The Campaign Builder's Guild

'On he horizon; Rocks and rubbles giving in to crimson sand, the darkened red sky of dusk painted with somber clouds and the distant fumes of the raging wars. There's a field of impaled and mutilated corpses and a demon feasting on another.
Behind me; An enormous cloud of orange color. I'm trying to dodge it, but it seems to be following me. As I write these lines, I foresee my painful and lonely death.'

The Plaguelands

Once prosperous and sovereign Sates, they lost their glory during the Apocalypse. The forests withered and the rivers dried after the passing of the Vilespread.

Mankind in this region fled eastward, escaping misery and violence. Only a few were courageous enough to stay behind and face the new realities of the region.

Today all lay in ruins and in these demons lurk, taunting the unwary into their deadly traps. Only a little farther an orange cloud of decay slides on the dead floor of the Stretch and giant vermins take living beings captive, for whatever purpose. Necromancers animate the mutilated leftovers of war that lay in battlefields, while the Fallen battle the Hyene on the Marrow Pass.

The Apocalypse
Half a century ago, the Vilespread was released and a series of catastrophic events befell the Plaguelands. The Apocalypse is the name given to the era in which these events happened.

The Vilespread
A dark orange cloud that causes all living thins i comes in contact with to wither and die. It flows in chaotic fashion around the Plaguelands and always spread a little further, slowly extending towards the jungles of the East.

Demons in this World...
Since ancient times sorcerers have been able to interact with otherworldly creatures, but it's during the Apocalypse that sorcerers specialized in dealing with devils, called demonologists or diabolists, unleashed a great number of them.
With time, demons lost interest in this world, died or were banished. And so they returned to their home worlds. Some, though, have stayed behind... for whatever reason.

Dark Arts
Curious, power-hungry, mad or outright evil, the reasons men have that justify dwelling into obscure mystical arts are possibly endless and not always bad. Those who practice these arts are usuall shunned, imprisonned or slain, whatever their reasons are.

Technology
Tech level in this setting is relatively variable, but it's more centered around renaissance-style. With the Apocalypse, those who bore the knowledge of the most advanced technologies died or escaped the region, only a few remains. For example; pistols can be made, but an armorer might be difficult to find and materials he needs to craft such a useful weapon will be hard to get. Chariots are used to carry heavy weights, but any means of transportation that is not practically safe is dangerous in the Plaguelands. Printing exists, or existed, that remains to be seen I have to personnally study the subject (We have to keep in mind the Chinese people invented printing WAY before he europeans and thus, the Renaissance).



Lore

Race & Ethnicities

Humans
Mankind in the Plaguelands are scattered and their numbers doesn't even equal that of the Aenema. They fled during the Apocalpse or died. The men who sayed in the Plaguelands now live like nomads, escaping the plagues and monsters that now infest the region.

Demons
They once seriousl threatened to take over the world and eradicate all other living beings, but today they are few. At least, there are much less than during the early times of the Apocalypse. The hide in ruins, wander the deserts or fly high in the sky in search of prey and amusement. Each demon is usually very unique. There are a few exceptions to this, such as the Hyene and the Lyon.

Insects
There's a colony of giant venomous insects north of the Stretch and no one dares approach. It is common belief that they cannot be easily exterminated, they are way too many. No name was given to this unusual specie and it's still debated whether they are demons or a mutated form of insect of this world.

Fallen
They are men afflicted with a curse, or a blessing, it really depends on the point of view. Made incorporeal, they defy the laws of nature; the don't age, they pass through hard matter, they fly and they cannot be touched by earthly materials. Though, they too can't touch earthly materials. They can communicate by voice and hear perfectly fine, though their voice sounds as if coming from another... place.

