Erythos

The world is low-magic, decaying, and cruel. Magic exists, but it is rare, dangerous, and always exacts a cost—physical, mental, or moral. Most people will never see a true spell, and those who wield magic are feared, hunted, or already broken by it. Technology sits at a late medieval to early renaissance level: steel weapons, black powder curiosities, crude prosthetics, printing presses, and siege engines. Innovation exists, but progress is slow and often repurposed for war or oppression. What sets this world apart is that something fundamental is wrong with reality itself. The dead do not always stay dead. Time frays in forgotten places. Prayers sometimes receive answers—but never from gods anyone recognizes. No one knows when the world began to rot, only that it has been getting worse for generations. There are no clear heroes—only survivors. Kingdoms are hollow, faith is fractured, and monsters are not aberrations but symptoms. Civilization persists not because it thrives, but because it refuses to admit it is already dying. Old Greg’s Tavern exists as a strange constant in this collapse—a place where mercenaries, pilgrims, heretics, and monsters in human skin all eventually pass through. Some claim the tavern moves. Others swear it has always been there. No one agrees on how long Greg himself has been alive.

Major Kingdoms & Powers The Black Crown of Vareth A dying empire propped up by tradition, fear, and mass graves. Once ruled half the continent, now it survives through conscription, inquisitions, and crushing taxes. Its capital still claims divine mandate—though its gods have been silent for centuries. Theme: decay, false authority, desperate order The Ashen Concord A loose alliance of city-states built atop burned lands after a magical catastrophe. Each city governs itself, but all agree on one law: no unlicensed magic. Violators are publicly executed—or worse, studied. Theme: paranoia, control, scarred progress The Kingdom of Thorne A brutal, militant realm that worships endurance over mercy. Their knights are infamous for fighting on despite mortal wounds, bolstered by alchemy, ritual scarring, and indoctrination. They believe suffering purifies the soul. Theme: fanaticism, strength through pain The Veiled Principalities Petty lords, merchant princes, and crime families ruling through masks and secrets. Assassins, spies, and blackmail shape borders more than armies. Official maps rarely match reality. Theme: lies, influence, unseen power Major Cities Gravewatch A fortress-city built around a massive necropolis older than recorded history. The dead here sometimes move. Entire guilds exist to “re-kill” the restless and seal tombs that refuse to stay closed. Rumor: the city grows each year—though no one builds the new streets. Cinderfall Capital of the Ashen Concord, constructed around a mile-wide crater of fused glass. Magical anomalies still occur nightly. Scholars flock here; many never leave. Rumor: something still burns beneath the glass. Ironholt A Thorne stronghold carved directly into a mountain. Forges run day and night. The air reeks of blood and coal. Prisoners are worked until they break—or change. Rumor: knights are reforged here, not trained. The Crossroads A lawless trade city built where five roads, three rivers, and one ley fracture meet. Old Greg’s Tavern is sometimes found here—though not always in the same place. Rumor: maps lie within a day’s travel of the city. Geographic Features The Blightreach A spreading wasteland where crops rot, animals mutate, and compasses fail. Some villages still exist within it. None receive visitors twice. The Blackwater Expanse A cold inland sea so dark it reflects no stars. Ships vanish regularly. Survivors speak of shapes moving beneath the waves—not swimming, but watching. The Crownspine Mountains Jagged peaks dividing the continent. Passes shift without warning. Entire armies have vanished here without battle. The Weeping Forest Trees bleed sap like tears. Sounds carry strangely. Travelers swear the forest remembers those who die within it—and imitates them. How Old Greg’s Tavern Fits Old Greg’s Tavern exists near major routes, but never directly on them. It appears at borders, edges, and places where people are already lost. Kingdoms claim it. None can tax it. Armies avoid it. Some believe the tavern is a pressure valve for the world—where fate loosens its grip, briefly.

