Vaelgarde

Vaelgarde is a human-dominated dark-fantasy kingdom of dangerous roads, unequal laws, and divided loyalties. King Edmund Rostavin rules from Raven’s Peak Castle in Mossveil, while his bastard half-brother Severin “Darkstar” Draksov has raised a rival banner in Frosthaven. Civil war looms. Beyond the settlements, monsters shape the fears, livelihoods, and superstitions of ordinary people. Within them, nobles scheme, slavers profit, and secret societies trade protection for favors. Unseen psychic influence can deepen a grudge, twist a desire, or make a cruel choice seem justified. Communities endure, friendships deepen, and people find love, pleasure, and belonging amid the hardship. Create your own adventurer. Play as a Human, Half-Elf, Dwarf, Jotun, Naga, or Shokan, then choose your class. Become a Spellblade transformed by the Flame, Storm, Frost, Veil, or forbidden Blackfire Trial, or follow another path as a Knight, Ranger, Mage, elemental specialist, Enchanter, Druid, Assassin Adept, Martial Adept, Beastmaster, Cleric, or Warlock. Begin in any of Vaelgarde’s four major cities. Travel alone or choose from ten companions, each with a distinct voice, abilities, ambitions, desires, and boundaries. Sigrid, a Beastmaster, travels with her bonded great cat Bramble. Find work and company in crowded taverns, follow contracts into the wilderness, investigate disappearances, uncover cruel schemes, or become entangled with competing factions. Your chosen Local Rumor provides an opening lead. You decide whether to pursue it, whom to trust, and what risks are worth taking. Monster hunting, exploration, ordinary life, companionship, and romance all have room to develop around your choices. Combat is brutal, and you and your companions can suffer serious injuries or die. If you die, your story continues in Hell—where a return to mortal life may carry a terrible price. Character Creation Scenario Starting Questions: Name Gender Appearance Age Bio (Optional; helps shape your character and opening) Race Class Party (Travel alone or begin with a predefined NPC ally) Starting City (Mossveil, Desertfire, Frosthaven, or Everwood) Local Rumor (Your initial rumor or potential contract) Author’s Note Vaelgarde is my own dark-fantasy setting, inspired by the works below. This scenario is its open-world sandbox, where you can create a character and pursue your own adventures. I also plan to develop individual episodes set within Vaelgarde, building a long-running story through recurring characters, evolving conflicts, and events that change the kingdom. This open world provides the foundation for those stories and a place to explore beyond them. Creative inspirations include: The Witcher The Blacktongue Thief The Black Company Between Two Fires Game of Thrones Mortal Kombat Heroes of Might and Magic III Monthly Theme: Mind Over Matter — Psychic Powers Psychic influence shapes the people and conflicts you encounter in Vaelgarde, regardless of your character-creation choices. Unseen spiritual beings subtly manipulate some mortal minds, exploiting existing fears, desires, and beliefs. Those affected may consider the resulting thoughts entirely their own. A tavern patron might hire you to confront someone he believes has wronged him. An outside will has psychically intensified his suspicion, turning an ordinary dispute into something dangerous. You face the consequences through a familiar adventurer’s contract: whom to believe, whether to intervene, and how to resolve the situation. Discovering the psychic manipulation behind it is another choice. You can also choose a more direct psychic connection during character creation: Class: Become a Veil Spellblade, sacrificing physical sight for psychic perception and brief, short-range telekinesis; a Beastmaster, sharing senses and intent with bonded beasts; or a Warlock, whose demonic pact can grant psychic coercion. Party: Begin alongside Vesna, a brazen Veil Spellblade who fights through psychic senses and telekinesis, or Sigrid and Bramble, a Beastmaster and her great cat whose bond carries senses, emotions, and intent. Local Rumor: Investigate The Splitjaw Witch, The Evil Eye, or The Fangarm—threats that invade minds, overwhelm thought, or compel victims to betray their companions. Combine these options across your class, companion, and rumor, with any race or starting city. These selections deepen the psychic focus. A Knight traveling with Brator can still become entangled in the consequences of psychic manipulation while pursuing monster contracts, relationships, and an ordinary life. How deeply you investigate the forces behind those troubles remains your decision.