Asmora RPG

Welcome to Asmora, a world of kingdoms and empires, ancient civilizations, untamed wilderness, supernatural realms, and mysteries that have survived longer than most recorded histories.

Across its enormous continents, countless lives unfold independently of one another. Monarchs struggle to preserve their authority, merchants build fortunes through trade, adventurers pursue whatever opportunities catch their attention, and ordinary people simply try to make a living. Beyond the familiar borders of civilization, entire regions remain unexplored, inhabited by creatures and societies that may never have encountered the wider world.

Magic is woven into everyday existence, although its influence varies considerably between nations. Some civilizations remain firmly rooted in traditional medieval customs, while others have embraced rune-powered machinery, alchemy, and increasingly sophisticated technologies. Elsewhere, supernatural beings inhabit realms governed by entirely different laws, and certain mysteries are best left undisturbed.

There is no predetermined adventure waiting to begin, nor any particular role that must be fulfilled. Asmora is a living world, and the direction of this story belongs entirely to you.

Before beginning, you may establish the following details. Anything already covered by your character's persona does not need to be repeated.

• Starting Location: Where in Asmora would you like to begin? You may choose an established location or describe somewhere new.
• Starting Circumstances: What is your character currently doing, or what situation would you like to begin with?
• Additional Information: Anything relevant that isn't already included in your persona.
• Modifiers: Optional adjustments to difficulty, encounter frequency, pacing, atmosphere, or other aspects of the RPG.

You may also simply begin writing your character's first action, and the world will respond accordingly.

The Kingdom of Eryndor has endured centuries of warfare, political disputes, supernatural threats, and the occasional catastrophe that its historians would rather forget. Despite everything, life continues much as it always has. Farmers tend their fields, merchants travel between settlements, knights patrol the roads, and nobles argue over matters that rarely concern the common folk until something inevitably goes wrong.

Throughout the kingdom, fortified cities and modest villages stand among sprawling forests, rolling countryside, and mountains whose remote passages remain poorly charted. Magic is neither unheard of nor universally trusted, while the presence of monsters, bandits, and other dangers ensures that even relatively peaceful regions have their share of problems.

On this particular day, Eryndor is going about its business. Marketplaces are filling with customers, taverns are preparing for another evening of travelers, and the kingdom's roads carry everyone from wandering mercenaries to ordinary families visiting neighboring towns. Somewhere, a noble household is undoubtedly plotting against another, but most people have more immediate concerns.

For now, nothing demands anyone's attention. Whatever opportunities, troubles, or discoveries lie ahead will depend on where someone chooses to go and what they decide to involve themselves in.

Your story begins in Eryndor.

The Kaelor Dominion has never been particularly interested in remaining faithful to the traditions of the past. While its aristocracy continues to maintain the familiar structures of feudal authority, the empire's growing industries and increasingly ambitious researchers have transformed much of everyday life into something rather different from that of its neighboring kingdoms.

Rune-powered machinery operates alongside traditional craftsmanship, alchemical workshops supply everything from medicine to experimental weaponry, and enormous industrial districts support a population whose livelihoods depend upon the Dominion's continued expansion. Wealth and innovation are celebrated, although neither is distributed particularly fairly. Beyond the impressive architecture and technological achievements, political corruption, exploitation, and disputes between influential institutions remain persistent problems.

The empire's settlements are rarely quiet. Factory workers move between shifts, merchants negotiate contracts, soldiers maintain order, and researchers pursue discoveries that may eventually benefit the Dominion—or cause considerable trouble for everyone involved. Some residents enjoy lives of extraordinary comfort, while others struggle beneath the weight of an economic system that has little sympathy for those unable to keep up.

For all its advancements, Kaelor remains a nation of contradictions. Ancient magic and emerging technology coexist, traditional nobility competes with industrial influence, and the promise of progress means very different things depending on whom one asks.

Your story begins somewhere within the Kaelor Dominion.

There are places throughout Asmora that travelers avoid for perfectly understandable reasons. The Deadlands happen to be among the most notorious.

Stretching across an immense expanse of ruined settlements, desolate wilderness, and remnants of civilizations whose names have largely disappeared from recorded history, the region has acquired a reputation that few sensible individuals would willingly challenge. The dead do not always remain dead here, and whatever ancient forces corrupted the land have left their influence upon creatures, structures, and sometimes the very environment itself.

Abandoned fortresses stand among crumbling roads, forgotten burial grounds conceal things that should probably remain undisturbed, and the ruins of once-prosperous settlements attract scholars, treasure hunters, necromancers, and individuals with considerably less respectable intentions. Some expeditions return carrying valuable artifacts or previously unknown knowledge. Others are never heard from again.

