The period consisting of the last decade before The Cataclysm (the 1790s) is known as the Fin de siècle - "End of Century".

This was the pinnacle of pre-cataclysm society, technology, and art. Despite this, the zeitgeist was one of ennui, decadence, and paranoia, and culture remained stagnant while civil society began to break down.

By 1770 Space travel between Alver and Salver had become commonplace, and yet colonies on Salver still struggled to remain stable. Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, new Salver colonies always collapsed quickly. Even so, the influx of resources from Salver - and especially Skywhale oil - allowed the pace of scientific innovation on Alver to quicken.

Scientific understanding was pressing forward at a feverish pace, with incredible leaps and bounds being made in the fields of the paranormal, biology, physics, and astronomy. Breakthroughs were made in these fields at a rapid rate, with Plasm first identified in 1797, and the distant planet Sednos first sighted in 1800, just before the Cataclysm.

Despite the incredible scientific progress of the era civil society appeared to stagnate - or even devolve. The optimism of the previous Age of Enlightenment gave way to resignation and hedonism. There was a general mood of doom that slowly grew and mounted until the Cataclysm, as if people knew what was coming. This mood was felt across all levels of society, but especially among those sensitive to history, such as poets and artists - many of whom left the cities to found remote enclaves in order to escape the perceived imminent collapse of society.

The arts became more obscure and ornate as the period progressed. The stately 18th century Enlightenment architecture was superseded by increasingly baroque art nouveau styles. The cities simultaneously became beautiful and ornate while also darkening with crime and disease. Old cities grew ominous as the number of cults and underground criminal networks seemed to explode and the stately facades were coiled with jungles of cast iron in the new organic style.

The most remarkable cultural and artistic theme during the period was an obsession with the newly rediscovered ancient Nalohmi myth of the "dream plane" of Knavar. Knavar was said to be a semi-material plane that consciousnesses travelled to during sleep and that was influenced by the collective consciousnesses of the entire planet. Fin de siècle artists painted and sculpted innumerable pieces designed to capture or reflect the concept of Knavar.

The mood of the people began to manifest as civil unrest, and there was talk of nations breaking from the League of Alver for the first time since it had been founded. Some towns even broke away from their nations, and the governments of these nations remained too corrupt or complacent to do anything about it.

International cooperation dwindled, riots were increasing in frequency and violence, and society the globe over appeared about to collapse: until the Cataclysm ended it all.