The history of the old world ended with the Blast. Thousands of years of civilization were lost in a single day. They were hidden by the darkness of the Long Night.
Comfortable life in large cities, illuminated by countless lights. The ability to communicate with anyone, regardless of distance. Exchange of information, photos, impressions, opinions. Fast and safe travel, whether for pleasure or business. Ordering any goods, clothing or food with delivery, without having to leave your home or take your eyes off your computer or tablet screens. Buying more things than you can use and throwing them away as soon as you get bored with them or when the food is one day past its expiration date.
All this became a fairy tale legend, told by emotional old men around campfires - those who were lucky or allowed to live to a ripe old age. These are just fairy tales, like the stories of ancient knights fighting dragons. Powerful elven wizards living in their flying palaces, or the magnificent dwarven factories that pushed the world into the era of the industrial revolution hundreds of years ago. Today there are those who deny the truth behind such stories.
The world is different today. It is an unhealed, festering wound left by years of war, the great Blast, climatic catastrophes, earthquakes, floods and gigantic fires that have wiped out almost all traces of the old days. The Long Night and gray snow hid the remnant - a final test for the few who survived. A time that awakened the worst instincts and led to the final collapse. A time of sorrow, madness, blood and murder. It was then that we realized what beasts were lurking within each of us. What remained was what emerged from the darkness.
All around stretches endless, windswept wastelands. All that remains of the former metropolises are ruins and ashes - heaps of rubble among which individual skyscrapers rise up like the hands of a dried-up corpse stretched towards the dark, cloudy sky. The ruins are not empty, however. They are inhabited by mutants, wild beasts, ghosts, and even more terrible creatures that are better left unspoken of when darkness falls. In the dark, the afterglow is best seen, unnatural light, arousing both delight and a sense of horror, of internal, primal fear. It was this glow that heralded the arrival of the Anomaly.
A few survivors inhabit what is left of the Continent. Wandering in small, nomadic groups or building makeshift settlements. They loot and fight for anything they can just to survive another day and face endless threats. Larger enclaves and towns are ruled by ruthless warlords who impose their own crazy rules. In the north, the last remnants of the fighting tribes resist the advancing hordes of terrifying constructs. The servants of the One God, who until recently had expanded their domain bringing holy war and promises of deliverance, were forced to defend their borders against enemies and countless nightmares from the areas of the Zone. In the crowded Forge Twons the dwarves, despite the curse that weighs upon them, still fight to rebuild the former order and expand their spheres of influence. To the south, luminaries from the Garden of Rust send out further expeditions in search of artifacts of ancient days. Shrouded in mystery, the Naiym'vael seek to exact revenge before they finally leave this vestibule of hell.
However, all efforts seem to be doomed to failure. The Anomaly appears in more and more places. It bursts into reality, changing it irreversibly into a madman's terrifying nightmare.
In this place you will have to fight for survival. Will you and your companions carry a glimmer of hope to those in need, or will you be the ones who bring suffering, fear, and death?
