The Great Dark

All the religions of the northern world speak of a dark pit of unfettered evil. In their dogma and in their mythology everyone has made room for Hell. To the Hadradans it is the resting place of the seven betrayers, cast down by Helios for their wickedness. To the Urovans it is synonymous with the plane of Oblivion where the souls of unbelievers are tortured for eternity. To the Muirs of the Galacial Wastes it is the cauldron of fire where the evil and corrupt are burned. But to all of them, it is south.

Buried within the pages of revered incunabula and dusty scrolls, all religions state that Hell borders Iourn in a very physical sense. They say that if you travel far enough south then you will reach the gates of Hell and come face to face with the horrors within. This belief has become ingrained in the society and even the language of the free peoples of the north. In Urova, the most deplorable and evil villains are said to have "gone south". It is universally believed. And if something is believed by disparate and unconnected cultures throughout the world, then it has more than a grain of truth.

The Hadradans, the oldest and most learned human culture on Iourn, received stark proof that all they believed was true. For centuries, Hadradan dogma stated that the world of Iourn was polarised. The northern world was good and pure, the southern world was a fetid sinkhole of unspeakable evil. Straddling the two is the remarkable continent of Belsinor's Girdle, a thin strip of land that circles the globe. The Hadradans sent explorers south of the Girdle over two hundred years ago. They returned, pursued by ebony-skinned horrors that they named Mannenites after demons from their ancient myths. The Mannenites destroyed the empire and ate the Imperial family. That was the first warning not to meddle in the affairs of the southern world; it would not be the last.

A History of Hell

Peel away the myths, folk-tales and centuries of ecclesiastical canon, and a true picture of Hell appears. The following truths are largely unknown in the northern world. To some they might be considered heresy, to others the truth simply exists to reinforce or complement rigidly held beliefs. The truth is that the southern Hell is not really Hell at all, but something all together more sinister.

There is an area that borders on the southern world of Iourn. It is the dark and fetid pit of legend. It is filled with unspeakable horrors. It is the source of the myth of Hell. But it is not the original Hell, because it is no more than a thousand years old. This is the land of Thannasanoir, or as it is more commonly known: the Great Dark.

The foundations of the Great Dark were laid in the ambition and treachery of a single elf. More than two-thousand years ago, the elf Karatath was in the ascendancy. A master of elven sonorism and the youngest elf to ever sit on the ruling White Council, Karatath was a powerful figure. A cult of personality developed around him, and many like-minded individuals, mostly elves but some not, flocked to his banner. To his contemporaries Karatath seemed distant and arrogant; but he was not considered dangerous. This was a mistake.

Karatath was twisted with the desire to impose his will on others. He wanted power, and he would do anything to get it. He became obsessed with power of Evil, and the great magical forces that could come from it. He and thirty of his most trusted followers travelled to the south polar regions, to the area of Iourn that would one day become the Great Dark.

This domain already sick with evil, the taint permeating everything from the soil to the fauna to the magical weave itself. If Karatath knew why the far southern lands were so tainted, that knowledge has not been recorded. But it is worth remembering that this proto-Hell was choked with infamy long before the Great Dark formed.

Karatath remained in the deep south for decades, slowly mastering powers long thought lost. He became unto a god, and his servants gained a portion of this fantastic power. Eventually the once-elf showed his colours, and embarked upon his war against the elves and whatever allies they could muster.

The Great War raged for one thousand years, and was replete with tragedy and carnage. The Blades of Virtue were forged, lost and tainted, the seas of the northern world were boiled away, the great elven nation of Cyryth Allavorean was crushed. Karatath's triumph looked certain until, at the eleventh hour, he was betrayed. One of the Karatath's most powerful minions, a member of the Thirty called Aldric Kurst, switched sides. Quite what secrets Kurst delivered to the hands of the grand alliance are unknown, but they were enough. Karatath was humbled and he was defeated.

