World Overview

Dystopic Future

Niyala is a dangerous planet. Across its continents, creatures powerful and exotic have long made progress a challenge. Even in the continent of Dranend, the origin of many of the most populous, intelligent species, large swathes of terrain remain unclaimed and dangerous between countries and city-states. A place rife with wandering beasts, bandits, and nomads. All the while, walled, densely packed cities serve as bastions of civilisation dotted around the landscape, serving equally as the foundation of modern society — and fortification against the encroaching danger of a world of magic.

For the common denizen of a city, life is sheltered from the chaos of the world beyond. The invention of the Net has built a communicated life between those that reside in the splendour of modern society — augmentation replaces old and tired limbs with mechanical tools and simulacrums. Magicians create objects of power and weave spells, while the working class toil and earn for their wages. Governments do all they can to retain responsibility over society, while corporations leverage political and financial power.

And for those that do not fit the mould of corporate-backed society, there's always a place for you; outside with the nomads and bandits — or buried beneath the concrete jungle with the beggars and criminals.

Though there are always mercenaries. Take any job you desire — and know you'll come out rich, or in a body-bag worthy of celebrities.

Species

Niyala is populated by many different species, and their differences are far more than physical. Each has not only an underlying set of physiological differences, but some psychological ones as well. In doing so, their cultures can be radically different — the higher empathetic response of Taki-Ori have made some functional societies of mutual care without cost, while the weakened natural care of the Kashaskans and their perpetual hunger have often caused internal conflicts and power struggles, violent and oppressive.

While player characters might not fit the psychological moulds of these characters, characters in the world are diverse, and even the 'emotion driven' Lyestra can be slow, methodical, and patient. It is these underlying traits that have informed cultures, both their own and the cultural perceptions of others.

Magic

For those fortunate to be born with 'magic in their veins', the lucky few in the world are capable of using an exotic energy to control and shape the world — for those intelligent, determined, and willing to explore the risks.

Magicians are uncommon enough that they cannot define the workforce of the world. Their magic may be powerful, but it matters not that one can summon the strength of ten men when finding one hundred men is often easier than one magician. The impact of magic on the world is unmistakable, however — magicians in civilian workforces can perform tasks usually requiring specialised tools.

The existence of spirits, however, has caused larger issues — extra-planar beings have been responsible for everything from the creation of new species, to changes in land mass. Even the weaker spirits summoned by practitioners can often wreak havoc — lending to spirit summoning to have long been outlawed in most realms, buried to a truly secretive art.

Technology

With the existence of magic, diverse cultural needs, and powerful creatures, the progress of technology differs from that of the distant, unknown Earth. Most technology that exists on Earth following the technological revolution and information age exist, though with the danger of aerial collisions and attacks, passenger aircraft never quite found their niche. Most products come in two forms — sleek, optimised, and elegant for those that live within the cities, and durable, hardy, armoured, and bolstered for any equipment that ever has to work outside of it. It's not uncommon to see vehicles with mounted firearms lingering near the gates of cities, waiting to provide escort services to road convoys between distant countries.

The world has become interconnected, however, and altered in complete ways. Taking cues from the Taki-Ori's nature of mutating to meet needs — augmentations that enhance, or even replace, the body have become a staple of the working class, or specialists wanting to become the best in their field. From low-income construction workers earning their pay by augmenting themselves with mechanical strength, to the rich gilding themselves in chrome.

Meanwhile, a deeply connected network of devices called the 'Bridge' provides technological power at a low price to almost everyone — and the 'Net', built upon both it and the wireless technologies of the world keep everyone connected and identified. For the common person, this manifests in Augmented Reality — or even the occasional foray into Virtual Reality. Knowing one can walk down the street and have their friends pointed out to them in the corner of their eye, as AI assistants manage their emails. Just say nothing of the wide network of facial recognition and identity tracking that's running to make it all work.

And that's all without getting into the stranger technologies. Whether the exotic technologies of combat like Spider Tanks or Arcane Conduit Weapons, to the deeper augmentations like Neural Links and Projection Prosthesis.

Corporations

With people often clustered in dense population centres, power struggles were inevitable, and soon, the companies that could leverage those struggles the best came to power. Governments still happily hold the rule of law and authority — but that grasp is loosening by the day, as corporate interests try and influence everything from housing to policing.

The various megacorporations hold the majority of the world's wealth, with private complexes in each city — and often various entirely independent stations outside of cities. Working for a megacorporation means you've 'made it', you'll never be wanting for anything. And with the technologies and products they provide to the world, many are grateful.

Grateful, as long as you fit their corporate mould of a perfect consumer. Competitors are quickly stamped out, whistle-blowers mysteriously silenced. Some politicians are trying to fight it — and some even survive long enough to get into office. And if you can't afford to contribute to the corporate game of commerce and capitalism brought to a destructive extreme — you might as well not exist in their eyes.

Mercenaries

Some people have specialist skills and yet don't want to be brought under a corporate thumb for the rest of their lives. Many, instead, turn to mercenary work — keeping their independence in exchange for taking whatever jobs come their way. Mercenaries come in all flavours, from amoral hitmen caring only for the paycheck, to idealistic street-warriors wanting to 'give it to the man' and take any excuse to embed a foot in a corporate rat.

One thing truly matters to a mercenary's work — reputation. People talk, and mercenaries rely on reputation to get work and survive, but have to balance that need against the similar need to not get arrested or stamped out by a corporate goon cleaning up loose ends.