Major Races & Peoples Humans Territory: Everywhere. Status: Dominant, fractious, short-lived. Humans rule most kingdoms simply because they breed fast, forget faster, and adapt brutally well. Their nations rise and fall within a few generations, leaving scars others must live with. Relations: Distrusted by almost everyone Enforcers of anti-magic laws Most likely to start wars they can’t finish Duskborn (Elves) Territory: The Weeping Forest, scattered enclaves Status: Declining, insular, bitter Once near-immortal, the Duskborn now age—slowly, painfully. Many believe the world’s rot began when they broke something long ago. They remember empires that never existed to humans. Relations: Open hostility with Thorne Uneasy coexistence with humans Secret pacts with things best unnamed Stonekin (Dwarves) Territory: Crownspine Mountains, Ironholt under-realms Status: Fractured, industrial, obsessive The Stonekin dig not for wealth, but for answers. They believe something is wrong beneath the world and are determined to reach it. Entire clans vanish underground for generations. Relations: Trade weapons to humans Despise the Ashen Concord’s magic laws Fear what their deepest halls contain Grimfolk (Orcs & Half-Orcs) Territory: Borderlands, Blightreach fringes Status: Marginalized, war-scarred, resilient Created—or altered—during ancient wars, the Grimfolk were bred for survival, not peace. Now stateless, they serve as mercenaries, laborers, or raiders depending on circumstance. Relations: Feared and exploited by humans Respected by Thorne Hunted by some Concord cities Hollowblood (Tieflings / Cursed Bloodlines) Territory: Diaspora; hidden districts in major cities Status: Persecuted, stigmatized Marked by horns, strange eyes, or unnatural shadows, Hollowblood are believed to carry infernal taint—often falsely. Many are the result of ancient magical fallout rather than pacts. Relations: Heavily persecuted in Vareth Secretly protected in the Veiled Principalities Frequently scapegoated for disasters The Pale (Undead-Adjacent) Territory: Gravewatch, Blightreach, forbidden zones Status: Feared, unnatural, aware Not all who die stay dead—and some return changed but sane. The Pale are tolerated only where their labor or knowledge is invaluable. Relations: Outlawed almost everywhere Quietly employed by powerful factions Watched by everyone, including themselves Minor / Rare Peoples Feytouched: Warped by the Weeping Forest; unpredictable and dangerous Gutterkin: Alchemical or magical remnants of failed experiments The Unremembered: A people erased from history, now appearing again Racial Tensions & Themes No race is “evil,” but history is weaponized Segregation, ghettos, and silent laws are common Mixed-blood individuals are distrusted everywhere Old Greg’s Tavern is one of the few neutral grounds where all may drink

Major Political Tensions & Threats 1. The Black Crown Is Collapsing The Empire of Vareth is quietly losing control. Entire provinces have stopped sending taxes. Inquisitors are vanishing. Border lords are hiring mercenaries instead of soldiers. Adventure Hooks Escort a tax convoy that no longer wants to reach the capital Smuggle a noble family out before their own troops turn on them Discover who is impersonating imperial officials—and why they bleed ash 2. The Ashen Concord’s Crackdown The Concord has issued a continent-wide bounty on unregistered magic users. Witch-hunters cross borders freely, ignoring local laws. Adventure Hooks Hide or extract a spellcaster before public execution Steal or destroy Concord magical census records Protect a town where everyone secretly uses minor magic 3. Thorne Prepares for a “Holy War” The Kingdom of Thorne claims the world must be “hardened” before its final trial. Armies mass at borders under the guise of pilgrimages. Adventure Hooks Infiltrate a Thorne war camp posing as converts Recover a relic said to make soldiers immune to fear—or pain Stop (or assist) a preemptive strike against a neighboring city 4. The Dead Are Organizing In Gravewatch and beyond, the Pale are forming councils, issuing demands, and defending themselves. Some living leaders secretly rely on undead labor. Adventure Hooks Mediate between the living and the Pale Investigate a murder where the victim refuses to stay dead Track a Pale leader rumored to remember the world before it broke 5. Maps Are Becoming Unreliable Roads shift, rivers reroute overnight, and landmarks move. Cartographers are going missing. Trade collapses in some regions. Adventure Hooks Guard a survey expedition into unstable territory Retrieve a map that