"Natural" Disasters on a Massive Scale

[kenjib]

What are some ways that massive natural disasters (both rapid and long term) play a part in both world and campaign building?

Here are some examples:

- The 79 AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius
- The flooding of the Black Sea
- The rise and fall of the Bering Strait
- The New Madrid Earthquake (Mississippi changes course among other effects)
- Tunguska Meteor Impact

What massive repercussions unfold because of events like this? How do the people in the world try to explain them? How does the injection of fantasy change the nature of these events?

 

[CCamfield]

For a really massive volcanic eruption, look up Krakatoa and how the resulting tidal waves swamped nearby islands.

I'm thinking about having an earthquake expose some long-hidden dwarven ruins, but that's more of a plot trick than anything else.

Too tired to have any insightful commentary I'm afraid.

 

[Tonguez]

My current game has the PCs leading the resettlement of a new island after their own home island has sunk beneath the waves (something that has been happening gradually for sometime (ie former plantations being flooded by seawater, villages finding themselves closer to the high tide mark each year)- hence they were sent out to discover the island in the first place)

as to the disasters you cite

I'd suspect that the flooding of the Bosphorus would not occur 9as some one would have built a damn using magic or otherwise)

However Beringia probably would have occures as usual (it was not a major 'disaster' but a gradual rise in sea levels over years/centuries)

The various volcanic eruptions and Earthquakes would have occured (being sudden disasters without warning) but may have had less loss of life as magic was used to evacuate civilians or rescue survivors

The Tunguska Meteor is such a spectaculr event that I suspect it would have been given supernatural explanations in any fanstasy society (it was in our own) - and would become something of a shrine to watever god/demon/dragon it was attributed too. (Actually iirc it was used on a GhostBusters cartoon episode as the site of the detonation of a powerful 'ghost')

ps the largest Volcanic eruption in recorded history was the 186AD Taupo Eruption the effects of which were recorded in Rome and China at the time

 

[BMF]

the 186AD Taupo Eruption the effects of which were recorded in Rome and China at the time

Indeed. They say the cloud of ash blocked out the sun for a week. The eruption was heard in China and the Romans saw spectacular lights on the evening horizon for SIX MONTHS!

That's almost unbelievable.

I'm sure there wasn't a person alive in 186 AD who wasn't completely freaked out by that. Imagine the horror and carnage of the people anywhere near it...

 

[jasper]

What are some ways that massive natural disasters (both rapid and long term) play a part in both world and campaign building?

pompeii an evil wizard, and medusa destory the town because they would not give the wizard a beer.

black sea Neptune had too much beer

madrid earthquake crazy clerics clash chicago causing catasophe with evil earthquake spell

meteor impact mad mage magical meteor kills hundres film at eleven.

What massive repercussions unfold because of events like this?
The same which happen in real life.
How do the people in the world try to explain them?
god must be angry killing the sinners.

How does the injection of fantasy change the nature of these events? The gawds are angry.

 

[GuardianLurker]

Also, let's not forget the Thera explosion/volcanic eruption, which may be the origin of the Atlantis legend.

If you step outside of recorded history, there are some *really* nasty disasters; imagine all of Yellowstone National Park/half of Wyoming disappearing in a super-volcanic eruption. Or half of Washington State being washed away in a flood that left ripples 30 feet (10 meters) high carved into the ground. Imagine what it would have been like to see the meteor impact that caused Sunset Crater (much less one of the larger ones).

Any of these would go well beyond "The gods are angry" - a phrase used to describe large storms just wouldn't be adequate.

 

[Katerek]

I for one am a total fanboy of comets and meteor strikes.

As a rule I try to have some type of astrological events occur each campaign. Meteor strikes are always fun.

As a side note, Bruce Cordels When A Star Falls event book for Monte and the Gang should be a good resource for such things.

One thing I have done in the past was Volcanic Eruptions, that was fun as well.

Never done a flood though...hmm.

BTW the best place to reaserch this type of thing is still your area Library. The internet has a lot of great sights, but on this kind of thing the Library has TONS of information.

 

[Utrecht]

There are two phases assosciated with the any disaster of a "historical" magnitude.

First are the immediate short term - The phsyical effects of them are generally limited to the area of the disaster and typically are over within a week.

More devistating are the long term effects, both societal and physically. Typcially results of large events results in many of the malthusian checks on population since the surrounding areas are not able to support nearly as many people as before.

Therefore, I would expect to see the following around a disaster area:

Starvation
Disease
Breakdown of the social structures - causeing many localized "bandit kings" to appear forcing thier wills upon the aread.

Obviously to RPG potentials are huge.

Some examples are:

Necromancers and Necromatic cults would descent upon the area (along with the populance being more succeptible to the messages) to partcate of the increased supply of bodies.

Humanoids - who were also displaced attemt to take - and hold formally demi-human lands (for that matter this could be any creature - imagine a dragon that had to abandon its lair due to a metor strike - it will not be happy)

An overall upswing if the chaos of the region - militias/armies become much less concerned about the overall good of the region and look to thier individual towns/families.

Humanitarian activites - this can run from everything of guarding grain caravans to figuring out how to feed the local populance.

So, I guess what I am saying that while dramatic, the immediate impact of a disaster is generally dwarfed by the long term results.

 

[kenjib]

So, I guess what I am saying that while dramatic, the immediate impact of a disaster is generally dwarfed by the long term results.

Interesting point. This is even more the case when the big events are gradual rather than sudden. With the flooding of the Black Sea, for example, almost everyone probably had plenty of time to evacuate the flooded areas, but where do they go?

What happens if you apply these now to some of the published fantasy worlds out there like Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Kalamar, Scarred Lands, etc.?

I'll try one with Kalamar tonight, as I don't have my books with me right now so I can't figure out all of the repercussions.

 

[kenjib]

If you step outside of recorded history, there are some *really* nasty disasters; imagine all of Yellowstone National Park/half of Wyoming disappearing in a super-volcanic eruption. Or half of Washington State being washed away in a flood that left ripples 30 feet (10 meters) high carved into the ground. Imagine what it would have been like to see the meteor impact that caused Sunset Crater (much less one of the larger ones).

It is truly frightening imagining what would happen if one of these events were to happen today. I don't think most of us are equipped to deal with such extraordinary events. Our modern scientific approach toward natural resources and infrastructure seems so focused on making sure that everything remains as constant as possible that we forget how quickly and devastatingly things can and do change from time to time.

How about an extinction level event like the one that theoretically wiped out the dinosaurs?