"They shall inherit a world in turmoil. Due to the actions of pompous gods and their ancestors that live upon the soil, their greed and carelessness nearly ended this world. What remains is left to those who might find their future amongst the rubble." - Sylvan Prophecy
In the year 240, Gaia would be changed forever when, in the chaos between Gods, Men, and the Supernatural, a greed-fueled man whose name is lost to the annals of time brought an end to a 100-year war through the use of a techno-magical relic of an ancient civilization.
This object, through collecting the energy of the numerous souls of the beings that perished during the war, once activated, unleashed a deluge of power so overwhelming it wiped out 80% of the world's population and 3 continents without discrimination, friends, and foe alike. It eradicated both the natural and supernatural within its radius and permanently eliminated many god-like entities.
As a consequence, the blast thinned the veil that separated The Wake between the natural world and the protection that the oldest of gods had placed upon Gaia during its creation. Miasma from the abyss of the cosmos began to invade the world before the remaining gods were capable of patching up the hole left by the aftermath. Even with their combined strength, the miasma still finds tiny gaps within the weakened, newly patched aegis.
This Miasma had the unfortunate side effect of infecting and proliferating amongst the remaining creatures of the world, mutating into various monstrosities and demons beyond the comprehension of men. These abominations slaughtered anything that didn't share their taint putting the already massacred mortal remnants into further decline. However, whenever mortals are pushed they always seem to grip unto the tiniest string of hope.
This hope was mainly in those who were capable of purification, constructing obelisks that were capable of holding off the torrent of vile mutations. With this new weapon, they would fight against all odds and prevail.
Over 300 years have passed and through several generations, Gaia has acclimated to the taint of the miasma, though the same cannot be said about the creatures that live upon or within her. Humanity has been able to multiply and fight back from extinction along with their "non-human" counterparts, however, racial tensions and the hatred for the magic they associate with The Sundering have never been higher.
Civilizations have found their roots within several pockets where the miasma has thinned. The effects of The Sundering still linger, and the level of technology that the world had is nowhere near where it previously was.
Many brilliant minds along with their legacies disappeared that fateful day. Through sheer perseverance and throwing bodies into the meat grinder, the mortals were capable of fighting the monsters and obtaining footholds in this new world, especially due to a rather unforeseen boon.
The same miasma that had infected the beings of Gaia had also found its way into future generations of those who survived fighting the tainted monstrosities, though it affected them differently than their feral counterparts. Their exposure to the miasma was lesser and often was purged quickly after, meaning the effects of mutation didn't truly grip their being but altered it.
This resulted in the offspring of these survivors being born with incredible abilities that stemmed from these minute mutations over generations. Some were simple such as incredible physical abilities, others were more complex, allowing individuals to tap into powers that were otherwise something only seen in supernatural creatures. Regardless, this unforeseen miracle allowed them to establish footholds after many years of suffering.
In this recovering world, those that dwell here will find themselves assaulted by all manner of creatures, friends, and foes alike. Be it indoctrinated by corrupt religions or secret societies, being a follower of gods of The Sundering, or part of a tribe or civilization of non-humans that suffer prejudice from their more numerous human neighbors; the world is just as harsh and cruel as it has ever been.
Where shall the new heroes of this wounded world leave their mark?