It Was The World I Know...

So, rather than go through a long exposition about the history of the world, I will give you the skinny via bullet points.

History:

• There was an apocalyptic sometime in the distant past, ruining the majority of the world's landscape.
• The world has developed a binary environment due to whatever cataclysm occurred. While over half the world is a wasteland where one can be twisted by the wild magic and storms ravaging its landscapes, the remainder is composed of pockets of idyllic prairies, forests, and valleys. In these green places life, both mundane and magical, thrives beyond per-cataclysm standards.
• Even the longest lived races, the Alfar/Elves and the Dvergr/Dwarves, have few specifics of the cataclysm from their histories. Plus, they perceive time differently than most of the other races. The histories of these people possess a nebulous form of dating, with an emphasis being placed on the overarching themes and events. Accordingly, the cataclysm occurred roughly 7 to 9 centuries ago depending on what histories are referenced. All histories underline the level of brutality that was the norm during the era before the cataclysm. The loss of life by the tens of thousands was given little consideration by the warring governments and religions. The weapons used during these conflicts were said to not only destroy the body but also destroyed the soul so as to completely obliterate the target.
• The histories mention the 'retreat' of the gods, though it is unknown whether the retreat occurred as a precipitating factor of the cataclysm or the result of the event. Many histories record in detail the various ideologies and practices of the religions, which would often cause violent clashes between their adherents.
• It is obvious to any who explore the wastes that the level of technology and use of magic vastly exceeded what is available today. Even after so many centuries, many of the creations of this lost era still function today, having been imbued with an incredible level of durability.
• The Elysium Valley was settled shortly before or soon after the cataclysm, though accounts differ as to who the founding group was. The valley has seen a number of governments, and has played host to a number of tragedies and injustices, though nothing compared to the events that had occurred before the cataclysm. The close proximity of the wastelands are warning enough against the excesses of conflict.

Current Era

• The Valley is currently ruled by a Isocracy, a form of government where everyone above the age of 60 seasons has an equal say in governance. The government is a republic, where representatives are only sent from villages and towns when valley wide decisions need to be made. Representatives are elected through random nomination of candidates taken from a towns population of citizens that meet the age requirement. Dispensations are made for candidates who do not wish to serve as representative because of a personal hardship or need. Voters are then chosen randomly to reduce instances of mob rule, care is taken to ensure that there is at least one voter from each recognized citizen-politik: sex, age range, race, marriage status, and parenthood status. Sexual orientation is considered largely a non-issue due to the influence of various racial cultures.
• The technology level of the Valley can vary based upon the resources a village or town has access to. The lowest level of technology found is at early-industrial with access to mid-efficiency steam engines. The engines and mechanisms that are produced in Keltree incorporate magic on a basic level, enchanting a piece of metal to be perpetually red-hot to heat the boiler. Higher levels of technology are the result of the direct use of scavenged technology, or the integration of scavenged technology into newly made mechanisms. Overall the general level found throughout the Valley is late 19^th century with a few steampunk sensibilities and improvements.
• While firearms are within the realm of capability for the valley's level of technology, their prohibitive cost generally only puts them in the hands of mercenaries, the affluent, local constabularies, and the militia. The majority of the population uses various types of bows and crossbows. Armor is still widely used due to the prevalence of apex predators within the valley and wondering monsters from the wastelands. In the wastelands reside monsters as well as strange peoples who prey on one another to survive. Some of these monsters and peoples have scavenged powerful technology, making them incredibly dangerous to the surrounding communities.
• Beyond the Valley are other places of growth and life separated by vast expanses of the wastelands. The wastelands are blasted plains, forests, and mountains who have been permanently twisted by the power that was unleashed during the cataclysm. Various communities are connected by a railroad run by the Union of Wise Engineers (U.W.E.). The U.W.E. facilitates trade between various communities for a tariff on each item transported.
• Religion exists within the valley, but these new religions are decentralized; most likely due to the past abuses of religious leaders in the pre-cataclysm era. Religion plays a large part in the lives of the people of the valley with the government placing strict limitations on members using religious services to speak out against other groups or religions. Rather than give an exhaustive write up about each religion, they will be presented here using broad descriptions. Players are encouraged to make up a new religion of their own as long as they follow a few guidelines. 1) Religions now focus on 'ascended' individuals who may have actually lived during some period of history or non-anthropomorphic forces. 2) Leadership is decentralized now, with the population of the valley being wary of centralized power. 3) There are strict laws barring rhetoric exhorting the adherents of the religion to act against members of another group or religion. They may state that the other religions are 'wrong' or 'mistaken', but that is the most the religious group may say. If a player wants a religion that breaks any of these guidelines, the religion must be a 'secret cult', though there is some flexibility with the first guideline. Experience will be given to anyone who makes their own write-up for their own religion. Write-ups need to include the following: Religion's Name, Deity’s Name, Religious Symbol, Basic Dogma, Form of Clergy and Sites of Worship, and the Time of Day for Prayers and Worship. Experience will also be awarded to players that further flesh-out the outlines of the established religions.