The world is one of humans, with the addition of ghosts, spirits (both good and bad, including the spirit-ridden from Predators), vampires and Werewolves. Mages do not exist, but thaumaturgy is commonplace and professional thaumaturges of various sorts are common. Psychics are optional, and the rituals and Cultists of the Reality Bending Horrors chapter of Second Sight are a necessity.
The First Empire was ruled by ridden Priest Kings. This ancient and superstitious regime was eventually destroyed by a combination of a massive attack by the werewolves, combined with attacks by rival spirits and then the swift but brutal coup by the Vampires.
The Vampire-controlled Empire of Night ruled the settled lands from approximate 900 BP to 87 BP. The Vampires had previously be hidden, but large-scale urban growth during the First Empire, had both allowed their numbers to grow rapidly and had also allowed them to congregate in groups of up to a dozen and begin to plan. As the werewolves and spirits were destroying the outskirts of the First Empire, the Vampires, with their small armies of powerful ghouls and their previously secret ghoul bloodlines soon drove back the werewolves and then established their rule over the settled lands.
The Empire of Night
Humanity soon began plotting rebellion against undead overlords who both executed criminals by draining them of blood and who also regularly fed from their populace in a new and gruesome form of tax. However, vampiric rules was not without benefits – technology advanced rapidly and the vampires encouraged sorcerers, who were off-course carefully controlled by Domination and Presence, to explore the limits of human magic. Because a large and healthy populace allowed for both the existence of more vampires and was more enjoyable to feed from, the vampires made a special effort to advance medicine and sanitation, and soon advanced plumbing and excellent sanitation were available in all but the smallest and most isolated communities. In addition, physicians were trained by vampires with literally hundreds of years of knowledge of blood, injury, and disease.
In addition to keeping order, fostering the growth of cities and commerce, and making deals with city spirits for streetlights and protection from fire, the vampires also placed a few strict limits on their mortal subjects. Dealing with ghosts was forbidden, only the vampires could deal with the dead. As was unlicensed traffic with spirits, werewolves, or the spirit-ridden. All of these became capital crimes, as did experimenting with gunpowder firearms.
Although vampires were hideously vulnerable during the day, surrounded as they were by small armies of blood-bound ghouls addicted to their vitae made them exceedingly difficult targets. Planning the Rebellion took more than 40 years and only started in the aftermath of three discoveries. Vampires saw much use in firearms, especially for defending their empire against werewolves and the spirit-ridden. However, they were reluctant to embrace weapons that could be used to harm them. As a result, they encouraged the production of powerful, rapidly firing air guns, which had distinct advantages over gunpowder weapons, but did not require the use of fire and that were relatively harmless to vampires. However, secret research on cannon and gunpowder firearms continued and eventually resulted in flamethrower rounds and incendiary grenades. At the same time, research on thaumaturgy continued and thaumaturges finally found a way to use their magics to protect against Vampire Disciplines – they were helped in this by a few members of the ghoul bloodlines (dhampirs) who were immune to vampiric control and wished to help overthrow their rule. Finally, shamans and bokor learned to make special deals with spirits, and especially with ghosts (including the ghosts of those murdered by vampires, who were eager for revenge).
Although knowledge of this was kept secret from the public, one of the key events leading up to the rebellion was its discovery by the Vampire Lord of Varnak. This vampire was one of the eldest of the vampires, who dated from the days of the formation of the Empire of Night. This vampire believed that the other vampires had grown decadent and careless and was also eager to eliminate most of its rivals and to bring most of the remainder under control. In part, it aided the rebels because it knew that the other vampires were plotting against it. Thinking it aged and outmoded, they planned to slay it and divide up Varnak between its two neighboring kingdoms. In return for a promise that the rebels would leave Varnak alone, it aided the rebels with its ghouls and its potent disciplines.
In 167 BP, half an hour before sunrise on the Summer Solstice, the rebellion began. The vampires were attacked as they were getting ready to flee the sun, and after the sun rose, the longest day of the year was host to pitched battles between humans and their dhampir allies against the armies of loyal dhampirs, ghouls, blood-addicted thaumaturges and soldiers, and other loyal subjects. Massive aid by allied spirits and hordes of angry and hungry ghosts, combined with incendiary ammunition and protective magics turned the tide and all but a handful of the vampires were slain throughout the empire. The survivors fled, some into the wilderness, others into the surviving kingdom of Varnak, where they were offered the grim choice of being refused entry or blood-bonding themselves to this land's lord. A few of these refugees managed to set up small kingdoms in isolated and easily-defended mountain villages, but most died the final death. Today, Varnak remains the sole-vampire controlled kingdom, with the exception of a few small settlements on the edges of civilization ruled by vampire refugees.
Raids by ghouls and occasionally vampires continue on the borders, as do raids by werewolves and barbarian tribes lead by spirit-ridden leaders. However, the lands of the Summer Empire (as it is now called) are relatively secure. Since the Rebellion, the various nations have become somewhat less closely tied together, and while they still have pacts of free trade and mutual defense, they are no longer under the same unified rule as when the vampires ruled. Also, while the various branches of thaumaturgy is now licensed only in the way that any other Guild is, people fear both hostile magic and also the mad cultists who seek out strange and reality-twisting rituals to honor their foul patrons. To keep order, there is a police force that regularly employs thaumaturges in its attempts to hunt down cultists, rogue thaumaturges, vampires, ghouls, and the spirit-ridden.
Because of their essential role in the rebellion, dhampirs are tolerated, but their distinctive appearance, combined with their connection to vampires has caused most people to view them with suspicion and occasional dread. They are full members of society, but prejudice is not uncommon.
Because the Empire of Night was ruled by a few noble vampiric bloodlines, the entire concept of hereditary rule and inherited aristocracy has fallen out of favor. As a result, the Summer Empire is fiercely republican and consists of a patchwork of small republics ranging from ones where franchise is open to everyone, to lands where only wealthy landowners or business owners can vote. There are even two elective monarchies, but for the moment, at least hereditary leadership is not considered an acceptable form of government.
The growing power of the merchant classes and the continuing exploration of the world has had a major impact on government. Wealthy merchant adventurers are lionized both because of the excitement generated by tales of distant lands and the general preference for individuals who make their own fortune over hereditary wealth, which reminds people too much of the vampires who used to rule them. While the hatred of both hereditary wealth and aristocracy are fading now that that several generations have passed since the fall of the Empire of Night, the memories of the old and the continued presence of the isolated, vampire-ruled kingdom of Varnak reminds younger people of the dangers of both institutions. Nevertheless, there is evidence of a nascent aristocratic revival in several nations within the Summer Empire. In addition, the corruption and demagoguery of the current government has some longing for the tales of stability they heard about the Empire of Night and so ghouls from Varnak are in the process of recruiting followers.
The Empire of Night allowed complete religious freedom, except that worship of Lyral, the Sun Goddess was suppressed for obvious reasons and was replaced by her brother, Tyan, the Night King. In the Empire of Night, worship of Tyan, who was the patron of the vampires, was one of the two dominant faiths – the other being an elemental religion that worshipped the Burning Woman, the Mermaid, the Bird Boy, and the Earth Lord. In addition, there were a multitude of small and highly secret mystery cults for urban sophisticates, mostly involving the worship of spirits, where the cult takes a spirit as their totem and well as similar rural cults that appeal to farmers and similarly humble folk and so are regarded as vastly inferior to the mystery cults. Both were illegal because the vampires feared humans making deals with spirits. Membership was punishable by death, although most rural cults were easily ignored. Both the urban and the rural mystery cults greatly aided the Rebellion, as did the secret but still popular cult of Lyral.