Starting Point

Written by BenScerri

Welcome to So Below! This article serves as the starting point for new players, and as a convenient directory for those already established. The following information should be read through before your first session — mostly to make sure you understand the tone and rules of the game, and how to play. After that, feel free to explore this wiki to your hearts content; there are lots of mysteries and secrets hidden within which can give you clues and rumours to follow up on in game, though it's all extra content, not required reading.

What Came Before

The End Times, the Final Battle. A last stand of mortals against an inexhaustible tide of demons that heralded the closing days of Glüm. You fought valiantly, side by side with more than half the world, having put down tools and forsaken treasure in exchange for a blade and the promise of rebirth in the Next World.
But the End never came. The Dark Gods were defeated, their armies scattered and destroyed. The Freefolk were victorious. No one was more surprised than the Prophets at the head of your host, nor was anyone less prepared.
For seasons, farms had been left fallow, forges had been cold, cities had been empty. No one expected to survive the year, so no one planned for the next. Families were shattered as hundreds threw in their lot with the Dark Powers, hoping for sanctuary (or at least a quick death). Thousands more forsook their fellows, turning to drink and other vices in those dark days.
When the world didn’t end, everything collapsed.
Millions of soldiers marched back to homes that were no longer there, without food in their larders or coins for their troubles. Many endeavoured just to rebuild something. Anything. Others turned to banditry against those few who still had scraps, or worst of all the tiny minority who hoarded all they could during the darkness.
Now, monumentally powerful brokers hold the strings to what little remains, forcing those who kept hold of their swords to serve them, or to strike out on their own.
You chose the latter. You turned west, to Gol-Kasha, a land that was failing even before the End, a land whose people turned away long ago. Others are trickling in, following in the hopes of a better life, but they need Scofflaws like you to lead the way… They need heroes like you to rekindle hope in that dying land.

Rules

These are the rules and principles we stand by in So Below, inspired by those from the Babble On community. If you have any questions, contact GM Bee.

What We Stand For

1. The rights and respect of physical and mental ability as well as racial, cultural, national, gender, and sexual backgrounds.
2. Listening first.
3. Being open and honest about our feelings.
4. Standing in solidarity with members of our community, and correcting the mistakes we make.
5. Being fans of one another, their work, and their Characters, to better support a joyous community and collaborative game.

What We Stand Against

1. Trolling, purposeful disrespect, harmful language.
2. Positioning one’s self as righteous or better than another.
3. Placing the emotional labour of self-bettering on the marginalized.
4. Fascism, racism, transantagonism, sexism, homophobia, purposeful misgendering, ableism, ageism, whorephobia, and the oppression of all marginalized peoples.

In the Discord, and any So Below sessions, you are expected to uphold these rules. If the rules are broken, GM Bee will examine the situation and provide both a warning and a method of bettering your behaviour. If you have to be warned in this way more than once, you’re subject to suspension or an outright ban from this community. If GM Bee is the cause for concern, a neutral party will be elected to resolve the issue.

Lines & Veils

During So Below sessions, and within community discussions, all community members are expected to respect the Lines & Veils outlined in this article. Please take the time to read and understand its content!

Artwork Policy

As So Below uses a virtual tabletop, there's a lot of art that goes into it: from Character Tokens to maps to item icons, etc. The following policy covers all artwork that is used and allowed in the game / Foundry server / Discord server / World Anvil wiki:

1. Artwork that is owned, or artwork which you have a license to use, is preferred above all other works. If you would like to get a piece of art commissioned for your Character, please ask in #tap-room, as the channel members know many artists who will be able to help for very reasonable prices! Otherwise, there are lots of public domain works which we can point you towards, some of which are already in use in game!
2. Unowned or unlicensed artwork is allowed only insofar as a stand-in, a "proxy", for artwork you intend to replace with owned or licensed work. If you do not own or hold a license to this work, a link through to its source is appreciated.
3. AI generated pieces are allowed only insofar as they fit the above terms for "proxy" art. AI should be used as a concepting tool only, not as a producer of finished artwork. Feel free to use AI generated pieces, but only with the intention of having them replaced in the future with real art created by a human that you own or have a license to.
4. There is no strict time limit on when unowned / unlicensed / AI generated works need to be replaced. This is an honour system.

Getting Started

1. Join the Discord! All our sessions and session planning is done via our Discord server, so you'll need to jump over there to play.
2. Create a Character! We like to use Pathbuilder, an online app, to easily create Characters. Make sure you create a new Character from scratch at level 1. Once you have your Character made, post it in the #tap-room on the Discord, and GM Bee will bring them into the Foundry for you to use. If you have any problems building your Character, please ask our community members in the #tap-room; we have several members who love building Characters and have a lot of experience helping in a respectful and patient manner.
3. Post Character Art! Send a picture of your Character to the #tap-room so that we can convert it into a token for the Foundry VTT. Any picture is fine, just review the Artwork Policy above before making your choice!
4. Book a Session! If you haven't done so already, book into a session of So Below so you can take your new Character on a journey through Gol-Kasha!