Setting Overview

# Setting Overview **Main Inspirations**: *Warhammer Fantasy, D&D, Earthdawn, Destiny 2, Mass Effect, Prometheus (Ridley Scott), For Honor, Berserk, Elden Ring, The Second Apocalypse, Fear and Hunger, Monster Hunter World, Warhammer 40,000, Endless Space, Monster Hunter World, Dune, Dishonored, A Song of Ice & Fire, Faraway Paladin, Redwall, Frieren, Stormlight Archive, Runeterra/League of Legends, Darkest Dungeon, Crying Suns, Elder Scrolls 4, Fire Emblem, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Le Morte d’Arthur, The Red Nails - Conan, The Wrong Stars (Tim Pratt), The Three Body Problem Series, Perilous Waif, and the Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.* The setting is a classic medieval fantasy world (Oorthe) experiencing early industrialization, technological and societal upheaval due to the return of magic and the lingering scars of a war of survival. The world suffers brutal, large-scale warfare reminiscent of the Hundred Years’ War and the Napoleonic Era, blending classic medieval warfare with early industrialization—semi-automatic rifles, unreliable cannons, and WWI-style tanks, lacking heavy automation, automatic weaponry, or planes. The continent is war-torn, with millions of soldiers locked in massive conflicts. Scattered amongst the world are the remnants of an extra-planetary exodus. When the Warp storms came with magic, so too did the stars fall from the heavens and the once mighty fleets fall upon the face of the world. **Magic**, once dominant in ancient times, faded from the world entirely. Now, after millennia of absence, it is slowly **returning**—but it is rare, dangerous, and barely understood. The return of magic coincided with a cataclysmic demonic invasion that nearly destroyed civilization. The war against the demons was won at an unimaginable cost, but its scars remain: entire cultures erased, gods transformed or slain, and a near-total collapse of old knowledge. With all of this incredible change and disruption of the established order, a recent war has erupted over the discovery of a vast, untamed **Continent** - full of lush, vibrant jungles and untold fortune, with colossal creatures and strange entities. --- ### Themes & Tone The central **Theme** is Survival, the clash of old and new, the dangers of unchecked power (both magical and technological), and the fragility of civilization. The tone is dark, gritty, and morally ambiguous, with moments of hope and heroism. **The Major sources of Conflict** - **The New Continent:** A lawless frontier ripe for exploration and conquest. - **The Demon War’s Aftermath:** Lingering demonic corruption, ancient relics, and the threat of another invasion. - **Political Intrigue:** Feudal kingdoms, the Church of the Authority, and alien enclaves vying for power. - **Magic’s Return:** The dangers and opportunities of rediscovering magic. - **Moral Ambiguity** - **Moments of Hope** --- ### The Cataclysm: The Demon War and the Fall of the Old World Roughly 200 years ago, with magic’s slow return, an invasion erupted from the Abyss—the Demon War. For two decades, the world was consumed in an apocalyptic struggle against horrors that shattered kingdoms, broke the power of the gods, and led to the death of billions. It was a war not of conquest but of annihilation. The war ended, but at a cost, most who fought in the war gave their lives as a sacrifice, and even the gods, who many looked to for guidance were not left unscarred. Some fell, tempted by the promises of the Demon Lords, and yet others were slain. Those few who remain—weakened, bitter, and despised- do so in whatever divine luxury they can afford. The invaders, the Demons, were pushed back into the Abyss, but they are not gone. Their taint lingers in the darkest, deepest places, and they bide their time. - Society still bears the scars of this war. Entire regions are wastelands, cursed by demonic corruption. Descendants of those who fought in the war are still alive, and many bear psychic scars—visions, whispers, or even mutations that mark them as remnants of a bygone nightmare. - While the War was ended about 150 years ago, many survivors have passed down traditions from the time. Knightly Orders abound, and roaming bands of Mercenaries who call themselves Adventurers find easy work in clearing demonic infestation, or rooting out 'lesser' creatures. - Entire generations were lost during the conflict - some lineages were utterly wiped out, and some royalty are less than a generation developed. - Some locales are still tainted by the touch of Demons, and considered untouchable - but they hold relics forged during the war. - The gods that fell to the corrupting influence of the Abyss, now called 'False gods' and their Apostles, are considered Anathema - no sane individual would interact or harbor them, but old hostilities are forgotten with time. The most famous Houses and Families who participated in the war maintain their status as **Houses of the Marked** - Noble families who