Aria

Thousands of years ago, the gods were Corrupted. During this Corruption they fell to Chaos and began to destroy the world they had so carefully built.   In response to this, the mortal races devised ways to stop the gods. First were the Weapons: powerful magic items supposedly capable of damaging the gods. Next came the War Machines: massive siege engines and humanoid robots. Finally, the greatest mortal wizards found a spell that could send the gods away from the mortal planes. The mass casting of this spell resulted in a cataclysmic event known as The Severance.   As a result, all spellcasters that drew on holy power were no longer able to use their powers. The world itself was also broken, with areas of land suddenly coming out of the ground and floating in the sky. Some areas became devoid of all magic, others became magical multipliers.   In the present, these conditions have become the norm. It is not unusual to see a large tower leading up to a floating chunk of land, or to see a sorcerer practicing magic in an multiplier area. Life is possible without the gods, but there are still many who worship them, hoping for their return. Those who study the Devine War know that if they do return, the gods will not be what their followers expect.   It seems, as time goes on, more and more likely that the followers will get their wish, that the gods will return. Even now, as our upcoming heroes lay unaware of their journey to come, the gods are whispering to their clerics. The gods are Corrupting the clerics' minds, as the gods' minds were Corrupted once before.