Galwyndor has about 100 years left before it dies. It wasn’t always this way, but much of the world’s rich history was lost along the way, and the struggle for survival interferes with pursuing the knowledge of the ancients. The time before what little history is known to the world is called “The Before.” Ancestors are called The Befores. With the exception of a few small bands of intellectuals – higher learning institutions, the Arkaeni – no one seeks anything of history, and many commoners have no concept of the Befores (they don’t even know to call them that; it’s just what the smart people call them).
Magic
Magic, which once flourished, is now only a myth. The Arkaeni, an order of occultists, actively seek to facilitate the return of magic, and have been able to do so in very minute amounts. This is kept very secret. Other than that, no magic exists in the world, yet superstition coupled with ignorance of the populace leaves the door open for exploit. Street vendors sell “magical” talismans. Travelers claim magical powers to ward off impending danger. Still yet, remote “shamans” and “priestesses” use folk magic called Salarian or Catican to heal the sick and injured, but it is little more than herbal remedy combined with showmanship. Gypsies like the Thurvs are excellent at this.
What no one knows is that magic was eradicated from the world because magic was thought to be too dangerous and powerful . Only a special select few were able to wield its powers, a privilege which was all too often taken advantage of. The rulers of the time feared magic users, and formed a coalition to rid the world of it, before magic destroyed the world and everything in it, which they believed would happen. This process was known as the Great Purge, and it took place around 8000 years prior to current events. Not even the Arkaeni know this. Magic was outlawed, and ironically, through the use of the magical Eari Stones, spellcasters were hunted and destroyed, and all their power was captured by these stones, which could not be breached; anything sealed within these stones could never be extracted. All the magic energy that existed in the world was sealed within the stones, and slowly the world forgot about it.
What is both legend and truth is that the new drug, Adoxipham (commonly known as Dox) is laced with magic. This is what makes it so dangerous. Because the Arcaeni have been able to harness some magic in very small amounts, this essence was exploited for the purposes of creating the drug, whose addiction cannot be overcome or avoided, even at the smallest dosages. This was done to create a never-ending supply of customers, making it one of the most formidable economic resources in existence (the drug is forced onto victims by street thugs called pokers).
Technology
Advanced technology exists everywhere, though mostly for those who can afford it or acquire it. Energy weapons are a good example, vehicles are another. There are also some similarities with earthly tech, for example, they have television there, but it is mostly used for propaganda. Commoners call them "displays". These are usually around settlements on the streets, in communal locations like pubs, inns, and in some homes. Any internet networks that exist are used solely by governments and by the criminal elements, internal things etc. Most technology uses Proto-power, which is hard to come by.