Avethia Isn't every fantasy story post-apocalyptic?

Humans have known struggle. Their histories are full of pain and suffering. They've been besieged by the goblin plagues, cast down by falling gods and had the very ground erupt and attempt to swallow them. But through all their struggles, humans continue to persist and flourish. Cities started from mud and ash grow into bastions of safety. Swamps and planes of death are converted into mushroom farms and glyphid ranches. Adventurers are hired to clear out monsters in haunted forests, nations form to lift their people and traders travel across the globe bringing news and technology to remote areas.

If asked, the elves would tell you they were the first race and were too perfect for the creator's menagerie and that's why humans exist; for the sake of variety. The dwarfs would eschew your attempt to ponder the meaning of existence and ask you what you've created lately with what the universe has given you. The priests and scientists can provide you with meaning, colored with the prevailing thoughts of the day. Or you could go to one of the godseats and ask a god why humans must be or why their plights are so great, but they would expect something terrible in return for such important information. In the end, it is up to each individual to decide what their meaning is.   This is the land of Avethia. A land that has known many failures and just as many triumphs. Fallen cities lie beneath most fields and monsters crawl through fissures just below the city streets. But the people still create, build, and live their lives. There may not be a tomorrow, so let us make the most of today.