《Godfall: The Lost and the Damned》


 Setting: Initial information and Background Part I

    Godfall: Lost and the Damned


    Setting is a low fantasy where magic is rare and powerful. Technologically, metallurgy is well researched and industrial advances are limited to implements such as the windmill and watermill.


    Only humankind is fleshed out so far:


    Magic is fantastically powerful when used by trained Magisters but is limited by magical potential, capacity for magical power, and natural affinity for the elements. The untrained are called hedge mages and are hunted by both witch hunters and by mage orders for their propensity to cause damage accidentally or maliciously. Magic is powered by the source known as "The Taint" which is aptly named for causing insanity and mutation through the overuse and overexposure of magical elements. Humans are not magically adept on average. If all magical capacity could be measured by liquid volume, magically weak humans would be a thimble and magically strong humans would be a wineglass. However, magic potential is another matter. Magic potential is measured across the primary elements: fire, water, earth, air and potential can be from weak to monstrous. Magical mastery also extends lifetime.


    All magic users are called Magisters. However, magic users can be separated into two categories: Wizards and sorcerers. Wizards can only channel "The Taint" through their staffs, wands, and foci with their mastery of magical commands and ability to comprehend the scientific and hermetic aspect of magic. They are the most numerous of magic users, given that they use implements to keep the taint away from their bodies.


    sorcerers channel the raw chaos of the Taint through their body. It fills their arteries with power. They are mighty but unskilled. sorcerers will magic by will and are at a higher risk of going insane and mutating. Strong emotions, a keepsake that inspires memories, and goals drive their powers. sorcerers are rare and are rarer still because most need to be put down after contracting mutation and worse.


    Mage orders are respected throughout the realm for their power on a national scale. They take untrained Magisters with high potential in an element and train them in that singular element until mastery.


    Witch hunters are loosely organized and their methodology and tolerance for mages differ on an individual level. There are various orders that investigate, others that purge troublesome mages, and groups that simply report happenings on a worldwide scale.


    Gunpowder technology is available but only to the most powerful realms and the occasional eccentric individual. Gunpowder technology is limited to cannonry. Firearms are not yet a viable alternative to the crossbow and bow due to the inherent disadvantages it has to the rather good armor in the setting.


    Weaponry: The weapon of the professional soldier in most nations is considered to be a polearm of some sort; spears for the less prosperous nations and halberds, poleaxes, and polehammers for those nations fortunate to have either the wealth or steel to equip theirs so well. The short sword, hand axe, and warhammer are common sidearms that are drawn after lines are broken. The common adventurer, merchant''s guard, or brigand, as they are sometimes apt to be, are usually armed with the spear, short sword, hand axe, and the cudgel. A peasant is only likely to own or rent farming implements and a long knife of some sort. The ownership of a bow among the peasantry differs from country to country as it is either an outlawed weapon or is encouraged to make use of their expertise in warfare. The crossbow is a premier weapon of either assassination or warfare, is difficult to maintain, and is powerful enough to punch through light plate or weak-points on heavier plate. The crossbow is a controlled weapon that is regulated through almost all nations, though some make their way into the hands of outlaws and onto the market in general. To own one is to either be issued one by the armory for special reasons or situations as a soldier or to risk losing one''s hand for not owning a license. The knightly orders are expected to have proficiency with the lance and a sidearm of choice.


    Armoring: Soldiery of almost all permanently "acknowledged" nations have some sort of standardized armor made of steel or iron, depending on whether the soldier is a professional or volunteer. Otherwise, those who fight for their nation as a volunteer are expected to equip themselves with the best they can purchase, steal, or scavenge off a body. The ability to make plate armor is common enough for proficient smiths to create simple pieces among most nations (breastplate, pauldrons, and chausses). Professional soldiery of sufficient status can acquire a full coat of plate by powerful nations. Most however make do with a gambeson at the least, mail of some sort and perhaps a breastplate. Militia are not issued armor and weapons by the state in most areas and are expected to arm themselves unless organized into professional guard orders. Knight orders, especially those that have loyalty to a state are equipped with the best of the armor that can be forged or purchased. However, there exists armor patterns and variations that differ significantly between regions of the world.


