The Mehkazie

The Mehkazie was a mysterious force that destroyed a raiding fleet launched by Korrinth in A.Y. 1732. Only a small handful of witnesses survived The Battle of the Brutish Sea, and were traumatized by the experiences of the campaign. These witnesses describe 'a great fire' or 'a cold light, like a thousand suns'. One account mentions 'a single point of light; then, darkness...'.

While it is tempting to write off the encounter as one of the particularly bad storms the Brutish Sea is named for, the timing of the event points to a more controlled situation.

Speculations

Most believe the Mehkazie to be magical in nature, either a defensive force controlled by Sun's Beacon or a weapon left over from the Mage Wars. It is known that every nation in the region rallied to defend Sun's Beacon against the coming attack, but no one has ever claimed responsibility.

Foundation Involvement

A controversial theory is, the Mehkazie was a nuclear attack launched by the Crimson Blade. Modia, then controlled by the Foundation and across the sea from Sun's Beacon, was among the nations that pledged to defend the city against the Ma-makar, but even with its mighty industrial power and advanced technology, Modia could not get a force to Sun's Beacon in time. It is well-known that the Foundation had staged inter-continental ballistic missiles with nuclear tips in Modia, with a range capable of reaching Arindell, and easily accurate enough to hit a large fleet of ships.

This theory is supported by the actions of the Crimson Blade when their task force did intercept the Ma-makar fleet. Despite an overwhelming advantage, they quite ruthlessly destroyed every remaining ship. Many believe, this was the Crimson Blade 'cleaning up' any survivors of the nuclear attack.

While the Foundation has never confirmed or denied the theory, anecdotal evidence against it is fairly damning. Firstly, the Foundation is typically quite open about its weapons of mass destruction, and uses them more as a threat than a strategy. Further, if several missiles had been fired, there would be a record of it, and none was ever found. The entire operation, while never given an "official" statement, was not subject to silence orders; and the sailors aboard the wet-navy task force spoke openly about their roles, but never mentioned a nuclear explosion. Lastly, no sign of nuclear fallout has been detected in the area, though proponents argue, this would be the case if N2 technology were employed. Officially, the N2 warhead was not developed until several thousand years later, but the Foundation has a documented history of 'holding back' certain discoveries.

Dragon Involvement

Though entirely speculative, one unusual report bears note. On the day before the Mehkazie, several dragons were witnessed leaving the eerie at High Mountain. Dragon comings and goings were common, but it was unusual to see a group of this size. Eyewitnesses reported sighting a Gold Dragon accompanied by at least a dozen Blacks and close to a hundred Reds. Such a large concentration of the flight (believed to be only 500-700 strong) would be a very major event. The dragons assembled in the skies over the city, then headed in the direction of Sun's Beacon in a fast-travel formation. They were not observed again, and returned to Arindell by a different route.

On the day following the Mehkazie, several dragons in human form were witnessed on the ground in Arindell. Accounts say, they were celebrating, and appeared "unusually smug". One particular citizen recorded in his journal (which survived in the Library of Arindell): "they walked with the sort of swagger reserved for conquering heroes, possesent of a super-natural smugness, and constantly laughing to each other about a joke they did not deign to share."

No known ability of dragons could be responsible for the sights described by survivors of the Ma-makar fleet, and no other connection was ever made.