What came before the wastelands was almost entirely forgotten when the skies turned dark, the days cold and the nights colder. Ash fell like snow and falls still. Sunlight, clean air, clear water, healthy crops and civil society are all becoming things of the past.

Some cling to what was and rake over the ashes looking for embers to warm themselves. Some want to burn what remains to the ground.

When rumours surface of an intact entrance to the underground cities of the ancient dwarves, the dying sparks of hope erupt into a flame. Sustainable sunless settlements left untouched, ripe for research and perhaps even replication.

But first the entrance must be reached. To face a long journey across the wastes. Surviving its treacherous environment and inhabitants. A dangerous undertaking, true, but perhaps the most important since the rising cold. After all, it appears that the best chance for the world’s recovery lies in its ruins.