During WWII the germans did a lot of occult research into various fields, collecting of artifacts, spiritualism, collection of experts from around the world. Now, in the real world none of this payed off. Lets say here that it did and they used it to conquer continental Europe and the UK. The USA, seeing this, began what amounted to an occult cold war between themselves and the Germans. Unfortunately while doing so an accident in Nevada made the entire USA unlivable. It erected what is now known as the "Fea Curtain" a shimmering wall of undulating energy (like an aurora) that covered the entirety of northern and southern america (except for the tip of south america and some northern wastes of Canada) and a lot of the atlantic ocean.

The world moved on, Germany went inward, erecting a wall around themselves and destroying most of Europe to the point one can not get within two hundred miles Germany safely. Now a place in the world that is important that moved on is China, they now control most of continental asia order a Dynasty that has been uninterrupted for nearly three hundred years.

Now, back to the USA. Two hundred years ago the Fea Curtain suddenly moved back several hundred miles, uncovering California, a sliver of Canada, Oregon, Washington, Some of Canada, and part of the Mexican coast line. The Chinese had been picking clean the land for technology for centuries (numerous rebellions in china and riots have destroyed much of it and left them in a state in very polarized technology, some near WWII era but most closer to 1600s. The rich can afford to have custom built near modern tech, the poor can not).

They viewed California and other parts of North America as new picking, and settled a number of cities there. As well a group of what amounts to Barbarians that lived on Hawaii moved to California before the Chinese realized what was happened and took root in the LA area, they are now known as the Black Oil hordes.

Ninety years ago the cities in California had been essentially scheming on how to break themselves free of rule under the emperor, who was continually demanding larger and larger tithes from the city states, mostly in old technology. They luckily dug up in Nevada remnants of american weapons technology, and are holding that over the Chinese that they will create more of it to hold them off in case of engagement. China, due to political instability, has given up on the californian city states and are focusing on their people in Oregon and Washington instead.

Now the 13 major city states have formed a council between themselves to govern the affairs of the city states. Each have three representatives, some votes for by the people, some chosen their city's ruler. Each city is allowed to designate people of their own will. The cities themselves are culturally Chinese for the most part, with a mix of asian cultures due to various Chinese conquests. For instance Uliastai has a more Mongolian majority and is more closely linked to Mongolia culturally.

I have a map of where these cities are and will show you all during the first session to get an idea of how the world is shaped. Of course even during all of these there are smaller communities.

Many people now make money by collecting old world tech, digging up remnants of cities. Unfortunately, due to the fact it is now 400 years post fall, many materials have degraded to the point of being unserviceable. Farther inland what treasure hunters mostly find that are worth money are rubbers, chemicals, stainless steel tools, and various other things the city states can not produce with their own technology. Due to a large earthquake in California a lot of San Francisco is now beneath the bay, and this has caused some things to be preserved rather well. You how ever need a contact with the leader of New Taipei (the city founded next to the ruins of San Fran) to search the waters for materials. They mostly use diving bells, due to not having diving suit technology available to them.

The ecology of california has been changed by the Fea Curtain being over it, the creatures that survive being changed into twisted shapes of their former selves. Some have remained unchanged, but you can now discover many new species among the long waving grass. (I have a list of these new species that you may find at some point, and strange environments created by the Fea Curtain). The Fea Curtain itself actually occasionally encroaches back on California, creating local distortions, these can be detected with devices copied from american technology found, and people venturing from the cities and the coast will carry one to ensure no long term exposure to the Fea Curtain.

The Fea Curtain also occasionally transports you, has time distortions, and numerous other effects. If one wanders into a distortion they can return a year later, across the state, feeling they have only been traveling for a few minutes. As well occasionally things come through, the most significant of which was the Skrieers, a race of intelligent flying reptilians that now inhabit part of California and have integrated into the city state culture. They are much shorter than humans, lithe and light, with flaps of skin going from their "ankle" to "wrist" though really they are eight limbed with two in the middle only having a claw like thumb. Their hands each have two fingers, and they use all three limbs on each side for manipulation. Their do not have lips, instead turtle like beaks.

