Anttelius - A World of Warlocks & Barbarians - An Introduction - Part II

Continuing with more characteristics of Anttelius - A World of Warlocks and Barbarians, the setting toolkit I am writing for Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells.

The World is Savage

Humanity lives huddled in small communities and few city-states, hiding from the savagery the besieges them in the wilderness beyond the walls of their decadent bastions of civilizations. These places are like fickle candles in a vast and windy field covered in savage darkness. Beasts, savages, monsters and other terrible things prowl around them, looking for their next prey outside the walls, and large swaths of land await explorers brave enough to uncover its secrets.

d12	Signs of a Savage World
1	A trail of blood and bodies leading further ahead.
2	A half eaten corpse with signs of nearby predators.
3	Bloody weapons and other objects marks the spot of a brutal combat.
4	Impaled corpses arranged in a savage ritual.
5	Trails of large and primitive animals.
6	Burnt remains of a small village.
7	Claw marks of a large predator marking its territory.
8	Strange totems and other signs of a savage tribe.
9	A wounded victim running for his life, barely able to ask for help.
10	Skinned corpses of humans and other animals arranged in strange patterns.
11	Howls and growls can be heard in the distance.
12	Two large predators fighting for a prey.

Civilization is Decadent

The height of civilization is long gone, and the cultures living today lie under the shadows of those who came before them. The great accomplishments in architecture, literature, arts, science and even sorcery of the past cannot be achieved by today’s craftsmen and specialist. Those that come close are merely imitating the ancient master with inferior results more often than not. Instead, most of humankind is content on indulging themselves with carnal pleasures, petty wars, lotus induced dreams and other forms of debauchery.

d12	Signs of a Decadent World
1	While the poor fight each other for rotten food, the rich indulge themselves in excess and throw up just to have more.
2	In a strange ritual festivities, a great orgy spreads through the streets.
3	A very tall tower, almost toppling, being occupied by the destitute masses, but with the architectural style of previous civilizations.
4	A party of the nobles with men and women lost in lotus induced dreams.
5	An ancient building having its murals repainted to cover "heretic" glorious art of the past.
6	A work of art from ancient times badly restored.
7	A public play centered on violence and cheap comedy.
8	Great statues toppled down.
9	A great theater now occupied by the poor.
10	A ruined and decorated ancient building that is being raided for stones.
11	A religious group burning books from an ancient civilization.
12	The streets are filled with trash and the corpses of drug addicts.

Civilization os Brutal

The many people of our current time are as brutal and savage as the world the surrounds them. Bloody sports, violent traditions and brutish customs permeate all cultures living today, as they know almost nothing besides violence. Slavery is a widespread practice, and human lives are valued just as much as a iron sword. Sometimes less. Mercenaries, pirates and savage tribes roam the wilderness in search for victims, either to be robbed, sold as slaves or offered in bloody sacrifices to sinister gods. Behind the walls of the City-States, hundreds of people watch bloody sports in stone arenas where the unlucky, the crazy and the poor fight each other for the amusement of petty nobles and the populace. In the end, each one has to decide between risking their lives in the savage wilderness outside the walls of their cities, or to live under the brutal rule and cruel laws of the nobles that govern their lands.

d12	Signs of a Brutal Society
1	A noble beating a slave for a minor misdeed in public.
2	Dozens of people walking behind a chained person. They throw rocks and other objects at the individual, who is bing punished by a crime.
3	The excited screams of a crowd can be heard around the arena of the City-State, as a group of foreign slaves is being torn apart by a ferocious beast.
4	A knight fighting a commoner who has offended a noble. This is the poor man’s trial.
5	An entire family hanged on a gruesome looking tree. They were accused of sinister deeds.
6	The ruins of an old temple where thousands of lives were sacrificed to demons of the Abyss. The dried blood of past victims can still be seen in the cold stone altar.
7	A group of armed slavers bringing forth a dozen chained prisoners to be sold to the highest bidder.
8	An individual being publicly lynched for spmr unacceptable behavior according to the local customs.
9	A small ring set up where the local population bets on fights to the death. Fighters are usually those that are desperate for any money, servants forced to fight or deranged individuals.
10	An execution happening in a public space. The victim’s family being forced to watch the death of their loved one.
11	A brutal ceremony being performed by the local clergy. Dozens of innocents are being flayed so their bodies are purified.
12	Dozens of impaled bodies hanging outside the walls of a community.

If you like what you've just read, check out my books over RPGNow and Lulu.