Spires A fresh start, but what will we do with it?

About a thousand years ago, the old world fell.   All the collected histories from those that lived before speak of a global lapse in consciousness, a blackout from which sentience emerged in an apocalypse. The world itself changed, society was shattered. The death toll was catastrophic. The spirits of the dead remain inaccessible to magic and the energy of the arcane itself was noticeably different. Monsters came out of the woodwork and became more aggressive. The world got more harsh. The only remaining vestiges of the old world are scattered remnants, by seeming chance --- and four cities clustered around enormous spires.   The Spires are said to have always existed, and while inert for eons before, emit low level arcane magic in this new age. Naturally, the races of the world think magic is what doomed the world, and this superstition remains to this day. No one knows what happened, and any public attempts to investigate turn out futile.   The world is fractured into nations vying for survival through supremacy, each having taken a different path and a different boon from their respective Spire --- large ancient towers that have withstood eons and the apocalypse itself. You have been tasked with a monumental undertaking: Awaken each spire, navigate the powers that be using their arcane energy for their own ends, and prevent the blight from coming again.   Beware, for there are forces vying to stop you that are not afraid to meddle in the affairs of the mortal kingdoms....