The Pulse

It started with an unnerving silence. As if something had absorbed all sounds. I saw people screaming. Confusion on their faces, for no sound could be heard. Then the first wave hit, and all sounds returned.

— Author unknown

The Pulse was a devastating disaster, originating from West Eghea, which nearly wiped out humanity 3427 years ago. It took place during the spring of what would later be known as the Year of Sorrow. Also known as year 0 in the eghean calendar. Estimates say approximately 75% of all life on Ealdwyll was eradicated during this cataclysm.

What came before

What exactly caused the Pulse is unknown to this day. From what historians before us have been able to find in documents, there seems to have been a war going on between civilizations living in West Eghea, when the Pulse happened. This war was called The Sentinel War and it ended with the Pulse. This has led some historians to believe the Pulse could have been caused by some unknown weapon used during this war. There is still a lot of debate however if this war ever happened. Very little evidence has been found about it. Obscurists do not believe in the weapon theory and claim the cataclysm was caused by a supernatural force. They have no scientific proof to base their assumptions on. Yet in their circles it is a well-accepted theory. An unknown natural disaster is another theory that has never been proven.

I could hear a distant rumble that grew louder at an alarming pace. People started screaming, grabbing a hold of their loved ones. And then they all ran towards the safety of the Tower. I tried to grab Lenilla’s hand, but the crowd pulled her away from me. I watched her little face disappear in the tangle of bodies.

— Author unknown

The Disaster

Thanks to a whole number of written eyewitness reports from all over the world, we have a good understanding of what happened during the Pulse. The destruction was caused by four waves, or pulses as we call them now. Each wave started with a rumbling noise followed by strong winds, which somehow turned almost everything they came into contact with to dust. The devastation was largest in West Eghea. The pulses seem to have spread around the globe like tidal waves. Weakening in force and destruction, the further they spread from their source. The only exception was the location where the pulses met on the opposite side of the globe. There are no witnesses to what exactly happened at that spot. We know however, that an entire island disappeared at that exact location. Leaving nothing but a hole in the sea. In West Eghea the destruction was so large that about 90% of Mistwood did not survive. Plants, people and animals caught in the pulses disappeared in a haze of ashes. The people who were lucky enough to have taken shelter inside one of the Ageless Towers were not affected at all. Other buildings did not withstand the pulses so well. Outside West Eghea people without shelter suffered terrible wounds. Some had their skin and clothes torn apart by the pulses. Others were struck by debris that was flying around.

The crowd pushed me over the threshold when the first wave hit the world outside the Tower. Even though the tall doors were still open, we could not feel anything of the turbulence outside. For a moment, we could see trees and people swaying in the strong winds. Then they simply turned to dust. Moments later, it was over. The world outside the Tower a graveyard.

— Author unknown

The Witchmaster

Legend has it that the Pulse was caused by a human man known as the Witchmaster. The legend claims he was send by Aeol himself to end the Sentinel War which had been raging for almost forty years. The story remains vague about what happened to this man after he had caused all this destruction.

Grakkal's Gate

The hole in the sea left behind by the Pulse has since been named Grakkal's Gate. It defies every sense of logic as water from the ocean just flows inside the hole without ever filling it up. Where the water goes to no one knows. Some scholars think the water flows back into the ocean through underground tunnels. But no one has ever been able to confirm that. According to legend Grakkal's Gate is protected by a huge sea creature named Grakkal.

Is the Pulse alive?

Since the first decades after the Pulse scientists have tried to explain what caused this disaster. Some think it was a volcanic eruption. But no signs of a volcano have ever been found on West Eghea. Obscurists are not convinced by this theory. They seek the source in the realm of the supernatural. Some even claim the Pulse is alive. They point to the rising number of birth defects and their resemblance to The Inflicted. Scientists do not agree with this however. According to them the Pulse was a natural disaster that happened a long time ago.

What came after

The Year of Sorrow

The first year after the Pulse has since been named the Year of Sorrow. Many people and animals perished in the aftermath of the cataclysm due to famine or sustained wounds. The sky was covered in a haze of ashes which lasted over a year. Numerous accounts from all over the world from that period describe the sun as getting dimmer and losing its light. The twin moons were hardly visible during that time. Hope was nearly gone, yet not lost.

Monsters

Shortly after the Pulse the first Inflicted appeared. Monsterous replicas of what once were ordinary animals. Many of these new species showed enhanced intelligence, senses and strenght. They became a new kind of predator, one that was much better equiped to hunt and kill humans. In West Eghea, following the Reaping of Naeve, this eventually led to the founding of walled cities build to withstand any attack by the Inflicted.