The Collapse

The Collapse was a mysterious event that occurred in the 22nd century and resulted in the destruction of Earth and all infrastructure in the Sol system. As a result, extrasolar colonies lost contact with each other and interstellar human civilization entered a dark age. By 2500, humanity has rebuilt the colonies into a feudal society where noble Houses compete for power and wealth on a foundation of advanced yet aging technology they only partially understand.

Codex
"In the 22nd century, Earth was destroyed. It's not clear what happened, although the prevailing belief is that a scientific experiment spun wildly out of control. Whatever the cause, the planet was ripped apart, and electro-magnetic storms destroyed most of the other assets humanity had in the solar system.

Despite its colonization efforts, human civilization was still utterly dependent on Earth and Sol as its logistical, political, and resource centre. The colonies were plunged into darkness and anarchy. The strong survived by taking from the weak, and a great many died. It was several generations before the situation stabilized, and by then there was little trace of the sophisticated technocratic culture that had taken humanity to the stars."