REQUIEM: WORLD STORYLINE PRIMER
Setting: Vitaveus, Year 1350 — The Age of Fracture
Nearly four decades ago, the world changed forever.
The Torment — a horrific, soul-consuming plague — emerged in the Republic of Decus, once the pinnacle of culture, faith, and knowledge. It devoured entire cities, twisting its victims into afflicted husks, mindless and murderous. Civilization crumbled. The Republic fractured under the weight of its own Enlightenment.
Now, the Republic fights on three fronts:
Against the Torment itself, clawing at the heart of the Midlands.
Against the Resolve, a cabal of mages and necromancers blamed for unleashing the plague.
And against itself, as law and faith erode, and civil unrest rises.
In the shadows of this collapse, the fallen capital city of Tor — the First Province — has become a magnet for the desperate, the brave, and the greedy. Rumors claim the lost Archmagi left behind a cure. Others seek truth, revenge, or fortune. You are among those drawn to this forsaken province — to write your own Requiem.
VITAVEUS SINCE THE AFFLICTION:
Until recently, our great kingdom had been on the verge of a renaissance. The ever powerful Church reigned supreme over the lands of the Venerated Republic, ushering an era of enlightenment for all men. New mechanisms harnessing the fledgling technologies of steam and black powder were slowly being developed all over the kingdom for the benefit of all mankind. Poverty and famine had been alleviated in all but the most remote territories of the kingdom, and the Republic’s mighty military force, the Legion, assured that no corner of the land was left unprotected from would-be highwaymen and criminals.
We had believed a golden era was upon us. Sadly, we were wrong.
The Torment, the debilitating scourge that has claimed millions, struck the land like a thief in the night, quickly and silently. The mysterious plague ran rampant through territories both large and small and across all corners of the kingdom. Thousands were infected with the mysterious blight within weeks, the forsaken sickness claiming not only the lives of all it touched, but their minds as well. The afflicted, as we came to call them, were stricken with madness and insatiable rage before succumbing to death or euthanasia. In those dark days, many of us looked to the Church and the Republic for salvation, clinging to the hope that our infallible benefactors would find a means to save us from the horrors of the Torment. As the world as we knew it spiraled into chaos, many of us believed that our dire situation could not get any worse.
THEN, THE DEAD BEGAN TO WALK…
In droves, the victims of the Torment rose from their eternal slumber, with all of the rage and unholy madness they possessed before death. Like some great leviathan, hordes of the dead rose from mass graves all across the Republic, descending upon the already weakened kingdom with unbridled prejudice. Those claimed or even wounded by the abominations shared the same fate of their assailants, losing both their sanity and humanity in mere hours.
Within months, the kingdom had succumbed to anarchy. Entire territories fell to chaos, many due to the afflicted and Tormented hordes and their murderous zeal, while others collapsed due to civil disorder. The Legion did its best to maintain order where it could, but the Republic had quickly become a land divided. Where the plague had not struck, peasants turned marauders had. What sparse territories that could be defended from the dangers of this new, dark world became havens of safe refuge, whilst the majority of the kingdom turned into killing fields.
This day marks nearly thirty years since the dead began to walk, and our once great Republic is but a mere shadow of its former glory. More than half of the kingdom has been lost to the Torment, and creatures of legend and folklore, known to us only in stories as the Ill, have begun emerging across all corners of this tainted land. Yet even more disturbing are the tales of the great betrayers, a cult of men and women who proclaim to follow the ways of the Old and herald the word of Truth. Known simply as the Resolve, it is these forsaken souls who have claimed responsibility for the blight that is the Torment, all in the name of tearing down the New and restoring the world to the ways of the Old. Having disappeared nearly thirty years ago after unleashing the Torment upon our mighty kingdom, whispers speak of their ilk stirring in the far western reaches of the lost lands of the Republic – no doubt preparing to deliver the killing blow to our dying people.
Yet hope, albeit fleeting, can be found even in the darkest times. Rumors have spread throughout the land of salvation waiting to be claimed within the confines of a fallen territory of the Republic; the First Province. The former capital of the Republic and eldest territory of the entire kingdom, the Province had fallen to the taint of the Torment nine years ago, and lays abandoned since. As unlikely as the rumors may be, laymen across the Republic speak of relics of the Old that lay hidden in the confines of Tor, the fallen capital. How or why these tales have surfaced is anyone’s guess, but the truth behind them cannot be denied; if there truly is anywhere in the Republic that such ancient, concealed knowledge may lie, it would be within the ruins of Tor.
There are but a scant few adventurous souls within this decrepit world that would even dare the trek to First Province, for the journey alone is no easy feat. Even still, brave men and women from across the land can be seen making their way towards the fallen land. Some make the treacherous trek for duty, some for treasure, and others for reasons all their own. And some, however minuscule, follow their faith, hoping beyond measure that the key to this world’s salvation lies in waiting for them.
Whatever their fates may be, one thing can be certain; this world of ours is upon the precipice of outright destruction, and to sit idly by is to tip it closer to the abyss.
“Praise be to the One True God, praise be to Decus, and praise be to the brave and the bold.”
– Seraph Templar Eileso Saimros (deceased)
NOTABLE CHARACTERS AND GROUPS
The Resolve – A group of intrepid Magi believed to be the creators of the Torment. The Resolve also claimed to hold the key to the cure for Torment. Little is known about this group except that it is said; no more than thirteen Resolvists have ever been seen together at one time. And one Resolvist alone can take down a small army with their magic. A group of thirteen might well be capable of ending an entire city.
