Shapes Of Grey

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<metadesc>Grim and gritty D&D campaign with tones of dark fantasy. Uses alternative D&D 3.G rules for free-form character creation.</metadesc>

The World bears a gray pallor.

The human civilization struggles to make a living in a land where the spirits and savage creatures rule the fields. Crops and livestock are subject to the whims of supernatural beings. The souls of the dead haunt the world. Superstition only makes it harder to distinguish fact from folktale. Mankind had always been weary of the things that it cannot explain, and tries to come up with means to guard against such things. Farmers give offerings to the spirits, to ask for their mercy, lest they eat their livestock and blighten their crops. Men of faith advise against the spirits of the dead and demonic presences, who are said to haunt people, undetected by mundane senses. The fearful burn those who wield wicked powers of witchcraft, lest they ensnare their minds and hearts. The people rely on the Gods’ guidance, provided through those faithful souls who are lucky enough to be picked to wield a God’s miracles. Sometimes, the Gods themselves are said to walk on the world, fighting their personal feuds or entertaining themselves seducing mortals and immortals alike. And men of equal measure of bravery and foolishness have travelled deep into the uncharted lands, returning with tales of beasts of uncertain origin, and vaults filled with artefacts unknown to man.

These stories were, unfortunately, true.

Mankind has since then confronted the Little Folk who had indeed been intruding in their homes for as long as they could remember. The Little People have been persecuted or arrested on sight ever since. Progress called for raw materials, so Mankind cut down and burned the woods of the treacherous forest spirits, who once stole their children and shot their people dead. This instilled in the Aelfen a mindless cry for vengeance that has been burning for hundreds of years now. And they struck bargains with these most curious folk, who worked wonders with the forge and the alchemicals, who could blow up entire buildings with their magic powders and wield weapons capable of shooting an iron pellet right through a man’s skull. They bargained for the Dvergar tools of warfare.

Mankind came to know this only a few centuries ago. And this knowledge, of these other, older races, inhabiting their world without them realizing it until now, frightened them. Simple altercations became year-long feuds, and the furtiveness of ‘the Others’ instilled fear in the people and gave rise to even more full-blown myths and fantasies. Political, religious, social and racial tensions made it all escalate, and for some decades, the conflicts were so commonplace that the population on every side dwindled dramatically due to casualties of war.

And eventually it led to the largest military confrontation of the era, at the center of a forgotten valley, where ancient whispers told of something long forgotten. Into that place they trespassed, and there they were judged. By those that wield the power of ages, the immortals that live in the land of eternal youth, the unseen gods, the spirits of the world. That day, whole armies were swallowed into the earth, or struck down by fire and light, borne of the fury of nature. The survivors came back to their homes, lost, broken and belittled by those who had always held them in the palm of their hand, without them ever realizing. They felt abandoned, and sought the reason why. Their gods stayed silent on the matter.

A couple generations have gone by after that fateful day. Interracial relations are still strained, and many realities of the war have again started to become myth among Man. But the long-lived races do not forget so easily. The fear of the unknown has gripped Man again, and among the deep, forgotten ruins of an elder civilization, they have found the means to alter the world like never before. They are gearing for up for progress, for the future, for war.


Welcome to the Post-Myth wiki for the Edinburgh Open Roleplaying Community (ORC).

The Post-Myth is a dark fantasy, grim and gritty campaign setting, where the characters are pitted against murderous monsters and morally ambiguous NPCs alike. Nothing is black and white, and the characters are expected to face difficult decisions. The system used is Pathfinder, with a few houserules.

The setting, as the name implies, takes place in an age where many of the myths and folktales, that man had came up to explain what he did not understand, have been confirmed to be true. And this is essentially what happens when they have to deal with it. It's a very down-to-earth setting, where life is hard and people react accordingly.

Themes that players can expect are survival horror, intrigue, commando-style missions and good old monster hunting à la 'Supernatural'.

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more to be added soon! --Nuno 04:36, 7 January 2011 (UTC)