Thursday, November 5, 2015

The 12th Meridian Crisis


The 12th Meridian Crisis is the name of the largest scale disaster to befall Salt in Wounds thus far. For reasons that are still unclear, several years ago the Tarrasque was able to free its tail and it took several hours for the God-Butchers to regain control and containment of the creature. In its thrashing and flailing, approximately 2500 people lost their lives from being struck by debris or the monster directly. In addition, numerous pieces of God-Butcher equipment was destroyed, and house sized boulders were flung into the Hind Quarter smashing homes and businesses. While this was happening, a large scale panic gripped the city, and -fearing that the end had finally come- swarms of people tried to flee. In addition to the thousands or so who lost their lives to the direct actions of the Tarrasque, an additional 4000 or so were trampled and killed in the madcap attempts to evacuate Salt in Wounds.

Were it not for the actions of (then) Master God-Butcher Helenie in illegally using her knowledge of the 12th Meridian Harpoon command word, the Tarrasque very likely would have freed itself.
Eventually, the Tarrasque was brought back under control but with numerous lasting consequences.

Consequences

On the most basic level, Autoxia Marcellun (then Binder-Lord of 12th House) was usurped by Tolviko Marcellun; then a lesser cousin of 12th House. The God-Butchers suffered a massive setback in public perception and internal shock, with as many as 20% of its ranks leaving the organization (although much of this was influenced by the post-crisis treatment of Helenie). The Hind Quarter was transformed into what is now commonly referred to Tail Stones, an area of the city yet to be fully rebuilt and practically given over to lawlessness and grinding poverty.

Moreover, the newly confirmed Binder-Lord of 12th House Tolviko shocked the city several months after the crisis by granting the extraction contract for the 12th Meridian to the newly created Marrow Miners; an organization led by former God-Butchers and staffed largely by the so-called ‘monstrous’ races.
As no official answer has ever been offered as to how the Tarrasque was able to free itself, numerous theories abound (see Circle of Release). The most widely accepted theory is that Autoxia had lost the favor of the God’s and so his charge was ‘unloosed.’

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