Aspect War

Four years ago a conflict broke out on the fields between Nosirith, The Aurgwyn Vale and the Dwarven Confederacy as a series of terrible aberrations known as Aspects appeared and began to rampage. These huge creatures are referred to by one label, but each was different and terrible with an unpredictable magical power all it's own and an unnatural aura that poisoned the land they passed over. Each nation sent 5000 soldiers to fight the abominable army and suffered heavy casualties with The Vale losing the least, Nosirith losing half their forces, and the confederates almost wiped out completely. The aspects wiped out all towns and fortifications on those plains and many spread past the forces to continue decimating civilians or even target capitals with the worst hit being the dwarves who's dark subterranean towns had few escape routes. As the fighting drew toward a close a great aspect called Tyrua unleashed a devastating explosion that destroyed himself and all surrounding life leaving a crater a half-mile wide. The battlefield area around the crater is miles of wasteland of red dirt where no plant will grow and magic passing over it is nullified.
After the war news spread, allegedly from rogue military officers, that the creatures were created by mages and grafters working in the militaries. The tale says the human king of Dolerin agreed for the generals of Nosirith to experiment with the dwarves on combining enchantments with flesh to create stronger warriors, but the soldiers went mad as their bodies deformed. There were less reputable sources for any involvement from the elven queendom, theories range from rebels making monsters to overthrow the Pinnacle to zealots wanting to make a body for the divine to inhabit in the physical world again. From here bards gave the creatures the name 'aspect.' The rumors of the kingdom's involvement are confirmed by the new leader of Nosirith in Dolerin, who served in the Aspect War. Even worse is that the magic irradiated by the aspects has had slowly building effects on the ones exposed to it in sickness, madness, and horrible mutations. The hunt for the remaining aspects continues today as Queen Ayla offers a sizable bounty to anyone who can prove their killing of one.