Explosion of Yellowstone Supervolcano, while much smaller than expected, succeeds in dismantling the United States of America. Causing power vacuum and instabilities that herald the true beginning of the Days of Fire.
The first of the great pandemics of the Days of Fire occurs, hitting areas already half-starved by recent disasters especially hard.
The decades long political and military build-up and a conflict over Kashmir finally escalates into an open war between India and Pakistan. Unfortunately, the result of this war is an atomic exchange that breaks both participating countries.