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    Society: Society can be separated into different levels of relative significance to that of less: Royalty, crown nobles, lesser nobles, merchants, freemen, peasantry, serfs, and slaves.


    Royalty is stated as such but deference between royalty depends on the length of their dynasty and/or bloodlines. Crown nobles are nobles with significant bloodlines and heritage and are an acknowledged and integral part of the kingdom, titles and lands are hereditary unless revoked by the crown with due reason (treason, espionage, and incapability).


    Lesser nobles are nobles that are ennobled by the crown for deeds in domestic, civil, or military matters. Their rank is mostly hereditary considering that the vast majority own small to respectable tracts of lands with sufficient titles. Lesser nobles usually bow their head to a greater lord among the crown nobles who in turn, serve the crown directly. Knights of most orders are treated like lesser nobles socially.


    Merchants can be extremely powerful on the basis of their wealth and control of money flow. On the other hand, merchants can also be weak enough to be abused by the city guard, whom must be either bullied or bribed. They are to be treated like freemen, any man not under any lord, but the greatest among their number are treated on the like of crown nobles; that said, most carefully treated and plied with gifts and promises of ennoblement.


    Freemen serve no noble and carve their own existences as employees of nobles or abroad in the cities, towns, and remote freemen villages throughout the world. They are not as common as the peasantry but exist in very significant number, fulfilling the role of skilled artisans, craftsmen, and own businesses. From their numbers drawn most of the professional soldiery.


    Peasantry are subservient to nobles and work sedentary lives on farms throughout the world. They live uncomfortable lives in most places and are expected to live, marry, and stay in a single location throughout their entire lives. They pay a tithe of their crop to their lord. Their children are also peasants as well unless released by their lord.


    Serfs describe a class of lesser peasantry who are tied economically, socially, and legally to their lords. They do not only farm but are expected to work in the mines, forests, and roads. Their children are also serfs unless they pay off their contract of servitude of freed by their lord.


    Slaves doesn''t exist in most places in the world as civilized nations look down upon the practice. However, in the chaotic lands of the borderlands, outskirts, remote places, and the one or two traditionalist nations slavery persists. Slaves have no rights of their own whatsoever and their children are slaves as well unless freed or purchased. A burgeoning black market exists in some places in the world, impossible to permanently put down due to the attractive profits to be made by the sale of human life.


    Religion: Gods and goddesses have existed since the dawn of history and the creation of the world is owed to the greatest and first among their number. It is well known that with sufficient faith and belief in gods that a god or goddess is created, creating the wide range of gods that are known throughout the world. Clerics exist that through which the will of the gods and goddesses is made known. Gods can die in direct combat with other gods or be weakened immensely by the death of their worshipers. Gods and goddesses can also have children, through which other gods and goddesses are created. Gods and goddesses are thus divided into two factions: Those created by mortals and those originating from the original gods and goddesses.


    Know this: Gods and goddesses are not to be taken lightly. Divine existence is proven and they show their favor to their followers by bestowing them divine power. Enhanced strength, charisma, healing, and other such skills are known to be given to their followers based on their importance, how much faith the followers have, and the affinity and level of divinity of the God/Goddess they serve.


    Bestiary: A wide variety of creatures exist throughout the world, sometimes limited to a single region and others spread everywhere. Were-creatures, vampires, giant variations of creatures, griffons, and other stranger animals, beasts, and monsters are but a few examples.

 Setting: On the Races and Information about The Taint

    1. Runic tattoos- A sacred art among the warrior elite, magical tattoos inscribed on a warrior''s flesh imbues him with increased attributes and/or special abilities. These tattoos are not visible unless its effects are in use. Tattoo creation success is highly dependent on the level of ability of the inscriptionist, amount of magical power poured in, amount of skin covered, and the magical capacity of the warrior inscribed upon.