Aenema
They were not a creation of the Apocalypse, but were hidden in secret lairs until then. During the harsh times of the Apocalypse, those with the knowledge to raise the deceased and make them their mindless pawns played for hours in the vast battlefields, ruined cities and whatnot. They raised armies of desecrated bodies that would obey all orders without fail and pit them against their enemies. They made variants; more powerful and sometimes with a parcel of intelligence. Their bastion is in the Valley of the Dead.

Places of Interest

The Stretch
For miles and miles a vast expanse of sand, first crimson and then golden, makes the region known as the Stretch. It's only other features are high dunes to the west, protruding membranes of the colony's hive to the north and small and scattered oases here and there. Some once-lively villages lay in ruins a bit everywhere, but they usually are inhabited by fearsome monsters.

The Bonelands
Plains and plateaus, the region is as devoid of greenery as the Stretch, but its features are somewhat different. The floor is not made of sand, but of solid earth such as rock. The colors of said earth rainbows from obsidian to the south to crimson near the Stretch. The Bonelands are separated in two by the Red River and high plateaus. The northern part holds no special name and is simply called the Bonelands, but the south does have a special name; the Obsidian Wastes. It's expanses of obsidian harbor strong demonic presence, small volcanic rifts and the malicious Hyene. A very particular feature of the Bonelands is the thousands of bones and carcasses that dot the lands, some much bigger than others, which are used for many purposes such as shelter and weapons.

The Valley of the Dead
The bastion of the Aenema, this land of mountains and valleys lies to the west of the Stretch and north of the Bonelands. Here life seems scarce; the trees are dead, the once great rivers and lakes are dry and there's no sign of wildlife. On a mountaintop near the northwestern coast stands a fortress protected by a wall of living and moaning faces. This is Mortica, where the King of All resides and schemes to take over the entire Plaguelands'¦ and further.

The Scorching Steppes
It is part of the Plaguelands, but the evils of the west rarely bother with this place. Back when greenery was not a rare sight, this territory was dense forest, slowly turning into a hot and humid jungle. There wasn't a lot of human activity in the area, which might explain why it hasn't been affected by the Apocalypse so much. Of course the Vilespread never fails a job; the forest withered in silent agony. Now the place is a savannah, wide open fields with a few trees here and there.


Rampur
The only city that still really stands after the Apocalypse, it serves as the headquarters of the Church, an organization bent on defending mankind and their allies and eradicating the menace that is the Vilespread. In fact, not only does it serve as a base of operation for the Church, but the city is run by them. It lays on Mount Amon, under which hides the Black Labyrinth, between the Scorching Steppes and the Stretch.

City of the Sun, Swallow City
Now totally engulfed in the 'belly' of the Stretch, it stood in the west of the territory near the valleys. It was called the City of the Sun not only because the Rah dynasty, which meant sun in their language, were the rulers, but because the nearby mountains held vast amounts of gold. The palace was made of marble and gold, as well as other rare and luxurious materials. The name Swallow City was given by those who witnessed the Swallowing from the outside. The city looked like it was sucked in by the earth. The fact that explorers and adventurers never returned from the place also contributed to the naming of the place.

Mortica
People say this is a city, but little do they know that the place from which erupts hordes of aenemas is only a sort of palace with no other significant buildings. The constructs are fortified by a gruesome wall of living visages that constantly cry, moan and scream. The wall is as long as the palace and always expands.

The Ivory Erect
The Screaming Cavern
In the Obsidian Wastes lies a cavern engulfed in total darkness where the incessant cries of agony, screams of desperation and macabre laughters can be heard from a distance. Nobody who went in ever came out.

The Marrow Pass
The Putrid Pool
The Red River
The Wall of Moaning Faces
The Black Labyrinth



Personalities of Interest

The Cinqus Demones
The devilish brothers were brought into the material world in the early times of the Apocalypse by deranged diabolists. They are merciless, treacherous, malicious and will stop at nothing to further their dark plots.
    Paxx, the Scream-seeker (Pain)
    Cacophaxx, the Morbid Maestro (Madness)
    Loxus, the Glitter-glutton (Greed)
    Palulu (Terror)
    Harax (Hatred)
Buhan
Saesae
    Jeyayu

Merreman

Amon
Wuputu
The ocean tides clash with great fury against the cliffs and beaches of the Plaguelands. Stories have long told that Wuputu, guardian of the Seas, denies access to the world far away. Trespassing the unwritten law of The Guardian is punishable by death.

