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The Aquitaine Anomaly, also known as the  'La Malédiction' by local residents, is a 25km2 area of land located in Aquitaine, France, approximately 100 kilometres north of the city of the regional capital of Bordeaux and 5 kilometres north-west of the abandoned town of Montagne-sur-Gironde. The area is the subject of a level 4 quarantine order by the United Nations Anomalous Event Council 'UNAEC'.

A 3 meter tall electric fence extends along the continental perimeter of the designated anomalous zone with a sizable military presence composed of contributions by NATO member states present. No flights are permitted within a 10 kilometre vicinity of the the zone and an international naval task force led by the French Navy permanently patrols the nearby Bay of Biscay to enforce a blockade.

Although a multitude of theories exist, the true origin and nature of the Aquitaine Anomaly remains ultimately unknown to the general public. What information does exist widely comes from a series of unverified leaks from internal sources within UNAEC and the international military garrison. The lack of available official documentation regarding the anomaly has led to allegations of extraterrestrial or supernatural involvement by many public figures, as scientists have struggled to put forward a believable scientific explanation for the seemingly inexplicable observed phenomenon.

History
There is no known origin date for the anomaly, nor for the international organisations that work to quarantine it. Prior to a major incident that occurred in April of 2014, the region was known to host a minor French military research base and a few small towns. Since the incident, the anomaly was revealed to the public in a brief statement, the only official press statement to mention the anomaly, released by the newly established UNAEC body. All nearby settlements were evacuated and large amounts of NATO personnel were flown in after appropriate military infrastructure was constructed. All queries to governments involved have been met with silence. Although the current coalition of countries that enforce the quarantine order currently operate as a body of the UN, an obscure clause, recently found in the 1815 Treaty of Paris that concluded the Napoleonic Wars, was recently unearthed in an investigation by journalists from VICE News. The clause makes reference to a special fort to be constructed at a location enveloped by the anomaly, with a large posting of Anglo-Prussian soldiers considered excessive for a peaceful occupation. If one is to believe the authenticity of the aforementioned clause, in conjunction with the current international presence around the anomalous zone, one can start to draw a conclusion that the origin of the anomaly, if there even is one, is far further back in history than previously thought.

Known Phenomenon
On the 21st of April 2014 local fishermen reported seeing the movement of several dark shapes, around 1km long, up to 300km from the anomalous quarantine zone. At least five independent sightings of the shapes were verified, with the most distant being observed by Spanish vessels fishing off the coast of the Canary Islands. Images were circulated on social media of these shapes and were quick to attain trending status on social media platforms. Despite popular references to a certain prehistoric species, in all public images so far, no clear shape can be identified and it is notable that the observed shadows were seen to be ten times the length of any known Megalodon fossil. A minor global panic ensued in the following weeks, with law enforcement forces worldwide forced to deal with a series of global riots, some fueled by apocalyptic religious sentiments from sermons given by the newfound Church Of Starry Wisdom, an apocalyptic religion that believes the salvation of humanity lies within the anomalous zones.

On the 28th of April 2014, seven days after the dark figure sightings, locals living along coastlines bordering the Bay of Biscay reported seeing huge amounts of dead sea creatures washed up on the beach. This phenomenon was reported to be strongest directly adjacent to the anomaly, with footage circulating of Bordeaux beaches with piles 1-2m high consisting of angler-fish, tuna, cod and other various sea life native to the bay area. Within several hours of the news breaking all affected beaches were cordoned off by UNAEC agents and teams bearing the insignia of the United States Chemical Corps were seen entering the beaches and clearing away the organic debris. To date, no official statement or explanation has been released by UNAEC, or the government of France as to the cause of either phenomenon, although many scientists in recent years have come out attributing both to an accidental release of a secret chemical weapon. Public opinion though, remains predominantly convinced of a connection with the anomaly however, with even the scientific community having trouble explaining the proximity of the incidents to the Aquitaine area. The phenomena and related incidents have thus been the cause for large amounts of conjecture by conspiracy theorists such as Alex Jones, who was arrested two days after the reported sightings, along with twenty of his fanatical followers, attempting to break into the FBI headquarters in Washington, DC to allegedly 'find the true cause for the incidents'.

In 2015, a paper from a group of marine biologists from the Université Côte d'Azur was published, claiming the irreversible damage caused by the 28th of April incident had caused the overnight extinction of over 50% of all marine life in the Bay of Biscay. In addition, the traditional migratory paths of various species of whales and dolphins, which have remained unchanged for thousands of years, had seemingly altered their trajectories to avoid the anomalous area and give the Bay of Biscay a wide berth. The marine biologists conceded they could offer no plausible theory for this change in behaviour based on currently available knowledge.

