The Wastes

God is dead. This world is abandoned. People are still trying to live, but it is difficult without a watchful protector.   There used to be harmonious life. The world thrived under the care of the Gods. They took care of everything, so the children of the world could create and build and prosper. Great works of art were created, the opera was magnificent, the magic-users were creating more and more miracles. Maybe there was some conflict, some drama here or there. But over all, it was utopia. Everyone was fed and happy and content.   But, the Gods have been disappearing. Not all at once, not in some wave. Just one by one, they're just gone. They don't answer prayers, they don't perform their miracles, they don't make appearances. Nothing. Maybe one or two minor Gods are still here, but the majority of them are not doing their jobs and just, won't answer anyone. Not even their top oracles or priestesses. Because of this, the world that relied on their divine help has fallen. Lush farmland and prosperous towns have been erased by arid wastelands and unmarked ruins.   Society still goes on, but it's tough. What used to be easy street is now just hard work. There's less inclination to do good, since there's no one to smite you if you do bad. Lawlessness has increased, especially because of dwindling resources. Resources that used to be handled to mortals are now tough work to procure and hone. Because of this hardship, there has been some innovation. People have been figuring things out for themselves more, especially with their whole livelihoods at stake. But this does not happen enough to sustain the population that was supported almost solely by the now absent Gods. Many perish.   The question is, how would you survive? Would you carve out your territory and proclaim it yours? Would you try to advance society, to get back to the advancement the world had once seen? Would you go crawling back to the Gods that abandoned you, trying to get back in that plush porcelain tower?   Either way, life is gonna be a struggle.