Mulu
Think about a gigantic sea ray of bronze-gold color, that flies instead of swimming and that has eyes the color of ruby. That's Mulu, sand ray extraordinaire. His colors allow him to hide on the surface of the Stretch, which in turn allows him to wait for preys to consume. Mulu is a glutton, doesn't speak any intelligible word and doesn't know the difference between good or bad; everything's his food.

Leprous Nomad, Monzoon
Mudher, King of All

Events of Interest

The Swallowing
In the early times of the Apocalypse, the City of the Sun, also known at that time as Rah, fell in ruins by the hands of demons. With their extraordinary powers they made the city dig its own grave and the golden floor of the Stretch swallowed the city. After the incident the Emperor tried to save he people who had not fled the city already. With his legendar mystical powers and the help of his most trusted diviners he cast a powerful spell, but the deceitful Loxus intervened. Their spell had been changed into a curse. A curse that would change them into the Fallen; man made incorporeal and doomed to walk the earth.



*** First two images are from Mikablog; http://michaelhavartportfolio.blogspot.com, the third is the Prometheus piece from Gunner Romantic on DeviantArt.

Always good to see a new setting grace the boards, and a post-apocalyptic one at that. I like the post-apoc genre, although it is definitely something one has seen many times before; but it is not too difficult to bring new things to the table with so much available space.
It's looking like a pretty good start and I like how it seems to be quite disease-centric. The Fallen are pretty interesting. I assume they have the ability to attain partial corporeability, though? Or how do they interact with the world?
The beastmen on the other hand... I'm not too keen on that. Might just be my personal taste, but anthropomorphic animals have appeared in so many places and rarely do they add anything of interest. If you want to combine the bestial and the human, don't associate them directly with a specific animal. Steal a few choice parts you like and fit them to a human shape to make a bestial race or consider making a race where human and animal traits mingle freely and vary from creature to creature.
Demons I can get behind, but their description leads me to my next point. Your ethical system seems to be very black-and-white which I would argue doesn't suit a post-apoc setting. A setting like that is (usually!) about the collapse of civilization and the beast slumbering within mankind (which is a message that seems to be in tune with some of your other descriptions). Of course, it is possible one could devise a very clever black-and-white post-apoc setting! But if you'd rather do this I'd make that sentiment much more apparent throughout the material. As it reads now, it looks a bit like it wants to be edgy and ambivalent, but ends up dealing too much in absolutes of good and evil.      
Nice artwork, although it is too large for my screen it would seem? It stretches the page. Hope you can use my comments to develop your setting further and I also hope it didn't come off as too negative. I just wanted to give you some constructive criticism, not discourage you from continuing your work. Keep it up!

QuoteThe Fallen are pretty interesting. I assume they have the ability to attain partial corporeability, though? Or how do they interact with the world?

The beastmen on the other hand... I'm not too keen on that. Might just be my personal taste, but anthropomorphic animals have appeared in so many places and rarely do they add anything of interest. [/quote]Steal a few choice parts you like and fit them to a human shape to make a bestial race or consider making a race where human and animal traits mingle freely and vary from creature to creature.[/quote]Your ethical system seems to be very black-and-white which I would argue doesn't suit a post-apoc setting. A setting like that is (usually!) about the collapse of civilization and the beast slumbering within mankind (which is a message that seems to be in tune with some of your other descriptions). Of course, it is possible one could devise a very clever black-and-white post-apoc setting! But if you'd rather do this I'd make that sentiment much more apparent throughout the material. As it reads now, it looks a bit like it wants to be edgy and ambivalent, but ends up dealing too much in absolutes of good and evil. [/quote]I also hope it didn't come off as too negative. I just wanted to give you some constructive criticism, not discourage you from continuing your work. Keep it up! [/quote]

Of course! I'm very happy you did so! Thanks. And yes, for the moment I intend on continuing this work until I pick up Primeval again.