Naum Alexandrov – The defected Warbishop of the Republic. Alexandrov is the top ranking Inquisitor of all Vitaveus. Ninety-nine percent of all Inquisitors revere him as the most powerful man in the Republic. The VIC has made efforts to paint Alexandrov as the Second Coming of the Archangel Decus himself through whispers and propaganda. Naum was present at the Three Hour War and has since denied a summoning by the Council of Bishops to report on the Fall of Tor. This defiance has led to the Council revoking his status in the Republic, but don’t say that to any Inquisitors you meet along the way. It is believed that Alexandrov has amassed an army of 20,000 VIC suppliants and postulants within the First Province, controlling the closest remaining town to the Blightline, Fort Pyreholt. Though these numbers have dwindled as of late due to a bombing that took place in Penitence Valley. It is believed by some that the VIC army begins to move toward Redholme to challenge the Republic’s leadership.
Johan Landcaster – The recently deceased Archbishop of the Venerated Decusian Church. Landcaster was a revered Priest and top ranking Official in the Republic. He was the head of the Council of Bishops. The official story from the Church is that Landcaster succumbed to old age at his home in Redholme six months after a visit to the First Province.
Cult of Karl Anslem – Deep within the desecrated halls of Aiwella dwells Karl Anslem, the fallen archbishop. Cultists flock to the Anslem for his power over death itself and to one day combat darker forces that lay unseen beyond Eden. As a powerful lich, undead are inexplicably drawn to Anslem. It is said he is a necessary evil, for without him the undead would have no keeper and surge forth from the crypts to devour the Quarantine Zone and beyond. His latest attempt to achieve godhood was thwarted, but he again may be a threat for future generations to come.
Daeblood – These cannibals believe their power derives from consuming human flesh anointed by their daemonic patron, the Hungering One. Cultists who fully resign to their ravenous hunger become host to daemonic entities as their humanoid forms twist to foul corruption. During the darkest hours, warbands leave their cave to hunt refugees who stray too far from the boundaries of the Rumbling Pass camp and Fort Praesidium. The Daeblood’s lust for entropy and consumption draws the ire of their neighboring cult, the Withering Bloom.
Withering Bloom – Cultists of the Withering Bloom promote unending growth of nature at the expense of technological and environmentally-destructive progress. Their shamans and warriors pray to the Withering Bloom, a staggering mass of plant life representing the aspect of nature’s wrath. These pagans commit the dead, be it their own or hapless refugees, to fertilize the grounds of their ritual site within the Withering Maw. The most devout among them replace their hearts with a unique thistle, which explodes into aggressive tangling vines upon their death. The Withering Bloom hold strong opposition against the Daeblood, for they fear their hunger would one day ravish all.
Cult of the Eyeless – This reclusive cult dwells deep beneath the twisted woods of the Spectral Camp. Little is known of this mysterious cult, for they rarely extend themselves beyond the cavern depths. Many among them blind themselves, but the reason for such is unknown. It speculated they seek to see hidden truths or perhaps shield themselves from mad visions. Further rumors speculate there is some relationship between them and the eyeless monsters which prowl among the subterranean mushroom forest.
Ashwalkers – Little is known about these Kaduraan Magi. Some believe them to be Time Travelers able to bend the plane of Eden itself and supplant themselves to another place. Others may believe them to be agents of the Resolve. One thing is for certain, they are a formidable foe wielding magic.
Timeline from Republic Sentinel Newspapers
1344
Naum Alexandrov, Warbishop of the Republic, had been summoned to Redholme to report on the events of the Three Hour War that caused the fall of the Capital. Naum Alexandrov is the Highest Ranking VIC in the Republic and was present for the Skirmish that ended in the city of Tor falling to the Torment. His Defiance of orders
1347
Archbishop Johan Landcaster Visits the First Coast Barony stopping first in Kedian and onward to the First Province before being expected back at Pontufex Hill in Redholme.
Senate Council of Decusian Subversion formed to uncover the insurgent group, the Forlorn Hope. The Hope had recently bombed the Archives in Greatport.
Late 1347
Johan Landcaster, beloved Archbishop of the Republic, passed away at his home in Redholme after having visited the First Province.
Bishop Milphio Braehus will succeed him as Archbishop. Grand Inquisitor Savenko and Warbishop Alexandrov abstained from voting due to absence.
Archmage of the Consortium appointed. Hrelyo Emilov Dobrev took the seat as the top mage in the republic after the seat sat vacant for five years. His merits included successfully combating and defeating a Resolvist cell on the borders of Kaduraas.
A slew of arrests made on Forlorn Hope Sympathizers nationwide.
Late 1349 – Early 1350
Fort Praesidium has found itself in the middle of a power struggle between the Republic Foundry and the VIC. Most characters living in Vitaveus might not know Fort Prae even exists but those living in the area the last few years will know that Prae was a Foundry Stronghold of reasonable comfort. That was until the Bombing of the West Gate, an act that greatly reduced the number of VIC in the area and subsequently stirred a hornet’s nest. Lately, the VIC control the Fort and have basically forced labor upon any who dwelled within its walls. Few have been released or escaped as of late.