The Blightmarch Wastes RPG

Genre/Tone

The setting is a grim-dark fantasy world, brutal and unforgiving, where morality is a fleeting luxury amidst violence and despair.

Time Period

The story takes place in a pseudo-medieval era with minimal technology and deep reliance on archaic magic, alchemy, and brutal combat.

Key Factions/Groups

- The Crimson Pact: A fanatical cult seeking to awaken an ancient, bloodthirsty god. - The Black Iron Consortium: Ruthless dwarven warlords trading arms and enslaving lesser races. - The Ashfang Tribes: Nomadic beastfolk who raid villages and seek vengeance against all humanoid races. - The Black Oath: A secretive order trying to maintain balance between factions and suppress ancient evils.

Major Conflicts

- The Crimson Pact’s bloody crusade threatens to unleash chaos and destroy all life. - Civil war between human kingdoms over dwindling resources and ancestral grudges. - Monsters emerging in greater numbers from ancient, forgotten ruins, threatening all settlements. - The growing unrest among enslaved races under the Black Iron Consortium's rule.

Setting

The Blightmarch Wastes are a desolate, cursed land where ash-choked skies blot out the sun, and twisted remnants of civilization crumble into ruin. Monsters roam freely, and survival is a brutal struggle for those unfortunate enough to call this place home.

Primary Locations

- The Obsidian Span: A colossal, crumbling bridge that once connected kingdoms; now overrun by scavengers and beasts. - Hollowreach: A sunken village buried in black mire, said to contain treasures beneath its cursed depths. - The Maw of Thorns: A forest of petrified trees whose barbed branches seem to bleed, home to ancient, malevolent whispers. - The Bonehearth Ruins: The remnants of a fortress consumed by an unspeakable calamity, its halls haunted by restless spirits. - Ashen Cradle: A massive crater where strange, shifting lights dance at night, and few who enter ever return unchanged.

Cultural Notes

- Superstition dominates daily life; symbols, charms, and blood offerings are commonplace to ward off misfortune and monsters. - Oral histories recount tales of fallen gods, cursed relics, and bloodlines tainted by ancient evils. - Death is ever-present, and burial rites are performed with extreme care to prevent the dead from rising as abominations. - Music and storytelling revolve around loss, survival, and inevitable doom, often serving as grim warnings.

Social Dynamics

In the Blightmarch Wastes, trust is a scarce commodity, as survival forces communities into isolation or hostile competition for resources. Power is often held by those ruthless enough to seize it, with alliances formed out of necessity and betrayal lurking in every shadow.