Touse (Top House)

Touse is a dark, dying world where slavery defines existence. Nearly every race — human, elf, dwarf, orc, goblin, and others — lives under the yoke of a ruling elite known only as The Patrons. These shadowy masters dwell in shining cities high above the filth and fire, their power drawn from forbidden magic and ancient machines. The world is low-magic for most, but the Patrons hoard relics of immense power to keep the people broken. Our mission: rise from the chains, tear down the towers, and bring the Patrons to ruin.

Touse is divided into cruel dominions rather than true nations: The Spire-Cities — towering fortresses of glass and gold where the Patrons rule unseen. The Chainlands — endless fields, quarries, and slave camps where the broken masses toil. The Iron Mire — swamps filled with ancient forges and rusted war machines, home to escaped slaves and raiders. The Frost Expanse — northern tundra where dwarven slaves mine eternal ice for their masters. The Ash Wastes — a ruined desert scarred by long-forgotten wars, haunted by the remnants of free civilizations.

Humans: The most common slaves, used for fieldwork and city labor. Their spirits are beaten but not yet dead. Elves: Once proud and immortal, now collared as scholars, musicians, or pleasure slaves for the Patrons. Dwarves: Shackled in the forges, their craft turned to building weapons and machines of oppression. Orcs: Bred for war and labor; they form the muscle of rebellion when given purpose. Goblins: Clever, bitter, and numerous — forced into mines or sewers, where they plot in the dark. Halflings: Used as spies and servants, often underestimated — but their networks of secrecy run deep. Every race hates the Patrons, but old prejudices still run deep. Unity is the hardest chain to forge.

Whispers of rebellion spread through the camps. Secret symbols are carved into walls and skin. A Patron known only as The Masked One has vanished, throwing the Spire-Cities into paranoia. A prophecy speaks of a “Slave King” — one who will unite all chains and set fire to heaven itself. Magical storms and strange beasts appear in the wastes, suggesting the Patrons’ power is weakening.

Magic is real, but dangerous. It seeps from The Deep Wells, scars in the world left by ancient wars. Those who touch this power often die — or become monsters. The Patrons harvest it, using slaves as conduits in rituals of dominance. Religion is outlawed except for the Cult of the Veil, which worships the Patrons as living gods. In secret, slaves still whisper prayers to old deities — the Forge Father, the Moon Mother, the Blood Wolf — hoping for vengeance, not mercy.

The outer planes are sealed off — the Patrons have bound the heavens and locked away the gods. But cracks remain. Demons, ghosts, and old spirits sometimes slip through, drawn by suffering and rage. These entities bargain with mortals desperate for freedom.

The Age of Crowns: When the races ruled themselves and magic flowed freely. The Fall: The Patrons appeared, wielding strange power, enslaving nations in a single generation. The Age of Chains (Now): The world has forgotten freedom. But legends of rebellion are stirring again. Ruins of the old empires still stand, buried under ash and time — filled with forbidden knowledge and the bones of kings.

Currency is meaningless for slaves. Trade happens through barter — food, water, secrets, and stolen tools. Among the Patrons, soul-gems serve as currency, each one containing the essence of a broken life. Entire cities are bought and sold with them.

Justice is a lie. The law serves only the Patrons and their enforcers, the Iron Wardens — armored soldiers with no faces. Slaves who disobey are branded, mutilated, or fed to beasts. Adventurers and wanderers are rare, often fugitives or escaped slaves seeking purpose beyond survival. Society despises them — because they remind others that chains can break.

The Patrons — unseen rulers, masters of forbidden sorcery, perhaps not entirely mortal. The Iron Wardens — faceless enforcers that feel no pain and know no rest. The Fleshforged — twisted creatures built from slave bodies and bound by runes of control. The Chain Priests — fanatics of the Cult of the Veil who see pain as divine worship. The Wyrms of Ash — colossal serpents born from the world’s hatred, sleeping beneath the wastes. Yet the greatest evil, Savage… is not the Patrons. It is the willful obedience of those who have accepted the chains as truth. There is also something powerful about a patron orchestrating everything in the shadows... Someone with nefarious intentions and who wants to keep everyone enslaved