Page 1/4 A Tale of Diabolica By Rovio Rodriguez According to mythology, Diabolica is said to be a hidden realm created by Lanquis, the god of darkness, before humans were created. The Einar Order and Venelux speculate that there is a creature in Diabolica that has the power to exterminate humankind, and for that reason, they are gravely concerned about the connection between Diabolica and our world. As such, research on accessing Diabolica is strictly prohibited without proper authorization. However, no such restrictions exist for private wizards and adventurers. So research on monsters from Diabolica, locations where they appear, and unusual phenomena associated with them are being actively conducted all over the world. As such, there are more and more reports of adventurers being attacked by monsters from Diabolica. The purpose of this record is to collect and infer as much information and data as possible to prepare for the very real threats from Diabolica that may occur anytime, anywhere. To this end, I've traveled to all known corners of the world recording experiences and eyewitnesses accounts about Diabolica and the devil monsters that call it home. Page 2/4 Rift Fractures in Diabolica - Focusing on the Manawastes and Sanctum of Desire According to Venelux's research, there are four rift fractures in Solisium and Trutizan where detectable amounts of Diabolica energy are rising. Those four places are known as the Sanctum of Despair, the Sanctum of Desire, the Sanctum of Pride, and the Sanctum of Hatred. All of these are fiercely guarded by senior wizards dispatched from Venelux or the Guards of the Einar Order. In the past, they were temples built by the Shadowmancers of the Sylavean Order to create a Gate to Diabolica, but they have all been dismantled or sealed by the Einar Order. Even with these guards, the Sanctum of Desire has often been the target of many surprise attacks by Arkeum forces trying to throw our world into chaos. With each attack, the magic of the sealing barrier weakens. Currently, the barrier is being guarded with the help of the Resistance. The other three crevice regions are all located in the northern part of the continent. One in Nix, another in Belphoret, and the final one in a secret, undisclosed location. Page 3/4 Witnesses of Demonic Beasts and Demons 1. Marco Palmer's eyewitness account of the Crescent Merchant Caravan Disaster This is a story that happened ten years ago when I led a group of merchants through the Manawastes. I was afraid of coming across the imps, so the merchants hired soldiers with a lot of experience in defeating monsters. With them to protect us, we traveled on our way without any serious incidents for a good portion of the trip. But at some point on the trail, I stopped hearing marching behind me. I looked back and saw that one of the soldiers had collapsed. I shook him to wake him up, but he was completely stiff like a stone statue. All hell broke loose. Something like lightning flashed in all directions scattering people and camels in an enormous screaming mess. I was so scared that I laid down flat and pretended to be dead. When all went quiet, I risked a peek. What I saw was a giant eyeball monster- I felt like I was losing my mind. The monster shot light from its huge eye, and people struck by it either turned to stone or died instantly. There were also tentacles with smaller eyeballs swirling around the huge eye. It was so terrifying that no words exist to do justice to the horror I felt that day. Page 4/4 Witnesses of Demonic Beasts and Demons 2. Monster Hunter Huxley Tyson's Encounter I have been hunting monsters for thirty years. You hunt monsters as long as I have and stories start to blend together. Details get fuzzy. Except for That One Hunt. The one burned into your mind and soul. Every monster hunter's got that story. Mine happened to me in the Manawastes. I was about 20 years old then. The old man who hired me at the time lost his son and spent all his money to recruit monster hunters for revenge. His target was "Junobote," known as the demon of the Sanctum of Desire. The old man's son was a fairly famous monster hunter who died while hunting Junobote. In the end, two whole guilds were hired for the job and left to slay Junobote. Many imps appeared on the way, and we gained some confidence by defeating them. But after entering the sanctum and coming across the Avolos, we changed our minds. They had four legs, a human-like torso, a basilisk-like head, and were highly intelligent. They were hardy beasts and shockingly hard to kill, way beyond what we imagined. Oh, and they attacked with bloody magic. If we hadn't brought a healer, we would have lost half of our forces just to them. Eventually, we came face to face with Junobote. The ground shook and flames rose, and a large red demon appeared with a flaming whip. "Prove your worth!" it shrieked. After that... it was just nightmare after nightmare. He toyed with us, asking riddles in the dark with two possible answers. If you got it wrong, you would fall into the fire. But even if you got it right, fear and pain were your only reward. I watched as one by one all of my comrades were melted by the flames emitted by the Junobote. I miraculously survived the chaos and escaped with my life... but, as you can see, it cost my left arm and an eye. It's a memory I don't like to recall if I can help it.
