Kataibatic Event

Kataibatic Event

Snapshot of the footage of the Central Asiann Wildfires and yellow lightning from the Kataibatic Storm recorded by co-pilot Kayleigh Stephenson on Concordian AWACS Tenable
Date	May 19, 2039 – June 14, 2040 (2039-05-19 – 2040-06-14)
Location	Middle East, Southern Europa, Central and East Asianna, Pacific island countries and seaboard
Type	Meteorologic, geothermal, volcanic, wildfire
Cause	Activation of the Kataibatic Tablet
Deaths	750,000 (First Cataclysm) 1,300,000 (Second Cataclysm) 5,500,000 (End)
Non-fatal injuries	10,100,000 (End)
Missing	approx. 14,000,000 (End)

The Kataibatic Event, also recognized by Eordis's international scientific community the Kataibatic Irregular Natural Cataclysmic Event (KINCE), was a widespread catastrophic event incurred by the activation of the Kataibatic Tablet on 19 March 2039 during the last years of the Neocon War. The tablet's unleashing occurred during the Allied Anatolian Campaign when Caliph Ziyaad insisted on using the ancient artifact against the invading Heimdallr forces. The Tablet's power was apocalyptic, unleashing a amalgam of natural disasters that killed 750,000 around the Middle East and Southern Europa on the day it was activated. The aftereffects from its increased power would remain until 14 June 2040, all matching the descriptions inscribed in the Second Kataibatic Tablet Scroll: unnatural storms indicated by yellow lightning, hurricanes, redding of the skies, and geothermal disasters after a blinding flash. By its end on the aformentioned date, the Event was regarded as one of the worst man-made and natural disasters in the history of Eordis with over 5 million deaths.

The extensive proportion of the devastation wrought about international shock and condemnation. In what is to be termed the "Kataibatic Effect," numerous countries in the Neoconservative Alliance, sprung into widespread revolt against the Neocon governments and massive defections by the Neocon soldiers and nations, which notably included Indiae, Kyachindwin, and the Lorican Democratic Republic; this effect later observed the resignations of three presidents of the Neocon nations: Quyền Phương Nghi, Khaing Zeyar Zin and Juan Martín Pareja. From the nations of the Heimdallr Council, their governments expressed their utmost condemnations against the Neocon governments, and promoted only unconditional surrender of the Alliance. Its citizens, alongside those of the Neocon countries, were instilled a sentiment of sadness and anger given the scale of the disaster. The tremendous psychological and emotional impact brought about by the Cataclysm and the aftermath led governments to mark the Cataclysm as a day of remembrance, which also gave rise to the shortname names the Cataclysm and 5/19, and period time names "pre-" and "post-5/19," and "pre-" and "post-Cataclysm"; the cultural effects of the disaster oversaw literature, film, and music focus on peactime and anti-war themes.

Background

Following the failure of Case Violet, Ziyaad expressed his disappointment of the military campaign's result towards the Neocon Five in a private Metasoft Groups meeting on 23 January 2037. He and his generals personally rebuked Chang Gwan-mook and other military leaders for not heeding their advice in forcing attrition against the Erebonians by harassing them along their border, while invading and changing the regimes the United Kingdom, Nibelheim-Saxe-Hanover, and the Nordic Islands Federation to provide the Neocons more logistical standpoints to choke the targeted nation. Also, as a result of the campaign's failure, Ziyaad became increasingly discontented with the Neocon Five, and also blamed them for their complacency with Gwan-mook's plans.

