Diamond Anomaly

"The Diamond Anomaly know no borders. It came for Kylos, it comes for us, and it will come for you. I do not ask you to fight for Alimir; I ask you to fight for mankind."
—Queen Zelda Veilleux, *The Diamond Anomaly*
The **Diamond Anomaly** was a catastrophe in which a spontaneous eruption of divine energy twisted the area surrounding Diamond Peak in 1468. Although it was quelled before the damage reached a major civilization, it is agreed that, had it not been stopped, it would have likely resulted in mankind's extinction.

## Outbreak

On the evening of March 22nd, a flash of light was seen around the world. The numerous, consistent accounts helped pinpoint its location to the mountains west of Kylos. Initial scouting parties found that erratic pulses of light had begun besieging the land, supposedly striking from thin air. Those who were struck died on the spot.

When these reports reached the Queen of Alimir, she immediately mobilized an intervention team composed of much the Elven Dominion's strength to put swift end to what they had been dubbed the "Diamond Anomaly" due to its proximity to the popular Diamond Peak.

### Degeneration

The expedition found that the initial casualties were nowhere to be found despite the evidence of the equipment they left behind. They found that the strikes of light ceased at night, and took the opportunity to cover ground in safety. However, they were attacked in the dark by what the limited light could only make out to be ethereal, shadow-like people. What was intended to be a decisive conclusion turned for the worse; as they had no means to fight the shadows or defend themselves, the expedition was largely annihilated save for the few who managed to flee back to Alimir.

Meanwhile, Kylos, the closest settlement to Diamond Peak, was beset in the night by the shadows. The warnings helped some escape in advance, and thanks to its position on the bay, more were able to escape at the time of the attack. Those who did not escape did not survive. The port fell in the night.

### Global Intervention

When the reports of the expedition's decimation, the fall of Kylos, and the growing influence of the Anomaly reached the Queen, she activated the international communication network and requested the aid of the world's powers with the promise of generous payment.

Given the severity of the situation, most states responded to the call: Orini, Espini and its surrounding cities, Rhelesia and its holds, Balter, Maridia and its holds, and Genestria. The University of Ophyria and the Maridian Institute of Defense also lent their aid. Notably absent were Silvercrest and Arsenna.

Armed with the knowledge of the dangers of the night, the operation set forth at dawn. Though the Light was still active and claimed countless more victims, the sheer numbers of the Global Intervention Team allowed them to locate the source of the Anomaly in the caves running beneath the mountains: a wildly glowing white gemstone rattling on the cave floor and a nearby tear in space that would sporadically spew sparks of energy whenever the gemstone crackled. The magicians of Ophyria succeeded in dissipating some of its power, but a misstep redirected it, instantly disintegrating them and just about everyone else in the cave network.

### Final Push

In that moment, the sun became severely dimmed. With the sudden stop of reports from the Invention Team, Queen Zelda and her advisers knew that they had been lost. In a last ditch effort, she again implored the world for help, highlighting the previous group's victory, but also the gravity signified by the sun's diminished light. This time, Arsenna answered the call. Because the former allies had few reinforcements to supply, Zelda went as far as enlisting the aid of prisoners of the Elven Dominion with the promise of pardoning their crimes. Alimir also gained the support of the remaining members of the Maridian Institute of Defense, who dispatched their famed elite force, the Silver Corps, led by none other than their Lord Commander Shi-ka Wen.

Although the midday sun was as dark as dusk, the pulsing light had subsided thanks to the Global Intervention Team. This enabled the Silver Corps to advance into the heart of the mountain with the Aryndali prisoners and Arsenni forces following close behind. In the wake of the dissipation of the gemstone's power, the Silver Corps found that some sort of consciousness had been awakened and was trying to turn the weak-minded to its will with the promise of power in death. Evidence from the caves suggested that the few survivors of the Global Intervention Team had been fighting its influence since its release.

Whereas the shadows would not show themselves in daylight, they roamed freely amidst the caves' oppressive haze, though they were passive. Come sunset, however, they grew as vicious as they'd been reputed to be. Even the Silver Corps, which had never suffered a casualty in their reign of success since their founding, was ravaged by the shadows. By the time the Alimirian prisoners reached the sanctum, they found the Lord Commander Wen possessed by, presumably, the conscious that pervaded the underground. Arlan Strauss, the second-in-command to the Lord Commander and only survivor of the Institute's forces, explained that Shi-ka baited the darkness into possessing her, at which time she pierced herself with her holy sword Lunarine. The sword's blessing negated the darkness and forced the master of the shadows to take a physical form in her body, allowing it to be harmed.

With his help, they managed to defeat her and eradicate the consciousness. In the room that lay beyond, they discovered the same rift and gemstone that the Ophyrian mages had reported. The only Alimirian prisoner surviving the fight against Shi-ka - a druid named Kalein - seized this opportunity; he picked up the stone with his bare hand and threw it at the rift. Instantly the rift closed, the stone became inert, and the haze dissipated. Kalein, however, was destroyed by his reckless heroism.

In the immediate calm that followed, Arlan investigated the scene, but was interrupted by the arrival of the Arsenni forces. Arlan explained the situation but was forced out of the room. The leader of their forces, Archmage Yelgo Fin, claimed the gemstone for Arsenna.

## Aftermath

To this day the cause is still officially unknown, but to those who know of its existence, Raga's Diamond is considered to be responsible. Of the thousands who fought against the Anomaly, few survived, and, as many survivors developed PTSD or went insane in the following days, even fewer survived unscathed. The shortage reliable testimony limited scholars' ability to gain an accurate account of the events for months.

To the present day, the fields surrounding Diamond Peak remain littered with the weapons, armor, and banners left behind by the fallen, making it a popular destination for looters who are willing to brave an encounter with the shadow people that continue roam the area. Though the shadows no longer turn the living into their kind, most weapons remain ineffective against them.

### Alimir

Due to the significant expenses and major losses to their forces, Alimir, formerly the world's premiere power, saw its strength crippled in the years that followed. Despite this, support for Queen Zelda soared in light of their unexpected victory.

### Arsenna and Maridia

In the power vacuum left by Alimir's losses, Arsenna and Maridia entered a contest for world supremacy - a cold war of sorts that continued through the present day until the defeat of Arsenna's rogue general and reclamation of Raga's Diamond at the hands of the Maridian Institute.

### Maridian Institute of Defense

Like most countries' forces, the Institute's numbers were decimated by Anomaly. Of those who were dispatched, only Arlan Strauss, Commander of the Fighters' Division, survived. For his success, he was named Director and Lord Commander in place of the deceased Shi-ka Wen. It would take many more years before the remaining vacant posts would be filled.