Set in the ruins of the U.S., long after the apparent extinction of mankind.
Characters are "Beasts", animals that have been genetically engineered to grant human-level intelligence and speech.
Can be quadraped (no hands), semi-humanoid (paws that can double as hands) or completely humanoid. Mammals only.
Created by the mysterious All-Mother, who is now worshipped as their goddess. The All-Mother lives in an underground cavern barred to regular Beasts. Probably some sort of advanced A.I. with resources for genetic manipulation and cloning.
The All-Mother can "silver" Beasts who prove worthy, replacing some body parts with cybernetic upgrades.
The only Beasts allowed into the All-Mother's presence are the Caretakers, who act as the All-Mother's agents, ruling the land on Her behalf.
The Caretakers have all been heavily "silvered" and are easily recognizable by the metal skullcap that they all wear. It links their minds with that of the All-Mother. There are only a set number of Caretakers, with new ones being created only when the old ones die.
Her other servants are the Oracles (priestesses who speak on her behalf, handling individual requests so that folks don't bother the Caretakers) and the Rangers (Beasts who serve the Caretakers; often silvered themselves).
Many Beasts manifest psychic powers, enabling them to do stuff like project their image somewhere or tear through steel with their claws. Such Beasts are never chosen as Caretakers and rarely get silvered; their powers interfere with cyberware when used.
The Caretakers keep the overall tech level artificially low. The best guns available are old-style six-shooter revolvers and single-shot bolt-action rifles.
The Engineers are a secret society dedicated to reviving ancient human technology in defiance of the Caretakers.
There are other types of Beast in the setting, including the avian Harpies and the reptilian Kukukuk. These were apparently created by someone else besides the All-Mother and do not worship Her. There are a lot of border conflicts between them and regular Beasts.
The southern part of the continent is being slowly taken over by an alien ecology largely toxic to regular life. The Caretakers spend a lot of time organizing efforts to root it out and prevent it from spreading further north.
Many ruins are guarded by ancient, nuclear-powered robots. Functioning ID cards (which can be used to safely bypass many robots) are extremely valuable.
Of late, some newly manufactured killer robots have been seen roaming the land and killing any Beasts that they encounter. These are not as powerful as the ancient robots but are far more aggressive. Their origin is unknown.
The Verde (the green and fertile region around the All-Mother's home) is still recovering from a civil war where one Caretaker went mad and led a rebellion that attempted to destroy the All-Mother. He was slain, but the Caretakers were forced to withdraw from contact for nearly a generation.
The more human-like a Beast is, the more vulnerable they are to sickness. The ancient bioweapons that wiped out mankind are still active. All primate species are extinct.