how does a culture recover from an apocalyptic event?

[GlassJaw]

Start with a "standard" D&D society.
Introduce something that decimates 90+% of the population (of all races) across the board.
Fast forward a couple thousand years.

What will the world be like? What level of technology will be available? How much of the past will be remembered?

I'm being intentionally vague because I want some brainstorm-esque responses. When developing campaigns, one of the biggest difficulties I have is envisioning how a culture will respond to some major event.

 

[Ryltar]

This is something I'm planning on doing for my next homebrew setting. The premise is, basically, that there was a terrible loss of magic and cultural achievements, both of which the people try to make up by inventing technological devices. Steamtech takes the place of magic, which is few and far between. The different races will form small, isolated communities, because each one blames the others for the catastrophic events. Religion will be forgotten, and magical items become a much sought-after commodity. Architecture changes to encompass both the tries to duplicate the pre-cataclysmic styles and the needs of the new era (building with what's left and what you can get your hands on). A common language might fall into ruin, giving birth to a new, simplified one - not much in the way of diplomacy, just a "trader's tongue".

I haven't fully fleshed it out yet, so I can't give you any more details - sorry.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

A couple of thousand years?

Unless they were in flying cars with magic cup holders to keep the drinks cool, I'd say after a couple of thousand years they'd have a complete recovery.

Archological remains might power some myths and study, but I think the descendants would be more concerned with the events of the last twenty years than whatever happened eons ago.

You would have major language drift, the technology level could arguably be whatever you wanted it to be as long as the pre-apocolypse people knew how to smelt metals (which standard D&D settings do pretty well).

But after a couple of thousand years, heck, even the elves would have gotten over it. You may want to reduce your timeline down a bit. Maybe 300 - 500 years?

 

[Warehouse23]

If "A Canticle For Lebowitz" is any indication, a classic recovery modality is: descent into anarchy (clashes between 'warrior bands' and sedentary farmer types, a few desperate stragglers clinging to or idealizing old ways, signs of decay and devestation all around, theft, pillaging, disorder are rampant), recovery (large warrior bands settle down, profit from controlling farmers, consideration of honoring agreements with neighbors), return to the status quo (things are pretty much as they were before the 'end of the world'-- it would be hard to tell the difference, other than the fact that calendars are now in AEW-- 'After the end of the world'), and finally advancement (the society climbs beyond where it was before the cataclysm, although sometimes the culture has lost certain 'high technologies' and replaced them with others-- in a modern society, this would be like using nuclear-steam power, rather than nuclear-electric-- in a D&D world, it would look like a complete loss of a spell school with advancements in another, or a complete loss of bow-craft coupled with advancements in swordcraft).

Come to think about it, some dungeons look a lot like this "end of the world" scenario most of the time-- so it might be hard to tell anything has happened in a D&D world.

 

[Belen]

You should check out Midnight. They cover this exact scenario!

Otherwise, everything would be different. The entire culture would have changed. After a few thousand years, history would be a myth as even most ruins would have ground into dust. There may be some freaky nightmares that parents tell kids etc.

 

[Wombat]

90+% of society destroyed?

There is no longer a society.

Even the Black Death didn't hit a culture that deeply...

 

[mmadsen]

Isn't this the standard D&D setting already? You start with a glorious golden age, then a cataclysm (war, earthquake) topples the great empire, then our intrepid band of adventurers treks across the known world, exploring ruins for powerful artifacts belonging to the ancients.

Tolkien's Middle Earth, Howard's Hyboria, and Vance's Dying Earth all fit this model:

"Know, O Prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars. Thither came Conan, a reaver, a slayer, to tread on the jeweled thrones of the Earth beneath his sandaled feet." -- The Nemedian Chronicles​

 

[Desdichado]

A couple of thousand years?

Unless they were in flying cars with magic cup holders to keep the drinks cool, I'd say after a couple of thousand years they'd have a complete recovery.

I was just about to type something along these lines and thought that I better scan the thread to see if someone beat me to it.

 

[Wolf72]

ahead a thousand years? ... I don't think I'd really change technology that much ... especially if it's a D&D world (go magic!). I mean people are still going to be using swords and such.

I'm guessing there'd be lots more monsters roaming around ... and racial city states. Old hatreds may be there, but survival is more important.

 

[Tonguez]

Roman Empire - Fall of~ - Early Dark Ages - Later Dark Ages - Medieval -DnD standard

Early Dark Ages is a time of isolated insular communities, regular raids and tribal warlords rising to power
Later Dark Ages has those Warlords consolidating their position to take on the mantle of Kings
Medieval the early insular communities have expanded and in begin to dominate surrounding communities. Feudalism follows
DnD - everything is back to normal