What's Shaking? [All Read - Important!]

[Aqua]

Timestamp: 1st Optia, Summer Era XIV PF

And then, without warning, the ground began to tremble.

It was the first major earthquake to hit Aelyria Prime in a long, long time. It was not a large enough earthquake to cause complete devastation, but still, the shaking lasted for several seconds, long enough for people to run out of their houses, surprised and frightened, as the walls began to sway rhythmically back and forth.

In the Imperial Forum, the earthquake was more of a curiosity than anything else. The massive Palace was in no danger, and the other government buildings were also built far too well to suffer anything other than the most minor of damage. Likewise, the buildings in the Military District experienced nothing more serious than a few broken windows.

In the Student Quarter, patrons exited the Crown Inn and Tavern in a rush as bottles crashed to the floor. But aside from the damage to the stock of alcohol, there wasn't anything to be concerned about. The odd pink building didn't seem to be in any danger of falling down, and neither did the academic buildings nearby.

Old Prime, however, was another story. As the shaking of the ground intensified, several of the ill-built shanties and creaky homes that were packed close together simply collapsed. It was by no means total destruction -- it was perhaps one building every couple of blocks, on average, though the damage in some areas was more or less severe. Most of the homes didn't actually collapse until towards the end of the earthquake, which meant that the death toll was surprisingly light -- probably not more than a few hundred people, most of whom were too old or infirm to get out of their houses when the quake first hit.

Nonetheless, it didn't do much to lift the mood of disquiet and unhappiness that had been increasingly prevalent in Old Prime of late.