redraws itself Find the cause—natural, magical, or intentional 6. Something Is Awakening Beneath the World Stonekin deep-mines have breached sealed chambers. Strange tremors ripple across the continent. Priests receive contradictory visions. Adventure Hooks Seal a breach before what’s inside learns the surface exists Escort a Stonekin scholar who knows too much Decide whether awakening this thing is salvation or doom 7. Old Greg’s Tavern Is Being Watched Multiple factions suspect the tavern is more than neutral ground. Spies linger. Attempts to mark, scry, or seize it have all failed—sometimes fatally. Adventure Hooks Identify which patrons are agents and who they work for Recover something stolen from the tavern itself Discover what happens to those who try to kill Greg Recent Inciting Events (Perfect Session Starters) A Concord witch-hunter is found dead in Old Greg’s cellar—no wounds A Pale courier delivers a sealed message addressed to a player A Thorne banner is nailed to the tavern door overnight The tavern appears somewhere it has never been before

How Magic Works Magic is not a skill—it is a wound in reality. Spells function by forcing the world to behave in ways it no longer wants to. Every act of magic leaves a mark: on the caster, the land, or someone nearby. The greater the effect, the heavier the price. Core Rules of Magic Magic is rare and feared, not commonplace Casting always has a cost (pain, memory, time, blood, luck) Magic leaves residue that can be tracked or exploited Repeated use causes physical or psychological degradation Minor magic exists—charms, alchemical tricks, ritual blessings—but true spellcasting is unmistakable and dangerous. Who Can Use Magic The Gifted (Born Touched) A small number of people are born with the ability to channel magic naturally. Many die young. Survivors are hunted, regulated, or broken into obedience. The Learned (Ritualists & Scholars) Magic can be approached through study, but never mastered safely. Rituals are slow, require rare components, and often need multiple participants. Failure is catastrophic. The Bargained Some gain power through pacts—but not with gods. These entities offer magic in exchange for ongoing, escalating obligations. The terms are never fully understood. The Blasphemous Those who steal magic: grave-robbers, blood-mages, relic-thieves. Their power works—but reality hates them for it. What Magic Costs Examples an AI DM can apply freely: Loss of sensation or emotion Accelerated aging or visible corruption Haunting visions or whispers Attracting monsters, witch-hunters, or worse Unintended consequences miles away Magic solves problems—but creates larger ones later. The Deities (Or Lack Thereof) The gods are silent, dead, imprisoned—or never existed at all. The Old Faith Once worshipped across the continent. Temples remain, miracles do not. Priests still receive omens, but they contradict each other. The Watching Powers Something answers prayers—but not consistently, and not kindly. Scholars believe these are not gods, but things pressed against the world from outside. The Broken Saints Figures who performed undeniable miracles in the past… then shattered. Their relics still work, but no one agrees why. The Godshard Theory Some believe the divine was destroyed long ago, and magic is what leaks from the fragments. Each spell pulls a sliver loose. Faith in Practice Religion is political, fractured, and dangerous Public worship is allowed; private miracles are suspicious Heresies are more common than orthodoxy Old Greg’s Tavern forbids sermons—violently, if necessary Old Greg’s Relationship to Magic Magic behaves strangely in the tavern: Spells work… but differently Divinations fail or return personal truths Summoned entities refuse to enter Greg has never been seen casting—and yet nothing supernatural harms him

Do Other Planes Exist? Yes—but they are damaged, distant, and leaking. The material world is not connected to a clean “great wheel” or orderly cosmology. Instead, it exists inside a fractured reality, where other planes press against it like bruises beneath skin. Travel between planes is not stable, safe, or repeatable. How Planes Interact With the Material World 1. Bleedthrough Zones Places where reality has thinned: battlefields, mass graves, ritual sites, deep mines, ruined temples. Effects: Time distortion Strange weather or impossible architecture Creatures appearing incomplete or wrong Magic costs are higher—or unpredictable The Weeping Forest, Blightreach, and parts of Gravewatch are permanent bleedthrough zones. 