Lore (in a nutshell): The evil races (orcs, elementals, undead, ratmen, etc.) rose up some time ago, after which a great war ensued. Humanity, unaided by the good magical creatures (fairies, unicorns, etc.), due to historic mistreatment by humans, lost the war and retain only one town: Jhelom. The player is one among a throng of refugees from throughout Sosaria now settled in Jhelom. Plans are afoot, though, to retake the human towns.
Play Philosophy: The shard is geared toward end-game play. So, there is (should be) very little, if any, grind for skills. Crafting has been and will continue to be expanded. Modification, combination, and development of skills will be on-going to correct for the progressive development of the UO system. Grinding quest rewards, such as BODs, have been and will continue to be replaced through NPC purchases and eventually more natural crafting methods.