# Character Creation Guide for The Festering Lands #### A world of quarantines, corruption, and survival. This guide will help you **create a character that belongs in the world of [Norvostra](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/the-world-of-norvostra)**, whether they are **a native survivor** or **an outsider drawn into the chaos of the [Rotmire Blight](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/an-explorers-guide-to-norvostra/page/rotmire-blight)**. Every character must have a **reason for being in [Faulmoor](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/barony-of-faulmoor/page/faulmoor-overview)** and an **even stronger reason for being in [Greymire](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/barony-of-faulmoor/page/greymire).** Below are examples to help inspire your character’s background and motivations. You are not limited to these choices—use them as a guide to craft your own story. --- ### **Background & Origins** #### **1. Where is your character from?** - Are they a **native of [Faulmoor](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/barony-of-faulmoor/page/faulmoor-overview)**, or an **outsider** who arrived before or during the Blight? - Did they grow up in **a noble house, a struggling village, a quarantined city, or a lawless swamp**? - **Examples of places of origin:** - **Faulmoor:** Raised in a land of disease and conflict, you’ve seen firsthand what the Blight has done. - **Blackvale (Kingdom Capital):** You come from the heart of the kingdom, where nobles and merchants fight for control. - **Mistvale:** A land of cold, fog, and superstition, where healers and mystics cling to old secrets. - **Nighthollow:** A land of outlaws and assassins, where survival is determined by coin. - **Greyhelm:** The crown of the world, a range of mountains few have explored and even less dwelled. - **Ravenhollow:** A cursed place where shadows whisper and the dead don’t always rest. - **Duskhollow:** A forgotten land where those who vanish are rarely searched for. - **Frostvale:** A frozen wilderness where only the strong endure. #### **2. What was their life before the [Rotmire Blight](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/an-explorers-guide-to-norvostra/page/rotmire-blight)?** - Were they a **farmer, scholar, noble, soldier, healer, merchant, smuggler, or something else**? - How did the Blight change their circumstances? - **Examples:** - **A doctor in Blackvale** who now amputates limbs more than healing wounds. - **A sellsword from Nighthollow** who now hunts the desperate instead of criminals. - **A knight of [Valkenheim](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/barony-of-faulmoor/page/valkenheim)** struggling to keep their honor in a world that no longer values it. - **A scholar of Mistvale** who sought knowledge but may have found something worse. - **A smuggler from [Greymire](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/barony-of-faulmoor/page/greymire)** who now runs supplies past quarantines—for a price. #### **3. What have they lost?** - Family, home, status, health—**what did the Blight or the ensuing chaos take from them?** - How do they **cope with that loss**? - **Examples:** - **A family trapped behind a quarantine wall**—do you seek to reach them, or do you believe them dead? - **A friend who turned Blighted**—did you end their suffering, or did they escape? - **A noble title stripped away**—do you seek to regain power, or have you embraced life among commoners? - **A home burned by the Baron’s decree**—do you seek vengeance, or simply a new place to survive? --- #### **Why Did Your Character Come to [Faulmoor](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/barony-of-faulmoor/page/faulmoor-overview)?** *(For non-natives—what drew them into the heart of the Blight?)* - **A Desperate Hope:** You believe **a cure, relic, or knowledge** to stop the Blight exists in Faulmoor. - **A Mercenary’s Opportunity:** Faulmoor is a land of conflict—**nobles, criminals, and survivors all need protection.** - **A Debt to Settle:** Someone **you love or hate is trapped behind quarantine lines.** - **A Holy Mission:** You follow a **vision, prophecy, or divine will**—as a knight, zealot, or wandering priest. - **A Crime Gone Wrong:** You fled here **to escape justice elsewhere**—but did the past follow you? - **A Smuggler’s Trade:** The Blight hasn’t stopped people from seeking passage—**are you a smuggler, refugee, or something in between?** - **A Noble’s Scheme:** A ruler in **Blackvale, Greyhelm, or elsewhere** sent you here for **spying, sabotage, or diplomacy.** --- #### **Why Did Your Character Come to [Greymire](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/barony-of-faulmoor/page/greymire)?** *(Once in Faulmoor, what led them here?)* - **A Meeting with a Contact:** You were told to find **a smuggler, scholar, or noble** in Greymire—but are they still alive? - **A Safe Haven—Or So You Thought:** You heard **Greymire was safer** than other settlements. You were wrong. - **A Bounty to Hunt:** Someone in **Greymire is worth silver**—a fugitive, a heretic, or a noble in hiding. - **A Deal to Make:** You came to **trade, steal, or barter**—for silver, relics, food, or passage. - **A Trail Gone Cold:** You were **tracking someone** (a loved one, a rival, or a target), but they vanished here. - **A Grim Experiment:** You came to **study the Blight**—but at whose command? - **A Last Resort:** You were **forced here**—by pursuit, quarantine, or simply having nowhere else to go. --- ### **Survival & Morality** #### **4. How has your character adapted to life in the [Blight](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/an-explorers-guide-to-norvostra/page/rotmire-blight)?** The world is cruel—how has your character survived? - **By becoming ruthless:** You take what you need, no matter the cost. You’ve **robbed the desperate, killed without hesitation, or turned away those in need**—because you refuse to die for someone else. - **By forging alliances:** You find safety in numbers. Perhaps you’ve joined a **mercenary band, a smuggling ring, or a cult that claims to offer protection.** - **By embracing superstition:** You cling to **charms, omens, or forbidden rituals**, believing they will keep you safe—even if it means making offerings to things better left undisturbed. - **By staying unnoticed:** You avoid trouble, blending into the background. Maybe you’re a **wandering beggar, a scavenger, or a gravedigger**, avoiding attention at all costs. - **By keeping faith:** Whether it’s the gods, destiny, or sheer determination, you believe **you are meant to survive.