The Catastrophe

A document from the Merca Federal Union tutorial center.

This document is approved for all technology standards.

For questions, please contact your local Cultural Correctness Committee chapter.

 

The Catastrophe was a global event approximately 1900 years ago, which involved worldwide flooding, a polar spin shift, and extreme volcanic activity. 

Possible Causes of the Catastrophe

Scientific theory

Since much lore and knowledge was lost during the Catastrophe, we may never know its true cause. Some Inventors believe it must have been due to an impact upon our Earth by some massive object from the high aether.

Legend

Many myths and legends have sprung up over the centuries about pre-Catastrophe culture and the cause of the disaster. One persistent legend places the blame upon an ancient religious group, the Krissins, known for its violent wars, aggressive recruitment techniques, and massive bombs.

However, it seems unlikely that pre-Catastrophe technology was sufficient to create an explosion with enough force to cause the extent of devastation described.

Results of the Catastrophe

Physical changes

It's clear from the pre-Catastrophe books and records salvaged after the event that the Sun came up in the East, instead of in the North, as it does now. According to survivor accounts, little change seemed to happen to the magnetic poles themselves.

Read one survivor account here.

Much of the Earth became uninhabitable due to flooding and lava flow. 

Climactic changes

The first several years after the Catastrophe were marked with severe cold, due to the upheaval of volcanic gases, steam, and dust. The floodwaters did recede in most places during the next ten years, leaving a devastation of its own, mired in mud.

As the skies cleared, the severe cold did as well, in Merca retreating to just west of where Dickens and Potter are today.

Devastation to flora, fauna, and humankind

Millions of species perished in the Catastrophe. Without the tireless efforts of the Inventors of Tollkeen, many plants and animals utilized for food and materials would have been lost forever.

It is estimated that some six to eight billion souls were lost the day of the Catastrophe. Many persons who survived the event itself perished due to starvation and exposure in the years to follow.

Cultural change

From the ashes of the Catastrophe, our wondrous societies have risen. 

Those hardy souls who came through this near-extinction event developed a great love of teaching the wonders of their past way of life to the new generations through books and other salvaged materials. One such document helped generate the dome system which is still in use today.

The criminalization of forced belief and the federation of independent domed city-states has helped our disparate societies to live together in peace, bringing great benefits as we move into the second millennium.

Further information about the Catastrophe itself may be found at the Kerston Public Library in Hub.

 

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