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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 8599383" data-attributes="member: 92511">Ya know, kudos to you for a really interesting question/topic! I have, literally, never thought about this before.Histories over histories, nations over nations, cultures over soaring civilizations over conquering empires over magical heights over magical catastrophes... but it's all the histories, legends, and myths of the world to supply places for peoples, artifacts & items, treasures and places (wondrous and accursed) for adventures...not really, truly ever, a view of "where the world is going."It's a really complex question.First, I would have to narrow down "...as compared to which age/part of the past?" There are events, times, even eras and ages, that were waaaay better than the world is now. Very different and indisputably "better."Are those days forever lost, though?That particular age, clearly yes. That particular culture or nation or people? Probably or possibly. Perhaps the elves will rise again. Perhaps the giants will finally "retake" dominion of the physical world and usher in an era of completely unexpected peace and harmony, using forgotten arts and unknown (giant/titan) sciences to produce a level of prosperity for all that no one ever thought possible (certainly not by the degenerated descendants of the titans of the dawning age before the Before). Perhaps mages will stop hording magic for their own powers and bring the realms to a place of ease and comfort few enjoy today.At the same time, there have been terrible times behind. And/or those "glory days" also has or existed directly BECAUSE of some really awful/brutal things. Worldwide wars of conquest. Magical creations/mutations. Untold death, misery, slavery, and suffering....but there's a "stable empire" running much of the world, a systems of laws and courts, wealth and riches, markets full of exotic resources from across the world, ... for THOSE people, things were pretty great in those times. For everyone else...Then, there's those times with demonic invasions. The age of religious zealots slaying mages and destroying arcane (any non-divine) magics. Those times the Barbarian hordes got tired of staying in the cold north. Rampaging goblins, orcs, ogres, trolls, giants. A lich or two trying to get back what they're ancient empire lost. Evil dragons or banished demigods who want to return to the top of the food chain (in terms of ruling/national/political power. Dragons are clearly still/already the world's apex predators).My world currently exists (as I think many homebrew settings do) in a state of uneasy peace/truce among most kingdoms and realms. There is trade that goes on. Certain lands are more allied/friendly with certain other realms, less so with the wicked or openly evil. Alliances of marriage are a norm. Common history/enemies and legendary pasts of battles over evil forces bind various areas to one another. Large scale land war or invading conquests is largely a thing of the past to which very few -generally monstrous species- want to return. Skirmishes and border disputes are fairly common, but are rarely so intense or longstanding as to spiral into full blown declarations of war between rulers.When something 'hits the fan" or is shaking the statis quo, that's something that is newsworthy. Those are the stories/rumors that sweep the markets to reach the ears of the intrepid adventurers looking for a way to pay their bar tab. That's how something gets notable enough to push the valorous and foolhardy to action.For the most part, unless there is an adventuring party in a particular region, the bulk of the world exists in a kind of stasis...with some slow-moving changes of narratives independent of players' actions. The region the players are IN and engaging, that can change substantially depending on the characters' actions/involvements (or lacks thereof).Can characters make things better (or worse) than they currently are in whatever area/region they are? Absotively! I would expect nothing less...otherwise, what are they doing there?! Move on to some other region and make an impact THERE, then! You call yourselves "adventurers?!" Go adventure! I have never really thought of having things "get better" in world independent of the characters. I mean other than in small ways. There are beneficial treaties, sure. Much anticipated weddings or victorious battles against rampaging orcs, various -small scale- "happily ever afters." But for the most part, things are constantly in a state of possibility of falling part. Perpetual "...about to hit the fan." That's what the PCs are FOR!So, I guess I would say to the question of the op...There are definitely better days behind. There are definitely worse days behind. There CAN be better days ahead.  There can be days that are much MUCH worse ahead.Those last two are entirely up to the characters of a given campaign.</blockquote>

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