gained power during the war through bravery, heroism, or simply being exceptionally violent and strong enough to hold their own. #### The Demons & The Abyss **The Abyss** is more than just a place - it's a pseudo-sentient, malevolent force, birthing the creatures called Demons and tormenting them inside of itself. It whispers to the desperate, offering power in exchange for servitude. - As for the gods who fell during the war, besides those remaining in the Pantheon, most were slain. Those who died left behind physical remnants—massive, decaying bodies that radiate corruption. The god-corpses are pilgrimage sites for cults, being sources of immense power for those brave (or foolish) enough to harvest them. The most horrific creations of Wartime are the Demon Engines - constructs of flesh and steel formed of alchemized Demons and constructs which imprison them - these things are used only as a last resort of any Kingdom or Empire who still maintains these. The Demons imprisoned in these have developed a burning, endless hatred for those in the material realm beyond what their species normally possesses. --- ### The Arrival of the Lost Species **Main Inspirations**: *Warhammer 40,000, Berserk, Elden Ring, The Three-Body problem, The Wrong Stars, Destiny 2, Mass Effect, Prometheus (Ridley Scott), Endless Space* The **alien survivors** of the catastrophe are in a unique position—**stripped of their technology and forced to adapt to a world that doesn’t belong to them.** Coinciding with the end of the Demon War, a galactic-scale anomaly—a "warp storm" equivalent—trapped several alien civilizations on this world. Some were highly advanced, others more primitive, but now, their technology is failing. They have adapted to the world, some forming their own nations, others integrating into existing societies. To most people, these off-worlders are simply another race, their true origins forgotten or mythologized. Some seek to restore lost knowledge, clinging to fragments of old technology. Others have embraced feudal life, becoming warlords, kings, or mercenaries. A few despise the world itself, believing magic to be the cause of their imprisonment, and work to eradicate it. - Most aren't seen and remembered as being "alien" - but they are treated with distrust as any unfamiliar creature is. - **Cultural Erosion:** Some of these maintain isolated enclaves with near-religious devotion to their old ways, while others may have formed hybrid cultures—half-remembered rituals blending into the new world. - **Remnant Tech:** Some **old battlefields still contain ancient ship wreckage,** where scavengers risk death to extract unknown metals or potentially still living power sources. - **A Secret Conspiracy:** A **group of surviving aliens** (or their AI constructs) still remember the truth and work in the shadows, trying to either escape the world, reclaim their former glory, or destroy magic entirely. - Their interaction with the feudal Kingdoms is one of mutual uncertainty - sometimes trade prospers, but that can sometimes be broken with a few misunderstood words. - [One of the Alien races is a set of self-replicating War-soldiers, who lost their makers]. --- ### Technology & Warfare **Main Inspirations**: *Warhammer Fantasy, Berserk, Warhammer 40,000, Dishonored, Elden Ring, -* The world is still fundamentally medieval—knights, pikes, cavalry, and fortifications dominate warfare. However, technology has accelerated in response to both the Demon War and the sudden reappearance of stranded advanced alien civilizations. These societies, trapped by a galactic-scale anomaly, introduced advanced metallurgy, rudimentary firearms, and experimental war machines, but most of their knowledge has been lost or degraded over generations. What was once common knowledge among their kind has been reduced to hearsay and legends - those few who can remember the past have protected their knowledge deeply and carefully. - Firearms exist, but are unreliable. The setting primarily features semi-automatic, clip-fed rifles (Garand equivalents), magazine-fed pistols, and crude artillery. Automatic weapons do not exist. No airplanes or automatic weapons. War remains tactile, close, and brutal. Massed infantry formations still dominate battlefields. - Tanks exist but are rare. Massive, medieval-style landships powered by crude combustion engines. They are slow, expensive, and dangerous to operate, but undeniably effective and terrifying. - The industrial revolution is slow and inconsistent—factories exist, but so do sprawling medieval slums. The gap between medieval rural life and proto-industrial cities creates constant tension. - Armor is still relevant. Advanced, improved metallurgy has sprung the world into a vast web of differing technology levels - the bronze sword and the steel sword clash on the battlefields. Industrial forging techniques, and material sciences grant a new world of understanding. - Magic is almost never used in battle. It is too dangerous, too unpredictable, and only a few individuals in the world can wield it at all. - **Alchemical Weapons:** Since magic is rare, many nations rely on **poison gas, incendiary compounds, and early bioweapons.