Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="TheIdeaOfGood" data-source="post: 8285508" data-attributes="member: 6888735">Since the new book encourages DMs to build their own custom domains, I thought...why not a thread dedicated to those?I'll start with the custom domain I'm working on, something inspired by Dark Souls.         DanuethDeathless Domain of Twilight and StagnationDarklord: First Lord LlewellynGenres: Dark Fantasy and Cosmic HorrorHallmarks: Faded glory, fear, endless repetition without renewalMist Talismans: Sword worn down through overuse, old wooden ladle, handful of coal that still glimmers without ever fully going coldCrumbling remnants of castles, cathedrals and mausoleums dot a landscape that is at once verdant and barren. Plants are trapped in an aching half-life, many beset by parasites and fungus but unable to die even as they themselves no longer bear fruit.Life reigns supreme here, but it is a life that has long forgotten its purpose. Wounds may fester and become infested with flies and maggots, but while the pain may be unbearable, it never leads to the release of death.If there is a sun, no one has seen it in a long time, only a diffuse, twilight glow escaping from behind the omnipresent heavy cloud cover.Nohing larger than a bug can bring forth new life, as all life energy is needed to keep perpetuating those creatures that are already alive.Is it any wonder that the inhabitants have lost their minds? Called the Wasted, these poor souls wander endlessly, mindlessly performing the same tasks over and over and reacting with insane rage towards anyone interrupting them before resuming their futile works.Others try and stave off madness by finding for themselves meaningful tasks, anything that helps them delude themselves into thinking their lives and their actions matter – even if gained coin is not spent, vanquished foes just get up again and salvation has long lost any kind of meaning.But every once in a while something resurfaces – an ancient prophecy that promises an end to this eternal, unnatural life. The prophecy changes every time, always demanding different tasks but those always culminate in the slaying of First Lord Llewellyn.If the prophecy is fulfilled, night descends upon the land...for a day. For a day, every creature can enjoy rest. But the next day, it all resumes. Lord Llewellyn is resurrected in Death’s Cauldron and every creature awakens, their mind clear...and that one night of rest makes the memory of the hell that is eternal life all the more painful.Noteworthy features:Those familiar with Danueth know the following facts:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Nothing can die in Danueth. Wounds heal quickly, but their pain is wholly felt. Diseases are more virulent within the land’s borders but cannot cause the victim to perish.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sleep is impossible while within the lands but rest can still be attained – in a manner of speaking.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The land is covered in the remnants of a once-mighty kingdom and fabulous treasures lie about unattended.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Those who are not Wasted yet cling to their self-appointed task with religious fanaticism and will not hesitate to betray, maim or abuse in the pursuit of their tasks.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There are no children in the whole realm</li> </ul>          Settlements and sitesDanueth was once a land of marshes, high moors, coastal cliffs and seemingly endless wood- and grasslands, enjoying a temperate climate that allowed for both agriculture and animal husbandry. Today, the fields are overgrown and from the swamps creep parasitic growths that would choke the life out of more wholesome plantlife – if it could only die.Cymruh (Zim-Roo)This little fishing village is the first place many visitors see, for the cliffs near its shore have spelled doom for many a ship that got lost in the Mists. The crew eventually ends up being washed up on the shore, mysteriously not drowned and often stumbles into Cymruh, a dismal village of ramshackle driftwood houses, leaky boats and buckets upon buckets of fish that still flop about, endlessly suffocating. Those few locals who are not Wasted are friendly, if a bit disturbing-looking, for nearly all of them have become hosts to various parasitic sea life. They will warn newcomers and if asked for a boat to escape, they will shrug and let them take whatever boat they want.In the end, the boat and the fugitives will return anyway.Since eating something that just cannot die is extremely unpleasant, the locals have given up fishing for the most part and have resorted to distilling alcohol which they drink in copious amounts.It helps to dull the hunger pangs and staves off Wastedom. And if it makes one blind, what is there to see anyway?           Brennach (Brenn-ak)Once, this was the jewel of the realm, a metropolis housing more than 400,000 people. Architects had slowly turned the city into a true marvel, an interconnected maze of walkways, thoroughfares, spires and tunnels, of public forums, aqueducts, fountains, palaces and cathedrals to Belenus. Statuary was found at every corner, reliefs and paintings telling of the glory of Danueth, of its people coming from the sea to settle the wilds and cleanse them of monsters. Even the places where the lowborn gathered were filled with statues, the Restorator's Guild responsible for maintaining the myriad pieces of art.And in the center was the palace of the First Lord, ruler of the lands, a many-spired heart of the city cast in white marble and gold and silver roofs. Legends speak of times when those who had seen the city would rather end their lives than endure the heartbreak of having to leave again.Today, the city has fallen silent, the statuary defaced or just fallen to ruin as vines creep over everything. Wasted stalk the streets, a danger to anyone who is still has their wits about them while the darker corners of the city have become home to monsters.A few brave souls are holding out, staging expeditions to reclaim more of the city from the Wasted, but they are just delaying their own descent into madness.And in the palace, First Lord Llewellyn broods on his throne, surveying his work. He abhors his neverending life, but fears death even more, daring not to leave his audience chamber, the place where he slew the Green Knight and ended the reign of death.</blockquote>

Verification