But even in defeat Karatath was too powerful to be destroyed. The Grey Princes, the foremost elven magic-weavers, strove for a solution. Eventually, they took Karatath and they imprisoned him in a great magical prison called the Aegis. The Aegis was located right at the southern pole of Iourn and used the tremendous evil energies of that place against Karatath. He was bound by his own power. The remaining members of the Thirty were also bound into this dark prison.

But the Grey Princes did not stop there. Circling the Aegis at a distance of eight thousand miles they created the Enceinte: a vast and impenetrable wall. Into that wall they placed seven gates known as the Seven Gates of Perdition, and through those gates they thrust every creature mortal or immortal, infernal or misguided, zealous or fearful that had sided with Karatath in the Great War. Tens of thousands were trapped here, inevitably some of them were innocent. Inevitably, some were missed.

The magic of the Enceinte was such that no being that had been sent through the Seven Gates of Perdition by the Grey Princes could escape by any means. They could not climb the wall, they could not step back through the gates, no magic spell or supernatural ability would function for them: they were forever trapped. That cursed was passed onto their descendents so that, generations later, those descended from the original prisoners are still trapped. The Grey Princes appointed the people of the Culyak Kayet to guard the gates, and then they left their foes to rot.

The Great Dark Today

One thousand years passed. The prisoners and their descendents formed their own communities, countries and city states in the vast area of the Great Dark. Many of the immortal servants of Karatath, such as the devils, still remember the imprisonment and they burn with a desire for vengeance. Most inhabitants are now so completely removed from the Great War that they live a terrified existence, trying to survive in the least hospitable place on the planet.

And through all this time Karatath has remained imprisoned in the Aegis, but no-one seriously believes that he is trapped forever. There are rumours. It has been said that many members of the Thirty have already stepped out of that dark prison. They say that these mighty servants of the dark master have retained their tremendous powers, and are able to leave and re-enter the Great Dark at will, in defiance of the magic of the Grey Princes. They say that Karatath himself is stirring.

There are many religions in the Great Dark, many evil and spiteful entities who happily set themselves up as gods, but the religion of Karatath is by far the most widespread. Clerics and proselytisers have been spreading the word. The petitioners on the dark plain before the Aegis have been worshipping day and night. The Dark Lord is testing his bonds. The wards are weakening. He will escape, and when he does the world of Iourn will enter a new age: a Time of Reckoning.

The Great Dark and You

The Great Dark changed people. It nags incessantly at the unwary, whispers unspeakable suggestions in the ears of the naïve and taints the hearhts of the mighty. If there is a characteristic that all the mortal denizens of the Great Dark display, it is defeat. They have no hope, no dreams and no future. Dark and fell creatures walk the land, spawned by the evil that infests this place. They prey upon the weak and the unwary, and fall under the sway of tyrants and despots. Any who remain within this realm for any length of time become self-serving, back-stabbing, malicious evil-doers. It takes the mightiest strength of will to shake off such feelings. No one thinks of escape, for escape is impossible.

In the beginning, most of the creature thrust into the Great Dark by the Grey Princes were evil and twisted entities: monsters, devils, undead monstrosities and the like. However, the Dark Lord also kept large numbers of mortal servants. Vast armies of Men, goblinoids, giants and even dwarves found themselves trapped. Over the last one thousand years - four thousand seasons - it is these mortal races that now make up the majority of the Great Dark's many inhabitants.

One thousand years is over one hundred and sixty human generations. In that time the mortal races have spread and interbred. Men are particularly prevalent. The fact is that after all this time the only link these beings have with Karatath is that their ancient ancestors once fought for him. This link of blood is enough to keep them imprisoned, but it doesn't make them innately evil. The Great Dark tends to do that.

Even before there was a Great Dark, this area of Iourn was shot through with evil. The erection of the Enceinte has concentrated and intensified this taint. In the Great Dark, evil is a tangible force, some even speculate that it is sentient. Dark and evil deeds are rewarded, the good and the virtuous (what few there are) find themselves tempted and corrupted by the very ether. In addition to this they are associating with the most dangerous and vile beings the universe has to offer. It isn't easy to live here and retain your moral compass.