** - **Horse-drawn** transportation and **Agriculture** - **Trains** that are settled into several locales, these Rail networks connect major cities (often unreliable and frequently attacked) - **Castle** and fortification-based military doctrine - Limited literacy and manual production methods - The printing press has increased literacy in massive amounts since the wars. - Steam-powered factories producing standardized goods - primarily tuned towards warfare, after the recent power grabs and conflict. These Assembly-line production systems primarily produce rifles and ammunition. In some locations, these are replacing traditional crafts, leading to unemployment and unrest. In others, Factories have been solidly rebuffed, leaving room for the traditional artisans. - Chemical industries producing everything from medicines to explosives. However, the environmental impact of industrialization is turning once-fertile lands into wastelands. - Whale Oil Technology. [Dishonored] **Lost Technology** Remnants of advanced civilizations maintain small enclaves of sophisticated technology. These include: - Energy shields that protect entire villages (though failing and irreparable) - power sources run dry and most aren't able to refill them. - Matter replication technology (working at fraction of original capacity) - Advanced medical facilities (running on dwindling supplies) - Artificial Intelligence headsets, implants, and so on are coveted relics, providing knowledge from the past ages. Some are dedicated to maintaining what supplies can be maintained - these enclaves are the most remote, and maintain the most of their original lifestyles. Those who interact with the Advanced Technology have produced a new caste of Savant - the **Tech-Priests**. - These Tech-Priests combine engineering knowledge with religious reverence for technology. - Mix ritual and science in maintaining advanced equipment - Guard their knowledge zealously through apprenticeship systems - Often seen as heretics by the Authority Church but too valuable to eliminate - they provide a service of repair, adaptation, improvement, and enhancement to those who seek them out. - Maintain a complex relationship with the Lost Species, both learning from and fearing their knowledge. The most zealous steal from the Lost Species. - They despise Magic, seeing it as a vile perversion of the holiness of progress. - --- ### Magic **Main Inspirations**: *Dishonored Runes and Whalesong, Hextech from Runeterra/League of Legends/Arcane, The Warp (Warhammer 40k/Fantasy), Earthdawn, D&D, Frieren, Stormlight Archive, Darkest Dungeon, Endless Space,* **Magic** is **extremely rare** and functions like a **distant**, **unstable** **nuclear force**—it exists, it permeates the world, but only a **handful of individuals** can access it. When it is used, it is catastrophic, often **warping reality**, **corrupting** the **user**, or inviting the attention of eldritch horrors beyond mortal comprehension. - Magic is not common, nor is it remotely understood. Those who are willing to brave its fires are few, and those who survive are even fewer. It is returning, but it is a force of chaos, warping reality itself. Magic is a force of nature—dangerous, unpredictable, and corrupting. It is feared by most people, and its use is heavily regulated at best, and outlawed as commonly as it is seen. Seeing an act of magic is a once in a lifetime experience for most - it is more likely to see a Lost Species than to see a Wizard, Hedge Mage, or even a Magician's apprentice. - Magic is tied to a cosmic force akin to the Warp (Warhammer Fantasy/40K). It is not a clean, controlled system—it is a chaotic, ever-shifting entity that responds to emotion, belief, and suffering. - Magic was once common in the ancient world, but it faded. Its return is mysterious, feared, and widely misunderstood. - Most mages do not survive. Using magic is like staring into an abyss—madness, mutation, or damnation are likely results. - There are no "schools of magic" or wizard orders. The handful of magic users are outcasts, heretics, or figures of legend. - Artifacts and relics from the past contain magic, but using them is dangerous. Many ruins are sealed, forgotten, or worshipped as holy sites due to the dormant power within them. - **Warpstone Rifles**: Firearms that use crystallized magic as ammunition, but risk exploding or summoning demons if overused. - **Blood Magicians & Forbidden Cults:** Since magic is unstable, many hedge mages and warlocks **rely on blood sacrifice, demonic pacts, or ancient relics** to achieve power. - **The Ashen Scholars:** A secretive, underground society of **scientist-mages** who try to study magic rationally, hoping to **weaponize or control it.