| Armageddon | |
|---|---|
 Armageddon, the nuclear apocalypse that ended the old world. | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Participants | Sovereign states of Earth |
| Date | 2124 AD |
| Location | Earth |
- "Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust…"
- ―Abel Nightroad[src]
Armageddon (アルマゲドン, Arumagedon ), also known as the Great Disaster ,(大災厄, dai saiyaku ) was a worldwide conflict that occurred in 2124 AD. It involved every nation on Earth—including the states that possessed nuclear weapons—and eventually resulted in a nuclear war. By the end of the war, most of the Earth was made uninhabitable by the nuclear fallout. The world population was significantly reduced as well.
The apocalyptic war was not confined to only Earth; it also produced a by-product conflict on Mars. By the time of Armageddon, every nation had sent a group of their own citizens to aid in the Mars Colonization Program. The colonists were consequently divided by their separate national identities, causing them to fight among each other for the same reasons that led to war on Earth: to seize control of the Ark and its technology.
The legacy of Armageddon affected the human race and the Earth for generations. By the early 23rd century AD, the former members of the Mars Colonization Program returned to Earth where they mutated into the vampiric Methuselah, whose thirst for human blood resulted in centuries of conflict—known as the Dark Ages—between Terrans and vampires.
Etymology
Armageddon is the final battle that, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Bible, will be fought between the forces of good and evil during the end of days. The term is also used in a generic sense to refer to any eschatological scenario.
Origins
The world as it was at the peak of human civilization in the 22nd century AD.
Although Armageddon occurred in 2124 AD, its origins could be traced back several decades to the late 21st century AD. With roughly 12 billion humans forming the world population by 2080 AD, the leaders of humanity conceived of a desperate strategy—the Red Mars Project. Intended as a solution to the crisis of overpopulation, the project was an international initiative that involved every nation on Earth in the colonization of Mars. Leading this global endeavor was the United Nations Aerospace Force, a branch of the United Nations, which initially assigned 100,000 humans the objective of establishing the first human colonies on Mars. In addition to the colonists, four genetically-engineered test subjects were created to serve as leaders of the program and representatives of the UNASF's interests on Mars. They were Lilith Sahl, Cain Knightlord, Abel Nightroad and Seth Nightlord.[1]
The process of colonizing Mars worked well at first. Then the colonists discovered the Ark, a highly advanced vessel of mysterious origins, in 2122 AD. This discovery resulted in the complete loss of international cooperation and common interests that inspired the development of the Red Mars Program in the first place. Greed and distrust took their place as every nation on Earth wanted to gain sole possession of the Ark and its technology.[1]
History
Nuclear missiles flying across the skies, unleashing Armageddon upon the Earth.
Within two years of the colonists' discovery of the Ark, the Earth became the battleground of a worldwide conflict. Soon after the war began, the colonies on Mars were also involved in the conflict. By siding with their respective homelands, the colonists initiated the Martian Civil War for the same reasons that led to the third world war on Earth. In this regard, the war was the first interplanetary conflict in human history. As the international community disintegrated into sheer chaos, contact between the humans on Earth and Mars was severed, leaving the colonists stranded and isolated from their homeworld for almost a century.[1]
The war on Earth came to an end with the exchange of nuclear weapons between multiple states in open conflict over the Ark. The result was Armageddon: the culmination of a series of events—including the Red Mars Project and the discovery of the Ark—that led to the destruction of the old world. Aside from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, which were affected mainly by biological weapons instead of nuclear missiles, the rest of the planet was contaminated by the fallout of nuclear radiation, rendering most of the Earth's continents unsustainable for human life. For all intents and purposes, the world from before Armageddon was virtually destroyed. Many cultural and technological achievements of human civilization were lost, and humanity itself was reduced in population by a catastrophic amount. With few exceptions such as the Catholic Church, almost every form of organized human society was destroyed by Armageddon.[1]
Aftermath
- Main article: Dark Ages
Human civilization, reduced to ruins in the wake of Armageddon.
Armageddon had devastating consequences for both Earth and humanity. The majority of the Earth was rendered uninhabitable by the nuclear fallout of the war. However, the use of biological weapons as opposed to nuclear weapons in Europe made it one of the few remaining regions, along with parts of North Africa and the Middle East, capable of sustaining human life.
The human race, once vexed by the problem of overpopulation, was reduced to the status of an endangered species. Their situation was worsened by the collapse of almost every national government, as well as the intergovernmental organization of the UN. In short order, Armageddon resulted in the destruction of the majority of mankind, leaving the survivors without the order, stability and security of modern infrastructure, Most of the technological achievements of human civilization were lost, and without the support system of an organized human society, technological development came to a virtual halt.
Following the conclusion of the Martian Civil War, the surviving colonists constructed a replica of the original Ark which they used to travel back to Earth eighty years after the apocalyptic war. At first, they attempted to help in the reconstruction of human civilization. Shortly after their return, however, the "returners" began experiencing side effects of the Bacillus in their bodies, possibly as a result of Earth's closer proximity to the Sun. They developed symptoms of vampirism, including a fatal sensitivity to sunlight, enhanced strength and speed, and a thirst for human blood. The mutating effects of the Bacillus caused humanity to separate into two distinct groups: the Terrans and the Methuselah.
Although the Terrans and Methuselah are generally viewed as separate races, humans and vampires, respectively, the main distinction between them is that Terrans are uninfected humans, and the Methuselah are humans infected by the Bacillus virus. Before long, both races entered into a conflict known as the "Dark Ages."
Legacy
The world, centuries after Armageddon.
Because of the destruction that brought about a war, the majority of technological and cultural achievements of human civilization were lost. Many of these "lost technologies" are now found in 3060 AD Albion (corresponding to 21st Century England). Two other major countries of the world is Rome (21st Century Italy) and the New Human Empire or Methuselah Empire (territory of 21st Century Turkey and Eastern Europe).
Different regions speak different languages. The New Human Empire, for example, uses a mixture of Romanian and Russian.
The Vatican Papal State and the New Human Empire have a common border, and it is (at least in part) on the Danube.[2]
The political landscape of the world in the 31st century AD:
| Vatican Papal State 1. Roma Germanicus Kingdom 2. Über Berlin 3. Vienna Albion Kingdom 4. Londinium Hispania Kingdom 5. Sevilla 6. Barcelona |
Franc Kingdom 7. Massilia 8. Lutetia Duchy of Bohemia 9. Prague Grand Duchy of Jagiello 10. Kraków Marquisate of Macedonia 11. Skopje |
Free City of Carthage Domain 12. Carthage Marquisate of Hungaria 13. István New Human Empire 14. Timisoara 15. Bysantium |
Northern Marquisates Four City-State Alliance Estonia Latvia Lithuania Hispanic Morocco Terra Incognita |
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References