Dark Ages Swords Against Darkness

Introduction

The year is 724. The once great Empire of Augusta has fallen, its former provinces falling one by one to barbarians. The Isle of Albion in the northwest is overrun with Saxons, who struggle for dominance with the Picts of the north, the Cymbrians of the west, and the Eriuish from across the sea. The imperial holdings on the continent of Ereba are likewise fragmented. The western province of Iberia, first overrun by the Princes of the Visigoths, has now been subject to the armies of the Ummayad Caliphate, which rules the northern coast of Affrik and threatens the islands of Sikilia, Sardinus, and Kors. Frankish lords squabble amongst themselves while pagan Saxons and horse-mounted nomads threaten from the east. In the far north, the rulers of the Skanni kingdoms struggle for dominance-and woe to the erstwhile imperial provinces if a strong leader should ever emerge. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Empire hold out in the corrupt and ancient city of Byzantios that guards access to Sea of Zalpa and its luxurious trade in silk and spice.

Still, not all has been lost, for some memory of imperial civilization and law remains. From the Eternal City, the Archcleric of Augusta is a powerful force for order and good. In Albion, the new King of Mercia seeks to bring unity to the squabbling kingdoms. Amonst the contentious Frankish lords, the warlord known as the Hammer has taken power, forging the disparate kingdoms into one. The lawful realms of Aquitania, Burgundy, and Bavaria uphold the laws of the empire while spreading the Light of Amon to the darker corners of the land. And the vigorous Longobardic King Hlotbrand is a force of law and righteousness.

The call for heroes goes out. Here, in the rubble of the past, amid elf-haunted forests and goblin-held mines, where the beastmen cavort under the pale lights of the twin moons Eä and Isil, and loathsome hags lurk in thicket and fen, waiting to snatch unwary travelers and drag them to their muddy lairs, where desperate brigands, savage pagans, and fierce nomads raid the civilized lands, here, in this uncertain world, where strength and cunning mean more than family and birth, where the blade in the dark is turned aside by the hairsbreadth chance of sheer luck, here the way to fame and glory lies open to any bold or foolish enough to follow its shifting, serpentine path.

What is Dark Ages?

Dark Ages is a campaign setting compatible with many different fantasy roleplaying systems. It combines historical, dark, and low fantasy with select elements of epic fantasy and swords and sorcery. It is set in a fantasy version of 8th-century Earth that includes elves, dwarves, goblins, and other mythical races from literature and legend. But it differs from other mythical approaches to real world settings in that the monsters and fantastic races contained herein have retained their classic rpg character; their lairs and domains are located in the world. Thus, the Pictish kingdoms can attempt to ally with the dwarves in fighting off the incursions of Dal Riada, while invading Avar tribesmen can make common cause with the hobgoblins of the Carpathian Mountains when attempting to fall upon the vulnerable former imperial provinces to the west.

The landmasses on the maps will be familiar to most players.  The map included here is obviously one of Europe, called Ereba.  To the north is the Scandinavian peninsula, here called the lands of the Skanni.  To the west are the two large islands of Britain and Ireland, called Albion and Eriu respectively.  Like medieval Europe, Ereba has the feel of religious monotheism, in that a single god of law and righteousness, Amon, is honored throughout the "civilized" portions of this land.  Amon is a greater god, but his church is comprised of several religious orders dedicated to lesser gods, "great" saints like Cadoc, Columbar, Cuthbert, and Illtyd, along with the appropriated gods of an earlier period who have been rededicated to the service of Amon-Twrog, Nienna, and others.  Lesser saints have, roughly, the powers of demigods.

Character classes are archetypal but with a historical feel, including traditional classes like fighter, cleric, and magic-user, but with other classes specific to the Dark Ages setting like bard, berserker, and scout. Specific abilities and skills depend on the character's background-Saxons are strong foot soldiers, for instance, while Franks are fair horsemen. The berserker class is limited to those of Skanni and Saxon background (the Saxons having some vestiges of paganism still), while the bard class is strongly connected to Gallic ancestry.

Unlike many fantasy settings, Dark Ages does not feature world mobility-campaigns are localized to particular areas. This is not to say that PCs cannot travel to other lands-but it does mean that an adventuring party consisting of a Cymbrian Scout, a Magic-User from Araby, a Frankish Fighter, a Skanni Berserker, and a Thief from Byzantios is not likely to be assembled. Rather, adventuring parties are confined to those classes and backgrounds specific to the area of the campaign. Characters are predominately human, though demihuman characters are possible. Most commonly, demihuman characters will be halflings, with dwarves being uncommon while gnomes and elves are exceedingly rare.