Morengal is a realm of sword and sorcery.
Although other magics have been rumored to have existed in the past, the only known type of magical energy in this realm is necrotic. Magic doesn’t come from any innate talent. Instead it comes from stone shards the size of a human fingernail. These shards store the necrotic energy however it is a limited supply and as a result there is a mad frenzy between the upper class to get these shards.
Morengal was divided into seven city-states however recently during the War of the Stones one of the city-states was destroyed, the ruins of which are clouded in mystery. As of late kings have been acting out of character, their advisors dying under mysterious circumstances, and lower class citizens disapearing. Something may be going on but none of the upper class seem to know what and none of them see fit to inform the lower class. In reality the upper class are kidnapping members of the lower class to serve as laborers in their quests for the shards. Someone however has been assassinating the city-states’ political leaders and reanimating them so noone knows the difference. That person is biding his time, building his army until none will be able to resist him or the hordes he possesses.
The temperature in this world is colder then normal as a result of the permafros ritual that is done on the winter solstice every year. It is like this because the temperature helps with the use of the Chrystal shards and it preserves the dead bodies for the necrotic magic.
Lower and mid class citizens are all trapped inside their selective city-states. None have seen the outside of the city and none but those who are kidnapped ever will. Due to strip mining and mistreatment of the land in their quest for chrystal shards, the surrounding lands have been charred. No lumber or trees exist on the mainland and lumber is shipped in from the other continent.
Due to the cold temperatures there is a large furnace about two street blocks large in every city-state. All of the lumber goes to this furnace to be burned. Small, square tunnels stem from the furnace under the streets and lead into all of the buildings as a heating system. As a result a black smog exists over all of the city-states.
Abominations and Corpse Carriers roam the realm mindlessly. They frequently band together attacking captured labor forces of the citizens. All of the slain bodies of the labor workers are taken from this site by the Corpse Carriers.