In this land, strong prey on weak, the weak prey on weakest of them, the weakest form groups and attack the strong, that's how the continent is like, be northern realms, the south and even isles, it is same everywhere.
While people will say the monsters are the enemies, the people are sometimes worse than monsters, as they fear anything that appear alien, non-humans, magic users and witchers are all persecuted by humanity.
Human, though not original inhabitants of this world, and came to this world alongside the monsters through, conjuction of spheres, a catastrophic event that cause the displacement of flora and fauna, believe themselves to be truly civilized people. Yet, they engaged in pogroms, racism, scapegoating and colonism, often persecuting non-human, magic users and witchers. Their rulers are also equally cruel who abused their powers,, did nothing to defend the non-humans, magic users and witcher, only seeing them as tools to be exploited. The human priests while they claim to be working for god, all they ever did was giving empty promises, when real work is done by sorcerers, alchemists and witchers.
Non-humans though original inhabitants of this world are no saint either, while they allowed humans who trapped in this world to live in this world as their new home, the elves, however, were racist to humans, as they view them brain-dead farm animals or vermins, in fact, when elves had upper hand, they were as harsh on humans as humans were harsh on them after becoming new dominant race, the elves' actions also caused other non-humans like, dwarves, gnomes and halflings to be distrusted by humans.
Sorcerers, the humans who can use magic, by drawing the power of chaos, were the the elites of this new world, the advisers of kings, the scholars and guides, but as the time passes, they grew more ambitious, and power hungry, often scapegoating their rivals, to gain better status, though their actions don't go unpunished, as their actions to get rid of their rivals caused them in turn to become new scapegoats after their rivals weakened, causing them to go on hiding after being feared by people for the power they possess something that people don't understand, their action cause other magic users like alchemists, soothsayers and druids too also got in mess, as they were considered indistinguishable from sorcerers.
Witchers, are the humans who are mutated with mutagenic elixirs crafted by alchemy, they are legendary monsters hunters, though failed experiments, as the experiment was to create artificial magic users, witcher while capable to use magic in form of sign magic aka witcher signs, nevertheless with proper alchemical knowledge, better physiology granted by mutation, swordmanship and so on, witcher managed to save the world from many monsters threats, making them revered monster slayer, but things changed as monsters become fewer, the sorcrers instigated the mob against them, making them believe to be disgusting mutants, who only knows to kill, the same things is done by religious groups for a power grabs, resulting in massacre of witchers, leaving few witchers as survivors. While witchers may appeared as victims who are unfairly wronged, the school of cats, one of the witcher schools were deserved their punishment, as unlike other witchers, the cat school witchers were exactly as what people believe them to be, the psychopaths, who aside from taking monster hunt request also take on human assassinations, they don't care about people and are indeed disgusting mutants who kills for pleasure, thanks to their action, the witchers who are decent, had strict morals and strictly adhered to witcher code, also found themselves in the mess, as people don't see the school of the witcher but a mutant who only kills.
The world was totally in dark age, which further intensified, when northern wars starts, the Nilfgaardian Empire, declared war on northern realms, they sent assassin to kill the king of Temeria, one of the kingdom of northern realms, soon the war begins, the northern kings dsadly were too incompetant in ruling, their people and only focused on rivalry instead of making right decision to fight the south, resulting in increasing taxes, famine and even plagues, the common folks who are illiterate, instead prayed to god and do scapegoating, they never tried to become smart and is easily fooled by people, this allow the religious group named cult of eternal fire, to gain dominance trough scapegoating and empty promises, allowing them to gain politcal power, when Nilfgaard become strongers by absorbing more and more nations, leaving Redania as last remaining kingdom of north, the cult used their sacapegoat tactics, they claimed that god abandoned them because they embraced the power of magic, which originated from chaotic force, and persecuted the magic users, burning them on pyre, under the pretext to work for regaining god's favour and perhaps will save people from Nilfgaardians, but when magic users managed to flee the places under cult's control, they set up non-humans as new scapegoats, and burn them instead, but it did nothing to stop Nilfgaardians from advancing, afterall, it make no sense by fighting power with supersitions, soon, Redanaia also falls and whole northern realms is under Nilfgaard's control.
Though on positive side Temeria was restored as vassal state of Nilfgaard, thanks to the remnants of Temeria helping Nilfgaardians to defeat Redania by taking down their king. A rare good event in this otherwise dark world. The persecution of magic users also stopped, allowing magic users to regain their status, while witchers were busy to rebuild their school or found new ones.
But it doesn't meant that world got better after northern wars, as pogroms, racisms and superstitions sill exists, and darkness is permanent just like light is, the world is still morally grey, a dark age, but by 1550, the continent moved away from the dark age, and moved to new era, where science, engineering and logic replaces magic, alchemy and superstitions, starting the industrial age, where everyone with sufficient knowledge and merits can rise in status and fulfill their dreams, the technologist as new elites of the continent shape the world through non-magical means, and solve all sorts of problems that plague the world, find truth behind everything, creating a society where merit beats bloodline, the world become a true paradise, thanks to the efforts of technologists, however, while the continent is indeed a paradise, even in this world, new trouble brew beneath the surface.