As I gazed upwards, it was as if a great howl from above wormed its way into my head. I covered my ears to no avail, I stuffed them full of wax in a futile attempt to return to the silence of the night. Yet still the wailing continued, exhorting me without words to do foolish things, violent things, actions of grave nature towards my traveling companions I would never otherwise consider. And so we each passed the night in our own torment, then sleeplessly set off again the next morning.
Wailing lights are a type of aurora that sometimes occurs above the Aban Steppe and the Monumon, and are especially prevalent in the more northerly reaches of both regions. They are in some way a psychic phenomenon - none can quite agree as to whether the psychic magic causes the display of color in the sky, or if the causation is reversed. Regardless, targai and utnin alike carefully watch the sky during the winter months, when wailing lights are most likely to occur, so that they may corral their animals in advance and guard each other against the effects of the aurura.
Wailing lights are more than a mere display of colors in the sky. They telepathically yet wordlessly communicate with those who behold them, though they affect different people in different ways. Most develop a strong sense of paranoia and are driven to lash out at any who may be around, even those who are known well and trusted. Others are induced to flee invisible assailants, harm themselves, or simply gaze up at the moving lights in dumbstruck awe. These effects of wailing lights influence animals as well as people, hence the caution the nomadic tribes of the steppes take to ensure their mounts and herds do not panic.