The Marauder

Geography on earth is largely unchanged, though the areas around the erupted volcanoes are barren of life, having been destroyed during the eruptions.

A perpetual cloud of dark gray ash hangs in the sky, dark and dense enough to block the sun's rays. Day and night are only differentiated by functioning clocks, and a slight lightening of the ash sky when the sun rises. The sun, moon, and stars cannot be seen through the ash.

Because the cloud of ash is so thick, and because evaporation of water cannot occur without the sun, rain no longer falls. The overall temperature of the world has dropped by an average of 10 degrees worldwide, and the icebergs at the poles have stopped melting. Ashfalls are a rare occurrence, however people take them as a positive sign, as it means the ash is clearing from the sky, however slightly.

Plants have evolved rapidly to utilise UV rays instead of sunlight to produce oxygen, although oxygen machines operate in major city centres, to accommodate the higher concentration of people. However, not all plants have acclimatised to the new environment, resulting in some species of animals and insects becoming extinct due to the breakdown in their ecosystems.

The year is 2026. Fourteen years ago, the volcanoes of the earth erupted simultaneously, in what most people believe to be an apocalyptic event. It wasn't enough to destroy humanity immediately, but the ash covered the sky, blocking out the sun and disrupting life. No longer able to rely on the sky for travel and transport, mankind was forced to return to the seas.

Well hey. Finally getting off my ass and adding some colour to those Nano pages from June.