Wizard_World

__origin_ERAS of Merc
The end didn't happen fast. There wasn't a single day where bombs went off, covering the world in smoke. Slowly the music faded over a century and the party ended. Some people realized sooner than others that the growth experienced between the advent of the printing press and discriminating of debt throughout the population and the development of artificial intelligence was not the norm or a new trajectory but a blip. A brief period of rapid growth that undoubtedly fell on its own sword. No one stopped to mouth the words that everyone on level acknowledged but failed to articulate, "The world can't extract infinite growth from finite resources."

Without the capital markets needed to spread debt around the world to enable the complex supply chain, populations retracted from their highwater mark. Landmarks of technological feats like skyscrapers and sports stadiums that required an infrastructure constant maintenance, traveling athletes and musicians became another civilization's Parthenon or Pyramids of Giza. Left unmaintained, factories and power plants leached chemicals and radiation into their surroundings turning most cities and industrial areas into waste lands.

Survivors grew to view the things that the past society worshiped, technology and money, with disdain and mistrust. The wars came when groups of people amassed enough old technology to try and pull a fast one on their neighbors. Without enough momentum to restart the factories and turn the lights on, these skirmishes failed and burned through whatever hidden stockpiles were still around. After half a dozen centuries, life on earth had reached a bit of an equilibrium.

Localized tribes dotted the earth, with purveyors of mysticism and magic inspiring culture and social structures. Relics of technology still popped up around the world. Coveted Carbon fiber monowing hang gliders became the speed at which information traveled. Outlaws maintained a handful of offshore oil rigs. Sailboats ranging from preindustrial relics, to technological racing marvels from the height of civilization and contemporary creations traverse the seas. A few remaining hydroelectric plants in remote mountains power small communities of smugglers and rebels. Blimps and Airships dot the skies and descentrigrated satellites and space tech obscure the night sky, catching solar radiation as a constant reminder of our past. The more simple the technology, the more likely it was to survive.

Wizards collect and master these last remaining bits of technology, combining them with mysticism to create something that looks like magic.