Collapse
Collapse (Event) Synopsis
The Collapse is the collective term for the combined social, political, and economic effects of the release of [Virus/New Era|Virus]] at the end of the Second Civil War.
Collapse (Event) History
The Virus was released in 1130. Within a few years the immensely destructive virus strains destroyed much of the existing techological infrastructure. On worlds with environments maintained by artificial means, casualties were probably 99 percent within the first week. If small pockets of survivors managed to hold out past the first shutdowns by using emergency shoring equipment, it was only a matter of time before their supplies of food, water, and oxygen ran out.
On other worlds, the casualty curve was more gradual. The crash destroyed food distribution networks forcing surviving urban dwellers to retreat to the countryside. Here the government attempted to protect the agricultural areas of the world in order to continue to feed the increasingly desperate people. The combination of famine, disease, and violence continued to reduce planetary populations.
Depending upon environment, access to breathable air, drinkable water and production of food without technological intervention determined how well or poorly the remining population of the world survived.
Collapse (Event) Aftermath
In almost all cases, the trauma of the Collapse — both the terrible casualties it caused and the suddeness of its onset — left deep emotional scars on the surviors, and the societies they have built are reflection of that trauma. Most of these societies are both xenophobic and technophobic to a greater or lesser degree.