** #### **5. What is your character willing to do to survive?** Everyone has limits—what are yours? - **Would you steal from the weak?** A child is clutching a sack of food. If you take it, they will starve—but if you don’t, you might. - **Would you betray a friend?** If handing over an ally meant saving your own life, would you hesitate? - **Would you kill an innocent?** You are paid in silver to kill a man. He begs for his life. Do you hesitate? - **Would you abandon someone in need?** Your traveling companion has been injured. Carrying them will slow you down and the undead are everywhere. Do you leave them behind? #### **6. How does your character view the quarantines?** Faulmoor is a land of walled-off towns and forced isolation. What is your stance? - **A necessary cruelty:** The Baron is brutal, but without his control, the Blight would spread unchecked. You might even **enforce quarantines yourself.** - **An injustice:** You have seen **too many innocents locked away and left to rot** inside the walls. Perhaps you’re a smuggler, helping people escape—**for a price.** - **An opportunity:** You control **who gets in and out**, selling **information, bribes, or access** to the highest bidder. #### **7. What does your character think of the [Blighted](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/an-explorers-guide-to-norvostra/page/rotmire-blight)?** - **Destroy them before they turn:** You believe **the infected must be purged**—quickly and without mercy. You may have even put down a **friend or family member** to protect yourself. - **There may be a cure:** You search for **alchemists, lost relics, or forbidden texts** that could stop the Blight. - **The Blight is misunderstood:** You believe **it is not simply a disease**—but something more. Have you seen the infected **whisper to each other**? **Move as one?** **What if they aren’t mindless?** --- ### **Political & Social Ties** #### **8. Which noble house (if any) does your character support?** Do you serve **one of Faulmoor’s noble houses, or do you despise them all?** - **[House Valkenmar](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/barony-of-faulmoor/page/house-valkenmar-of-faulmoor) (Brutal control, military dominance, iron-fisted rule)** - You believe only **order and sacrifice** will save Faulmoor. - Perhaps you are a **soldier, executioner, or enforcer** for the Baron. - **[House Wilthorne](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/barony-of-faulmoor/page/house-wilthorne-of-ebonmoor) (Clever, opportunistic, and secretly plotting)** - You work in **espionage, smuggling, or politics**, helping them **maneuver around the Baron’s rule.** - **[House Harrowden](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/barony-of-faulmoor/page/house-harrowden-of-fenmire) (Resentful, pragmatic, and rising in power)** - You believe **[Fenmire](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/barony-of-faulmoor/page/fenmire-overview) should rule** and have **allied with their marshland fighters or silver barons.** - **No house at all:** You view nobles as **parasites**—why should they rule while the rest of the world burns? #### **9. How does your character view the [Silver Crisis](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/an-explorers-guide-to-norvostra/page/silver-and-its-importance-in-the-festering-lands)?** [Silver is rare](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/books/an-explorers-guide-to-norvostra/page/silver-and-its-importance-in-the-festering-lands), and **its ability to harm the Blighted has made it more valuable than gold.** What role does it play in your life? - **Hoarder:** You **keep every ounce** you find, willing to **kill for more.** - **Opportunist:** You trade **silver weapons and relics** to the highest bidder. - **Martyr:** You donate **silver to the desperate, even if it puts you at risk.** - **Hunter:** You use silver **to forge weapons, preparing for the worst.** #### **10. Does your character have connections to the criminal underworld?** - A smuggler of relics, medicine, or people across quarantine lines. - A thief, using the chaos to break into noble vaults. - A disgraced noble, living among criminals because you have nowhere else to go. - Hunted by an old gang or bounty hunters for a betrayal. --- ### **Faith & Superstition** #### **11. Does your character believe in the gods?** - **Devout:** You **pray daily**, believing the gods have a plan. - **Disillusioned:** You once believed—but you have seen too much suffering. **Why have the gods abandoned the world?** - **Occultist:** If the gods won’t save you, **perhaps something else will.** You may carry **a cursed relic, a forbidden text, or whisper to something unseen.** - **Indifferent:** Gods or no gods, **only steel and coin matter now.** #### **12. Has your character witnessed something beyond mortal understanding?** - **A cursed relic**—a weapon, book, or statue that **whispered to you**—or worse, **listened.** - **A vision**—a **dream, an omen, or a ghostly figure** that changed your fate. - **A miracle**—you saw **something impossible**—**was it holy, or something far worse?** --- ### **The Journey & Motivations** #### **13. What is your character’s goal in this world?** - **Escape Faulmoor:** You seek **passage beyond the quarantines, no matter the cost.** - **Find a cure:** You will **risk everything** to **stop the Blight** before it’s too late. - **Seize power:** There is **a throne to be taken, a title to be claimed, a name to be made.** - **Seek revenge:** Someone **took everything from you—will you stop before you become worse than them?** #### **14. What would push your character to the edge?** - **A friend turning Blighted**—can you do what must be done? - **A noble demanding your loyalty**—will you kneel or rebel? - **A secret too terrible to be known**—will you silence those who learn it? - **The power of forbidden magic**—would you use something unnatural if it meant survival? #### **15. What is your character’s ultimate fate?** - **To be forgotten:** Just another corpse in the mud, like so many before. - **To be feared:** A legend written in blood, a name whispered in dread. - **To be remembered:** A hero in a land that no longer believes in them.