(With credit to GlanceALot and LaFille.)
In the course of the last decade the Persia Mining Corporation (PMC) became the world's largest mining organisation. Their development of deep-underground mining techniques and technology allowed them to reach depths where the intense pressure creates crystals of far greater quality than what had been seen before. The PMC are now the sole supplier of gemstones required for top-quality manavices and go to great lengths to preserve their monopoly. The deepest mine they are currently working is in South West Asia, a mine known as Hades Caves.
Deep in these caves a small team of workers were operating a huge automated drilling device, powered by a series of interconnected and amplified manavices.
"So do you think we've reached the centre of the world yet?"
"I don't know. Maybe we've gone right past it and we're about to pop out the other side?"
"No. It's too hot for that. If we were past the centre it would be getting cooler again. We need some more ventilation down here."
"Yeah, I'm boiling. The shift's almost over. Lets just tear out some more rock and see what we can find."
The workers continued digging deeper into Manatopia carving out stone after stone from the hard rock, barely scratching the surface, slowly but persistently thinning the granite. And then, Manatopia rumbled back at them.
"What the hell was that? There's not another cave in?" The miner threw a worried look around.
"No way there could be a cave in. We've been doubly careful with the supports since Michaels lost three of his team. It was probably just a tremor." the other reassured him – and himself.
He was partially correct. It started off as just a tremor. The miners had unknowingly been approaching a pocket of molten lava. It had been contained deep underground by the immense pressure of the rock above it. Now an escape had been presented to it. The mine wall ruptured in a fountain of glowing orange-red lava, though the miners never had much of a chance to realise what hit them. The lava gushed up the tunnels devouring everyone and everything in its path. The miners in the tunnels closer to the surface were deeply troubled by the tremors, the surging wave of hot air blasting through the tunnels. This feeling of undefined, imminent danger was to only last a few seconds...
The pocket of lava that had ruptured was near the base of a tectonic plate. The sudden depressurisation allowed the molten gooey core of the planet to follow in the lava's tracks. The core of Manatopia smashed its way into Hades Caves, rupturing the tectonic plate. The resulting earthquake was unlike anything experienced since the planet's infancy. The tremors were felt as far away as Western Europe. South West Asia was obliterated. Entire towns collapsed. The death toll exceeded 500,000 people. Persia was split in two, the Middle East and Asia now being disconnected by rubble, the usual trading network was obliterated.
In itself, this was the worst disaster to ever befall the world, but the aftermath was to cause more problems than anyone could have anticipated. By rupturing the planet, the balance of mana in the world had been upset. Where there was normally a balanced amount of mana throughout the world, now it collected in pockets ranging from visibly volatile to completely devoid. Manavices began to operate in peculiar and unpredictable manners due to the irregular flow of mana. Many Magi were left either powerless or unable to cope with the overload of mana.
After the initial shock, civilisations began to adapt in various ways. The radium industry rapidly boomed to invent replacements for mana technology. Extremists supporting the Magi and the Scions started conflicts, convinced that their way was the only true answer.
All that was clear is that little was as before in the world anymore and something had to be done about it. Proposed and discussed answers were manifold - but none so far provided a clear vision of potential success. Thus hope dwindled slowly and fatalism spread like a cancer.
But then change is the catalyst for evolution and, among the various people and races, the dramatic need for adaptation to the new situation triggered developments that would forever change the face of Manatopia...
