CODEX / LORE / The Theslar Event

The Theslar Event: The Day the World Ended

"They called it progress. They called it salvation. They called it the future of humanity. We call it Year 0...the day 7.5 billion souls learned what hubris costs." -Chronicler's Epitaph, The Ossuarium Archives

On Year 0, Day 0, at precisely 14:32 UTC, Dr. Nikolas Theslar activated his prototype engine at a remote Arctic research station. Three seconds later, civilization ended. What followed was not a war, not a plague, but a fundamental restructuring of reality itself...the Sundering of the world as humanity knew it.

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Overview: What Was the Theslar Event?

Aspect Details
Date Year 0, Day 0, 14:32 UTC
Location Theslar Research Station, North Pole (89.5°N, 142°W)
Immediate Casualties 182 at Ground Zero, 1.2 billion in first 24 hours
First Week Deaths 6.7 billion (89% of humanity)
First Year Survivors ~680 million (9% of pre-Sundering population)
Primary Cause Catastrophic failure of Theslar's resonance engine prototype
Secondary Effects Electromagnetic pulse, tectonic destabilization, Void breach, global climate shift
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The Three Phases of Catastrophe

Phase 1: The Detonation (Seconds 0-60)

At 14:32:00, the Theslar Engine breached its theoretical maximum output. The device, designed to generate limitless clean energy through dimensional resonance, instead tore a hole in reality. The Arctic ice shelf vaporized instantly. All 182 souls at the research station were consumed, their bioelectric patterns absorbed into the expanding Void breach.

Three seconds later, an electromagnetic pulse radiated outward at the speed of light. Within minutes, 94% of electronic devices globally ceased functioning. Power grids collapsed. Communication networks went dark. Modern civilization's technological foundation crumbled in an instant.

Phase 2: The Cascade (Hours 1-24)

The engine's failure triggered a cascade of secondary catastrophes. Tectonic plates, destabilized by Void energy penetrating Earth's core, shifted violently. A magnitude 9.4 earthquake struck the Arctic, triggering 214 volcanic eruptions simultaneously across the globe. Ash and debris ejected into the stratosphere, beginning the "Ashfall Winter" that would darken skies for two years.

The Crimson Aurora...a permanent red aurora borealis...manifested over Ground Zero, visible from anywhere on Earth. This became humanity's constant reminder of its greatest mistake, a scar in the sky that has never faded.

Phase 3: The Die-Off (Days 1-365)

With technology dead and infrastructure collapsed, humanity faced extinction through mundane means: exposure, starvation, violence, disease. Global temperature dropped 5-10°C as volcanic ash blocked sunlight. Agriculture failed completely. Clean water became scarce. Civilization fragmented into scattered survivor groups, each fighting desperately to see another sunrise.

By Year 1, only 9% of humanity remained alive. The survivors inherited a broken world...one where the dead could be made to walk again, where souls could power machines, where the boundary between life and death had been fundamentally rewritten.

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Key Locations and Phenomena

Location/Phenomenon Description Status (Year 437)
Ground Zero / The Scar 23-mile crater at North Pole, flooded with Void energy Forbidden Zone - lethal radiation within 50 miles
The Crimson Aurora Permanent red aurora over detonation site Active - changes color based on Void activity
The Engine Corpse Twisted remains of Theslar Engine at crater center Still humming - reality unstable in vicinity
Ashveil Caldera Volcanic eruption site, 80,000 dead, 15,000 goblinoid survivors Home of Crucible Packs, volcanic wasteland
The Void Rifts Dimensional tears scattered globally Spawn Abominations, expanding slowly
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Long-Term Consequences (Year 437 - Present)

Technological Regression

Environmental Transformation

Social Restructuring

The Long Decline: 680M → 200-300M (Years 1-437)

Although 680 million humans survived the first year after the Sundering, the population continued to decline over the next four centuries. An additional 400-500 million deaths occurred due to:

The population finally stabilized around Year 300-350 as factions established secure territories, agricultural systems adapted to the new climate, and survivors developed partial Void resistance through generational exposure. Current projections suggest the population will remain at 200-300 million indefinitely unless major geopolitical shifts occur.

The Soul Economy

The most profound change: the discovery that souls could be extracted, bound, and used as power sources. Bonelord Karath's breakthrough on Day 6 led to the Casket technology that now defines warfare and labor. The Ossuarium built an empire on soul contracts. The Exchange commodified death itself. Humanity learned to weaponize the afterlife.

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Unanswered Questions

Can the Void Be Closed?
No faction knows if destroying the Engine remnants would seal the breach or expand it. Expeditions to Ground Zero never return.

Was It Preventable?
The Draconid Remembrance claims they warned humanity. Theslar's own research notes contain panicked final entries suggesting he realized the danger seconds before activation. The world ended anyway.

Is This the First Time?
The Draconids speak of "previous cycles"...apocalypses that occurred 10,000 and 50,000 years ago. They claim history repeats. They claim the Theslar Event is just the third ending, not the first or last.

"437 years later, we still count from Year 0. Not because we're hopeful. But because we can't forget the moment everything changed. The moment we learned that progress has a price...and we paid it with the world."
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Explore Further

Topic Description
Ground Zero (North Pole) Detailed breakdown of the detonation site and current state of The Scar
Year 0 Timeline Hour-by-hour, day-by-day account of civilization's collapse
The Engine Itself Technical specifications and Theslar's fatal miscalculations
Before the Fall What the world was like before Year 0
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