The deep crisis is a worsening conflict between industrial energy extraction and dungeon ecology. It first appears as scattered mine failures, investigated separately until the same dungeon adaptations appear across borders. By then, heating, transport, food, and defence depend on deep power.
That dependence keeps the crisis growing. Energy demand drives mining expansion, dungeons adapt to the disturbance, and defending the public consumes more power. Meeting that demand requires further expansion. As the damage spreads, foreign powers intervene, hardening positions on every side.