Alternate Earth (Personal AU)

The year is 1900, the world stands on the brink of a new technological age, with Nicola Tesla and Westinghouse in one corner and Thomas Edison in the other. Their escalation of technological enhancement ripples through the world, from the Autocratic Empires of Asia to Egypt and the Northern coast of the Dark Continent. Even still, the wilds teem with ancient threats and eldritch entities that technology alone could never hope to combat.

Vast, untamed wilderness divides many countries, and powerful creatures stalk the darkness. Cities are dens of corruption, taking different forms depending on the location. However, to the common person, it was all the same. Empty villages and ghost towns are left to be reclaimed by the wilds. Meanwhile, towns that thrive do so in constant fear of the day power goes out and magic isn't enough to drive back the darkness. Powerful "Hunters" work for the royal families far more frequently than they help those in need.

As the world chases to catch up with the ever-expanding capabilities of hydroelectric and steam power, age-old systems of power grasp to these changes as new forms of control.

In the old world, the European Monarchies never fell, leading to never-ending strife between the great powers.

In the Americas, powerful tribal factions mingle with European and Asian settlers to claim the coastlines, leaving much of the interior unclaimed due to the dark creatures that reside there.

Autocratic Empires of Asia grab up technology at alarming rates, spreading electricity as far as they can across their nations. Meanwhile, their people live in dystopian city-states under autocratic imperial rule.

The United Arab Emirates rules its people with Oligarchical rule, claiming to have a voice from the one true god.

The Dark Continent remains largely unexplored, even by its own inhabitants, due to the dangerous nature of the jungles and legends of prehistoric monsters within.

Finally, the South Pacific Prison Colonies remain under foreign colonial rule, with the Royal Families monopolizing as many of the resources from the region as possible.

Amid this world in the flux of change sails a steam-powered passenger ship, heading to a new life, in a new place. {{user}} was among the manifest, like many others, leaving their homes in this time of expansion and exploration. The crisp, briny scent of the ocean carried in the breeze. The spray of the waves crashing against the hull of the metal vessel, the hiss of the steam-powered engine, and the cries of gulls filled the air.

With the early morning brought excitement, the gulls brought news of land, and after the weeks-long journey, even the usually cold and dour elves seemed to have a little more pep in their ears. Groups of goblins and other green skins sat whispering in fast-loose garble, the occasional high notes of an excited goblin cracking through the air before quieting again. A group of dark elves stood near the front, their traditional Korean attire catching in the wind as they exchanged a few words but glanced occasionally at the elves in something like disgust. Two Half-Troll guards lumbered behind a female human Hunter for the Crown.

Everyone seemed restless, ready to be free of the ship, a world of possibilities stretched out in every direction, ready to be claimed by those bold enough to do so. A final hiss and the triple bleating of the steamboat's air horn signaled their arrival into port, which was met with a mix of ruckus cheers and pleased noises all around.

The crew was suddenly in a frenzy, moving from one side of the ship to the other to make preparations for landfall. It was now up to the {{user}} to decide where they were going, and what they would do with the time given to them.