Chaotic Evil

The Midnight Kingdom of Noxbog

Origin

The Devourer splattered and boiled across Primordias as it descended, seeping and oozing through the fabric of reality. This perforated the fens of Noxbog, filling the region with holes through which the realm of Shadowfell lurks. A plane of eternal darkness and horror, Shadowfell has been steadily pouring into Noxbog, mixing to form an ever shifting miasma of supernatural darkness and decay.

Shaped from the shadows and putrescence, come every form of nightmare. Monstrosities from the deepest places of the darkest dreams stalk the mist choked landscape of this terrible region. From this cauldron of predation rose a single apex predator; a triumphant nightmare that inherited all that The Devourer has touched. They are the oni, sinister giants that have claimed Shadowfell and built twisted castles from which they subjugate Noxbog and every monster that lurks in its shadows.

Emerging from the darkest corners of Noxbog, come the denizens of the oni, hulking demonic beasts of unfettered hunger and slithering creatures of twisted beauty and unquenchable thirst. These terrors prey on the lesser monsters that are native to Primordias, driving a warped ecosystem that has adapted to darkness and death. Throughout the unnaturally dark swamps of Noxbog there is a constant and unending struggle for survival against the starving darkness and a horror that erodes all sanity.

Domain

Noxbog is a region of marshy swamp and fungal forests. Giant mushrooms grow like trees and choke the unnatural darkness with spores and the stench of decay. Shadows hang like smog, drifting unattached and congealing into patches of oily black. There are things that move with the blackness, live within it and feed on anything that is caught in these roving clouds of shadow. This concentrated darkness pours from the many holes in reality that lead to Shadowfell.

There is no sunlight in Shadowfell. Jagged outcrops of razorock lacerate the supple earth and protrude from puckered wounds that suck and bubble with viscous liquids. Castles of twisted black stone rise from the desolate mire, lit only by forks of lightning that split the empty sky. Tall thickets of fat, grassy follicles hide patient predators from unwary trespassers whose minds are seduced by Shadowfell. Lulled with connotations of pleasure and comfort, they inevitably find gruesome death in the darkness of this discordant realm.

The mortals of Noxbog make their homes in the areas furthest from the pockets of darkness that mark entrance to Shadowfell. High above the putrid swamp, strung between the stems of the fungal forests, live the orc kindred. Each kindred holds a small primitive settlement called an asylum, crudely constructed with bone, hide, and fibrous fungal stalks. The asylums are built into the stems and caps of the enormous mushrooms, protruding from and connecting them with ladders and bridges.

Society

Orc kindred are small tribal groups that are led by a matriarch. Their every tradition and custom centers around survival. Safe territory is the only thing of value in orc society and is fought over ruthlessly, forcing orcs to focus their lives on hunting, fighting, and defending their homes. Many asylums have passed from kindred to kindred as their power and numbers have waxed and waned. The strongest hold the largest asylums, allowing generations to grow and flourish; most, however, are semi-nomadic, scratching out their short, brutal lives in any safety they can find.

From the pitch black of Shadowfell, glowing eyes watch the struggles of the orcs with dispassion. The oni rule the eternal night from their castles built of razorock and bone. They have mastered the monsters of that dark place and send them forth to fulfill their sinister purposes. Every few generations, the oni perform a Harvest, the collection of half the orc younglings in Noxbog. The younglings are added to the populations held in captivity and raised as livestock to feed the oni’s insatiable appetites.

There is a single asylum called Haven that is larger and better fortified than all others. It has been held for many generations and was the only asylum to resist the last Harvest, though, this was at great cost. The oni look upon this challenge and spread glistening smiles. Haven is not the first asylum to stand against them. It has drawn the attention of all who dwell in Shadowfell and the rewards will be great for the one to bring its destruction. There will be no second Harvest for Haven, only the Reaping awaits those that dare stand against the darkness.

Paths

Praedari

Barbarian (Path of the Berserker)

Praedari are those that have embraced the cycle of predation that dominates Noxbog and Shadowfell. They measure themselves by the greatest monster that they have felled and wear trophies that proudly proclaim their standing. Because of their predilection for courting death, the Praedari are often outcasts among their own kindred. In a society centered around survival, there is no place for those that seek danger.