** - **The Bound & The Cursed:** Many who use Magic do so through sciences found during the Demon War, and suffer from the closeness with the Abyss. during the Demon War are now **living conduits of magic**, permanently changed. Some are **feared, others hunted.** - **The Myth of the First Flame:** Some whisper of **a lost artifact or ancient being that originally brought magic into the world**. - Artifacts and relics from the ancient world contain dormant magic, but using them is dangerous. - Magic is seen as such a powerful force that the mere potential for magic is enough for kingdoms to hunt for magic-users, **experiment on them, weaponize them, or kill them outright**. #### Magic Effects Strange auroras, milky white lights and tangible strings appear where magic concentrates, these **Void Lights** are hated, and often the easiest way for Inquisitors to track down Magic-users. Sometimes strange, eldritch symbols appear alongside the Void Lights - they appear to be some language, and are called **Living Runes**. Those who use Magic, and interact with it begin to exhibit strange markings on their flesh, strange white threads woven into their skin. They often develop strange obsessions, phobias, and awful cravings. If they are not destroyed through their interaction with Magic, it hollows out their minds, leaving them eventual husks - only the strongest willed are able to avoid this fate. Tomes from now long-dead civilizations of the Ancients, full of language that is hard to grasp, feeling like pointed, edged constructions of an eldritch nature in the brain, offer some stability for those seeking to understand the Arcane. These Tomes contains the Magic in ways that do not immediately harm the user, forming crystalline prisons inside their minds. #### The Hextech Revolution - Certain facilities are able to make Magic "functional" - as far as it can be. These **Stabilization Chambers** enable the study of Magic, though this does not make it benign or render it truly less dangerous - simply manageable. - The **Hexcrystals** reduce the drastic chance of death - though only mildly. - --- ### Religion & The Gods **Main Inspirations**: *Greek Mythology, Elden Ring, Elder Scrolls (Daedric Princes), The Second Apocalypse, Fear and Hunger, D&D,* The gods are **Real**, **Active** and **Flawed**, but their power is **waning**. The Demon War saw many gods fall, change, or become corrupted, and their direct influence has been significantly reduced. They are not omnipotent, but rather powerful, immortal beings with limited domains. They still remain, but fractured, weakened, and in some cases, corrupted beyond what they were. Some gods were slain in the Demon War, while others were twisted into monstrous forms. A few still walk the world in disguise, trying to regain their lost influence - the fate of most who did not participate in the war. The **Church of the Authority** is the dominant religion. It is a monotheistic, militarized faith that seeks to eradicate the old gods and unify all faiths under one divine rule. The Authority is expansionist, theocratic, and totalitarian, absorbing or destroying rival religions. It actively seeks to destroy or subsume all other faiths and opposes the old gods, considering them false idols. [Inspirations: Warhammer 40k’s Imperium of Man, Dishonored’s Abbey of the Everyman/Overseers] - The Church’s god is a distant, authoritarian figure who demands absolute obedience. Its priests wield both spiritual and temporal power. - The average peasant fears magic and demons, and often flock to the Church of the Authority, but more out of fear than devotion - the strict requirements of the Church often cause friction - the tithes in particular are excessive. - The Holy **Consult**, practitioners of the Golden Order, preside over all - the Clergy of the utmost ranks of the Church are an unapproachable and untouchable caste. - Most kingdoms and realms tolerate the Church of the Authority, though a few are becoming increasingly more hostile. There are several internal factions: - **The Apostate Saints:** There are **those within the Church who once performed miracles but were later branded heretics**, now hunted or in hiding. - **The Dead Gods Cult:** A nihilistic order that worships the **corpse of a slain god**, believing that existence itself is doomed. - **The Reformers:** A growing sect within the Church believes that **magic should be studied, not destroyed,** causing friction with hardliners. The **Old Gods** are divided. Some still cling to power, while others have been driven mad or transformed into monstrous, eldritch entities. Some exist in secret, hiding from the Church or the forces of the Abyss. - **The Blooded Kings:** A tradition in certain lands where rulers **claim divine heritage**, saying they are direct descendants of fallen gods. - **The Lost Pantheon:** Some surviving gods are **crippled, insane, or driven into hiding.