>civilization falls from grace
>only ruins remains
>populated exclusively by people looking to loot the remnants and the dregs of the original civilization, stuck there because they either don't have anywhere else to go, a misplaced sense of nostalgia, or fools who cling on to the hope it will return to what it once was.
Why is it so prevalent?
Time is a flat circle.
>>98193382 (OP)
It really isn't. Indeed, ruins should probably be MORE populated in fantasy shit - a little like middle ages Rome.
Because we're living through the collapse of the American empire