The Babel Incident was a cataclysmic event caused by the alchemist Paracelsus's attempt at a large-scale rewrite of the World Formula. This attempt apparently backfired, causing a chain reaction of disasters around the world. This chain reaction also led to the unintentional creation of astermite, astérisque flowers, vampires, and gateways into Altus.
The exact details of Paracelsus's experiment are currently unknown.