    2. Necromancy is a feared and powerful art. It is also forbidden. Once there was a mage order that was charged with discovering the secrets of life and death. However, "The Taint" caused its members to go mad because they could not extend life with the raw stuff of reality. It had instead created undeath. Undead legions swept forth across the land and every civilization banded in a coalition to wipe the menace out. They succeeded at great cost and killed the Necromantic order and sealed the tombs. There are rumors of survivors that had survived the great purge. Additionally, a god of unlife had been created in the process.


    3. When the world "so far unnamed" was created, the divine created the many races that populate it today. The dwarves were born of the earth and fires, beneath the mountains. They are the firstborn, hewn from molten lava and from the granite peaks of the Iron Mountains. Elves came into existence out of air and water, fire was used in their fashioning to create their fleshly bodies. Quick, temperamental, and deeply intertwined with nature, they are the gardeners of the world, disdaining the conflict of men. They lived for awhile, two sentient races in a world of animals.


    Then, Godfall occurred. The death of many gods and goddesses had caused the creation of a new force called "The Taint." This taint gave the gifts of magic to the Elves and the Dwarves, causing strife as both races strove to master the land. War broke out. Elves and dwarves slaughtered one another. The fighting died down as both races were weakened and tired from fighting. They would master the magical arts through tradition and engrave the horrors caused by ¡°The Taint¡± into their memory.


    Some time after, humans came into being. They came from the seas far beyond the huge landmass that comprises the main continent. Uncultured, uneducated barbarians that they were, they quickly took up residence. It has been surmised that no god created them, but instead, they were born from the dead corpses of gods, another byproduct of the first Godfall. Elves and Dwarves taught them of society, culture, metalworking to better themselves. Instead, the humans used these arts to kill one another and raise up nations. They are also as stated in another document, highly susceptible to the taint, arising in new mutated races. As a result, both elves and dwarves have low opinions of the short-lived race.


    A young race were born in the bone-dry plains, south of the temperate fields and forests of the central areas, the orcs. Orcs are honorable and live a tribal existence in large family groups. They hunt and gather across the land in packs and sell themselves as mercenary bands. Devastating in close combat, they possess no talent at all in magic, and are also highly resistant to ¡°The Taint¡±, having been created after it affected the other races. Orcs have proven to be strong magekiller troops, duelists, and loyal retainers.


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    Time passed. Each race had militarized to defend themselves from one another and from the new races created by ¡°The Taint¡±. ¡°The Taint¡± had warped natural creations and unleashed horrors across the land. Beastmen, malformed humans that ¡°The Taint¡± had warped and twisted were given savage intelligence and craved flesh. Werewolves, humans that change forms during full moon and go berserk, craving the flesh of fellow man, and hunting. Giant animals were created where ¡°The Taint¡± existed in large concentrations. More frightening is that... where did all the energies from ¡±The Taint¡± go. It exists because the gods died and their power had nowhere to go but this reality. What is on the other side of the door?


    4. Humans are assholes. They kill each other, rape, loot, and destroy kingdoms. They''re divided into several distinct groups. The Nordlings don''t live on the main continent but on a large amount of scattered islands to the North-east + North of the Continent, making attempts to colonize the North borders of human lands. Extremely strong, resistant to cold infantry and raiders, sometimes bands sell themselves into the service of kings. The ¡°civilized¡± human nations (medieval) are organized into the Free Duchies to the North + East areas of the continent. They used to be together under a king but they killed him and each duchy has been struggling for dominance. They''re reliant on elite cavalry and conscripted militia from peasantry. Anglarre, to the West + Central is a huge, sprawling nation. They are the oldest human empire that has survived the times and are reminiscent of the Roman Empire. They invest in orderly infantry, siege machines, and combined arms to tackle any threat. For them war is a science, one that they have perfected. They place incredible importance on the status of citizenry. If you''re not a citizen...well, you''ll be treated like an animal. To the south are the Talis kingdom and it''s subsidiaries, made up of desert peoples south of the bone plains. That is, deep south. They worship the aspect of fire, are dark-skinned, are incredible warriors but are generally isolated from everyone except for the orcs. They fight the orcs on a regular basis due to incursions for more land.


