There are two types of magic, in this world. The first is Applied Theology, in which exact and very, very binding deals are made with gods, in trade for which they share with one the privilege of using the power they can grant. Gods themselves are ancient and powerful beings which derive their power from worship and focused belief. They are so immensely powerful that their raw force of will is enough to work miracles, and they can shape the world in myriad ways both subtle and sweeping. Up until forty years ago, gods were the cornerstone and foundation of the world, and easily the most powerful beings in it.

The reason that changed is the development of the second type of magic, known as the Craft. This type of magic arose from humans who decided they wanted to try out the tools of gods, harnessing soulstuff and starlight into exactingly defined, structured forms. They derive power from contracts and pacts and the knowledge of hidden secrets of the world, and that power is potent.

The Craft was first developed sixty years or so ago, by an assortment of advanced theological scholars around the world. Forty years ago, the gods decided that the nascent Craft studies were a danger to them, and many of them declared a crusade. The God Wars were a long and brutal conflict that saw countless Craftspeople, as well as many who were only accused of such, slaughtered.

However, in the end the Craftsfolk were the victors. Gods fell in battle, and couldn't replace their numbers as quickly. Out in the far ends of the world the Wars still rage, and certainly there are still gods - many who did not take sides in the Wars, out of caution, sympathy, ambition, or apathy. By and large, though, the New World is now the domain of the Deathless Kings - immensely potent Craftspeople who hold positions of political and financial power.

This is a world where soulstuff is currency, contracts are binding, magic is risky, and deals with the devil both figurative and literal are commonplace. Skyscrapers are cooled by caged air elementals, cars are fueled with the fire of a god of flame, messages are sent by the nightmare telegram and tiny gods find work mediating poker games. It is a limping world. It is a wounded world. It is a world that fights to survive in the face of the death of gods making survival difficult and never without cost.

The world is loosely similar in technology to our own, though magic is used to fuel it rather than physics-based tech. The geography is similar as well, with an Old World and New World. The Old World has such things as King Clock's Land and the Golden Horde and the vast deserts around Dresediel Lex and the squid-headed gods of the Iskari. The New World, which is both more urbanized and more strongly under the control of the Deathless Kings, is noted for numerous highly metropolitan city-states, most either ruled by a Deathless King outright or effectively under the control of one or more such highly powerful Craftfolk.

(Yes, this game is outright set in the world of the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone. No knowledge of the books is necessary, but they are excellent books and do a good job of outlining the mood and tone of this game.)