Despite its reputation, the Deadlands are not entirely devoid of activity. Scattered encampments, temporary research outposts, wandering scavengers, and other unusual inhabitants persist wherever survival remains possible. Their reasons for staying vary, and not everyone encountered within the region is necessarily hostile.

The dangers here are genuine, but they are not constant. Long stretches of uneasy silence can pass without incident, and even the most cursed territories have places where travelers may find temporary shelter.

Your story begins somewhere within the Deadlands.

Few places in Asmora can rival the sheer activity of Orynveil, the enormous port city whose prosperity depends upon the countless vessels traveling across the Abyssal. Its harbors accommodate merchant ships, fishing boats, military vessels, privateers, and the occasional suspicious-looking craft whose captain would strongly prefer not to answer questions about their cargo.

The city is a sprawling mixture of cultures, languages, and competing interests. Merchants from distant nations negotiate alongside local traders, sailors crowd waterfront taverns after months at sea, and shipping companies compete for access to profitable routes. Entire fortunes can be made through maritime commerce, although the dangers involved have ruined just as many ambitious individuals.

Beyond Orynveil's harbors lies the Abyssal itself, an ocean so vast that even experienced navigators have explored only a fraction of its waters. Violent storms, unpredictable currents, and enormous marine creatures have claimed countless ships, while stories of disappearing islands and magically altered seas circulate among sailors with varying degrees of credibility.

Among the more persistent legends are accounts of the Shattered Reef, an immense and dangerous formation that appears and disappears under circumstances nobody has reliably explained. Others speak of forgotten islands containing ancient treasures, dragon eggs, and artifacts of unimaginable value. Whether such stories are genuine discoveries, exaggerated accounts, or deliberate fabrications is another matter entirely.

For most inhabitants of Orynveil, however, life remains grounded in more ordinary concerns. Ships require crews, cargo needs transporting, debts must be paid, and another day of trade is already underway.

Your story begins in Orynveil or somewhere upon the Abyssal Ocean.

Deep within the mountains of Asmora lies Ironmere, an underground metropolis whose existence challenges the notion that civilization requires sunlight, open skies, or even a particularly reasonable amount of space. Carved into the interior of an enormous mountain, the city extends through countless chambers, interconnected districts, tunnels, and artificial caverns, some of which have been inhabited for generations.

Ironmere is home to a remarkably diverse population, although dwarves, goblins, and kobolds make up a considerable portion of its inhabitants. Dwarven craftsmen operate workshops renowned for their metallurgy and stonework, goblin merchants conduct business in crowded marketplaces where practically anything can be bought for the right price, and kobold communities occupy intricate tunnel networks that outsiders frequently find impossible to navigate without assistance. Other races are hardly unusual, either, particularly in the commercial districts where travelers and traders from distant nations regularly pass through.

The city rarely experiences anything resembling complete silence. Hammers ring against anvils, mining equipment rumbles somewhere beyond the inhabited districts, and merchants argue over prices with the sort of enthusiasm that suggests the argument itself is half the entertainment. Enormous furnaces illuminate industrial chambers, while residential districts rely upon combinations of magical lighting, ventilation shafts, and carefully maintained infrastructure to remain habitable.

Naturally, Ironmere has its share of problems. Mining disputes, territorial disagreements, criminal enterprises, and political rivalries are familiar concerns, while the deeper passages occasionally produce discoveries that would have been better left buried. Some tunnels have remained unexplored for centuries, and even the city's authorities cannot confidently account for every passage beneath their jurisdiction.

Still, for the overwhelming majority of its inhabitants, Ironmere is simply home. Children attend lessons, families gather around dinner tables, businesses open and close, and the occasional drunken argument spills out of a tavern long after its proprietor has attempted to shut the doors.

Your story begins within Ironmere

Far beneath the surface of Asmora, beyond the reach of ordinary sunlight and the attention of most surface civilizations, there are whispers of a city known as Xerathis. Some claim it exists directly beneath Exina, while others insist that its supposed location is little more than an elaborate rumor. Whatever the truth may be, those familiar with the subterranean world know that Xerathis is considerably more than a collection of forgotten tunnels.

The city is an immense underground civilization inhabited primarily by beings whose existence has historically complicated their relationships with the surface world. Vampires, werewolves, and numerous other nocturnal creatures have established communities within its sprawling districts, building a society whose customs, laws, and social expectations differ considerably from those of ordinary human kingdoms.

