Humanity's rise to the modern era came about after discoveries by one naturalist: Ilver Tessen. Two centuries ago, Ilver discovered that what had previously been known as "magic" was merely the unusual properties of a substance now known as Tessenium. He founded a group of chemists, engineers, and architects who followed him and researched the strange metallic crystal, and with time, they made the city of Mett Vell the first industrial stronghold of the world. In return, the people of the city founded The Faith, a secular devotion to Tessenium Artifice and the Order of the Wall that discovered it and built the great barrier around their city.

Today, few in the city are willing to travel outside the walls without need, for the forested wilderness starts mere miles from the city in almost any direction, and there wander the dangerous direbeasts, transformed by Tessenium exposure. Even worse, rumors still persist that between the safe havens of the farming strongholds, cultists--deniers of the truth about magic--still wander, tearing down the minds and walls of any who crosses their paths.

But some must leave the safety of the strongholds and barrier wall. Trappers are one such group, making their living by traveling into the wilderness to collect samples of rare and valuable Tessenium-rich plant life such as Illver's ash tree or the glasspetal flower. In desperate times, trappers are even prepared to face the direbeasts, hoping to sell their pelts, furs, and feathers to the wealthiest of the city's residents.