Editing The Endless Wilds (section)

=Civilization=
The Capitals exist in the midst of a constant battle between Civilization and the Wilds. Enormous devices of great arcane power, Mana-Siphons stand at the edge of every town, drawing in Magical energy and reducing the Wilds’ influence on the area. This energy can be used to create electrical power, which every settlement relies upon. As long as the Siphons continue to function, the Wilds’ growth is curtailed. Several huge Capitals exist, the handful of pre-Bloom megacities that survived through either technology or magical intervention. These cities are host to millions of people from every known race. Intermingling and intermarriage are common and, indeed, accepted. In these Capitals, great throngs of people live in towering apartment buildings and travel crowded streets to get to work. Most people could spend an entire day without feeling the presence of the Wilds.

By contrast, frontier settlements exist as outposts close to and even within the Wilds, and the people there live their every day in wary acceptance of the danger that lurks outside their walls. Some settlements have barely more than a thousand people living there, and might see travelers from other settlements perhaps once a month, while some are large enough to sustain communications with the Capitals, with populations in the tens of thousands.

==Necessities==
Food is a vital concern in every settlement. Farming within the city walls is a common and effective way of producing staple foods, especially since crops grow much faster in the post-Bloom world. In the crowded Capitals, citizens with private houses usually have rooftop gardens, while apartments are usually required by law to have a garden or greenhouse on the roof. Multi-storey vertical greenhouses are also a relatively common sight, especially in cities where space is at a premium. Novice '''Hunters''' are often dispatched into the Wilds to hunt monsters and animals for meat. Sometimes these Wild creatures are dangerously infected with mana, and require curing and siphoning before they can be consumed safely. Sometimes, adventurers have to eat while on the trail and run the risk of '''Mana Sickness''', which is told to lead to much more than an upset stomach.

Water is a big concern for most settlements that are just starting out. The risk of river monsters must be balanced against the risk of thirst. Most settlements rely on cisterns and rainwater as their primary source of water. Larger cities sometimes have to use the huge underwater lakes that can be found through Dungeon exploration. '''Magineers''' lay pipe to draw water from these enormous reserves. Rivers and such can be tapped into the the same way, with Hunters clearing out any Monster threatening the pipes.

==Protection==
Towns are protected from the Wilds by the '''Guardsmen''', the stalwart protectors and police force rolled into one. They often patrol the edges of the town, watching for monsters or other Wild attacks. As well, they maintain law and order (although most larger cities have a separate police force, smaller settlements rely on the Guards for this task). When not dealing with mundane crime, the most experienced Guardsmen often search for dreaded '''Druids''' as well as others who have been corrupted by the Wilds. The only group that equals the Guardsmen in bravery and martial prowess are the Hunters, the brave or crazy individuals who make their living escorting convoys between villages, scouting out the Wild Unknown, or delving into the Dungeons in the hopes of a lucrative find. These frontiersmen are regarded as both heroes and threats, as not everyone who delves into the Wilds returns unchanged. When a new settlement is to be established, Hunters find good sites and fight off the Wild while helping a squad of Mages from the Consortium assemble a Mana-Siphon.

==Magic==
Mages still work as spell-slingers and masters of the arcane, although they are more likely to be found tinkering with Manatech or fixing the town’s Mana-Siphon than poring through books of eldritch lore. Mages and engineers are often the same thing in practice, tending to the Manatech of the world as Magineers, although it’s possible to be such without any excessive arcane talent. However, as most devices (even ones that use electricity) eventually draw their power from Mana, Mages are uniquely suited to act as repairmen in the Magineer capacity, inventors and researchers in the Magister capacity. Experienced, powerful Mages often act as commanders of a town’s Guardsmen because their understanding of the flow of Mana helps them predict where and when attacks from the Wild will come.

==Technology==
Technology is at a level comparable to the late 20th Century, with a mixture of medieval and modern elements. Electrical lights, appliances, and other inventions exist, although they might be hacked together out of wood and stone in places where metal and plastic are hard to come by. Enchanted or otherwise Mana-powered devices are uncommon, and people using them may be regarded with suspicion. Outside the confines of civilization, however, Mana is the only power source available, and many common devices can be found (or modified by a Magineer) that work with raw Mana. Fluctuations in magical energies can make the use of such devices dangerous, as they run the risk of burning out, exploding, or worse. Guns are still at the flintlock/black powder stage, encroaching firing cap technology, although some Manatech weapons can spew thousands of bullets, lightning or billows of fire.

But there has been word of a new advance in Manatech, whispers of something called a '''Datastore'''. It is said that this advance allows the transit of information through the ambient Mana of the world. Think of it as a mobile telephone, but on a grander scale and scope. Intellectuals are already extolling its open nature, both as a means to share information with each other in order to restore order to the world and tame the Wilds, but also to expose and tame the growing corruption and terrible practices within the megacities. Of course, this technology seems to have some time to mature before it can become widely available to the populace. It is, of course, no surprise that some in the higher circles of these societies are denouncing this Datastore as heretical technology which may actually strengthen the Wilds through the wider-spread use of the world’s Mana.

==Transportation==
Due to the isolated nature of mankind’s settlements in the setting, transport is an extremely limited affair. Most settlements, even Capitols, try to be as self-sufficient as possible due to the danger and uncertainty of travel between them. The leftover roads from before the Bloom are largely unstable and are, in spots, overgrown by the flora of the Wilds. However, there are still some routes that are more or less intact between some of the settlements and Capitals, but only due to constant maintenance and clearing. As such, it is always best to bring a caravan of Hunters and arms along for the ride, just in case the Wilds encroach upon the traveling party. Of course, if the roads are too difficult to navigate, there is always the idea of cutting through the Wilds to make a new path. 

A more recent advancement in technology, although possibly more dangerous than the other means of transport in the setting. Theoretically, Airships are capable of bypassing a lot of the dangers on the ground, and are far more expedient than traveling through the Wilds. However, there are two factors that limit Airships. One is the Manasiphons on board. While they are more or less reliable, a heavy drop in ambient Mana will kill the engines while a surge can make it explode. Either is a very bad thing. The other factor is that they can only travel short distances before they are swarmed by the avian beasts of the Wilds. This leads to only a handful of Airships in service among the scattered settlements and Capitols of the world. Such scarcity leads to a level of autonomy among airships, rivaling that of former nations. The pilot decides when and where they are going, no questions asked. After all, one can’t simply fire him and replace him, it takes years of apprenticeship to avoid mana depressions and surges. The crew of airships are the best of the best, from engineering to combat. Airships know they’re needed, and act as such.

==Daily Life==
While the world around the Capitals and settlements is dangerous, to say the absolute least, at least there are the Guard and the Hunters to keep the general populace safe and sound for the most part. Daily life is much like the daily life we have in our reality - a daily grind, usually from morning to sundown, interspersed with social contact with friends and family, and the dealings with acquaintances of many preferences and likings. Granted, some of the technology is different than in our reality - private automobiles as we know it do not exist, though there is likely some form of public transit. But for the most part, it is analogous.

A new middle class has been emerging within the megacities in recent years, with the rise of private businesses after the fallout from the Great Bloom started to settle down. This has been leading to a distinction of classes that have reappeared since the actual calamity. The Guard and the Hunters are still respected in society, but are becoming better known as necessary grunts. Politicians and leaders are still seen in a good light, though there are rumors of growing corruption within the upper echelons. The growing class of businessmen are more open about their less savory practices, but have a bit of leeway given their necessity in the growing marketplace of the megacities. For some, if the Wilds won’t kill mankind off, mankind may do that job all by themselves.