning and washing areas that would normally be too difficult or time-consuming to tidy up.{{book ref|sa2|81}}{{book ref|sa2|i|14}}
== Notes ==
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