A five-century planetary derailment launched from a collection of fog-soaked peninsulas where aristocrats in mildew-infested castles stared out at the ocean with unwashed ambition and the nutritional stability of boiled turnips. The boats arrived carrying cannon fire, biblical entitlement, lead poisoning, maritime parasites, and the unwavering confidence of men who thought dumping sewage into drinking water was an acceptable civic arrangement. Then suddenly entire continents were reorganized aro