    5. Current events. Right now, elves and dwarves have already largely recovered from their fighting from millenia ago. But they''re dealing with their own problems. The elves have issues with humans chopping down their trees, invading their homes, and mutated wildlife being a general nuisance. Dwarves are fighting a war against denizens deep beneath the earth in battles that only a dwarf could tell you about. Humans are still busy killing each other and the peasantry in dangerous places are terrified but you know, what are they going to do about it? However, war is on the rise in the North at the start of the setting. Nordland invaders are coming and they''re taking over settlements and establishing new ones, cutting swathes into the freemen who had established their communities away from human political-social structures.

 Prologue

    A crow sat upon the head of a man''s corpse. Arrogant and fat, it paused as it tore out an eye with its cruel beak. Pleased, it cawed. War had finally come to the north.


    Civilized men raised their swords and banners against the fierce nordling raiders that hailed across icy sea of serpents. The northern borders burned as villages were razed, their strongest men slain with the rest taken captive. The roads and forest drank blood as the armed men and fierce nordling raider bands fought to the death wherever they met.


    At sunset, two such parties had met at an intersection. Within minutes, only two people were left breathing as they fought an even duel at the center of the field. One was nordling raider, of the scouts from his Jarl''s band of warriors, wearing blood stained leathers. The other was a blond haired woman, bedecked in patchy scale-mail, wincing as the force from their weapons caused her fractured ribs to ache. After exchanging several more blows, their entangled weapons separated as they both gasped for air. They knew that the next blow they would exchange would be the last. Grim-faced, the woman hefted her battle-axe in the air as she charged. The nordling answered in kind.


    A crescent moon blade shone as it hung in the air. It fell with a heavy stroke that clove the man''s skull in twain. Crunch. With a crash, the man fell to the ground, twitching, voiding his bowels in death. The victor put her hob-nailed boot on the body, pulling out the blade with a sickening slurp. Wiping it on the fallen man''s clothes, she put the haft through the loop on her belt. Her legs trembled as she mounted a lone horse at the edge of the field. She needed to warn the caravan before they came any further. This incursion was only a scouting force.


    Steel-shod hooves thudded as the brown horse galloped south, its rider''s hands draped around its neck. Soon, she was greeted by the shocked faces of the members of the caravan. Their voices mixed into a cacophony of noise and indistinguishable questions. She ignored them. It didn''t matter now. Dismounting, she called out to a richly dressed fat man who had crammed many rings on his fingers. ¡°Orain, quickly turn your wagons about. Raiders are coming down south.¡± The thickset merchant''s face paled. After a pause, he answered her. ¡°Alright Kelsira. We''ll wheel about. Did anyone else survive?¡± Kelsira curtly shook her head. Orain wilted like a dying flower. Kelsira, dropped off her horse and picked up her newborn son, Alric, from atop the soft hay where she had left him. Then, she moved on to secure the rest of her belongings, some winter clothes. Tying her strongbox and child to the horse and her body respectively, she agilely mounted onto a fresh horse just as the nordlings approached.


    Broooom. Bbrroooooooom. These were the hunting horns of war. The nordlings were upon them now. Around her, the merchants and their guards panicked. Angry shouts came closer as people broke away from the main body of the caravan. Arrows hissed through the air, taking people into death''s embrace. Hardly a moment later, Kelsira fled into the forest. Traversing a fallen tree, her horse screamed as it took an arrow to it''s left side. Scarcely two minutes later, the mount collapsed to the ground, bloody froth dripping from its mouth. Dismounting, Kelsira tied the strongbox to her back and ended her mount''s lathered breathing. She would have to run from here on out.


