Character Creation Guide for The Festering Lands

A

Characters world of quarantines, corruption, and survival.

This guide will help youin createThe Festering Lands exist in a characterkingdom thatreshaped belongs in the world of Norvostra, whether they are a native survivor or an outsider drawn into the chaos ofby the Rotmire Blight., Everypolitical characterfragmentation, mustquarantine, havescarcity, arenewed reason for beinginterest in Faulmoorthe Old Ways, and anthe evenreturn strongerof reasonrelics forwhose beingpurpose is poorly understood.

This guide describes stable setting pressures rather than requiring every campaign to begin in Greymire.

the

Belowsame areplace examplesor towith helpthe inspiresame your character’s background and motivations. You are not limited to these choices—use them as a guide to craft your own story.mission.

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BackgroundCharacter & OriginsQuestions

1.

Useful starting questions include:

Where is yourthe character from?from,

and Arewhat theydid athat nativeplace ofteach Faulmoor,them about survival, authority, faith, or an outsider who arrived before or during the Blight?scarcity? 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 RotmireBlight Blight?

changed

Were they a farmer, scholar, noble, soldier, healer, merchant, smuggler, or something else?Norvostra? 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 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 who now runs supplies past quarantines—for a price.

3. What have they lost?

lost,

protected, abandoned, or profited from? Family,What home,are status,they health—whatwilling didto do to survive, and where do they draw the Blight or the ensuing chaos take from them?line? How do they copeview withquarantine, thatnoble loss?authority, the Blighted, silver scarcity, and the Old Ways? Examples:Do

they believe the Blight can be understood or stopped, or only survived? AWhat familywould trappedmake behindthem risk entering a quarantinequarantined wall—dodistrict, youruined seeksettlement, tonoble reach them,stronghold, or dorelic 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?site?

These questions are prompts, not alignment tests. The setting is built around pressure, compromise, and the consequences of choices made under fear.

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Why

Regional DidOrigins

Your

Characters Charactermay Comebe native to affected regions or outsiders drawn into Norvostra by duty, desperation, profit, faith, scholarship, family, crime, or circumstance.

Faulmoor

Faulmoor?

(For non-natives—what drew them intois the heartprincipal crisis region in the setting, shaped by Blight pressure, quarantine, noble rivalry, smuggling, and relic activity.

Blackvale

Blackvale is the kingdom capital, associated with noble and mercantile competition for influence.

Mistvale

Mistvale is associated with cold, fog, superstition, healers, mystics, and old secrets.

Nighthollow

Nighthollow is associated with outlaws, assassins, crime, and survival by coin.

Greyhelm

Greyhelm is a high mountain region sometimes called the “crown of the Blight?)

world”

in surviving public material.

AOther DesperateRegions

Hope:

Ravenhollow, YouDuskhollow, believeand aFrostvale cure,survive relic,in public tradition as dangerous or knowledgepoorly tounderstood stopregions associated respectively with curses and restless dead, disappearances, and frozen isolation.

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Faith and the BlightOld existsWays

A character may approach religion through devotion, disillusionment, practical indifference, occult curiosity, or renewed interest in Faulmoor.

the Old Ways.

Visions, relic phenomena, apparent miracles, prophecy, and false prophecy all exist within the setting's public experience. A Mercenary’character's Opportunity:

interpretation Faulmoorof those events is anot landautomatically ofthe conflict—nobles,truth. criminals,

Pressure and survivorsSurvival

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’tcreates stoppedmoral peoplepressure without dictating what a character must believe. Useful questions include whether a character would break or enforce a quarantine, steal from seekingsomeone passage—areweaker, you a smuggler, refugee,hoard or somethingsurrender insilver, between?

betray Aan Noble’sally Scheme:to Aprotect rulersomeone inthey Blackvale, Greyhelm,love, or elsewhere sent you here for spying, sabotage, or diplomacy.

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Why Did Your Character Come to Greymire? (Once in Faulmoor, what led them here?)

A Meetingwork with a Contact:noble You were told to find a smuggler, scholar, or noble in Greymire—but arehouse they stilldistrust alive?because Athe Safealternative Haven—Oris Soworse. You

Silver, Thought:

food, Yousafe heardpassage, Greymireinformation, wasand safertrustworthy allies can all become more important than otherconventional 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. wealth.

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SurvivalPolitical & MoralityTies

4.

Characters Howmay hasserve, youroppose, distrust, or bargain with House Valkenmar, House Wilthorne, or House Harrowden. None of those relationships determines a character's morality, and survival may force cooperation with institutions a character adapteddislikes.

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Campaign-Specific Onboarding

Earlier campaigns required characters to lifehave a reason to be in theFaulmoor and, more specifically, BlightGreymire?

.

TheThat 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 joinedwas a mercenarycampaign-opening band,structure rather than a smugglingpermanent 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 thinklaw of the Blighted?

setting.

Future campaigns may begin elsewhere without changing the underlying world.

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See Also

• DestroyThe themFestering beforeLands: theyAn turn:Introduction

YouNorvostra believeFaulmoor theRotmire infectedBlight must be purged—quicklySilver and withoutits 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?Importance

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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 (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 (Clever, opportunistic, and secretly plotting)

You work in espionage, smuggling, or politics, helping them maneuver around the Baron’s rule. House Harrowden (Resentful, pragmatic, and rising in power)

You believe Fenmire 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?

Silver is rare, 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.

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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?

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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.