Concept

The Karolygn region is the ruin of what was once the heart of the ancient Olygnian Empire. In their efforts to expand this empire, the ancient Olygnians sought power from the great dragons and their unfathomable deity, only to turn on their mentors and their kind, exterminating all dragons in their jealous bid for power. Finally the corrupt and twisted empire fell to in-fighting and rebellion, though at terrible and destructive cost, leaving the survivors to pick up the pieces for the last thousand years. Petty kingdoms rose and fell, but order slowly began to return for mankind.

Now, Tiamtu, “The Serpent That Moves Behind the Stars” comes for its due. The vicious beast-men once created by the empire to serve as soldiers and slaves grow in number and fury. Vile serpent cults perform blasphemous rituals. Hideous monsters crawl out of dank lairs. Madness spreads amongst the people like an invisible fire. The days are shorter, and the nights are longer. Peasants and kings alike burn candles in the darkness to ward off the shades of the long-extinct dragons, returned for their vengeance.

Can the end of the reign of man be far behind?

Races

• Humans
  About like you’d expect. Bold, creative, ambitious and… everywhere.
• Elves
  Fey and strange, more animal than not, with solid black eyes and sharp teeth and full, pointed ears, and yet still somehow beautiful in a way that makes the heart pound breath catch. Magical and predatory and seductive in turns.
• Dwarves
  Dark and craggy, like their mountain homes, with stout frames and full beards. Religious and conservative and quite often grumpy. Masters of crafting iron and stone, and greedy collectors of fine works and the wealth of their mountain mines. But despite their stony frames and dispositions, their eyes gleam in the hues of the gold and gems they so covet.

Threats

• Shadow Dragons
  Tenebrous, serpentine and somehow feline, these shadowy horrors can appear anywhere there is true darkness, attacking in magical silence. They fear only the cleansing light true fire. Little else is known, as few survive a single encounter, and should they do so, they may never step into darkness again without it waiting there for them. Or so they say. Most people keep small candles or lanterns with them from sunset to sunrise.