Eliksir's Echo

A lot can happen over a century or two.

The remains of a world that was once full of promise has been broken by the unexpected emergence of power in a most unusual form... something as benign and common as an energy drink called Eliksir. The end of the world we know did not happen overnight, it was more like a few months. During that time people around the globe had emerged with abilities, they seemed to be more than human - faster, stronger and many had what seemed like superpowers. This was strange, and certainly scary, but the thing was almost anyone had the potential to be like this if they tried. So many did.

The emergence of these powers sparked a new arms race with Eliksir supplies being seized by governments worried their authority would be taken from them, they were right that it would be - it was already too late. For a time, it was utter chaos as those drunk-on power tried to carve out territories of their own while others tried to stand up to them. Billions perished over several decades of conflict and millions more were subjugated by those who emerged triumphant. It was bad to say the least.

Almost a century later when a semblance of stability returned with pockets of humanity having rebuilt themselves in what was left, the chimera appeared. No one knew where they came from, or what they were. Terrifying monsters in hundreds of different forms, some with wings, horns, claws, fangs, or armour with any deadly mixture of the unimaginable. The only thing each chimera had in common was the insatiable hunger for any living and breathing flesh, including other chimera if the chance arose. If these creatures managed to work together at scale, then humanity may not survive. With their emergence, it was no longer safe for the average person to travel outside settlements. To help, the new cities put together guilds seeking adventurers and heroes, many Eliksir users would take bounties to find artifacts in the remains, travel between towns trading goods or escorting people, but mostly the gig was to hunt chimera. To be an adventurer in such a time was dangerous, but also exhilarating. This is a tale from those times.