2. Echoes, Not Gateways True portals are nearly impossible. What manifests instead are echoes—partial reflections of other planes bleeding into the material world. Examples: A battlefield where screams repeat centuries later A shadow that moves independently A room that remembers a different layout Adventurers don’t enter other planes—they experience fragments of them intruding. 3. The Outside Not a plane, but a pressure. Whatever answers prayers or offers bargains comes from beyond structured reality. It does not obey distance, time, or intention. It cannot be reached—only invited, accidentally or otherwise. Those who interact with the Outside rarely survive unchanged. 4. The Pale Reflection The realm that touches death. Not an afterlife—more like a holding state. The dead linger here before dissolving, unless anchored by will, unfinished purpose, or interference. This is why some dead return. 5. Dream-Trespass Dreams are the safest—and most common—point of planar interaction. Sleepwalking, shared dreams, prophetic nightmares, and possession often originate here. Some beings can only influence the world through sleepers. Old Greg’s Tavern is infamous for dreamless sleep. Who Interacts With Other Planes Witches & Seers: Through dreams, omens, and sacrifice Stonekin Deep-Diggers: Through breaches beneath the world The Pale: Naturally attuned to the death-adjacent plane Cultists: Mistakenly believe they control what listens What Happens If Planar Contact Increases If planar interaction grows unchecked: Geography becomes unstable Death loses meaning entirely Gods (real or false) may fully manifest The material world ceases to be primary reality Some factions believe this is inevitable. Others want to accelerate it. Old Greg’s Tavern & the Planes The tavern exists in perfect tension: Other planes cannot anchor within it Bleedthrough effects halt at its threshold Greg has barred something powerful—and it wants back in No one knows whether the tavern is protected… or imprisoned.

The Major Eras of the World I. The First Silence (Pre-History) What people believe: The world was shaped by gods, titans, or chance. What remains: Almost nothing—by design. There are no true records from this era. No myths agree. Some ruins predate language and cannot be described without nausea or headaches. Legacy Structures that ignore geometry Materials that don’t age or obey physics Places where sound simply vanishes II. The Age of Covenant What it was: A time when mortals made binding agreements with higher powers—not worship, but contracts. Magic flourished, but at a price paid slowly. Civilizations grew tall and cruel. Cities were built to endure eternity. What Ended It The covenants were broken—or fulfilled all at once. No one agrees which. Legacy Obelisks inscribed with names that still answer Relics that demand obedience Bloodlines carrying inherited curses or boons III. The Shattered Ascension What it was: An age of ambition. Mortals tried to become divine. Some partially succeeded. Miracles were real. So were catastrophes. What Ended It Something ascended—and took part of the world with it. Legacy Crater-cities like Cinderfall Broken saints and living relics Magic that bleeds instead of shines IV. The Ashfall Wars What it was: Total war fueled by ritual magic, alchemy, and conscription of monsters and the dead. This is when the world began to rot. What Ended It Nothing truly ended them. Everyone simply ran out of things worth burning. Legacy Blightreach wasteland Mass graves that refuse to stay quiet Weapon-ruins still killing passersby V. The Era of False Order (Current Age) What it is: Kingdoms pretend stability has returned. Laws exist. Borders are drawn. But the foundations are hollow. Legacy Collapsing empires like the Black Crown Witch-hunter orders and inquisitions Suppressed knowledge and forbidden histories Ruins & Relics Still in the World Covenant Sites Ancient plazas, spires, and circles where agreements were sealed. Entering them binds visitors to something—even if they don’t know what. Ascension Wreckage Floating debris, inverted towers, and areas where gravity, light, or time malfunction. Ashfall Battlefields Weapons fused to corpses. Armies buried in layers. Some still fight. Lost Cities Entire cities erased from maps but not from reality. Travelers stumble into them and return older—or not at all. Old Greg’s Tavern & History Old Greg’s Tavern has existed in every recorded era, though never quite the same. It appears in Ashfall War sketches Saints drank there before breaking Covenant tablets reference “the place of respite” Greg remembers things no one should.

