A Crisis Strikes a Settled World

And no hero arises.
No horrors are overcome.
Most institutions collapse.
The rest are run by despots
And the thugs loyal to them.
No ordinary human
Finds a magical mentor,

But some manage to survive.
The ones that do glorify
The bandits, thugs, and gangsters
As samurai, lords, and knights.
The descendants of the few
Sing a time none ever knew
As filled with heroes and light.