In Syntactic Labyrinths, in the years after the cataclysmic solar flare (Phaeton's Flare) Earth drastically cooled down. Thick poisonous clouds covered vast areas around the ozone hole. The blocked sunlight caused temperatures to drop in these areas from 50 degrees Celsius to around -70 degrees. There is no sign of survivors in these areas. Mankind outside of the Settlement of Babylonia is as much a mystery as is their future.