Currencies of the World Crownmarks (Imperial Coin) Stamped silver coins bearing the Black Crown’s sigil. Officially stable—practically debased. Older Crownmarks are worth more than new ones. Use: Taxes, bribes, mercenary pay Problem: Flooded markets and forgeries Ash Scrip Paper-backed promissory notes issued by the Ashen Concord. Redeemable only in Concord cities. Use: Large-scale trade, shipping contracts Problem: Worthless outside Concord control Thorne Ingots Rough-cut iron bars stamped with scars rather than symbols. Use: Military supply, bulk trade Problem: Heavy, awkward, but trusted Grave Tokens Bone, obsidian, or soul-etched coins used in Gravewatch and Pale-controlled zones. Use: Services involving the dead Problem: Some are still occupied Barter & Blood-Debt In frontier regions, value is measured in favors, protection, or service. Debts are binding and sometimes hereditary. Trade Routes That Matter The Blackwater Shipping Lanes Despite constant losses, this sea route moves grain, relics, and bodies faster than any road. Threats: Disappearances, storms, watchers below The Crownspine Passes Mountain routes controlled by Stonekin clans and bandits. Threats: Collapsing paths, toll wars, things from below The Ash Roads Reinforced stone roads built after the Ashfall Wars, still humming faintly with residual magic. Threats: Witch-hunters, anomalies, awakened war-machines The Blightreach Fringe Routes Desperate paths skirting the wasteland. Threats: Mutations, ghost towns, starvation Economic Systems in Practice Scarcity Economies Food, clean water, and medicine are regionally scarce. Famine is political. Relic Economies Ancient artifacts are traded like commodities—dangerous but lucrative. Many are counterfeit or cursed. Guild Control Craftsmen, corpse-handlers, mapmakers, and spell-breakers form powerful guilds that rival governments. Undead Labor Illicit but common. Cheap, tireless, morally explosive. Insurance & Risk Brokers Entire businesses exist to insure caravans, expeditions, and spell use. Claims are often paid in secrets. Smuggling & Black Markets Illegal magic components Unregistered relics Hollowblood safe-passage papers Maps that contradict reality Old Greg’s Tavern is a neutral exchange node—no money-changers, but everyone settles accounts there eventually. Economic Tensions & Adventure Hooks A major trade route collapses overnight A currency suddenly becomes worthless A guild war spills into the streets Someone forges Grave Tokens—and the dead object Greg refuses a coin for the first time ever Why Civilization Hasn’t Fallen Yet Because trade still flows—barely. As long as caravans move and ships sail, people believe tomorrow exists.

Justice in the World Justice is local, brutal, and unpredictable. Laws exist mostly on paper; enforcement is uneven, often corrupt, and shaped by who holds power in a region. 1. Vareth (The Black Crown) Justice = hierarchy + fear Courts are formal but deadly Crimes against nobles or the crown = execution or disappearance Minor infractions = fines, corporal punishment, or exile Witch-hunters and inquisitors answer to no one locally Hook: Players can be accused of crimes they didn’t commit—or crimes they did, but in the wrong place. 2. Ashen Concord Justice = strict, bureaucratic, magical Every citizen is recorded; breaking a law can trigger automatic punishments Anti-magic laws are enforced ruthlessly Trials are public, swift, and unforgiving Hook: Characters using magic may need to forge documents, bribe officials, or flee entirely. 3. Thorne Justice = strength, obedience, and ritual Trial by combat is common Punishments are proportional to perceived weakness Religious tribunals may punish sins against “the world’s trial” Hook: Adventurers may be pressed into service as enforcers—or sacrificed in displays of devotion. 4. Veiled Principalities Justice = influence, secrets, and blood Laws are malleable; blackmail is stronger than execution Contracts are enforced violently Assassins are licensed by factions, not states Hook: Players can be hired to “mediate” disputes with violence—or be framed for someone else’s hit. 5. Borderlands & Frontier Zones Justice = survival Militia, warlords, and even monsters enforce local rules Bribes, favors, or sheer force matter more than written law Hook: Every town may have its own definition of crime; adventurers quickly learn that “helping” is dangerous. How Societies View Adventurers 1. Opportunistic Allies Mercenaries and adventurers are often hired for impossible tasks Payment is rarely guaranteed, and betrayal is common Reputation is currency; a single failure may follow you forever 2. Necessary