Ancient architecture stands alongside structures built or renovated throughout the centuries, with elaborate residences belonging to influential supernatural families overlooking crowded streets and commercial districts. Magical illumination provides what natural sunlight cannot, while specialized businesses cater to the rather unusual requirements of the city's inhabitants. Certain establishments operate according to schedules that would seem completely unreasonable to outsiders, although time loses much of its conventional meaning when daylight is no longer a concern.

Xerathis is hardly a united paradise. Vampire households maintain longstanding rivalries, werewolf communities possess their own traditions and internal disagreements, and countless independent factions compete for territory, influence, and economic opportunities. Some inhabitants advocate peaceful coexistence with surface civilizations, while others prefer that the city's existence remain a matter of speculation.

Despite these tensions, everyday life continues. Merchants conduct business, families raise children, students pursue their education, and residents gather in taverns, clubs, and public spaces much as they would anywhere else. Being a creature of the night does not necessarily make someone a monster, although Xerathis certainly has no shortage of those either.

Your story begins within Xerathis

The mountains of Drakemount rise above the surrounding landscape like enormous monuments to an age that predates much of Asmora's recorded history. Their peaks disappear into clouds, their valleys conceal settlements that rarely appear on conventional maps, and their countless caverns are said to contain treasures accumulated over centuries, sometimes millennia. Yet gold and precious stones are hardly the most remarkable things hidden within these mountains.

Drakemount is a dominion of dragons, ancient creatures whose strength, intelligence, and extraordinary lifespans have shaped the region's history in ways that few mortal civilizations could hope to replicate. Some rule over territories and mortal vassals, while others remain secluded within their lairs, concerning themselves with matters that may appear utterly incomprehensible to shorter-lived beings. Their personalities and ambitions vary enormously, and assuming that every dragon shares the same temperament is a particularly effective way of making a very expensive mistake.

Beneath their influence, numerous mortal and supernatural communities have established themselves throughout the mountain ranges. Settlements occupy sheltered valleys, fortified passes, and cavern systems, with their inhabitants relying upon trade, craftsmanship, mining, agriculture, and whatever arrangements they maintain with the region's draconic authorities. Some dragons are respected as protectors or rulers, others are feared as tyrants, and a few have little interest in governing anything beyond their own possessions.

The mountains themselves are no less unpredictable than their inhabitants. Violent weather, unstable passages, territorial creatures, and ancient magical phenomena make travel difficult, while forgotten ruins and abandoned strongholds attract explorers willing to risk their lives for the possibility of discovering something valuable.

For all the legends surrounding Drakemount, however, its inhabitants still have ordinary lives to maintain. Markets open, disputes arise, children grow older, and merchants complain about transportation costs. Even beneath the shadow of an ancient dragon, someone still has to repair the roads.

Your story begins somewhere within Drakemount

OBLIVIS CORPORATION — INTERNAL NETWORK

SECURE CONNECTION ESTABLISHED

NOTICE: Unauthorized access to corporate infrastructure, personnel records, experimental documentation, and containment systems is strictly prohibited. All activity is monitored, recorded, and subject to review by the Department of Security Affairs.

Far beneath the isolated Orision Isle, hidden from the knowledge of nearly every civilization upon Asmora, exists an organization whose influence and resources surpass those of entire nations. The Oblivis Corporation operates from an immense subterranean complex extending deep beneath the Abyssal Ocean, its facilities encompassing everything from conventional research laboratories and administrative departments to containment structures designed for beings that ordinary civilizations would struggle to comprehend.

The upper levels maintain an appearance of clinical professionalism. Security personnel patrol carefully maintained corridors, researchers conduct scheduled examinations, and administrative staff process an endless stream of reports, requisitions, and classified documentation. Deeper within the complex, however, the distinction between scientific research and outright exploitation becomes increasingly difficult to maintain.

Experimental subjects range from ordinary mortals and magical creatures to ancient supernatural entities, corrupted beings, and artifacts whose properties defy conventional understanding. Specialized containment facilities occupy enormous chambers, while the corporation's more ambitious projects extend into pocket realms accessible through runic gateways within the Core. Some of these realms serve as laboratories or resource extraction sites, while others exist primarily to contain things that cannot safely be housed elsewhere.

The corporation maintains its own heavily armed security forces, researchers, specialists, and a formidable Black Ops legion composed of creatures selected for their exceptional capabilities. Among its most feared figures is Obsidia, the mysterious fallen Seraphim who commands the legion, although even many employees know little beyond her designation and reputation.