Ziyaad's disillusionment with the Neocon leadership continued to exacerbate during the Heimdallr Counteroffensives of 2037-2039. At the start of the Counteroffensives, Ziyaad faced protests in his realm, which he successfully dispersed on 1 February despite somewhat brutal measures committed. In a famous act of compensation, he distributed the economic aid sent by the Neocons about two days after to the families of dead troops and injured protestors and recalled a portion of soldiers to secure his support base. This was met with dispute with the Neocon Five as the aid was only to stabilize the Caliphate economy and invest in more military expenditures, and the recall was claimed to prove consequential in hindering Neocon initiatives in Europa and Central Asianna, when in reality it was not. Ziyaad defended his course of action, which earned him the threat of regime change. Ziyaad kept this threat in mind, but it further fueled his discontent. Overtime, the Neocon war effort continued to exhaust negatively, as no concrete counteroffensive strategy among the Neocon leadership could be agreed upon. Ziyaad, growing aggravated at the situation, threatened to pull the Caliphate out of Neocon influence by nationalizing the oil industry against the Neocon Five, cancelling the artifact excavations including that of the Kataibatic Tablet, and joining the Heimdallr Council on 15 December 2038. A covert proposal was sent to the Council later that night, but was denied due to his part in the Erebonian campaigns. Nevertheless, the Neocon Five took the threat seriously and with his communication intercepted and decrypted, they issued another threat of regime change. Although his expaserations were met with dismissals and threats, Ziyaad's sentiments were echoed among not only the citizens of the Caliphate, but also to his fellow descendants from the Neo-Seleucid Movement who felt they were being used as pawns for an increasingly unreachable goal, which included Michael IV Timotheos and the Pergamonic royal family, Persefoni MacAulay Cosmides, Cheonsu of Joyonghea, Alice Janggok, Janggok Chi-hun, Janggok Hyo-jin and their close families, the Astvadzadourian sisters and their close family, and Ronja zu Schärtal-Tangersten.

On the night of 17 May 2039, the excavation team managed to discover the Kataibatic Tablet, and presented it to Ziyaad. On the day after, with the meeting held with the Neocon leaders authorizing the use of the Tablet adjourned, Ziyaad ordered the excavation team to be immediately incarcerated in a secret prison and their documents confiscated, including all of the Kataibatic Tablet Scrolls and their related research papers. A secret meeting among the descendants was hosted from a private study room in Ziyaad's palace to officially declare their breakaway that night, to which most agreed. One topic of the meeting concerned the usage and damage inflicted by the Tablet, and most agreed with Ziyaad's suggestion of unleashing the Tablet's power with much destructive potential as possible on both Neocon and Heimdallr forces, and accepted that any collateral damage sustained was, although brutal, necessary for a greater good. Ziyaad and the Neo-Seleucid Movement's defection was now in effect.

The Event

First Cataclysm (May 19)

When Heimdallr forces engaged with the Neocons in the Militesi Empire during the Cappadocia-Armenia-Cyprus Offensive, Ziyaad was requested to use the Tablet against the offensive attackers. Gaining mental confidence, Ziyaad activated the Tablet by reading the activation incantations in Akkadian and Mycenaean Greek. Repeating them three times with surprising accuracy, the Tablet's inscriptions radiated, and protective shield enveloped Ziyaad as Alice, Persefoni, the Astvadzadourians, and Ronja provided further protection. Ziyaad proceeded to read aloud the incantations to Zeus to grant the user destructive power, designated by archaeologists as the Kataibatic Incantations. As the incantations are read, the Tablet's power emmited a beam that formed an overcast sky and made its color turn from white and grey to red. Then, Ziyaad unleashed the destructive power via the Strike Incantation, where the beam released the defensive shield and multiple spots of light formed at sporadic locations in the clouds. Each of the spots illuminating brightled like the sun and released explosive yellow lightning in cascading fashion.

The devestation wrought about inflicted massive casualties towards both Heimdallr and Neocon forces, with the exclusion of the Caliphate's soldiers upon Ziyaad's three required exceptions. Not only were the military forces of Heimdallr and Neocon affected, but also the civilian populations of the Heimdallr and Neocon-aligned countries. The most particular civilian areas that were hit the most were Salamis in Cypria, Obernwerder and other cities in East Europa, Napoli in Rumania, Cairo in Egypt, Tripoli in Libyo, ad towns and cities in Western Lorica and the southwestern nations of the Atlantic Federation. Erebonia and its neighboring surrounding countries, including Lucis, were spared due to the activation of the Nanoshield, despite it taking 60% damage; Kasimira's dreams about Eurycleia II Soteira and Cassander VII Tryphon and the red sky proved consequential in the device's activation before the disaster hit them. A total of 750,000 died in a single day, and this event what was to be known as the Cataclysm.

In the aftermath of the disaster, Ziyaad was quoted saying:

My friends, a new world arise from its embers.

Cities Affected by the First Cataclysm

• 

  Salamis, Cypria
  (photo taken from the cockpit of a Levantine C-130)

• 

  Obernwerder, Margraviate of Crimea, East Europa

• 

  Napoli, Rumania with Mount Vesuvius Erupting (photo taken on 23 November 2039)

Second Cataclysm (June 10)

The Second Cataclysm reached to nations in the Pacificanna Ocean and Concordian coastline, including Nihhon-koku, Hawaii and California. The Tablet's powers wreaked havoc on Hawaii, particularly on the city of Honolulu where over half of the city's infrastructure was in ruins and half of the Pacificanna Fleet was wiped out.

