Low-Fantasy Setting

Base concept: Fading Magic

Magic is fading, and nobody knows exactly why. The country was originally
structured as a magocracy, where the most powerful mage, also known as
the Archmage, makes major decisions for the kingdom supported by a council of the
oldest mage families. The kingdom was prosperous, with magic
practically in the air as the evidence of mages present throughout the land. This
all however changed 500 years ago. At this point in time
the land was at what seemed to be the peak of a golden age, when something stranged
occured. The Archmage Velkor disappeared without a trace.
This put the kingdom into a sense of unease, as without the Archmage, there was no
definitive government. The council of the mage houses
took control of the kingdom and maintained balance for several decades, attempting
to hide the event of the Archmages disappearance.
This facade became extremely difficult to keep up when an unknown phenomenon
formed. The magical capabilities of mage houses were failing,
and soon they wouldn't be able to maintain their magic at all. For varied
motivations, the council came together and created a ritual
that when completed would seal the leylines of the kingdom in order to preserve
their arcane lineage. When the ten families cast the
ritual, there were unforeseen consequences. By sealing away the magic in the land,
the creatures who somewhat magical by nature began
to weaken and become sick. This became known as the Silent Plague, and it would
wipe out millions over several decades, with only the
most mundane races surviving. As this occured, a more powerful private army by the
name of the Seventh Sword launched a coup. Within days
The Seventh Sword had claimed the kingdom, and set about dismantling the power
structure of the mage families, forcing them into obscurity.
A new government was formed over the next several years, led by the newly crowned
leader by the name of Keph, The Sword Baron. Stability
had returned, but the effects of the Void Sealing ritual and the resultant Silent
Plague were severe. The population had diminished
significantly, magical items and equipment lost their effectiveness and much of the
fantastical wildlife in the country had died off
or become a shadow of it's former self. Possibly one of the most unexpected results
is that the ritual had the effect of weakening
the connection of the mortal plane and the outerplanes, causing many religious
casters to have their powers stripped from them.
The Sword Baron's rule put focus on the world they had, rather than the world that
was, and quickly improved the countries economic
infrastructure, and despite the tragedy of their past, the world seemed hopeful.
The heads of the mage council were all executed for their
crimes against the world, but the heirs of the mage houses were left untouched
beyond a simple warning. It is current day and strange news
has reached the ears of prospective adventurers. An island of unknown size has been
uncovered, despite it's location being previously mapped out,
it has appeared, and the draw to explore has filled some with a sense of curiosity.
And so they leave the kingdom of Svard for Arc.