Desmian Campaign Setting

Desmia, the Land of Blood and War, is a land with enough violence for any combat-oriented campaign. Desmian pirates and crusaders make excellent villains just about anywhere, as they are in perpetual war with basically the rest of the world and are something of an existential threat to most people.
But what about actual games set fully in the Desmian continental area? There's war, sure, but how do independent adventurers fit into this? The truth is that a Desmian game is going to be a little different than others in terms of tone and gameplay.

Aesthetics, Themes, and Tone

This is the heavy metal continent. Blood rains from the sky once a year. Everyone has weapons and militarism is the norm. Temples and soldiers constantly blare the message that the world is out to get you and that endless hordes of demons are on their way. Captured enemies are ritually sacrificed. People walk around with badges or necklaces showing how many demons they killed, so K/D ratio is part of social standing
Desmia is a land where most people are fatalistically indoctrinated into believing that they need to kill to survive. While some Desmians - particularly those who seek to bring slaughter to foreign lands - can get really enthusiastic about this, most continental Desmians are more desperate and afraid than cackling butchers. Any game here is going to have to deal with that, and it might bring a sobering tone to things.
The terror of war, good people who are so thoroughly trapped in a toxic worldview that they make the world a worse place, and the constant feeling of being under attack are big centerpieces of the continent. Plan your themes and tone accordingly - it doesn't have to be grim, but there is a darkness here that can give tonal whiplash.

Designing a Character

So, first you're going to want to choose one of the four big religious factions, to determine who you want to kill and what your aesthetic is. If the party is going to be trucking around Desmia as a band of misfits, you will want to avoid making characters that will kill each other on sight.

• Orthodox Desmians are the vast majority of the continent. They are majority-human, but do include humanoid cats, Haltia, and Vesper ). They believe that most other races are some kind of demon. They view the Architects as evil Gods that they are at war with, and so wage war on the entire world. The Architects cursed the land for their crimes, but seemed to keep them around anyways. Very dark-crusader/blood-knight aesthetic
• Mathari Dryads. Basically, Dryads, some humans, and a smattering of other species that see the Orthodox as naturally-tainted sinners and want to conquer all for their God-king. They have appropriated the whole demon-thing for themselves and see themselves as demons punishing a sinful world. They revel in that goth aesthetic
• Feywilders, raiders from a special mutated area in the center of the continent. They wage war for glory, gold, and safety of their sanctuaries - not because they want to wipe anyone out. Often mercenaries. Very much highlander-barbarian aesthetic, for some nice Viking or Braveheart stuff. Also can look super weird and elfy. Can be any species.
• Ishkibites, Desmians who want to redeem the Gods and kill in the name of forgiveness. Black and purple aesthetic, but very much the classic paladin vibes found in more familiar religions. Think paladin-spies, saving innocents from sacrifice or slaughter. Typically human.

As you could probably tell, humans, haltia, cats, and vesper will have a much nicer time here. Starspawn, Kobolds, and Pearl pangolins are survivable choices. Dryads, Prisms, Solars, Half Dryads, Half Prisms, and Choricals all are going to be tough choices that may involve a lot of disguise or stealth.
Next, you'll want a name. See Desmian language for a good name list.
As for languages, the following are useful options:

• Desmian, for Orthodox territories
• Mathari, for the Mathari Empire and Feywilds
• Selkie - for the traveling Selkie merchants
• Cat - for speaking to a non-humanoid cat
• One of the two mountain tongues (Dezemkesh and Sakojan)
• Goza-Trayan or Desmian Izekran for sailors
• Kenaren for Ishkibites

As for background choices, the Soldier background is going to get a lot of mileage here. Each faction shares their veteran warriors and respects veterans deeply, so soldiery opens a lot of doors. Sailors also can zip along the crusading fleets very effectively. None of the base backgrounds will be less useful here.
Some Fun Class-Related Hooks and Details:

• Nature-oriented classes can come from the Feywilds and the uncontrolled mountains near Empire of Avana and The Holy Republic of Pakray. These tend to be Feywilder or Ishkibite, but you can do whatever.
• Big monk locations include the Kingdom of Ralev and the poet-monks of Nekiton.
• A magical academy exists in Ederum, and there's another wizard-specific academy in the Kingdom of Adava.
• Special warlock groups exist in the Nightmare City of Nefka in the Feywilds, as well as on the remote islands of the Northwest (which are ruled by Warlock cults).
• Sorcerers are a little rare here
• Paladins, thanks to their association with the forbidden demonic Lunar Pantheon, do not command the kind of innate public respect here that they might in other places

Designing a Campaign

There are a few options here: a Military Game where everyone is fighting in some crusade or war; an Expedition Game where everyone is running around an uncontrolled zone; or a Subterfuge Game where everyone is sneaking through enemy territory trying to cause chaos, free captives, and generally stir problems. You can also set your game at the end of the world (2020 ME), with an Apocalypse Game. Basically, apocalyptic forces besiege the world, causing problems all over - your players must band together to survive and protect their loved ones. For players currently in a game, the last one may contain light spoilers
For a Military Game:

• The Golden Crusade or its Northern counterpart, the Amber Crusade, are the prime zones for big set piece fights, trenches, ambushes, etc. This is the Mathari versus the Orthodoxy
• The Silver Crusade down South is kinda similar, but Orthodoxy versus Ishkibites. See the Holy State of Rukray
• The Emerald Crusade is much further South and is much less organized. Its much more about profiteering and small groups out for themselves. Its Orthodox versus Ishkibites again, but this time tropical. For fans of "Apocalypse Now". See the Kingdom of Taneth
• In the Platinum Order, monsters run wild and Seruvians (radical zealots against the government) are stirring rebellions.

For an Expedition Game:

• The Feywilds are made for this. Lots of little, decentralized villages and factions, lots of places to explore, monsters everywhere.
• The Desemkal Mountains between the Kingdom of Ralev and Empire of Avana is another prime candidate. Monsters, no clear controlling faction, exploration.
• The Sakoja Mountains East of the Holy Republic of Pakray will work fine. A lot less dangerous monsters, but a lot more survivalism and mountain climbing.

A Subterfuge Game depends a lot on what faction the group is a part of.

• Ishkibites were made for subterfuge games and can do them virtually anywhere.
• Mathari games might take place in the Kidon March, Kingdom of Torza, or even Empire of Avana
• Orthodox games might take place in the Mathari Empire or Holy State of Rukray.
• Feywild versions of this would be probably closer to raids?

An Apocalypse Game has lots of diverse threats and enemies, as well as high stakes. I'm keeping things vague here on purpose here, but the Monster Manual is all about filling in some of these blanks.

• The Feywild Threat A Kivishta (of the Exalted Kivish sect) is building an army of monsters in the Feywilds and joining forces with some of the elites in the Empire of Nefka. Feywilders, Mathari, Orthodox, and Ishkibite alike have reason to fight these guys
• The Cults of the Dark One Orthodox, Mathari, and Seruvian zealots are all being armed with strange unholy weapons, many of which turn them into monsters. Mysterious cults are manipulating people from above... time for intrigue!
• Uh Oh! Godzilla is a Plague Vector! In the far South, aquatic kaiju are rising from the sea at random, dripping with plague.
• Fight an Army of Demons. Just Do It. An army of demonic creatures marches from the tropics seeking to consume all living things

Badda bing, badda boom.