SETTINGS

ETERNAL SANDS
INTRODUCTION
Many eons ago, the world became a sandblasted realm of endless dunes and eternal winds, but life goes on as technology and magic evolve side by side. Adventurers search for ancient ruins and artefacts, warriors pit their strength against gargantuan beasts, clans battle for territory, brave souls keep the darkness of an ancient evil at bay, a young elf leads the rebellion against the largest empire in existence, and its ruler struggles to keep it all together.

On the desert world of Amara, much of the planet is under the rule of the Marutuk Empire, which faces adversity from not only the elements, but also from rebels, bandits, hostile nomads, gargantuan beasts, ancient terrors unleashed by careless adventurers, and the pure darkness of the Shadow Lord's realm, ever threatening to spill over into the rest of the world. This has been the way of things for thousands of years, and the Empire either shrinks or grows with each passing eon and ruler.

Currently, the Marutuk Empire has known peace for a few generations... a deceiving peace, which the wise would know as only the calm before the storm. Bandits begin to gather for an unknown purpose, rebels rally behind the fiery spirit of their leader, and the Shadow Lord stirs. Indeed, now is a time where the Empire stands upon the crux of a new age; an age of storms, and chaos, and great uncertainty. Where will you stand in all this?

Note that this is a world where the stuff of science fiction exists along with magic, different races, bizarre creatures, guns, swords and armour, and ancient ruins of varying technological levels (eg. one could have robot guardians whilst another has simple spike traps). The world might be a desert all over its surface, but it is yet a diverse place.

GILEAD
INTRODUCTION
This world has been newly terraformed, a process which takes centuries to complete. Perhaps it was meant to become the new home of another race, but all that remains of them are the colossal atmospheric towers, jutting into the sky, and the intelligent machine-race of slaves built to maintain them. These slaves were originally programmed to make the towers keep working for as long as they could, but those ancient spires have long been dead. Somewhere down the centuries, some of the machine slaves had 'inherited the souls of their makers', so it is said, and one by one, they realized that their purpose had died out with the towers. Now they wander around the world in bewilderment, like newborns seeing light for the first time. They have no purpose and so they wander in this world called Gilead.