The Hand of Reus

A forcefield

This article was written for Summer Camp 2024. Therefore it is unpolished and lacking formatting and information. Feel free to comment with any questions or requests for clarification.

The Caian island of Daren is surrounded by a large, mysterious wall that follows its coastline for several hundred miles. It is unknown whether the wall was built for protection or for imprisonment, as it dates from before the Renewal, and the Darenites woke up already trapped on the island.
In 3092 EA, however, a war ship from the Erish Empire passed by the island and were indignant at the lack of response to their greetings. They fired cannonballs at the wall, which turned out to be a mistake. Something in the wall sparked to life, and a loud crack echoed across the whole island, sending Darenites scattering for shelter. Faintly purple arcane energy erupted from the top of the wall, covering Daren in a glowing, shifting dome. Energy shot out from the wall and sunk the aggressive ship. The dome, or shield, lasted for five days and nights, before dissipating with little fanfare.

The Darenites were unaware of the attack, and until this day the phenomenon remains a mystery to them. The most widely accepted story is that this was a religious miracle, that Reus, the God of the Wall, was protecting them from some unknown danger; because of this, the shield has become known as the Hand of Reus. Others believe that the truth is more mundane, that it was not the work of a deity but some magic or technology unknown to them that had been built into the wall. Studies of the wall, however, have led to nothing, much like the Darenites' attempts to open the gates.