Do you dream of riding through undiscovered lands, seeking out the
unknown? Trusting no one but your steed and your blade?
Bartering with blood-lusted barbarian tribes for your life? Rummaging
through the disregarded artifacts of extinct civilizations?
Knowing that you will brush with danger and death every morning when you
pack up your bedroll and mount your horse to move on over the next
horizon?
You've
come to the right place. Darklands is a dark and dangerous fantasy
world overrun by corrupt merchants, tyrant rulers, and brutal
warlords. The unknown places (of which there are no shortage) are
infested with creatures and monsters from this world and the next.
Common folk live in fear of the mutations of chaos on the land and the
demonic powers that cross over into their world.
However, in the midst of this savage land lies much to be discovered by
those who have the heart to go forth and explore it. Most common
folk can recall at least one story of some brave soul who fought against
unbelievable and insurmountable odds to claim great riches and
prestige. Even those who have no direct connection or lineage to
some hero, are familiar with the old songs of Horace the Wanderer, or
the account of Barlimen One-Eye's victory over Angavar the Liche
King. As insular as local society is, there is always some young
labourer who, on hearing the old legends, takes what gear they can
gather, and heads into the unknown, often never to return. Such is
the pull of ambition!
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The People:
The History of Darklands is mostly unknown
and almost completely undocumented. Some "history" is
kept alive in the old songs of the Bards and the ramblings of the local
Loremasters
and seasoned travellers. The average person lives a common
existence. The economy in most areas is very localized and
subsistence based - farming, animal handling, logging, quarrying,
hunting, fishing, trapping and so on. Furthermore, Darklanders
are, for the most part, ignorant of the world only a few miles beyond
the boundaries of their small towns and villages. Most commoners
don't care to know what lies beyond their immediate areas, and often
consider it bad for their health to inquire. Those that lead lives
of adventure are often viewed with suspicion and are ignored at
best.
An average village will have most necessary tradesmen
and artisans residing within their walls - a town blacksmith, carpenter,
brewer, innkeeper, tailor, priest of the local gods, sheriff, washer
woman, miller, and so on. There are some major centers with more
specialized industries - weaving, wine-making, smelting, stone-cutting, and
so forth. However, most people will have no knowledge of where
exactly these places lay with respect to their homes, if they have heard
of them at all.
It is an illiterate world, full of people
unlearned by modern standards, yet singing many long epics and reciting
ancient ballads. This is of no great consequence however, as fact
and legend are woven into one and accepted as truth by the mass of the
population.
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Geography:
The geography of Darklands
is about as well documented as its history. If maps of the whole
continent exist, they are kept secret by a small few. Since most
people are concerned only with their immediate surroundings, there is
generally no motivation to map the continent or even its regions.
Those who are well-traveled find their way by using milestones and
memory.
This being said, there are some general locales that most of
the land's occupants have heard of or reside near. The continent
stretches from the Chaos Wastes and Kali Desert in the West to the
shores of the Sea of Nefera all along the southern and western parts of
the land. The north stretches on into a cold wasteland of ice and
snow that no civilized communities know much about. The area
between these major boundaries runs for a few thousand miles in both
directions. This huge expanse is divided by some major
geographical features. The infamous Blackwood runs east to west
for hundreds of miles throughout the north-central part of the
continent. A couple of major river systems run for over a thousand
miles each, however, the names of these rivers change every 20 or 30 miles. Most
people are familiar with stories of the expansive Hell's Peaks mountain range,
as well as the accounts of the horrors it houses. There are a few
others, but for the most part, common folk are only familiar with
smaller geographic features, closer to their homes. There is no
limit to the local "histories" and lore that surround anything
from a small stream to an overgrown hillock.
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The Forces of Chaos and Evil:
Many residents of the world live in complete ignorance of the rising
evil that abides in their lands. However, make no mistake - as
most adventurers and travelers know - the world of Darklands is aptly
named. Although usually hidden from view, evil powers in the form
of demon princes and their minions infest the world and its inhabitants.
More than one traveler has stumbled into a small out-of-the-way
settlement, seeking a meal and a bed, only to find the remnants of
mysterious slaughter and destruction. Some of the old wives say
that whenever a back is turned, a demon appears, contemplating your
eternal demise and damnation!
Of course, seeing a demon
lord in the flesh is a rare event, and one that most Darklanders are
thankful for not experiencing. There are other dangers
however. Bands of beastmen skulk out an existence in the vast
expanse of dark forests and mountain passes. Trolls and other such
monstrosities hunt the plains and mountain valleys by night.
Perhaps the greatest danger are the Mutated - those humans who have
given their existence to their demonic lieges as servants and agents in
the physical world in return for the gifts of dark mutation and
power.
Darklands is a dangerous world.
No one can be trusted. Everyone is a potential agent or servant of
darkness and chaos. Be warned...
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The Lost Art of Magic:
Darklands
is a magical land, and there is certainly no shortage of the unexplained
nor the mysterious. Many ancient places exude strange auras,
illusive sounds, and other hair-raising phenomena. In some cases,
eccentric old men and suspicious travelers are suspected of being mages,
being able to harness the power of magic as it is described in the
ancient songs.
However, if magic was ever learned and understood in
the Darklands, it has become a lost art in most of the settled
world. People believe in it, but expect not to experience it their
own lives. If there are Loremasters with power over magical
forces, their secrets are well-kept.
Characters will never
start with magical abilities. Any sense of what is involved (or if
magic is at all possible) to harness arcane powers is beyond the
experience and knowledge (not to say ability) of starting characters.
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