Thieves' World is set in the city of Sanctuary, located at the edge of the Rankan Empire. Only the dregs of society found their way there and it was a city beset not only by the scum of the earth, but by the warring gods, the invading Rankan gods and the Ilsigi gods they had ousted from the region. As the series continued, additional invasions occurred and the city was taken over by the snake-worshipping Beysib as the Rankan empire collapsed. Over time, a number of the characters in the series are revealed either to be the offspring of or otherwise blessed by various figures in the pantheons of the competing cultures, and discover or develop various powers as the series progresses