Praedari become wanderers, taking to the darkness and horror of the wilds. They travel from asylum to asylum, bringing exotic goods and tales, searching for greater challenges to try themselves against. They receive cautious welcomes from kindred they visit, unless the asylum is beset by some horror, in which case they are beseeched for aid. Praedari will agree to free the kindred from their torment if their terms are met, which are often only tolerable to the desperate.

Gormand

Cleric (Death Domain)

The Devourer does not make its will known through scions or avatars but rather through permeating the entire region with its hunger. Gormands are more in tune with this hunger than any other creature in Noxbog or Shadowfell. They feel the pangs and cravings that subtly shape the ebb and flow of life in the Midnight Kingdom. Gormands are able to predict the coming of Harvests and seek to appease The Devourer’s appetite with offerings and sacrifices for the sake of their kindred and asylum.

As Gormands become more sensitive to the hunger of The Devourer, they begin to draw power from it. They develop the ability to steal the strength of their enemies and learn their secrets by eating their flesh. They eventually learn to consume the very life force of a creature, or to regurgitate that life force into those that have already died, filling them with the hunger of The Devourer.

Shade

Druid (Circle of the Moon)

Shades see the influence of Shadowfell as a corruption that is slowly consuming a once beautiful region of dells and marshland. The Shades seek a way to close off the innumerable entrances to Shadowfell and sever the connection that drives the waking nightmare that is Noxbog. They live outside the protection of the asylums, among the savage races and fight to protect what's left of this natural world from the encroaching evil that seeps from the darkness.

Shades tap into an ancient power that connects them to Primordias itself and allows them to call upon the forces of nature for aid. They can control weather, command the flora of Noxbog and even shapeshift to become any of the creatures that hunt this infected landscape. This allows them to become one with the land and move through it as if made of the very shadows that oppress it.

Slayer

Fighter (Champion)

Kindred are led by matriarchs who bear the title Great Mother. It is the Great Mother’s right to take any male as her mate at any time, selecting only the strongest and toughest among the warriors of the asylum. Being taken into the Great Mother’s bed marks the rite of initiation into the innermost circle of a kindred and earns a warrior the right to call themselves a Slayer. The Slayers guard the Circle of Mothers, where all pregnant women are protected and watched over by the Great Mother.

Slayers also lead hunts to kill dangerous predators and gather resources. They train the younger warriors of the kindred, teaching them the ways of predator and prey, deciding when they’re ready to face the darkness. The Great Mother leads the kindred within the asylum but the Elder Slayer leads when the kindred ventures without. Slayers fight with many different weapons and styles but each have shown themselves to be superior physical specimens and superlative warriors.

Wyrdwalker

Sorcerer (Wild Magic)

Wyrdwalkers are touched by the darkness of Shadowfell in their souls. When their powers emerge, all color drains from their skin and irises, leaving their eyes as large milky orbs dotted by a pupil. Orc legend claims that Wyrdwalkers are sired by the oni themselves in the guise of orcs and that they will one day turn against their kindred and murder everyone. Because of this stigma, they are exiled when they manifest and shunned by all orc kindred.

Wyrdwalkers live alone in wilds of Noxbog, growing powerful or dying as they fight the other creatures that thrive on darkness. The most powerful Wyrdwalkers are drawn inevitably into Shadowfell as they feed on the source of their elevation. They become fearsome creatures of the night and are one of the few threats that even the oni deal with cautiously.

Bloodmother

Wizard (School of Evocation)

Bloodmothers serve the Great Mother as disciples, learning the secrets of World Weaving, which allows them to shape the world around them and turn it against their enemies. Bloodmothers learn to harness the elements of nature to smite those that would threaten their kindred. They live and train alongside the Slayers and watch over the Circle of Mothers. When a Great Mother is killed or becomes too old to bear children she is replaced from among the Bloodmothers.

World Weaving is a dangerous and difficult pursuit that requires enormous patience and careful execution. When females are brought to the Circle of Mothers to bear their first children, they are tested and challenged by the Great Mother. Once their younglings are born, a few select mothers will be asked to stay among the Bloodmothers until the younglings are weaned. Those that show the necessary control and intellect must say goodbye to their offspring and begin their training in earnest.