From the old promo page: "Before the great Equinox, there was an Empire. In the Empire, all things were good. The world didn't shift around, and the Shrikes were far away. There were great machines and ships that flew in the sky. There was the Law, and there was the Word. The storm was tamed, you see, and the Empire brought the whole world together with their obelisks and their roads." "What happened to it, uncle?" "It's gone, son. It wasn't strong enough. In the end, the storm tore it apart at the seams, and now all the world is broken in little pieces, all separate and beautiful. Until the Storm comes, and washes the world away." Maelstrom is a science-fantasy world of supernatural powers and ancient civilizations. The Maelstrom is an entire world, and it's also a great storm so strong it changes the shape of the world as it passes over. Adventures in the Maelstrom can be about almost anything, from swashbuckling and treasure hunting to travel and exploration. There are powerful mages and ancient ghosts, courts full of intrigue and ruins of a lost empire. Maelstrom uses the Story Engine 1 rules for fast, fluid scene resolution. Action is resolved as a whole scene, based on the character goals -- there are no "combat rounds" or charts.