So does that mean that everyone is evil? No, of course not. It does mean that everyone is frightened. The people of the Great Dark who aren't heinous abominations, are continually scared for their lives. These people have become inherently untrusting and selfish beings through necessity. In they want to survive they have no choice but to protect themselves in any way they can. The best way to do this is to keep themselves to themselves: to try their best to remain unnoticed and to live their lives far from the gaze of beings that would torture and torment them. Life is cheap in the Great Dark.

Some features of the Great Dark

The Great Dark is a region of Iourn that covers an area of the southern world, a circular expanse 16,000 miles across and with the south pole at its centre. The Great Dark is surrounded by the Enceinte, which appears as a completely smooth wall, coloured a deep blood red. As already stated, none can climb it or fly over it, although the top is tantalisingly visible. The Seven Gates of Perdition are visible from this side of the Enceinte if one gets close enough, of course, none may pass.

Geography

The geography of the Great Dark is not entirely dissimilar to the northern world, but it has been twisted and corrupted by evil. Forests, hills, jungles, rivers and even seas have all been changed by the evil that permeates everything. The fact that the area is so far south does not have any real bearing on the climate; indeed the Great Dark encompasses all climates from arid desert to boreal waste.

The six moons that are visible in the sky in the northern and southern worlds cannot be seen from the Great Dark. The oscillating rings of the world are also missing from the night sky. Nights in the Great Dark are lit by a single celestial body named Oculun, that appears and disappears seemingly at random.

Locations

Karatath's prison, the Aegis, sits over the southern pole at the centre of the Dark. It is surrounded by servants of Karatath who labour night and day, waiting for his return. They are worked to death by a dark and infamous nightwalker known as the Prince. None except those completely loyal to the dark lord survive here for long.

There are tens of thousands of villages, towns and other settlements. The largest and most important is the great city of Tharkis, located 5000 miles south of the enceinte. Tharkis is where the campaign starts, so more on that below. Beyond these places, anything that is truly corrupt can be seen here, from the road made entirely of talking skulls, to volcanic deserts where the nightshades roam.

Personalities

Algar is a human male who claims to have once been a king. He was one of the original prisoners thrust through the Gates of Perdition. The curse Algar carries is that he will not die until every descendent from every being his tyrannical rule put to death is also dead. Algar can always tell if he is facing one of these descendants, and fights without mercy in his pursuit of death. If you are not one of the descendants (and there seem to be few who are not) Algar is not unreasonable.

Grelka is the ruler of the city of Tharkis. Follow this link for much more about the city.

Lott is not an evildoer. Lott is a hierophant druid who rumour has it travels into and out of the Great Dark, doing what good he can. Many think that he is just a villain who toys with people, makes them hope and then lets them down.

Miralee is a lyrical name for a hideous hag who has made herself rich bartering the organs of innocents to demonic paymasters. She and her wagon traverse the great plains and few bother her. Miralee is not one to cross, or even encounter if you can avoid it. She will only trade with those she believes more powerful than herself (otherwise she will kill them), and even then she tries to cheat and never keeps her bargains. However, many of the things she purveys cannot be obtained anywhere else, and so she has a steady (if frightened) clientele.

Vandantamus. Known also the Creator. Vandantamus is a huge serpent who slithers the Dark promoting evil. Vandantamus embraced undeath hundreds of years ago; a vampire of god-like power, the serpent creates more of its kind where it can. Some believe that it is the origin of vampirism. Certainly, all such creatures in the Great Dark owe fealty to this monster.

Time

Time does not work the same way in the Great Dark as it does in the northern world. Neither does it work the same way in different places within the Great Dark. Much of the Great Dark works to the same time scale as the northern world. An hour in Uris corresponds to an hour in Tharkis, but this does not hold true throughout the region. If you travel the region you may pass through areas where time runs much more slowly.