A lesser known side effect of the April Incidents was a significant increase in cases of psychosis in mental institutions across Western Europe. Most cases admitted from the 21st to 28th of April shared one key detail. Each reported sightings of figures described as having heads covered in a layer of white fabric. The cause behind what appears to be the first documented case of a mass community hallucination is unknown. Parallels must be drawn between the description of the hallucinations and the religious headdress of the newfound Church of Starry Wisdom, which was officially founded on April 30th 2014 with many of its founding members being the very same people that reported experiencing he previously mentioned April psychosis

Relationship to the Church of Starry Wisdom
The depth of the relationship between the Aquitaine Anomaly and the Church of Starry Wisdom is not entirely known. What is known is that the Church was founded in the immediate aftermath of the April Incidents, by those who reported experiencing visions of cloth-headed figures, which they now imitate with all members of the Church covering their heads with a layer of white silk in public. The beliefs of the Church are mysterious, but what little is known tells us they believe the Aquitaine Anomaly to be miracle delivered by the heavens in order to grant them salvation. They heavily criticise the UNAEC quarantine of the anomaly and believe that by being prohibited from accessing the anomaly, they are being refused communion with their God. Despite their secretive nature, the Church has obtained an increasingly large following worldwide in the years following the April Incidents. Many converts to the Church have been known to report strange visions and dreams to family members and medical specialists in the weeks preceding a conversion, before they arbitrarily appear to cut contact and decide to commit themselves to the worship of the anomaly. The Church of Starry Wisdom itself holds an extremely hostile mutual enmity with existing religions, particularly those with Abrahamic roots. In 2019, in a show of unprecedented religious unity, various Christian and Islamic leaders including the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar issued a joint statement declaring the Church Of Starry Wisdom an affront to their mutual god and a dangerous heresy. Despite this denouncement, membership of the Church of Starry Wisdom has continued to grow at an alarming rate and is soon projected to become one of the world's most practiced religions.

The UNAEC Leak
On May the 18th 2020, a document was distributed to various news sources worldwide by an alleged whistleblower within the UNAEC organisation. The identity of the whistleblower remains anonymous but many journalists who received the document claimed to be able to verify the authenticity of both the whistleblower and the material they provided. The document itself, which consists of an interview transcript between a UNAEC agents and a member of the Church is shown in its entirety below:

Interview Log 28 April 2020-UNAEC Base Aquitaine

Interviewing Officers: Captain Dubois-National Gendarmerie, Agent Reynolds-Federal Bureau of Investigation

Subject: Captured CSW cultist

Interview commences

Reynolds: State your name and date of birth.

Subject is still and unresponsive in his char

Reynolds: I said, give me your name and age.

Dubois: It has been three days Reynolds, I think a more aggressive approach is warranted.

Dubois: Hey! Look at me. You want better treatment, some warm soup and a blanket in that cold dark little cell of yours perhaps, you better start talking.

Dubois: How about this, why were you trying to sneak through one of the most heavily guarded checkpoints on Earth just to get to something that will most likely kill you hmm? You do realise that your entire Church is built on a lie yes? We've sent plenty of people in, proper soldiers with more firepower than you can imagine as well, not just a weak little cloth-head like you. They never return.

Dubois: D'accord if that is how you want to do this, then that is fine with me, a little more time in that concrete cell all alone may change your mind.

Captain Dubois signals for the guards to take the subject back to his cell

Subject speaks for the first time, but with no noticeable movement from beneath his silk head dress.

Subject: They were not true believers Dubois.

Captain Dubois seems momentarily stunned at the use of his name, which the subject was not informed of.

Dubois: Who told you my name cultist ?

Subject continues without acknowledgment

Subject: Of course they were not permitted to bask in the glory of the Gods themselves. They were cleansed of course, their essence absorbed into the greatness of our lords themselves, a better fate than you heathens deserve but our masters are nothing if not merciful.

Reynolds: Answer him cloth-head! You better start giving answers or we'll rip that rag off your head and burn it. What would your supposed gods think of that eh?

Subject: You cannot continue this forever you know. You and I both know the portal is growing. You think it will stop?

''Subject starts uncontrollably laughing. A distinct gruffness is now perceivable in his voice, as if his throat was extremely dry.''

Subject: The gods have grown impatient Dubois. You and the ilk that came before you have kept mankind from their salvation for centuries, no more. The gods will soon envelope this world in their love and we will all be united in their glory.

Reynolds: That's it. Guards! Take off that rag and burn it.

''Two armed guards move over to the subject and one places a hand on the cloth on the figure's head. After a brief moment he suddenly stills.''

Reynolds: I gave you an order corporal I expect you to follow it.

Guard: Sir, I can't take it off!

''Reynolds draws a knife and walks over. He takes a firm handful of cloth and puts his knife to it. Dubois walks over.''

Reynolds: Dubois put this in an urgent report and get it to high command. The cultists don't have cloth on their skin, they have cloth instead of skin.

Subject continues laughing.