The Arcane Well sits on a plane unto itself and is the source of power Mages draw from in order to weave their grand works of magic. Each Mage is connected to the well the way all moving water is eventually connected to the ocean, forming a web of magic enveloping our world. The Mages of The Academy have studied this conenction and delved into the msyteries of magic surrounding our world. Like any learned person of the age, they have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Their thirst brought the attention of gods... or so they believed. These gods offered them a deeper knowledge, and in their arrogance the Mages of The Academy accepted. They were granted vast knowledge of the cosmos and of the true nature of the gods before them, seeing through the masks they wore. The knowledge shattered their minds and drove them mad. The gods used the Mages in their broken state to navigate the currents of magic and poisoned the Arcane Well with their vile touch. The corruption twisted the Mages into vile things of nightmare, resembling the very gods who broke and twisted them. The corruption spread to any who drew power from the Well.
From the Twisted, the Blight spread as a disease. When it touched those not connected to the Well, the Blight turned the unfortunate sufferers to creatures resembling walking ash and cinder with grotesque tendrils sprouting from their bodies. It began with clouds of ash spreading forth from the Academy. Everything the clouds engulfed became twisted and corrupt. From the clouds came the infected, who came to be known as Shades. They spread through the land, carrying the disease with them, husks of their former selves. The smart fled their homes, but there were those who tried, and failed, to destroy the growing number of Shades. Eventually the surrounding lands from the Academy became wastes of ash and ruin infested with creatures touched by the Blight. Out of the ruin, came seven Lords and their army, wielding powerful weapons of powder and lead.
These Lords constructed the great city of Thorbou, containing the Blight to the wastes and preventing its spread any further. They offered refuge to those willing to pay the price; something of great value to them paid as tribute to the Lords of The Seven Points. There were those unwilling to pay offering to the Lords. Groups of these people banded together to form small villages and hamlets fortified against the infected creatures in the few areas still habitable. They grew fearful and barred their walls to all outsiders. The willing flooded the city, giving up their greatest treasure to the Lords. The price did not stop after the entrance toll, however. The Lords asked for monthly offerings from their subjects. If they could not pay, they were given a choice: stay within the city walls and enter into service to the Lords or leave the city and brave the wastes in search of safety, for those from the wastes were forbidden to travel beyond the walls to the untainted lands there. The Lords constructed their city to prevent the spread of the Blight and kept those form the wastes there or sent them back to the wastes. Within their walled city, the Lords reigned as gods over their subjects. As such, they were the law and enforced it with an iron fist. The most heavily enforced and punishable law was the use of Magic within the city. Any found practicing Magic were branded traitors and seen as attempting to bring the Blight. As punishment they were burned upon the stake for all to bare witness.
Then came the Pilgrims, a group of men and women who chose to leave the protection of the city and wander the wastes to do what they could to aid those living there. They were, at one time, viewed as great men and women willing to help any and all they could. Gradually they became the subject of ridicule by those who stayed within the walls of the city. The Pilgrims constructed their monastery near the gates of the city. They serve as guides to those leaving the cities, including: the Lords’ own men sent out on order from the Lords, the unfortunate who choose the wastes over service to the Lords, and even those wanting to leave the wastes and find refuge within the walls of the city. The Pilgrims accept any into their ranks, those willing and unwilling. The unwilling can choose to be sentenced to joining the Pilgrims for committing a crime against the Lords; if they do not they are left on their own to wander the wastes. Each new Pilgrim is marked; the willing on their right forearm, and the unwilling on their left wrist; on their right wrist is the brand of the Seven-Point Star they received upon entering the city but with a line struck through it. The brand is given to show they have been cast out and will prevent the individual from reentering the city. The brand is the sigil of the seven-point star.
Each Pilgrim, even the unwilling, is also gifted a Doll. A Doll is a porcelain construct housing the soul of a deceased Pilgrim. A Pilgrim can have the soul within a Doll pass along a message to another Pilgrim. Dolls communicate to one another through the spiritual realm, despite this they have not been affected by the Blight. Dolls resemble the appearance of the Pilgrim whose soul inhabits the porcelain shell and retain their personality and memories from their time amongst the living. Dolls also act as guides and even teachers to the Pilgrim they are paired with.
My idea is to bring a Gothic atmosphere to a fantasy/Victorian setting reminiscent of Bloodborne, Darkest Dungeon, Berzerk, and even Dishonored. I would like a dedicated group of about four players at the most who care about character interactions and development. The main plot would revolve around the cast, either willing or unwilling, being in the ranks of the Pilgrims. As Pilgrims, the cast would explore the wastes until they heard about a group of Pilgrims who were guiding the Lords' men having gone missing deep within the wastes near the Academy. The Dolls of the cast report that the Dolls of the missing group are gone, as if erased entirely. No trace of their spirits remain. As the group nears the Academy, the environment becomes stranger and the threats more dangerous. As the plot progresses, the cast will learn more about the corruption that caused the Blight as well as the Lords of The Seven Points.