Maybe you should just refrain from mentioning zebrafolk until people have gotten a hang of how your beastfolk act, then ^^
Just so people think terrible mutants before they think comical mishaps.

I have not yet given this a proper reading but I've got to ask; Where did you get the art? It looks great.

He actually already considered the possibility that somebody might ask about the art:

Quote from: Magnus Pym*** First two images are from Mikablog; http://michaelhavartportfolio.blogspot.com, the third is the Prometheus piece from Gunner Romantic on DeviantArt.   

There you go, another VERY IMPORTANT part of this campaign setting. Drugs, diseases and poisons.

Drugs

Slumberfin '" those are scales taken from the Slumber Fish of the west coast. The user puts the scale on his tongue (or simply swallows it) and waits for it to dissolve. Around half an hour after consumption, the subject will become fatigued and eventually fall to sleep (about an hour after the effect start). This drug is also known to cause very light sonic hallucinations.
[note]This list will definitely be expanded and edited as I create the rules for them that go with the Age Past Elegant10 mechanics[/note].
Fallendust '" when the fallen becomes partially corporeal and interacts with objects of the material world, they leave dust on surfaces. The dust quickly dissolves, but if sniffed, burned and inhaled, licked or swallowed, the subject will feel extremely light and be caught with incessant laughter for about thirty minutes. The fallen are immune to this substance, of course. This drug is highly addictive.

Worriless Cactus '" Found in the Stretch (biggest actual desert of sand and dunes of the Plaguelands), this cactus holds a liquid substance that, when drank, gives intense hallucinations to the drinker. The nomads that walk the Stretch use this to forget their worry and try to have some fun, though their method sometimes prove double-edged.



Ganola '" a yellow-green herb that grows in the savannah bordering the jungles, it is often used by shamans as it is told to give 'visions'. In reality those visions are thoughts, because the drug stimulates the brain and thought-process, giving its user formidable ideas. This funky drug needs to be burned and its smoke inhaled, either by the mouth or the nose. It is also addictive.

Poisons

Crazy Sap '" this light purple substance is said to have been distributed amongst madmen in the Plaguelands by Merreman himself. The poison, when in contact with blood, will render the victim insane instantly for the rest of his life. Beings immune to poison are not necessarily immune to this divine brew.



Blacksight '" it came from oriental travelers way before the Vilespread. This brew, if it comes in contact with eyes, will make its subject completely blind. Some victims of this poison did retain a percentage of their vision though.

Cobras Fang '" taken from the venom sacs of the Plaguelands cobras, this deadly poison can easily kill a mortal man.

Hellspawn Venom '" otherworldly and exotic, multicolor and stinky, this substance comes from an imp tail. It is extremely deadly, surpassing even Cobras Fang. It can kill even demons, though, not as easily as men.

Slumber-brew '" extracted from the Slumberfin drug, this poison needs to be drank and puts its victim to sleep about five minutes after consumption and this, for around one or two hours.

Diseases

Vilespread '" the most notorious disease of the Plaguelands, the Vilespread kills a normal human in minutes. The effect of this disease is decay. The entire body withers completely until its organs are no longer able to function and then the victim dies. It is indeed a horrible and extremely painful disease. This plague comes from a orange-yellowish cloud known amongst the residents of the Plaguelands to be the Vilespread. Its color also makes it easily concealable amongst sandstorms or lands with orange-yellowish backgrounds, which is why it is highly feared.