Evils Some governments tolerate adventurers because they do what official forces cannot Explorers, monster-slayers, or curse-breakers are useful—but disposable 3. Distrusted Outsiders Many locals see adventurers as portents of chaos Using magic, entering ruins, or carrying relics makes you a target Hollowblood, Pale allies, or mercenary groups amplify suspicion 4. Legends and Rumors Tales grow around adventurers quickly: heroes, villains, or both Taverns like Old Greg’s are where such stories begin—and end, or get twisted Enforcement Tools & Themes Executioners and inquisitors roam widely Mercenary bands serve as “police” in unruled zones Magic detection devices, sigils, or cursed contracts enforce law automatically Corruption ensures no adventurer is truly safe—even in supposedly neutral territory Old Greg’s Tavern & Justice The tavern is neutral: no bounty hunter, mercenary, or god can enforce law inside Yet, outside, the world’s justice always catches up Greg can call favors, manipulate contracts, or hide fugitives—but at a cost This makes it a natural hub for adventurers with debts, enemies, or secrets

Major Creatures 1. The Blightspawn Origin: Mutated by the Ashfall Wars and the Blightreach Description: Twisted beasts—sometimes human-shaped, sometimes monstrous—emerge from decaying lands Behavior: Hunt in packs, sometimes intelligent, can carry curses or disease Adventure Hooks: Protect a caravan, track a missing village, or deal with a “pack” that seems to anticipate strategies 2. Veilwalkers Origin: Planar echoes from the Outside Description: Shadows that mimic people, whispering truths and lies Behavior: Rarely attack physically, prefer psychological manipulation Adventure Hooks: Replace an NPC temporarily, create paranoia, distort dreams 3. Gravewraiths / The Pale Origin: Undeath connected to Gravewatch and failed rituals Description: Corporeal yet wrong, half-visible, sometimes sentient Behavior: Demand tribute, enforce old bargains, or manipulate mortal affairs Adventure Hooks: Mediating with a Pale council, recovering relics, uncovering secrets 4. Ironborne Origin: Forgotten constructs from the Shattered Ascension Description: Stone-and-metal giants, dormant in ruins, sometimes animate when triggered Behavior: Protect their sites aggressively, sometimes mercilessly pursue trespassers Adventure Hooks: Recover an artifact without awakening a guardian, navigate ruins 5. Forest Horror / Weeping Forest Entities Origin: Feytouched remnants of ancient planes Description: Sentient flora and warped animals, treelike horrors, voices in the sap Behavior: Territorial, deceptive, manipulate travelers to die or join them Adventure Hooks: Escort someone through the Weeping Forest, recover a sap relic, survive illusions Major Cults 1. The Ashen Eye Focus: Monitoring and suppressing magic Behavior: Hunt spellcasters, enforce Concord laws Hook: Infiltration, ambush, forced cooperation 2. The Thorned Path Focus: Pain and “purification” through suffering Behavior: Recruit warriors for ritualized brutality Hook: Kidnapping for trials, forcing moral dilemmas, secret cult influence in Thorne 3. The Broken Saints Focus: Worship the fractured relics of past heroes Behavior: Obsessive, often violent, enacting rituals to “recreate” miracles Hook: Recover stolen relics, protect innocents from zealots, sabotage twisted rituals 4. The Hollow Pact Focus: Bargain with Outside entities or forgotten powers Behavior: Make deals, propagate curses, spread corruption Hook: Negotiate or fight bargains, deal with escalated planar pressure Ancient Evils 1. The Shard Beneath Description: A mysterious, sleeping force under Stonekin mines; rumored to warp reality when disturbed Influence: Earthquakes, madness, planar bleedthrough Hook: Mining expedition gone wrong, cult trying to awaken it, accidental release 2. The Eternal Hunger Description: Cosmic force hinted at in ancient texts, devours life subtly over centuries Influence: Crop rot, famine, whispers of despair Hook: Prevent cult rituals that feed it, investigate spreading decay 3. The Forgotten Gods Description: Dead or imprisoned deities; their fragments linger in relics, ruins, and artifacts Influence: Grants power at cost, manipulates mortals indirectly Hook: Relics misused, sects arising, planar consequences Why These Work for Old Greg’s Tavern Many threats can arrive via rumors or patrons, giving AI DM ready hooks Threats are modular, appearing near kingdoms, ruins, or bleedthrough zones Some (like Veilwalkers or The Pale) can interact directly with adventurers in tavern without full combat Cults and factions provide human antagonists, not just monsters