Nox

One hundred years ago the War of Ending was brought to a cataclysmic finale when the Empire of Alveria unleashed its superweapon. The weapon was far more powerful than they anticipated however and its effects were uncontrollable, devastating not only their enemies in the Harkon Imperium but their own cities and countryside in an event known as the Fall of Kings. With both nations crippled and the majority of their people dead or worse, the war ended, in practice if not officially. In the century following people are far more concerned with survival than any ancient imperial rivalry.   Despite the collapse of these mighty empires and the almost complete destruction of their holdings, civilization has still managed to struggle on, even if barely so. Some communities and even cities have weathered the upheaval, created sanctuaries of light in the midst of the darkness around them. Collectively known as The Last Cities they form a loose association both competing and cooperating with one another as their interests lie. Dwarven ingenuity mixed with human stubbornness allows for these cities to retain some form of normalcy and communication with one another. Great railways, an invention of the last age, connect the major cities to one another and are fiercely maintained by the Guild of Iron. City walls are defended by massive cannons and defensive magics of forgotten sophistication. As they are the last bastions of order in a chaotic world, most of these cities are overcrowded with refugees who live in poverty. The rule of law will not flourish in these dark times and many urban centers administer justice some might consider draconian. But for many, the security provided by the iron fist is better than no security at all.   The world outside the walls is a bleak affair. Dark forests, blasted plains, and cracked deserts are all that is left of a once verdant world. And in the dark, monsters, demons, and the restless dead stalk the land. There are small settlements which dot the landscape, but their existence is an ever tenuous thing. Some survive through tenacity and wit, others through brutality and cruelty, and some have even made pacts for protection from powerful outsiders, either malign or fair. Life in the wilderness offers freedom from the squalor and oppression in the cities, but it comes at a great and terrible price.