The Shattered Wastes of Vareth

Background

Once, this place was a thriving metropolis, a jewel of industry and ambition. Now, it stands as a grim testament to the horrors of unchecked power. The floating island of Vareth is one of many torn from their homeworlds, each ripped from time and space to drift in the endless void. But unlike some of the others, Vareth is poisoned to its core.
At the heart of the stone city, the Emerald Core looms—an immense, pulsing crystal that hums with an eerie green light. It is a relic of the cataclysm that doomed this place, a remnant of the ancient reactor that once powered a civilization now lost to dust and madness. The glow it emits is deadly, its radiation warping the land and its inhabitants. Buildings closest to the Core are bathed in its sickly light, their stone foundations fused into twisted, glass-like structures. Nothing grows here—no plants, no safe food, no clean water. Only death thrives in the green glow.

The Inhabitants

The city is not abandoned. The Ashkin, small, stone-skinned troll, have adapted to the toxic environment. Their rough, cracked bodies resist the worst of the radiation, but they are not immune. Generations of exposure have turned their blood sluggish and thick, their minds dulled but cunning. They know the city better than anyone, scavenging what little they can from the ruins and guiding the foolish—sometimes as allies, often as bait.

Beyond the city walls, the wasteland sprawls in every direction, a parched desert of cracked earth and forgotten wreckage. Creatures of all kinds prowl these wastes—some dragged here from other shattered worlds, others born of Vareth’s own corruption. Hulking, multi-limbed beasts stalk the dunes, their hides toughened by radiation. Wraith-like figures drift through the ruins, the echoes of those who perished in the original catastrophe, bound forever to the land that betrayed them.

The True Threat

As deadly as the creatures are, the true danger of Vareth is its people. Raiders rule the wasteland, their warbands clashing over scraps of food and functioning technology. Some have embraced the mutations granted by the Emerald Core, turning themselves into radiant husks, glowing with sickly energy as they spread their toxic corruption to others. Others are little more than cannibals, lurking in the shadows of broken towers, waiting for weary travelers to fall into their grasp.
There are whispers of a warlord known only as The Blight, a figure who has harnessed the Core’s energy, turning the ruins into his personal fortress. He sends his irradiated zealots into the wasteland, their bodies seething with barely contained power, seeking to expand his dominion over the shattered remnants of civilization. The Verdant Veil
Deep within the shattered wasteland of Vareth, past the poisoned dunes and the ruins bathed in sickly green light, there exists a place that should not be. A land untouched by the rot of the Emerald Core, hidden beyond jagged, snow-capped peaks that rise like the bones of some long-dead god. It is known only in whispers, spoken by dying scavengers and mad wanderers: The Verdant Veil.
No one alive has ever set foot there, or if they have, they never returned. The mountains that encircle it are impossibly high, their sheer cliffs carved by the howling winds of the void. Storms coil around their peaks like living things, a swirling barrier of frost and lightning that tears apart anything foolish enough to try and cross. Not even the raiders, with all their cruelty and desperation, dare to seek a path through.
Yet, from certain vantage points on the wasteland's outer edges, one can catch a fleeting glimpse—just for a moment, before the storms shift again. A valley of emerald green, rivers that shimmer like liquid silver, trees heavy with fruit unseen anywhere else in this cursed land. The air there, it is said, is pure. The water, untouched by poison. And the creatures that live within? They are not like the twisted things that stalk the wasteland. They are whole. Unbroken. Unchanged.
Some believe it is a relic of the past, a fragment of the world before the Emerald Core's fall, preserved in defiance of time and destruction. Others claim it is a trick, a mirage conjured by the Core itself to lure fools to their deaths. And then there are those who say it is not a place at all, but a prison—a sanctuary built to contain something far worse than anything in the wasteland beyond.
Whatever the truth may be, one thing is certain: the Verdant Veil is the one place in all of Vareth that no one can reach. And perhaps, for the sake of all who remain, it is better that way.

The Kingdom of Vareth

Despite its ruinous state, Vareth has a crude form of governance, forged from necessity and power struggles. The island is ruled by a collection of warlords, scavenger kings, and cult leaders who control its various territories. However, the true seat of power lies with The Blight, the self-proclaimed ruler of the wasteland, who resides in the heart of the desolate stone city.

Political Structure

The Blight (Absolute Ruler) – A mutated tyrant who has harnessed the power of the Emerald Core. His rule is absolute within the city, and his influence extends far into the wasteland. Those who resist him are hunted by his fanatical warriors, known as the Emerald Reapers.
The Warlords (Regional Leaders) – Outside the city, Vareth is divided into loose territories, each controlled by a warlord or faction leader. Some pay tribute to The Blight, while others openly resist him.
The Scavenger Clans (Nomadic Power) – Groups of wanderers and traders who move between settlements, bartering and selling salvaged technology. They are neutral in the war but are often caught in the crossfire.
The Cult of the Core (Fanatical Zealots) – A dangerous faction that believes the Emerald Core is a god. They seek to spread its radiation, mutating themselves and others in the process.

Additional Places of Interest

The Maw of the Forgotten
A massive crater at the southern edge of the island, surrounded by rusted metal husks of ancient machines. It is said that something once crashed here, something not of this world. The air hums with energy, and those who enter often go mad, speaking in tongues and clawing at their own flesh. Some believe it is a gateway to another time, while others fear that whatever sleeps beneath the crater is beginning to wake.
The Bone Bazaar
A lawless market hidden deep in the dunes, run by scavengers and exiles. Here, anything can be bought for the right price—mutated creatures, lost technology, even people. The Bazaar operates under a single rule: no killing within the walls. Violate it, and the merchants will ensure your body joins the foundations of the market itself. It is a neutral ground where warlords, raiders, and smugglers trade, often brokered by the enigmatic Sand Speakers, a secretive group that deals in rumors and lost knowledge.
The Black Spire
A twisted tower of obsidian-like stone, jutting from the ground at an impossible angle. No one knows who built it or why, but the air around it crackles with an unseen force. Some believe it is a remnant of the old world, a structure pulled from another reality when the island was stolen. Others say it is a prison, holding something that should never be freed. At night, eerie lights flicker from its windows, and figures can be seen moving inside—though no one has ever returned from an attempt to enter.

Table of Content

Background
Inhabitants

The True Threat

Kingdom of Vareth

Political Structure

Population: 3,000
Climate: Arid, desolate.
Light Levels: Bright
Government: Warlord
General Alignment: Chaotic Neutral