The Setting

It has been 30 years since the end of the Great War, the worldwide engagement that lasted ten years and brought destruction to all people. Victory was celebrated at the time, but in truth, any gains were pitiful. Recovery proved to be a hard task that may never be realized, while despair is growing hand in hand with distrust.

Now, at the turn of the age, things are looking darker than ever. The young are itching for war, eager to repay blood debts on their old foes, or to prove themselves as worthy as their parents (and their parents before them). Those old enough to have surived the Great War fear that one more will bring the end of all.

In these final days, the world is changing fast. Alliances are broken and then reforged, spies and assassins sent to the four corners of the world. Terrible creatures rule over the wilds in the night once again. The Old Gods are gone, displaced by new ideas, and with them their world fades. Even the dwarves feel it, deep in their mountain halls.

A man can only put faith in himself and in the cold steel in his hands – and sometimes only in the latter. A strong arm, a quick blade, a sharp mind, all these and more are essential. For the few who dare stand tall and look the world in the eye, things have never been more complicated.

Acherusis World Map - Click for larger version