Corporate hierarchy is rigid, information is compartmentalized, and access to restricted areas depends upon authorization rather than curiosity. Employees may spend their entire careers without learning what occurs several levels beneath their assigned departments. Meanwhile, contained individuals and experimental subjects experience the organization from a considerably different perspective.

Despite the extraordinary nature of its operations, Oblivis remains an institution with everyday responsibilities. Personnel require accommodation, supplies must be transported, equipment needs maintenance, and administrative disagreements continue even when the subject of a meeting happens to be an entity capable of destroying a city.

Your story begins within the Oblivis Corporation

OBLIVIS CORPORATION — SESSION INITIALIZED

Somewhere within the vast expanse of the Abyssal Ocean, surrounded by waters notorious for their unpredictable weather and dangerous inhabitants, lies an isolated island known as Orision Isle. Its continued existence has puzzled sailors and navigators for generations, particularly given its location above the ocean's deepest known region, the infamous Point Zero.

Unlike the countless islands rumored to appear and disappear throughout the Abyssal, Orision remains remarkably consistent. Its shores are heavily monitored, maritime access is restricted, and the facilities occupying its surface have become widely recognized as among the most secure institutions in Asmora.

The island is home to the Orision Isle Asylum, a prestigious psychiatric institution specializing in the treatment and rehabilitation of individuals considered too unstable, dangerous, or otherwise difficult to accommodate within conventional facilities. A separate prison complex operates alongside the asylum, housing prisoners whose circumstances require exceptional security measures.

According to its public statements, the institution offers advanced medical care, professional supervision, and rehabilitation programs intended to restore patients to a condition where they may eventually return to ordinary society. Its advertisements are reassuring, its representatives maintain a carefully cultivated image of professionalism, and its administrators are remarkably confident in the institution's ability to handle even the most complicated cases.

Life on the island follows a strict routine. Medical personnel conduct examinations, security officers patrol designated areas, administrative employees manage arrivals and transfers, and maintenance workers ensure that the extensive infrastructure remains operational. Patients attend scheduled activities and treatment sessions, while prisoners follow a considerably more restrictive daily schedule.

Not everyone views the institution favorably. Former employees occasionally circulate unsettling stories, relatives complain about limited communication, and sailors visiting the island sometimes describe peculiar restrictions that seem excessive even for such a secure facility. Most of these accounts are dismissed as exaggerations, misunderstandings, or the inevitable rumors surrounding an isolated institution.

Whatever the truth may be, Orision Isle continues operating, receiving new arrivals and maintaining its reputation as a place where even the most difficult individuals can supposedly be rehabilitated.

Your story begins upon Orision Isle,

The distant sound of waves against the island's rocky coastline accompanies another ordinary day at Orision Isle Asylum.

Across the kingdoms and empires of Asmora, authority is rarely distributed equally. Kings and queens govern from elaborate palaces, noble houses maintain ancestral estates, and influential families compete for wealth, territory, political favor, and the continuation of bloodlines whose histories are sometimes older than the nations they inhabit.

The lives of the aristocracy are often associated with extraordinary privilege. Grand banquets, elaborate ceremonies, private gardens, expensive clothing, and sprawling estates represent only a fraction of the comforts available to those fortunate enough to inherit the right name. Yet beneath the impressive appearances, noble society is a complicated network of obligations, rivalries, personal ambitions, and expectations that can prove surprisingly difficult to escape.

Marriages may be arranged to strengthen political alliances, inheritance disputes can divide entire families, and a poorly considered remark during a formal gathering may damage relationships cultivated over decades. Some nobles devote themselves to public service or the prosperity of their territories, while others pursue personal enrichment with little regard for the people beneath their authority.

The individuals surrounding these powerful households are equally important. Servants, guards, tutors, physicians, merchants, advisors, diplomats, and countless other professionals maintain the elaborate machinery of aristocratic life. Their experiences differ enormously depending upon their employers, responsibilities, and social standing, and many possess knowledge or influence that their supposed superiors would be unwise to underestimate.

Nor does every kingdom follow the same traditions. Eryndor's comparatively conventional medieval aristocracy differs considerably from the industrial and political hierarchy of the Kaelor Dominion, while supernatural societies may possess entirely different expectations regarding inheritance, authority, and status.

Beyond the formalities of noble life, ordinary human concerns remain. Families argue, friendships develop, children disappoint their parents, and even the wealthiest individuals occasionally discover that money cannot solve every inconvenience.

Your story begins within the aristocratic or political society of an Asmoran nation of your choosing.