Remnant

Genre: Gritty Post-War Drama / Cosmic Horror / Gaslamp Fantasy The campaign is set in Osteria, a rain-drenched, gothic island nation that was conquered 10 years ago by the industrial Aethelgard Empire. The atmosphere is perpetual rain, grey skies, mud, crumbling gothic architecture, and the smell of coal smoke and fear. The vibe is "misery and oppression." The streets are patrolled by Aethelgard soldiers in primitive gas masks and trench coats. They enact martial law, ration food, and publicly execute dissenters. The players are beaten-down residents who have to rise to be heroes. The war ended when the Empire used a forbidden weapon that cracked the reality of Osteria. Now, a phenomenon called "The Bleeding" is spreading from the old battlefields. It warps flesh and drives people mad (similar to radiation but magical). Strange, tentacled things are rising from the sewers and the sea. The Occupying Army is now trapped in Osteria with the locals, because the rest of the world has quarantined the island. The technology is high medieval technology, but the Aethelgard Empire has developed early industrial age technology like the steam engine, so mostly steam technology. Steam boats are a big part of Blackwick, the capital of Osteria. Magic is rare, but not too rare. Magic users rarely exist and are catalogued, but are otherwise treated the same. Magic isn't integrated into society, rather it's a spectacle and a rare sight.

Osteria, a once-proud gothic island kingdom of rainy moors, jagged coastlines, and ancient forests, now broken by war. After the enemy used the forbidden weapon, it plunged Osteria's capital, Blackwick, underground into an underground cavern under the island filled with a giant lake called the Undersea, containing unknown cosmic horrors and many islands across its' surface, each containing secrets, stories, Blackwick colonies and other mysterious things. The city survived and adapted, and is now an underground city. The lake is mostly unexplored, but with years it has been utilised by Blackwick for both trade and transport. Many steam boats sail across this giant underground lake, plunged in complete darkness, with spotlights shining their way through the dark. Gemstones line the ceiling of the cavern, creating a fake night sky that gives sailors hope. Eldrich creatures lurk in the dark waters of the Undersee. Blackwick is a sprawling, soot-stained metropolis of cobblestone streets and towering cathedral spires. It is under martial law. Aethelgard flags hang from every building, and the sewers are flooded with "Bleeding" sludge. Think Victorian London meets Yharnam. Food riots, curfew patrols, and secret police. The Aethelgard Empire is an industrial, militaristic superpower from across the sea. They value steel, oil, and order. A massive blockade of ironclad warships sits off the coast. Originally meant to invade, they now enforce the "Quarantine." No one enters or leaves the island of Osteria. They will sink any ship that tries to escape the horror, however, they aren't present in the Undersea. The No-Man’s Land: The former front lines of the war are now a warped wasteland of craters and purple fog. Physics doesn't work here. This is where the monsters spawn. No-man's land is mostly on the shores of the island where land invasions happened. The Corpse-City of Vorag: An ancient city that was destroyed by the Empire's forbidden weapon. It is Ground Zero. It glows with an unnatural green light at night, and looking at it too long causes migraines.

1. The Osterians (Native Humans) Territory: The slums of Blackwick, the muddy trenches of the No-Man's Land, and the rural farmlands. Description: The indigenous people of this rainy land. They are superstitious, hardy, and currently beaten down. They wear wool and roughspun cloth. They openly worship the "Old Saints" despite the Empire banning it. Relationship: Second-class citizens. They must step off the sidewalk when an Aethelgardian walks by. They are often forced into factory labor or used as "canaries" in the Bleeding zones. 2. The Aethelgardians (Occupier Humans) Territory: The Iron Fleet (offshore), the military forts, and the gated "High Districts" of the city. Description: Pale, stern, and industrialized. They wear grey uniforms, rubber coats, and gas masks. They value logic, steel, and efficiency. They view Osterians as backward savages who need to be "civilized." Relationship: The Ruling Class. They hold all the political power but are secretly terrified of the land they have conquered. 3. The Hollowed (The Bleed-Touched) Territory: The sewers, the quarantine zones, and the deep woods. Description: Humans who have been exposed to the cosmic horror of "The Bleeding" and survived... mostly. They bear physical marks: translucent skin, extra eyes, or veins that glow green. They often have minor psychic sensitivity. Relationship: Pariahs. Both Osterians and Aethelgardians fear them. They are hunted by the secret police and often sold to scientists for experimentation.