Devil-stink '" known to ride the alleyways and corridors of ruined settlements, this plague usually signals demonic presence. Their stink, when they make a lair/nest, becomes so unbearable and hardcore that it actually becomes a disease in itself. Those subject to the Devil-stink are affected with constant vomiting and nausea.



Anaecurse '" the reason as to the rapid increase in numbers of the anaema is that they spread the Anaecurse. This plague was created by obscure arcanists to take possession of lifeless bodies and control them. Some necromancers went as far as making this curse contagious, affecting newly deceased bodies with the help of their mindless pawns.

*** First picture is "Light" by GunnerRomantic on DeviantArt. Second one is "FaceMash" by ProjectHybrid on DevantArt and last is "Freaky Friday" by ProjectHybrid.

I have been working on and off on this project, mostly brainstorming. Here's a few more things to excite the mind. Nothing big though.

The Seven Horrors
Atrocities now very much incrusted in the world, whether by dark divinations or other disasters, they are scattered in the Plaguelands. Though there is a noticeable concentration in the Bonelands. They are Seven to plague this world, people say.

The Marrow Pass
One of the Seven Horrors, the Marrow Pass lies in the middle of the Bonelands and is one of the very limited ways into the deep south, known also as the Obsidian Wastes. A gigantic carcass of some forgotten demon, blood slowly dripping into the Red River. A division between the Calm Bonelands and "The South" and thus, a major battleground for the hyenafolk and their enemies. Only allies of the "Hyene" can travel through unscathed, although... never worriless. This is the Marrow Pass; a place where even the most evils become disgusted.

Gorgeous imagery and some very gruesome diseases and drugs!

Are the Hyene essentially gnolls, i.e. semi-tribal pack-hunting troublemakers?

The Cinqus Demones
Brought into the material world during the Vilespread by deranged demonologists, the Cinqus Demones are known only by those who dwell very deep into the most somber of unorthodox arts. They are merciless, treacherous, outright evil and stop at nothing to further their dark schemes. Their lairs are stuff of legends and their power... well, no one lives to tell the tale. In their eternal quest for the spread of torment and misery, they destroy all that stands in their way.

Paxx resides in the Screaming Cavern, situated in the Obsidian Wastes. From there; the desperate cries of tortured creatures and incessant macabre laughters can be heard all day, all night. Any who enters the lair of the Scream-seeker bets on his life... and bets big time.

Cacophaxx has no real residence, but he is mostly seen around the eastern savannahs and jungles, walking around slowly and crying out speeches in a morbid tone and language. Hence his nickname; the Morbid Maestro.

Loxus inhabits the ruined and lost city of Rah. There he sits on piles of forgotten riches that belonged to the Rah dynasty and schemes to further his material fortune. Adventurers have made it in the city before, but have never returned. After scores of them disappeared, the place got a reputation to swallow 'invaders' and people now refrain from venturing in. The city is also known as the Swallow-City.

Harax hates all; life, death, mobile, immobile... he sees red, or perhaps black. Under the form of an elephant he wanders around the Stretch and sometimes much farther, preying on the living as much as the dead. He lays waste to all in his way, without thought, mercy and regret.

Palulu resides in his tower of bloodied bones, in the Bonelands. This tower, the Ivory Erect, is one of he Seven Horrors. His terrifying appearance and presence give the chill to even his brothers. Always he sends scores of lackeys to spread terror and misfortune to those who do not worship him. Yes, he definitely has a superiority complex.

Note that their powers rival with the more renowned greater beings such as Buhan, Merreman, e.t.c.

very nice. i will have to read more about this setting, very dark and graphic, but still "clean" in your approach and aesthetic, not to say that its sterile, but mor like stark.

but maybe you could think about chaning the name of the demon Paxx. pax is peace in Latin, and made me chuckle. even changing it to Phaxx or something.

Or, that could be just the right name for a demon.

Maybe he's only at peace when inflicting pain...