The agrarians are no strangers to natural disaster. Europa’s geologic instability means that small tremors frequently shake the archipelago and trigger tidal surges, and distant volcanic eruptions cause intermittent periods of mild volcanic winter open_in_new . When the foreshocks of another earthquake arrived, the populace initially thought nothing of it——but when the main earthquake hit, they quickly realized it was more extreme than any they had previously experienced. A dramatic tidal surge swamped the tideline, and injuries and damaged infrastructure left the community shaken, but the full extent of the devastation was yet to come.

A massive plume of ash began to rise from the horizon, followed by a thunderous, roaring noise. This period of volcanic winter was like none they had experienced before, inhibiting recovery efforts and causing widespread crop failure for the burgeoning communities. The tidal nomads, decimated by the tidal surge and forced back onto dry land, integrated into agrarian communities, increasing the food production pressures. The agricultural practices of the agrarians, previously highly collective, became more privatized as communities focused their efforts inwards. It was during this time that the groundwork was laid for divisions between different cities, towns, and villages.