The Time of Rifts occurred when human civilisation had attained a high level. Widely employed technology included robots, power armour, MDC weapons and materials, portable energy weapons, routine space flight, bionic and other forms of human augmentation, and animal mutation.

The cataclysm destroyed human society and killed the majority of the population. The survivors, mostly in non-urban areas, survived in small enclaves or family groups. These became the nuclei for later settlements and societies, the nature of which were heavily coloured by the ways of their founders.

Most regions in Rifts Earth are either wilderness or wastelands, uninhabited except for rare wanderers, expeditions and settlements. Large settlements or societies are few, and are always supported by some form of physical power - advanced technology or magic, for example.

Traditional indigenous societies have reasserted themselves, but have adapted to new conditions, challenges and opportunities.

The Union of Australian Races (UAR) is an almost anarchic democracy which is pan-racial. Its citizens are about 50% human (roughly 30% white, 20% aboriginal), 30% mutant animal, and 20% mutant or d-bee. The Union occupies the southern quarter of Western Australia, facing off against the Republic (see below) across South Australia, which is a contested region. They are also engaged in sporadic warfare with the Java Company (see below) over the resource-rich Kimberleys of north-west Australia. Their relations with independent aboriginal tribes varies; with most they adopt a friendly neutral attitude, but with a few a "no contact" policy has been adopted. Significant powers inside the Union include the Jacobites (see below) and the d-bees of the Tekagi Colonial State (TCS) and the Neutral Zone.

The UAR is the descendant of a common-interest union forged by more than a dozen enclaves of survivors from the pre-Rifts time for defence and trade. Each member city rules the lands surrounding it and has its own local law enforcers and protectors, government, taxes etc. However, each member city contributes to the needs of the Union, which consists of a small governmental bloc and a widely spread, centrally coordinated military. The military have garrisons in every member city, in addition to several small but tough task forces operating in the wilderness. There are settlements inside the borders of the UAR which are not members (the TCS and Neutral Zone are examples), and lightly populated regions (including vast acreages of desert) over which no control is exerted.

The leadership of the UAR consists of a Governor elected by the Senate, which is comprised of one Senator from each city-member. Independent tribes, small townships or other minor members are entitled to address the council and to submit petitions, but not to vote. However, one seat in the Senate is that of the "free peoples", a Senator whose responsibility is for all non-voting members. There are 22 Senators in total. The Senate and Governor sit in one of the cities of the south-west or central districts (never the Kimberley), moving to a new city every four years (which is also a senatorial and governorial term).

The city-members of the UAR are: Collie, Fitzroy Crossing, Galena, Halls Creek, Katanning, Kwinana, Manjimup, Marble Bar, Meekatharra, Merredin, Midland, Moora, Mount Barker, Mount Magnet, Mullewa, Northam, Pippingarra, Roebuck Plains, Southern Cross, Wittenoom, and Yeeda River.

In addition to the Senators, there are Representatives for some of the non-member allied states. There are 4: a Toogarth Representative, a Tekagi Colonial State Representative, an Eastern Region Representative (the Eastern Regions comprises the towns of Ravensthorpe, Esperance, Norseman, and Coolgardie) and a Jacobite Representative (representing Jacobites everywhere).

In the UAR's military there is a command staff which is subject only to the Governor, though the council members have the right to question any officer in the UAR military. The most senior officer is the General. He commands all the armed forces (which are in any case integrated, and use Army ranks). Officers commanding task forces and garrisons are termed "commanders", and outrank all officers not specifically above them in the chain of command.

The most controversial part of the UAR is the spy service. The Spymaster is subject only to the Governor. The Spymaster can be questioned by a council member, but can refuse to answer certain questions. The brief of the spy service is the collection of information, but assassinations, sabotage, agents provocateurs and misinformation are rumoured.

The current Governor is Achilleos, an elf originally from Norseman. He has an uncanny mastery of the spoken word and is a brilliant orator. Usually called Achilles, he is regarded as the linchpin of the UAR, holding together dissenting factions while torpedoing troublemakers, and guiding the UAR in accordance with some personal vision. However, Achilles is not unlike the last several Governors, whose collective legacy is the relative freedom and safety of the UAR's citizens.

The UAR Spymaster is Nagan, a human of oriental descent. His personal abilities are not well known, but they are understood to be great. He has a talent for appearing and disappearing.