Magic

The evil that corrupts men, also corrupts the Magical Weave. All magic that is cast within it's influence is affected, although some types more than others. Grasping at the threads in the Weave and knitting a spell from them is akin to thrusting one's face into an open sewer. It is a stomach-turning, wretch-worthy activity. Spellcasters can feel the decay of the Weave, feel it seeping into their skin and changing them. The evil of this place seems to have more influence on spell casters than any others. The Weave is tainted by the evil, and making use of it makes the spell caster almost complicit in that evil.

• See section on Magic in the Cosmology of the Great Dark.
  

Religion and Clerics

In the Great Dark, religion is a weapon to protect oneself and hurt other people. There is no question of hope or salvation. No-one worships a god with the expectation that they are going to be 'saved'. As a result, many beings aren't that religious at all. Gods are simply at the top of a whole pyramid of evil bastards looking to screw them over, and so it's better not to be noticed. Of course, those beings that are priests are often extremely zealous, so it pays to pay lip-service to the right god at the right time.

The inhabitants of the Great Dark were sealed behind the enceinte roughly eight hundred years before the moons appeared in the sky of the northern world. As a result, clerics of the moon gods must be beings who have travelled to the Great Dark from outside, or natives who have studied at the feet of one of those travellers. Both options are rather unlikely. Any moon cleric that did venture into the Great Dark would find all his granted powers and spell-casting ability diminished.

The Great Dark has its own foul collection of would-be gods, powers and demipowers than grant magic to their follows. Characters wanting to play a cleric can use almost any evil god from any published D&D source. You can even make up your own religion if you like. Many of the servants of Karatath, and other entities in the Dark, have grown powerful enough to grant spells. These entities are just as trapped as anyone else. I'm willing to embrace pretty much anything into this campaign setting. Please note that only neutral evil or lawful evil deities can be found in the Great Dark.

Here are some of the more common religions:

Karatath: The most powerful and widespread religion. A god of power, domination, magic and brutality. His priests are granted powers that bend and destroy the minds of others, and have a greater understanding of the Great Dark. They strive to increase the worship of their master in preparation for his escape from the Aegis.

Vandantamus: God of the blood frenzy, the hunt and the vampire. His mortal clerics are visceral beings, charged with aiding and protecting true vampires. As they grow in level they take on the power of vampires themselves.

Cas: God of vengeance and spite without end. His clerics have the reputation of being a bunch of petty-minded bullies who take offence at anything. They are in fact far more sinister than that, with power to inflict great pain in their foes.

Some Misconceptions about the Great Dark

Everyone is evil!
No. Most beings probably aren't evil, but the nature of the place means that they're extremely selfish and only looking out for themselves.

Demons and the Undead are everywhere!
No. There are very few true demons in the Great Dark. These chaotic evil entities did not serve Karatath in the war. There are many lawful evil fiends (devils). It is true that fiends and undead creatures are much more common in the Great Dark than in a conventional world. However, there are not so many that you would bump into one every time you set foot outside your door. These creature do tend to congregate in places of power (magic or political) so they might be more common in such areas. The real difference is that fiends and the undead are not censured or opposed. A demon may walk down a street in Tharkis, and the inhabitants will flee but they will still accept that such things happen. Remember, the majority of creatures in the Great Dark are mortals - some may have been twisted beyond all recognition but they are mortals none the less.

Casting Magic makes you Evil!
There is some truth in this. The magical weave is tainted by evil. Some spellcasters (especially arcanists) are extremely susceptible to this taint when casting spells. There are ways around this, and see the rules section for more information. However, the link between magic and tainted evil is widely held by the inhabitants of the Great Dark.

Everyone serves Karatath!
No. Karatath is a potent force. Even in his prison he has the power to grant magical spells and abilities to his clerics. But the Great Dark is full of tyrants who have carved out their own domains to rule. Grelka, the Witch-Queen of Tharkis, owes no allegiance to Karatath although she tolerates his clerics in her cleric. Other dark forces such as Cas the demigod of Spite and Vandantamus the first Vampire do exist. How these beings would react to Karatath being free is another matter.

See Also:

• Cosmology of the Great Dark
• City of Tharkis