Vives is a roleplay-oriented persistent world, started in 2003, that is set in a declining world beset upon by selfish gods using it for their own ends. The setting has grown over the years through the telling of its stories, both on the original forum and acted out in the game. Although the various story arcs have been primarily DM-driven, the Vives players have had significant influence on the world through the writing of their own Vives-related stories on the original Vives website (now gone). Many player stories became "canon" over time.