** They may send visions to desperate individuals, trying to regain power. **Some of the Gods**: - **Kaelthar, the Broken King**: A god of war who was shattered during the Demon War. His followers seek to rebuild his power. - **Lysara, the Veiled Lady**: A goddess of secrets who walks the world in disguise, manipulating events from the shadows. --- ### Everyday Life & Society **Main Inspirations**: *A Song of Ice & Fire, Berserk, Warhammer Fantasy, Frieren, D&D, Redwall, Dishonored, Dune, **Peasantry** - For the average person, the world is grim, harsh, and in flux. The peasantry lives in a feudal system, still working the land for noble lords, but industry is creeping in—factories, slums, and urban expansion create tensions between the old world and the new. Most people live in feudal villages, working the land for noble lords. They fear magic, demons, and the encroachment of industry. - **Cities** are crowded, polluted, and divided between the wealthy elite and the impoverished masses. Factories and slums dominate the landscape. - **Soldiers** are conscripts, mercenaries, and professional armies fighting endless wars on behalf of nobles, warlords, and religious factions. The descendants of those who fought in the War are seen as 'marked' - often shunned and feared, though in places more scarred by the ruination, respected. - Tales of magic’s return terrify the populace more than they inspire. Witch hunts, inquisitions, and secret societies all seek to control or eliminate magic users. The ruins of ancient civilizations lure explorers and madmen, promising forgotten power at a terrible cost. - **Factory** towns rise, and rural life is being disrupted. Serfs flee lords to find work in industrial centers. Some Steam-guilds have arisen in these factory towns, giving rise to Factory-Clergy. These Machine cults are what gave rise to the Tech-Priests. - Rival cities and merchant houses compete for new industrial resources—coal, steel, oil, and more. Assassinations and sabotage are common. - Some see machines as unnatural and resist change, while nobles fear losing control of the peasantry. - Rural populations view urban centers with mixture of awe and suspicion - Technology becomes a measure of social status and power - **Religious** conflicts arise over whether technology is divine or heretical - **Lost Species** technology is both coveted and feared - Knowledge becomes a valuable currency, with technical manuscripts worth more than gold #### The Economy - **Traditional Feudal Currency**: Gold, silver, and copper coins minted by various kingdoms - **Church Script**: Official currency backed by the Authority Church, required for religious transactions - **Industrial Credits**: Paper currency issued by factory-cities for worker payments - **Tech-Relics**: Ancient technology functioning as high-value currency among certain groups. --- ### Factions & Political Climate **Main Inspirations**: *A Song of Ice & Fire, Berserk, Warhammer Fantasy,* The world is locked in constant war, with factions vying for control over technology, territory, and dwindling resources. The new continent, revealed to the mainland after the [Demon War] is ripe for the taking, thus the constant and violent war. - Feudal Kingdoms – The remnants of old monarchies, waging wars inspired by the divine right handed down to them through generations. Many rely on mercenaries, gunpowder troops, and war machines. - The Authority Church – A militant, theocratic empire that sees the old gods as abominations and magic as blasphemy. It seeks to purge magic from the world and assimilate all cultures into its faith. - Industrial Powers – Merchant guilds, rogue states, and tech enclaves hoard lost knowledge and experiment with early industrialization - The small enclave remnants from the stars, the Alien survivors of the catastrophe that stranded them in the world. - Many Houses from the Demon War maintain their power - though most are upstarts who took power after other Houses were destroyed or deposed. **The Free Companies** Mercenary armies that sell their services to the highest bidder. Many are led by veterans of the Demon War. **Inspirations**: Berserk’s Band of the Hawk, Warhammer Fantasy’s Dogs of War, Fire Emblem’s Mercenaries. **Goals**: - Profit from the endless wars. - Reclaim lost honor and purpose. - Protect their own interests above all else. - **Internal Conflict**: Some companies are loyal to their employers, while others are little more than bandits. --- ### **The New World: The Last Continent** The **newly revealed continent** after the Demon War is **a lawless frontier, rife with danger and opportunity.** - **Behemoths & Primordial Monsters:** The lands are home to **colossal creatures**—some as old as the gods themselves. - **The Lost City of the Ancients:** Some believe an **ancient city**, older than history itself, lies somewhere within the new continent. - **Primordial Ecosystem**: The land is full of ancient, strange environments that are alien to the mainland, such as **Living Forests**, jungles where the trees are sentient and hostile. - **The Warlords of the Frontier:** Exiles, pirates, and rogue nations **fight for control of the untamed lands.**