Also, not all humans have stayed the same, there are four offshoot humans that were viable enough to thrive.

Gugir, which are what would occur if you made humans aquatic. large and blubbery like a manatee, grey skinned with many folds. Nearly no nose, and instead prehensile nostrils they can open and close. Large eyes with black irises, making them sun sensitive, and a second set of eyelids to close over them when underwater. No ears, just holes in the side of their head which are also closeable. On their arms are large fleshy flaps that are fairly rigid and used for movement in the water, and their feet are longer and flattened.

Shetou are taller and more lithe than humans, base humans describing them as "skeletal". Their originally developed and lived in caves. Their eyes are beady and also light sensitive. They have no lower jaw, instead a single massive tongue that hangs heavily downwards (making them prone to dehydration in hot climates). Their speaking patterns are warped due to an inability to use a lower jaw.

Daomu Zhe are the most common of the human offshoots. From birth they begin developing scar tissue on the top of their skin, which builds up over time. The top of which calcifies into numerous hard plates covering the body. They can't sit still for too long because the plates will begin to grow together, this will happen if a Daomu is bed ridden. They also shed hair, teeth, and nails constantly, and are normally nearly bald except for hair coming out of their oversized ears (one of the few things that don't scar as badly). They have roughly the same physique as humans but are often perceived as shorter due to having a hunched look because of their plating giving them a bulbous back.

Xingxing are the last one. Take a human, make it stout and pot bellied (essentially giving a human the shape of an orangutan). Give a set of long muscular arms, each with a second set of elbows allowing for better movement (these joints are all double jointed with free movement). Their faces are much more ape like than normal humans, with large lips and flattened nose. Xingxing are often employed as engineers due to the fact their arms can easily reach into holes normal humans could not reach at all.

The city states with votes are as followed:
1.New Taipei
2. Uliastai
3.Chengdu
4.Jingzhao
5.Henan
6.Xi'an
7.Pingjiang
8.New Ninguo
9.Boaquing
10.Yuzawa
11.Yatomi
12.Gwangmyeong
13.Boryeong

There is also a 14th important place in the state known as the Growth City. It is located inside what is now Yosemite. It is a single massive wooden structure more than a mile at the base and two miles high. It seems to be a single living tree that for some reason growth structures within itself. Roads and houses, rooms with furniture of woven branches, meeting halls and more. It seems to be a single massive city of wood. Some people live in the lower level, but not many due to the fact in the upper levels dangerous things unlike anything else found in the state live.

In the LA area, the Black Oil Horde I spoke of before. They at some point found a mostly intact car engine and have been making engines for themselves every since. Their culture revolves around these enormous worms that live in the area, which they hunt down, cut open, and use their digestive juices to ferment local plants into biodiesel to run their contraptions. They use every part of the worm, eating the flesh, the organs, and more.

There are four main tribes that live in the LA area. The Kane, The Holloway, The Maoli, and The Kankaka. These four tribes mainly war against each other over worms and who will be the one to capture them, and over territory.

Now for a bit of tone setting:

What you can find in New Taipei is a street with building constructed from concrete harvested from the old city. Shanty houses with the bustle of a market filled with an assortment of nobled mutated vegetables and old technology (rubbers and plastics) scrounged up. In the distance the bang of a tank barrel firing, the Governor of New Taipei's own personal tank he had artisan crafted from ancient documents, his pride and joy. In front of you a Xingxing, sitting on a chunk of concrete, turns a crank. The crank connected to a heat lamp warming the side of a large aquarium inside of which is dirt. The Quillpers love the heat so they make their burrows against the side of the cage. You go up and tell him you're hungry and get to choose your quilter, he reaches into a whole and pulls it out, the little beast screaming so shrilly it almost sounds like a child before he tosses it in a enormous vat of boiling reclaimed oil from the sludge mire. Minutes later you're enjoying a whole hot fried quilper on your way towards your workplace excavating the ruins of an old subway.

That's the tone of the world and game.