Great Collapse

The Great Collapse, also called the Collapse or the Calamity, was a global catastrophe brought on by a sudden, rapid decrease in global temperatures. The exact cause remains a source of extensive research, but the academic consensus is that an extremely large asteroid broke apart in the atmosphere of the planet, causing many fragments to strike the surface and cause an impact winter. The event adversely affected every civilization in existence at the time, resulting in the demise of many. The decrease in global temperatures also resulted in a near two-century long decline in the human population.

Names
Due to its global ramifications, the Collapse is known by many names to many different nations. Some general trends for names exist, largely depending on location and linguistic roots.

Selected (translated) versions include:


 * North Granish/North Tarepasan: Fall of the Stars/Starfall
 * West Granish: Storm of Stones
 * North Cagrian: Heaven's Tears
 * South Cagrian: Fire Rain

Date
It has determined that the estimated year of the Collapse is likely accurate, as historical documentation that can be reconciled with multiple calendars exist. The most likely day that the meteoroids started to land is believed to be February 7th, although records show that they continued to fall for at least two more days. Some asteroids continued to orbit the planet, falling to the surface irregularly.

Disaster
The culprit is believed to have been a meteor between 10 to 20 kilometers in diameter, which broke into multiple fragments in the atmosphere. A significant portion of these fragments struck the Makiric Ocean and the continent of Tarepas, resulting in the formation of thousands of impact craters. The largest fragments struck northern Cagri, and have left craters visible to this day. No matter where a civilization was at the time, they bore witness to and were affected by the Collapse.

Impact Winter
The ensuing ejection of materials into the atmosphere caused an impact winter, which resulted in widespread crop failures and death. Although the actual period of cooling lasted only about 80 years, the population bottleneck resulted in a slow decline for nearly 120 years after. During this time, many civilizations arose near volcanic areas, where natural warmth and fertile soil fostered the rise of powerful empires. Most inhabitants towards the global north began to adapt, breeding crops that could survive the harsh conditions, and taming beasts of burden.

Impact on Calenders and Dating
The Collapse, being a defining moment in history, resulted in many cultures dividing their calendars to differentiate between the eras before and after the collapse. In 1437, the Society of Gandorists hosted an unprecedentedly large meeting, with the intent to create a functional, scientifically-accurate calendar that could be used throughout the world. This meeting resulted in the creation of the Common Calendar, which begins Before the Great Collapse (BGC), and transitions into After the Great Collapse (AGC) at Year 0 (the year of the Collapse). The calendar was created by reconciling several dates to find an approximate year in which the Collapse occurred. The Common Calendar has since been standardized across the world, although some nations still use their traditional calendars alongside it.