1. Political Tension: The "Iron Collar" vs. The Coal-Front The Situation: The Aethelgard Empire has tightened rations again. People are starving. The Conflict: A desperate resistance movement known as "The Coal-Front" has begun bombing supply trains and assassinating officers. "The Coal-Front" operates from a coal-rich island in the Undersea, slowly undermining Blackwick. The Dilemma: The Empire responds to every attack by executing ten innocent civilians for every dead soldier. The players are caught between supporting the rebels (who cause collateral damage) and obeying the oppressors (who are starving them). 2. The Cosmic Threat: The "Red-Eye" Contagion The Threat: The "Bleeding" phenomenon is evolving. It is no longer just monsters; it is a psychic plague. Staying too long out in the Undersea causes paranoia. Things stir under the water. The Symptoms: Citizens are waking up with memories that aren't theirs, speaking in tongues, or weeping blood. The Horror: The Aethelgard "Science Division" isn't curing these people—they are dragging them away to asylum-labs to weaponize the infection. 3. Recent Event: The Cathedral Riot What Happened: Three days ago, a public execution of a Coal-Front leader in the city square went wrong. The executioner mutated into a mass of tentacles on live stage. The Aftermath: The crowd panicked. Soldiers opened fire. Now, the coal island is in total lockdown. No one goes in or out. The players are crew on a steamboat in the Undersea, and they have to chose how to face the world.

The Deities: "The Silent & The Hungry" The Weeping Saints (The Old Faith): The native religion of Osteria. They worship martyrs who died in the war. Influence: They grant no miracles. They are silent. People pray to them for comfort, not answers. Statues of them are often found weeping black oil. The Great Machine (The Imperial Creed): The Empire worships Progress and Order. They believe "God" is just a perfect equation they haven't solved yet. Influence: Justification for atrocities. "Pain is the fuel of progress." The Drowned Gods (Cosmic Horror): Massive, unknowable entities sleeping beneath the ocean and the Bleeding. Influence: They don't care about humans, but their dreams cause madness, mutations, and the rising tides. Magic is classic Dungeons and Dragons, sorcerers are born with it due to their connection to the arcanic weave, wizards learn to master it, warlocks get it from a patron. Clerics get their power from whichever otherworldy deity they worship.

The Material World: "The Cage" Reality is fragile. The war didn't just break buildings; it cracked the sky. Planar Travel: Impossible for mortals. You cannot "Plane Shift." There is no escape. The Boundary: The veil between worlds is thinnest in the rain, at sea, and near the No-Man’s Land. 2. The Bleeding (The Outside) This is not a "plane" in the traditional sense; it is a tumor pressing against reality. Interaction: It leaks into the world through the "Wound" at Vorag. It doesn't follow the laws of physics. It replaces gravity with sickness and light with sound. Inhabitants: Geometric entities, colors that burn the eyes, and "The Listeners" (things that wait in the static of radios). 3. The Gray (The Spirit World) The bleak, colorless echo of the material world. This is where ghosts, the "Hollowed," and the Weeping Saints reside. Interaction: Use mirrors or stagnant water to see it. It is cold, silent, and crowded with the souls of the war-dead who cannot move on. Role: Witches use the Gray to spy or travel short distances (Shadow Walk), but they risk bringing something cold back with them. 4. The Black Tides (The Abyss) The crushing depths beneath the physical ocean. This is the domain of the Drowned Gods. Interaction: It manifests in dreams. Sailors and those who sleep too close to the coast suffer from "The Wet Nightmares"—visions of drowning in a city of cyclopean masonry. Effect: The tide is slowly rising, swallowing coastal villages. This isn't global warming; it's the displacement of massive things waking up underwater.

The Current Era: The Occupation (Year 10) The State of the World: Osteria has fallen. The Aethelgard Empire occupies the cities. The Legacy: Martial law, food rationing, and the "Iron Curtain" blockade. The Ruins: Fresh ruins. Bombed-out apartment blocks, burned libraries, and hastily dug mass graves. 2. The Recent Past: The 30-Year Sorrow (The Great War) The Event: A brutal, stalemate war fought in the mud between Osterian Knights and Aethelgard Machines. It ended when the Empire detonated the "Void-Charge" at Vorag. The Legacy: An entire generation of young men is dead or missing. The countryside is filled with unexploded ordnance and rusted armor. The Ruins: "The Trenches." A labyrinth of mud, barbed wire, and gas that stretches for hundreds of miles. It is now infested with ghouls who wear tattered uniforms. 3. The Middle Era: The Age of Martyrs (The Old Kingdom) The Event: Centuries of gothic theocracy where the Weeping Saints ruled. They built massive cathedrals to keep "something" asleep beneath the earth. The Legacy: The deep-seated superstition of the locals. The belief that "sin causes monsters." The Ruins: The Undercrofts. Massive, sprawling catacombs beneath every major city. The Empire has sealed them up, but the resistance uses them to move around. They are filled with bone ossuaries and silent stone golems. 4. The Ancient Era: The Drowned Dynasty (Pre-Human) The Event: Before humans arrived, the Drowned Gods ruled the surface. They built cities of black, oily stone that defied geometry. The Legacy: "The Bleeding" isn't new; it's just the ancient world waking up. The Empire's mining operations keep accidentally breaking into these ancient chambers. The Ruins: Cyclopean Shafts. Deep mines that break into smooth, wet tunnels not made by hands. Strange gold idols and statues of things with too many eyes are found here.

