From the introduction: Knights & Knaves is a rules-light system that's meant to fit well in a medieval-fantasy setting with a "NobleDark" theme, which is to say that the general populace in the game is filled with people that are at least well intentioned, if not dedicated to leaving the world a better place than when they came into it. However, environmental conditions such as droughts, floods, and blight, as well as monsters and the occasional tyrant all seem to be determined to make life miserable.