Those familiar with many settings will be interested in the following quick list of facts

• Medieval fantasy - less Renaissance, more Middle Ages, but with a smattering of technology
• High magic - similar to the Forgotten Realms or Eberron
• Artifice - a magic-based "technology" exists alongside traditional magic, has a stigma
• Many races - focus on the 4 Great Races, Man, Dwarf, Elf, and Dragon, with several minors
• Many factions - not linked to nations or races
• World is mostly dangerous - monsters abound beyond the narrow borders of civilization
• World has an epic backstory (planes, ages, etc)
• Multiple intended starting locations with great depth of play - setting provides a specific plan for starting at various levels and locations
• No one big story to tell - each "point of view" has its own interesting story, no one is "right". Similar to some MMOs
• Aspects of the world explain D&D abstracts like hit points, magic slots, level, resurrection, etc. Allows that "classic" feel of characters understanding many in-game rules without breaking the 4th wall

Long ago, there was a great empire (isn't that always the case?). It began with an oath, a pact between the races of Man, Elf, Dwarf, and Dragon, that they would maintain everlasting peace. The center of this empire was Oathkeep, a city built on the site the alliance was first forged. It became the capital of a free and integrated nation, the first and best of its kind.

The peace wasn't so everlasting. In time, racial tensions eroded the foundation of the empire, and all eventually forgot their promises. Historians disagree on when exactly the empire collapsed, but the sacking of Oathkeep 800 years ago by barbarian tribes is as good a marker as any.

Today, the city still stands, a testament to the dwarven engineers who built it to last ages. It has long since lost its importance, and its King, having instead been ruled by a regent for almost a century. The regent's rule is as unilateral as any monarch, but the culture of the nation is old and storied (short version: the King is chosen by a magic sword, and that sword is now gone), and they are not likely to name any ruler "King" until they recover their lost heritage.

Other cities retain the wealth and glory of old, and other still have risen from the ashes of the old empire. Still, none truly capture the spirit of lost Oathkeep, as a bastion of freedom and democratic rule, of racial equality and mutual prosperity.

In this new, darker world, races and subraces quarrel, nations and city-states clash, and civilization endures by the skin of its teeth against the never-ending onslaught of dark forces, ever emboldened by the weakening alliances of well-meaning peoples.

This world is in desperate need of heroes, those who can rise above petty disputes, reclaim the power and wisdom of the old ages, and lead the charge against the tide of darkness.

• Artifice and the Fall of the Old Empire