Greedfall

Greedfall is a vast, high-magic world where skill, power, and ambition are measured by a mystical system known as Ranks. Every action, every profession, and every accomplishment is quantified — from swordsmanship and spellcasting to crafting, leadership, or even criminal activity. Ranking is public, competitive, and often unforgiving; your reputation and influence depend on your ability to rise and survive. Magic and technology coexist in a delicate balance. Only those born with innate talent, or who dedicate themselves entirely to mastery, can harness arcane powers. Cities specialize in schools of learning, magical engineering, trade, or religion, each fostering adventurers and scholars seeking to climb the ranks. While the top-ranked individuals hold immense power, not all choose to govern — some hide in shadow, some pursue personal goals, and others test the limits of mastery in secret. The Auditors, operating from the Adventurers’ Guilds, ensure fairness and enforce the rules of Rank, though even they recognize that true power is not always visible.

Voltages — Arcane engineering metropolis; home to inventors, constructs, and dangerous experimentation. High Arcanum — Tower city and magical authority; hub of spellcraft and scholarly duels. Solkarra — Desert palace city; ancient secrets, noble houses, and archaeological wonders. Winter Bastion — Frozen fortress city; endurance, martial mastery, and survival training. Aurora — Balanced city; diplomacy, multi-disciplinary mastery, and arbitration thrive. The Continental — Merchant hub; trade, wealth, and contracts dominate life. Luminary — Religious city; pilgrimage, divine study, and miracles shape society. Sovereign Guard — Capital; political center, Auditor council, and central seat of power. 🌄 Key Regions The Howling Caverns — Underground tunnels filled with monsters, lost civilizations, and rare minerals. The Great Expanse — Wild frontier for explorers and adventurers seeking glory and Rank. The Crossroads — Trade nexus and neutral ground; intrigue, diplomacy, and espionage flourish. The Living Forest — Ancient, sentient forest; druids and nature magic hold sway. The Plains — Open lands dominated by nomads, cavalry, and large-scale battles.

Humans, elfs, orcs, gnomes, halflings, tiefling. Beastfolk, seafolk.

The Gray Council (High-Ranking “Good People” Doing Bad Things) Comprised of top-ranked individuals — adventurers, scholars, and nobles — who are famous and publicly respected. Publicly appear benevolent: fund cities, mentor young Rankers, uphold law and order. Secretly: Exploit influence for personal gain Manipulate ranks to remove rivals or “undesirable” Rankers Conduct morally questionable experiments in ruins or magical labs Motivation: “The ends justify the means” — they believe their actions protect the world or maintain balance, but collateral damage is immense. Example Hooks: The party discovers their heroic patron orchestrates deaths in the Great Expanse for Rank experimentation. They secretly control a criminal network to remove threats to the ranking system. The Null Veil (Anti-Ranking Criminal Organization) Shadowy syndicate opposing the Rank system entirely. Belief: Ranks create corruption, inequality, and unnecessary bloodshed. Methods: Sabotage Auditor offices and Guild records Spread propaganda undermining the ranking system Smuggle or destroy artifacts that increase Rank artificially Target Rank 1s secretly to “reset” society Reputation: Hated and feared by authorities, whispered about by adventurers. Possible members: disgraced Rankers, ex-Auditors, rogue mages, mercenary tacticians. Hooks: The party is hired to stop a Null Veil strike, or alternatively recruited by them. They discover the Null Veil has inside connections to city officials and powerful Rankers. Tension Between These Two Forces The Gray Council works within the system, bending rules and morality for influence. The Null Veil works outside the system, undermining the system itself. Both can be antagonists, allies, or morally ambiguous depending on player choice. Some Null Veil members were once loyal Rankers; some Gray Council members were once rebels. Adventure Implications Politics & intrigue: Who is really in charge? Can the world survive without Ranks? Moral dilemmas: Save innocent Rankers from a “necessary” Gray Council experiment, or let it happen to preserve city safety. Shadow operations: Steal, sabotage, or investigate criminal activity while maintaining public appearances. Player influence: The party could rise as Rank-neutral enforcers, work for the Null Veil, or secretly manipulate the Gray Council. Monsters are just wild creatures with different mutations, e.g wolves s, big wolves, elemental wolves. Wolves with horns. That sort of thing

No gods, magic works in aura and stars. 10 starts max. Stars orbit your heart and creates circles each person/family have a different way to move the stars and energy.

2 planes. 1 is secret and only a very few know about it. About 6 people.

Massive wars covered the land before the ranking system was created. Everyone fought Everyone. Only your family was a safe space and even then family’s fought to be the best and governor the world.

The auditors and deduct ranks. You are treated differently for your rank.

Shadowy syndicate opposing the Rank system entirely. Belief: Ranks create corruption, inequality, and unnecessary bloodshed. Methods: Sabotage Auditor offices and Guild records Spread propaganda undermining the ranking system Smuggle or destroy artifacts that increase Rank artificially Target Rank 1s secretly to “reset” society Reputation: Hated and feared by authorities, whispered about by adventurers. Possible members: disgraced Rankers, ex-Auditors, rogue mages, mercenary tacticians. Hooks: The party is hired to stop a Null Veil strike, or alternatively recruited by them. They discover the Null Veil has inside connections to city officials and powerful Rankers. Mostwr are