🌋The Great Misfortune

The Original Incident.

What is The Great Misfortune?

In the before times, all was well in The Racerverse. Things were really, really good. For a while.

The Great Misfortune was a long ago eruption of The Supervolcano that opened a rift in The Planet.

It looked like the end for all of the Original Racers.

Luckily, a curious Racer picked up some of the $SLIVER that The Supervolcano had vented across the landscape. They held it. They shook it. When they inspected the glowing shards, they felt a life force vibrate in sync with their own.

Was that Racer the first Scientist? We may never know. In any case, their intrepid experiments led to fantastic results: $SLIVER has many uses, chief among them its unique ability to calm The Supervolcano. Oh, and it powers the whole economy too.

These first $SLIVER gave hope to the remaining Original Racers, offering them sustenance through racing as they rebuilt their civilization. This all happened many, many, years ago.

Ever since, all Racers in The Racerverse have worked together to race and earn $SLIVER to learn more about their world.

What caused it?

While academics disagree about the exact origins of The Great Misfortune, there's consensus that an unusual alignment of The Three Moons, along with unknown factors, caused the eruption.

Although there's no evidence to back it up, Factions have long argued that it must have been another Faction behind The Great Misfortune. Typical.

Does it matter whether The Great Misfortune's primary cause lies with nature, an independent group of pirates, or one of the historical Factions? Modern Racers mostly worry about how to avoid another catastrophe.

What are the lasting effects?

Geography was completely changed: now we have The Oceans, The Lands, and The Cities.

All that's left of the before times are The Ancient Tracks.

$SLIVER was spread across The Planet during the eruption.

Everyone's been collecting $SLIVER and using it to power the Game Economy.

Will it happen again?

The Scientists think that as long as the amount of $SLIVER circulating in The Racerverse remains strong, there's no risk of The Supervolcano erupting again.

To be sure, certain Faction members make regular trips to The Supervolcano to toss in $SLIVER. Just in case. Because you never know.