Places Affected by the Second Cataclysm

• 

  Haigia, Quenmin

• 

  Mount Amagi erupting, Nihhon-koku

• 

  Honolulu, Hawaii, Concordia and the Soryu

• 

  San Giuseppe, California, Concordia and the Soryu

Aftermath

Randgriz Trials

Main article: Randgriz Trials of 2040-2041

Following the end of the Neocon War, the core members of the Heimdallr Council that included the Erebonian Empire, United Kingdom, Rubrum, Gallia-Bruhl, Zanarkand, and New Akiba agreed to convene to a joint tribunal in Randgriz, with the Randgriz Charter and the Randgriz Convention being its legal basis. As Concordia, Bethausia, Quenmin, and Joyonghea only had pro-Heimdallr governments that were partially recognised, it could not participate wholly, nor could it conduct a private tribunal within its borders for its arrested leaders and personnel. As a result, the final sentence was heeded by the head of the tribunal, who was Lucian Prime Minister Ignis Stupeo Scientia.

The court tried more than 70 of the most important surviving Neocon leaders of Concordia, Bethausia, Quenmin, Joyonghea, Holy Trabian Empire, Ilari, and other participating Neocon nations, including secondary allies. The trial would last until 20 March 2041, the anniversary of the start of the Neocon War. It also saw the prosecution of the Neocon 5, who had been arrested immediately following their respective resignations. The purpose of such trial was not just to convict the defendants, but to also assemble irrefutable evidence of Neocon crimes, offer a history lesson to the defeated Neocon nations, ban the use of any artifacts in future operations and wars, and delegitimize the Neocon elites, prominently included the well-known Mangjeol family and Janggok family.

Field Marshal Kiriya Kitagawa, along with the Big 6 that included prominent Heimdallr commanders Phùng Minh Thiệu, Bo Tae-sung, Zeya Tun, Mevludin Abarronbašić, and Prince Abdul Rashid served as prosecutors with Kitagawa being the Chief Prosecutor. In Kitagawa's words and writing:

The Kataibatic Event, though largely in part has found that deceased Caliph Ziyaad of the Levant is responsible for unleashing the cataclysm, the Neocon Presidents Robert Starkweather, Quyền Phương Nghi, Khaing Zeyar Zin, Juan Martín Pareja, Pam Nam-seon, and Raphaëlle Ménétries are found to be as responsible as the one who unleashed the calamity such that they were inextricably linked by means of motive to defeat the Heimdallr forces in the last 2 years of the war. Although former Presidents Quyen, Khaing, and Pareja had submitted their resignations prior to the war's end, the inextricable link has been established at the time of the artifact's activation and that the three were among the leaders who pushed for the use of artifacts in war.

Despite the appeals of the defendants attorneys, the link between Neocon leaders and the crime committed by Ziyaad was found to be indissoluble. As a result, Kitagawa heeded a capital sentence for the Neocon leaders, which received overwhelming support from the jury. As a result, the Neocon leaders were found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of committing crimes against humanity, conducting biological experiments violating the Randgriz Convention, permitting the use of artifacts that have killed millions of lives, and various other war crimes.

Caliph Ziyaad, although already incapacitated to be prosecuted, was found guilty of the crimes mentioned above and that the judges had ordered for his body to be cremated and ashes disposed of. The exact sentences to be given each defendant were debated at length by the judges. 55 leaders and personalities were sentenced to death, among them were:

• Robert Starkweather, former President of Concordia
• Quyền Phương Nghi, former President of Quenmin
• Khaing Zeyar Zin, former President of Bethausia
• Juan Martín Pareja, former President of Ilari
• Pam Nam-seon, former President of Joyonghea
• Raphaëlle Ménétries, former President of Trabia
• Mangjeol Son-ha, head of Hamgeup-Dongnan General Industries
• Cheonsu, Emperor of Joyonghea
• Mangjeol Young, head of the Mangjeol family
• Gotthard Oswald, head of Alderney Holdings Inc.
• Chang Gwan-mook, plotter of Case Violet and Operation Terminate, the plot to assassinate Marshal Kitagawa in 2037