[@Lyla]

A strange malaise held a firm grip over the interior of the Eastern Kingdom some 400ish years ago and was responsible for its slow decline. It caused its denizens to be more erratic and hostile. Whether it was imperial policy or some supernatural occurrence, I'm honestly not sure.

To be fair, I figured if the current darkness is occurring a few decades ago and it is approaching from the east when the Eastern Kingdom is all but ruins, perhaps some 400 years ago that was a portend of things to come. A small, small glimpse of the future.

Or it was just a separate incident that is not at all related to the current darkness. Regardless, the overt hostility of the citizens just gave Al'nehak fright and concern for her safety but she sensed something wrong about the region. Whatever it is, we won't know since she didn't investigate it. Maybe an important plot point will come out of it but I honestly doubt that.