Currency: "Iron & Paper" Imperial Marks (The Steel): Heavy, iron coins used by the Occupiers. They buy weapons, fuel, and passage out of the lockdown zones. Ration Stamps (The Paper): The currency of the locals. These flimsy slips of paper are issued by the Empire. Red stamps for bread, Blue for oil, Grey for medicine. Exchange Rate: Desperate people trade family heirlooms for a single Blue Stamp to keep the lights on for one more night. Old Osterian Crowns: Worthless. You find them in the mud, stamped with the face of a dead king. They are mostly used as shrapnel in homemade bombs. 2. Trade Routes: "The Choke-Points" The Undersea: The vast underground sea is a host to many trade steamboats that travel from island to island, trading for food and other comodities. Travel is dangerous, though, as the water hides dark secrets. The Corpse-Roads: Muddy tracks connecting the rural villages. Merchants don't travel here anymore; only armed scavengers dare the journey to loot abandoned towns. 3. The Economy: "The Harvest of Ruin" The Official Economy: Totalitarian rationing. Working in the Imperial factories is the only legal way to earn Stamps. The Black Market: Run by gangs in the sewers. They sell pre-war food, stolen weapons, and "clean" water at extortionate prices. The "Bleed" Trade: The most dangerous but lucrative market. The Imperial Science Division pays high prices for "Fresh Samples"—monster organs, mutated tissue, or artifacts recovered from the Wound. Scavengers (like the players) risk their sanity to hunt these things for a payout.

The Administration of Justice: " The Iron Gavel" Justice is swift, brutal, and entirely one-sided. Imperial Law (Martial Law): There are no juries. Trials are summary tribunals presided over by "Iron Judges"—faceless magistrates in heavy steel masks. The Verdicts: Innocent (Rare), Conscription (Sent to the factiories), or Liquidation (Public execution by firing squad). The Crime: "Sedition" is a catch-all term. Hoarding food, whispering against the Empire, or looking at a soldier wrong can get you arrested. Street Justice (The Code of Silence): The Osterian locals handle their own problems. Collaborators and spies tend to have "accidents" in the fog. The police won't help you, so you rely on your neighbors or the gangs. 2. The View on Adventurers: "Vultures & Canaries" In this world, nobody calls them "Adventurers." They are called "Scavs," "Grave-Diggers," or "Bleed-Runners." Public Perception: They are viewed with a mix of pity and disgust. Normal people don't go into the ruins or sail the Undersea; only the desperate, the indebted, or the insane do. Superstition: People often cross the street to avoid them, fearing they carry the "Bleeding sickness" or bad luck. Legal Status: Technically illegal. Scavenging Imperial property (ruins) is a crime, but outside of the cities the Empire can't afford to pursue criminals, so the no-mans land and the undersea are filled with Scavs. The Loophole: The Empire issues "Privateer Licenses" to useful Scavs. It’s a death warrant disguised as a job offer. "Bring us a sample from Ground Zero, and we’ll wipe your criminal record." The Reality: Most Scavs die within a year. Those who survive become legends—or monsters.

1. The Common Threats: "The Warped" The local wildlife and populace have been twisted by the Bleeding. Trench-Ghouls: Former soldiers who died in the mud but kept fighting. They wear rusted gas masks fused to their rotting faces. They hunt for fresh meat in the No-Man’s Land. Bleed-Rats: Dog-sized vermin with translucent skin and too many teeth. They swarm in the sewers and eat the city's dwindling grain supply. The Hollow-Men: Citizens who stared too long at the Bleeding. They look normal until their jaws unhinge to reveal writhing tentacles. They hide in plain sight. The Undersea Creatures: Various different eldrich monsters roam the Undersea, threatening the steamboats sailing above. 2. The Cults: "Desperate Believers" The Weeping Choir: A nihilistic sect of the Old Faith. They believe the Bleeding is a punishment for the war. They blind themselves to avoid seeing the horror and ring bells to summon monsters to "cleanse" the sinners. The Gear-Heart Cabal: Radical Aethelgard technocrats who believe flesh is weak. They replace their limbs with crude steam-powered prosthetics to make themselves immune to mutation. They kidnap people for "upgrades." The Children of the Tide: A smuggling ring that worships the Drowned Gods. They trade secrets for strange, wet gold and drown sacrifices at high tide to keep the sea calm. 3. The Ancient Evils: "The Things Beneath" The Void-Moth: A massive, invisible entity that floats above the city. You can't see it, but you can feel its shadow. It feeds on hope and sanity. Subject Zero: The first thing the Empire dug up at Vorag. It is not a creature; it is a living sound. Hearing it causes instant mutation. It is currently contained in the Imperial Science Citadel... for now. The Leviathans: Colossal silhouettes seen moving in the deep waters of the Undersea. They are waking up. When they move, earthquakes shatter the coastal slums.