    She ran until night truly began and the pale moon shone its bright light through the tops of the trees. The chest felt like a leaden weight on her shoulders and Alric was crying in unhappiness. Kelsira would run no more. Dull pain lanced her ribs like fire. She searched about the trees, searching for a good hiding spot in the uneven terrain. Soon, she found an empty, leaf lined hollow in the ground, below a rotting tree trunk. Chapped lips bleeding as she cracked a smile at her good fortune, she gave her child a kiss on the brow. ¡°Little one. Momma will be back. Don''t cry. I''m going to kill those bad men.¡± Alric gurgled back at her, his brown eyes reflecting her dirty appearance. She swaddled her child in thick clothes and placed him and the strongbox in the hollow with great care. Dragging a pile of leaves over the opening to further camouflage the hidden baby, she knew that there would be no hiding anywhere for her. She drew her axe and found a tree she could prop herself against by to make her last stand.


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    Kelsira taunted her hunters. ¡°COME ON WHORESONS. STRETCH OUT YOUR NECKS!¡± The nordling scouts responded with whoops. A hound bayed before pouncing at her. She killed it, severing its neck as it let out a high-pitched yelp. Three men approached; a team made up of two young men and a more experienced veteran. An impudent young men barked in laughter as he said ¡°Ulf, I get to do her first. Bitch killed my dog.¡± The older man snarled, saying ¡°Shut up Botolf. Wait until she''s downed. She knows how to use that axe. I''m in charge here and I get to go first.¡± Botolf suddenly dashed in, the spear stabbing towards her. Kelsira sidestepped the spearpoint and hacked down on the shaft. It broke off the blade. Then the others were upon her.


    Kelsira rolled forward as the ends of their weapons descended on her previous position and chopped into the unnamed man''s side, sending him down in a stream of curses. Pulling it out, shouting a wordless cry, Kelsira ended him with another blow. Then suddenly, she felt a stinging pain in her eyes as she found herself dealing with a faceful of dirt. As her hand brushed her eyes, she didn''t see Botolf coming from behind her. Kelsira''s trusty battle-axe fell out of her grip as she was taken down. Ulf stood to the side, toeing the axe away further from her outstretched grip as he began unlacing his trousers. Botolf began fumbling at her leathers, seeking a purchase to open them up. All the while Kelsira was screaming. Red-faced and angry, Botolf punched her in the face. Kelsira was disoriented for a couple of seconds. She tasted blood in her mouth. Ulf then hit the younger man in the back of the head with his hand. ¡°Don''t damage the goods. She''ll go for a good price. Young, strong woman.¡± As Botolf angrily stared at Ulf, Kelsira saw her chance. She drew Botolf''s knife from his sheath before plunging it in the side of his throat.


    Ulf backed away and retrieved his sword. He spat, ¡°Fool. Botolf always was a fucking idiot.¡± In the distance, a baby wailed. Realization sparking in his frosty eyes, he said ¡°I''m going to kill your baby in front of you.¡± Then he ran off towards the direction of the sound. Alarmed, Kelsira madly rushed after him.


    Ulf''s head start had got him within two arm''s reach of Alric''s hiding spot. Alric was still crying because an unfamiliar man had began searching his surroundings. Kelsira sprang towards Ulf in a leap as he stopped searching and thrust his sword at her. Kelsira could not dodge. A burning cold invaded her body as the sword tore through her armor and stabbed deep into her body. Groaning in pain, Kelsira in turn, stabbed the longknife deep into Ulf''s heart. He had underestimated her determination. Kelsira collapsed to the side. She was so tired and her life''s blood gushed out where she was wounded with every heartbeat. She reached out an arm towards where her baby laid hidden. Her tears trickled in rivulets on her face as she spoke her last words. ¡°My baby. May the gods protect you.¡± Then, Kelsira breathed her last.