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Historical Excerpts

Written by Rowen Archbald, Alzarin Astronomer/Documentary Writer

Estimated Date Entry: December 25th, 1530

I'm writing this after everything that has transpired so I must make this quick. But where do I even begin?! Something incredible yet terrible has happened to our kingdom! A star from the heavens has been sent down to us! It glowed brilliantly like the sun in the sky, but it has a mysterious purple tinge to it. It's like the star is containing something within itself. But I have so many questions. Why has it been sent down to us? And why is it so strange?

This star has landed in the outskirts of Alzarin commonwealth, where the farmers and peasants live. The surrounding area has been damaged or destroyed from the impact of the star. The nearest ones in particular is a family that I hear from commoner conversations are the Kirshols. Their entire property has been destroyed, along with their crops. The only thing that I salvaged from their flattened home is a journal that they probably just bought. Seeing the smoldering crater, I believed that the Kirshols were dead.

I would have prayed for them in that moment but it seems the Lord must have sent down that star for different reasons that I may never be able to understand. But from what I saw with my own eyes, this star has a curse within it.

The Kirshols had changed, possibly from coming in contact with the star. Their forms...they're like...those dolls that some merchants would sell. Their big fat arms and legs clearly made it hard to move. They stumbled and fell, trying to stand on their own two legs. Even when they did, I can hear them crying or whimpering. They're afraid of what they become.

The most chilling thing I heard is from their youngest child, their little boy: "Papa! I can't cry! Why can't I cry!?"

They all looked like cats, tails and everything. But even with their cat-like eyes I can see that they still have their humanity, their soul.

It is a good thing that when we went over to the site to investigate that I brought a knight squadron as well. We managed to repel the mob of those that wanted to tear them apart on the spot and eventually escorted them to the dungeon. I also had split the squadron in half to keep the commoners from coming in contact with the star.

I must end this here. The people are bustling and the king is trying to reign in the crowds. We cannot afford to have a crisis at our doorstep. And most importantly, we should discuss on what should we do to the Kirshols. Seeing as they are no longer human.

January 1st, 1531

It's been 6 days since the star has been sent from the heavens. I have been tasked with the study of the star itself, and its effects on the cursed. One of the first discoveries that we made is that the curse of the star is not caused by direct contact with the object, rather, the curse has a set range away from the star. So as long as no one strays too close to the star itself, the people will not be cursed. Unfortunately this discovery was learnt at the cost of the knight squadrons tasked at keeping the commoners at bay from touching the star.

We've learnt a great deal from the sacrifices of the knights. Unlike the Kirshols, who seemed to have experienced an instantaneous transformation, the knights have "suffered" a slow one. To say they were in great agony or pain is false. In fact, one of the first signs of the curse is the complete lack of pain they experience. I've seen the men cut their bodies with their swords or daggers to try and feel something but they didn't even so much as twinge. Some have taken their own lives despite the pleas of other fellow knights, saying they would rather die as a human than become a demon or inhuman monster. Those that live showed varying symptoms that appeared randomly though they all went through the eventual process of becoming a "cursed doll", as the king as nicknamed them.

While the sign of lacking any sense of pain is a universal initial symptom, the following can vary between person to person:

• Feeling of softer skin, comparable to string

• Open wounds displaying cotton instead of flesh and blood

• Swelling of body parts though no signs of distress

• Partial transmutation of patches of skin into string or fabrics

Eventually these symptoms completely overtake the person in a matter of days, completely transforming them into the same cursed dolls that the king has unofficially named them. I'm currently tasked with trying to find a way to reverse the symptoms. Though I'm not sure how. Such a transmutation from the organic to inorganic is unheard of from our capital alchemists and they're delving deep into their research to try and find connections.

As for the soldiers that have been transformed, they've been given their orders to protect the star, seeing as they still have their humanity and the curse has no hold over them. But they're practically on their own when it comes to efforts to build a fortress around the star which is still underway by their own volition. The kingdom doesn't want to spend any resources on them, nor does the people want to be near them. While the fear is reasonable, I have concerns for their families. Will they even be allowed to see their families again? All of that is up to the king at this point. I can't do much on my end even if I did want to help them. All I can do is pray that the Lord will give them mercy.