Post by Catsmate on Dec 22, 2015 11:45:55 GMT
“…during this year a most dread portent took place. For the sun gave forth its light without brightness... and it seemed exceedingly like the sun in eclipse, for the beams it shed were not clear.”
Procopius
Procopius
Something catastrophic happened around 535CE, something that effected the weather on a global scale, destroyed crops, toppled empires, started plagues and famines, and changed human history hugely.
Beginning in that year an atmospheric dust veil blanketed the planet, causing the most significant short-term climactic cooling in millennia. This led to crop failure across the planet, famine caused political and social upheavals, population movements
What we know.
From various records (the Irish Annals, the writings of Procopius, other sources in South America, China, the Middle East and Europe), examination of tree rings in Ireland, Scandinavia, California and elsewhere, and sampling of ice-cores from Greenland and the Antarctic, a catastrophic event of some sort occurred; perhaps as much as half-a-trillion tonnes of dust was deposited into the atmosphere. The dust particles acted as nuclei for ice crystals, changing the Earth’s reflectivity and triggering sudden, worldwide, cooling.
What happened?
There are two basic theories, volcano or impact. Those who favour the volcanic hypothesis (the majority of scientists) believe that either a single massive eruption, or a chain of smaller eruptions, were responsible. The main suspects are Krakatoa (Indonesia), Rabaul (Papua New Guinea) or Ilopango (El Salvador).
Some scientists postulate a string of cometary impacts, probably mainly in the tropics, into the oceans were responsible. There are possible impact craters in Gulf of Carpentaria (Australia) and the North Sea near Norway.
Consequences.
Both the Sassanid (neo-Persian) and Gupta (Indian) empires were seriously weakened and fell soon afterwards.
Decline of Teotihuacan (in modern-day Mexico), one of the most populous human cities of the time.
The weather and food shortages effected Roman conduct of the war against the Vandals. This, combined with the disruption of Slavic cultures, triggering incursions into Roman territory (starting in 536) weakened Byzantium.
The Plague of Justinian (541-3CE), the first introduction of Bubonic plague from Africa to Europe, was probably caused by the necessity to import food to feed the Roman Empire. The plague spread rapidly and far, with cases recorded in Ulster in 545. The spread of the plague in turn disrupted trade patterns across Eurasia and have significant local consequences, including perhaps the Saxon defeat of the Britons and Lothar’s conquest of Burgundy.
China was particularly badly effected. Large scale crop failures, worsened by droughts and falls of ‘yellow dust’ led to the collapse of the tax system necessary to sustain the empire, this triggered revolts in the 540s and the near disintegration of Southern China. By 590 China would be reunified, dominated by the north.
Arabia was also seriously effected, by weather, food shortages and plague. This caused the decline in the Saba civilisation in Yemen (for example the city of Marib had its irrigation system destroyed, triggering an 85% drop in population over the period 545-585). This power vacuum, and the involvement of Amr (grandfather of Mohammed) in supplying food from Syria to Mecca, are significant factors in the rise of Islam.
Game use.
Well for someone not knowledgeable about the period arriving on Earth to find it blanketed with a 'dry fog' and the sun barely brighter than a full moon might be rather disconcerting.
The events caused by the event could simple be background to a scenario, with the PCs trying to survive, avoiding cannibals in Northern China, plague in Byzantium, barbarian hordes in Europe or other such problems, while still trying to achieve whatever goals they have.
A good opportunity to split the parts and/or separate them from their transport.
Then there are the possibilities of deliberate meddling.
Would the world have been a better place if the catastrophe hadn't happened? Someone is bound to think so, a partisan of the late Roman Empire perhaps, or a historian who thinks an earlier, unified, India would be a Good Thing. Supply them with a time machine and some sort of plan and there's a moderately sympathetic antagonist for the party to stop.
- Stopping a volcano would seem to be pretty difficult but they may have access to Slightly Mad Science (a working model of Tesla's oscillator perhaps) or some piece of alien (Silurian?) technology or simply hope to vent the lava less harmfully with the aid of a few nuclear bombs.
Don't forget the possibility that the meddler is mistaken and their tampering is likely to worsen things, leading to the complete collapse of global civilisation. Perhaps the scenario starts with the PCs in the modern day to find the Earth recovered, but humanity almost extinct. They'll have to figure out what happened and prevent it.
If the catastrophe was caused by comet impacts then it would be easier to stop, assuming the meddler has a suitable spaceship available.
In the Whoniverse the cause might not be something as mundane as natural vulcanism or ice impacts. Was the catastrophe actually caused by Silurian climate alteration efforts? Perhaps disrupted by the PCs, leading to the historical events.
Now a spaceship colliding with the Earth is perhaps an over-used trope, but it would work. The ship might break apart, leading to the chain of impacts postulated. Or perhaps it used anti-matter as an energy source and a few chunks entered the atmosphere.
Even a battle in near-Earth space could be responsible, with the crippled remnants of the ships, or expended missiles, drawn in by Earth's gravity being the impactors.
Or was it an attempt at genocide? Science fiction contains numerous species who don't tolerate potential competitors, like the Daleks.
- David Weber, I'm looking at you; Bugs (The Shiva Option), Achuultani (Heirs of Empire), Gbaba (Safehold), Kangas (The Apocalypse Troll)
- What happens in the future when humanity encounters them again?
Comments? Suggestions? Ideas?