In charge of the UAR armed forces is General Nadja Spencer, a white human woman in her mid-50s. Spencer is the descendant of several generations of warriors and commanders, and is a career woman with unshakeable loyalty to the Union. A partial-conversion cyborg, she has a penchant for irregular forces. Among her troops are many small detachments from allied states, indentured to pay debts or earn credits for their states. These include tribesmen, TCS Noyds, and Toocarth warriors. The General's bodyguard includes veterans from a wide range of racial groups.

The Republic of Australia (RA) is a stratified dictatorship of religious white humanists. Its citizens are about 70% human (roughly 50% white, 20% aboriginal), 20% mutant animal, and 10% mutant or d-bee. White non-mutant humans fall into the ruling class, all others are "Imperfects" without representation in authority. There is no prohibition against the use of magic, psionics or augmentation, but individuals augmented by genetic manipulation are considered Imperfects. Note that the official religion is Christianity, which is only moderately popular among the subject aboriginals, and nonexistent among the animals, mutants and d-bees (who belong to a series of small religions, or believe as the non-Christian aboriginals do).

The Republic occupies territory in the southern third of Queensland, eastern NSW, and Victoria. Skirmishes are fought with the Java Company, but these are rare. Mostly the RA fights with the UAR in South Australia and with fiercely independent aboriginal tribes. The RA has a very advanced technology, and the dress colours of its military are normally purple and black.

Most of the original cities of eastern Australia are now long gone, having been devastated and then inundated years ago. The RA is a technologically-advanced nation with a one-party government, paying only lip service to the requirements of democracy. The officially sovereign position of President is actually subservient to that of the Guardian, which was created by and for the current occupant, Autolychus. The Republic does represent, in a distorted way, the wishes of the original citizens: an officially Christian and conservative government, supported by the entirely white and human citizenry, and ruling a rather larger non-white, mutant, or non-human population. The Republic originated when the strongly armed and conservative enclaves which dotted the region immediately after the coming of the rifts were entirely united or conquered by the forces based in Canberra, and subject to the allegedly legal supreme authority there.

The Canberran forces were not technically the legal government, but they were in charge, and by dint of persuasion and of might they united the region.

The Republic is a centralised nation, with the reins firmly held by Canberra. Appointed Tribunes administer each city or major base, and the lands attached to them. Each city has its own administration and law enforcement, but the army is centralised, with garrisons in each city and base, rotated every 2 years. Citizens may enter college (a general advanced education centre, government-run) and on graduation apply for judicial, governmental or military commissions. Despite the despotic nature of the government, most of the citizenry and even the noncitizenry enjoy reasonably safe, healthy and content lives.

The aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders of Australia who live in a traditional manner throughout the land do so in many independent tribes. Some are adversarial or friendly towards others or towards the UAR or RA, others merely self-interested. While advanced technology is not shunned by most tribes, hardly any tribes bother with making or repairing it themselves, and they do not depend on it. Because of this indifference to technology, wanderers who trade in tech or provide technical assistance are usually welcomed. The tribes are protected by heroes and mystics. Each trains one apprentice at a time, of their own sex. Tribal heroes undertake long journeys, acquiring knowledge and a modicum of magic power in the process, which they use to protect their people. Knowledge of the dangers of the outback, natural and supernatural, is their most powerful tool. Most tribes do not shun mutants, who are considered to be spirits, or touched by spirits.

The rise of protectors for various settlements in Indonesia led to a series of vicious wars. Reunited, the nation is now ruled by a corporate structure based on magic power. The current CEO is Mr. Sura, a Malay-Chinese mage. The Company is ruthless and expansionist, and actively pursues its policy by trade (combined with covert activities to gain influence and cause dependency), progressing to "amalgamation" (read annexation). The Company has bases in northern Australia, preferring to hold key points rather than attempting to control a region. Their technology is quite advanced, but heavily based on techno-wizardry and magic. Strangely, the Java Company has an ethnic mix of about 15% mutants and d-bees, 65% indigenous Indonesians, 10% Malay Chinese, and 10% whites, in order of increasing average social status.

