Cataclysm

The fall of civilization, largely attributed to a widespread chain reaction of Sightless Flame , burning down any city with large caches of Oyl followed by volcanic eruptions all over the Old World. Only Karanubtub is free from the worst consequences, with little volcanic activity on the continent.
In the time that came Before Cataclysm (BC), the world of Pyre saw a period of rapid technological advancement, nationalistic and warring imperial states, the urbanization and industrialization of the populace and rampant inequalites. In this world, people are defined by their nation of origin, their position within the social hierarchy, and the toil of labor in their daily lives. But everything changed when the world burned.
Weapons of their own creation immolated the cities in invisible flame, hubris made manifest. The earth itself opened to swallow the land itself. The ground turned to fire and the skies turned black with ash, earthly mortals subjected to the terror of the heavens. Death reigned over humankind, reaping the teeming masses 'til the fields were bare.
The time after the Cataclysm is a time of Ash (A) and ruin. Scarce survivors pick through the remnants of an irretrievable past. For the most part the boundaries of nation, race, culture have been erased. Each person lives only for kith and kin, scraping together a meager life from the rubble. Civilization is a fading memory, clung to with hope and desparation.