In the time of rifts India and Pakistan had a short, nuclear disagreement. Sri Lanka, unhurt but thrown into confusion, was conquered by the Tamil Tigers. In later years, the Sri Lankans expanded into the largely empty (or poorly defended) Indian lands, and built a powerful navy which now mostly rules the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka is a proud, cruel dictatorship ruled by a dynasty.

Oz lies in the middle of the range of the predatory Horunes. Because they do not have a centralised government, they are not actively warred against by the UAR or RA, but are always considered to be hostile when encountered (which they are, unless severely outgunned). A few places in Oz are visited by them in a relatively peaceful manner, for the purposes of trade and R&R, in particular Margaret River Island.

An advanced nation, sprung from the high-tech city-nations of Brunei, Madripoor, and Singapore, and now occupying the south-east Asian islands. They are resisting the expansionist Sri Lankans, while selling them equipment supplied through intermediaries. Their equipment is also sold in Oz. The Cooperative is aggressively neutralist.

During the time of rifts a group of powerful, evil magicians arrived in Oz, possibly refugees from another dimension. They were powerful enough to carve themselves a safe haven, from which they have scarcely stirred in the decades since, but their influence has flowed outward. The rulers of the city include a lizard mage, and at least one evil aboriginal mystic has joined them in years since.

A society of technologists and rogue scientists, who appear to be a distinct racial group within white humanity. Jacobites tend to be unconcerned with scientific ethics, but are fiercely independent (they won't touch indentures, contracts, or submit to governments). Their governments are true democracies, but they have an elected general with executive power in emergencies. Jacobite settlements in the UAR are actually entirely independent, but also have a voice in the UAR government, which they voluntarily support. These settlements tend to be marvels of science, but disturbingly alien to visitors. Jacobites are the most important source of tech for the UAR.

A terrorist organisation in Eastern Australia, whose membership is open only to mutant animals, mutant humans and d-bees. For years they have fought against humanism, using any means at hand. They are fanatics, led by Drome (a superintelligent chimpanzee), Namarrah (a rabbit mind melter) and Stalker (a mutant weasel ninja, armed with a magical sai).

Normal life in Rifts Oz means being subject to occasional airborne poisons, disease (including new kinds), parasites, and bizarre events brought about by the presence of magic, ley lines or powerful creatures. In addition, travellers must regularly cope with swollen rivers, eroded riverbanks and hillsides, flash floods (especially in normally dry watercourses), possible radiation hazards, and fierce storms.

AIR
Gas or filter masks are worn by most people all the time when outside. This is unecessary most of the time, but poisons can be carried unexpectedly and invisibly by the wind, with fatal results. Most large towns have toxin sensors set up, permitting an audible warning to be broadcast minutes before the arrival of wind-borne poisons.

Characters who spend time outside without gas or filter masks, or cybernetic toxin filters, are usually safe in towns. There, alarms will sound when airborne poison is on its way, and characters can take refuge in cafes or don masks.

SUNLIGHT
Sunglasses or tinted goggles are worn by most people all the time when outside, due to the high UV and glare levels. For the same reason most people wear covering clothes (i.e. hat, cloak, long sleeves and pants) all the time when outside. There is no penalty for not complying with this custom, other than sunburn, but after several years of unprotected exposure to the sun, skin cancers and cataracts become a virtual certainty.

RADIATION
Radiation hazards are known to exist, but are restricted to dangerous items and dangerous areas. Radiation sensors are popular among wanderers for avoiding such items and places. Many of these places are known, some are signposted, and those who enter such places are considered fools or madmen.

Characters subject to repeated doses (for example, wanderers who persist in scavenging from bombed zones) will become sterile, or suffer damaged chromosomes (high probability of birth defects in any children). Cancers become highly probable over the following decade.

LEY LINE STORMS
Ley line storms occur in Oz regularly, about once a week on average, but only affecting a small area of lines each time. When they are imminent, they can be detected by ley line walkers on or near a ley line, up to (mage's level) hours beforehand. As they approach, they produce a distinct bass drumming sound, combined with an ultrasonic hum and static. Animals and anyone with improved hearing will detect these hints 2D6 minutes before the storm arrives.

All ley line travellers and nearby life flee lines when storms approach. Towns and homesteads built on or near lines learn to construct storm shelters, lined with stone and with stone doors, where the dangerous effects can be ridden out. Characters not enclosed by stone when close to a line during a storm are subject to one or more of a very large variety of dangers.