Table of Contents

Introduction...2Setting Inspirations...3

A Brief Historical Account...4-5A Rough Guide to Ulverland...6-8Some Facts About the Queen...9

Religion...10-11Time and Technology...12-14

Social Ranks of the Upper Class...15Mourning and Funeral Culture...16-18Clothing, Fashion, and the Mode...19

Crime and Punishment...20-21The Military...22Literature...23

Organizations...24Mores and Manners...25

Money...25Miscellaneous...26

Popular Street Foods in Lowedon...27A Rough Guide to Lowedon...28-33

A Rough Guide to the Northlands...34-43Ulverland's Colonies in the Discovered Countries...44-47

A Rough Guide to the Greater World...48-51Map of Ulverland...52-53Map of the World...54-55Map of Lowedon...56-57

Credits...58

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UlverlandA Gothic Gaslight Fantasy

Setting

There was something awesome in the thought of the solitary mortal standing by the open window and summoning in from the gloom outside the spirits of the nether world.

Arthur Conan Doyle, Selecting a Ghost

What is it? Ulverland is an island kingdom of decaying castles, foreboding forests, haunted moors, defiled graveyards, and gloomy ancestral estates.

What lies beneath the surface? The conventions of the Gothic and Gaslight Fantasy: mad monks, ghosts, villainous aristocrats, monstrosities, and long-buried secrets that can no longer be repressed; duelists and monster hunters, highwaymen and assassins, witch finders and pagan cultists, demonologists, mesmerists, and exorcists; swashbuckling battle against the forces of darkness; impossible steam-powered inventions; the influence of Hammer horror films, the Victorian fin de sicle, and morbid moments from real-world history.

What does it feel like? A cold wind that chills you to the bone, the taste of coppery blood in your mouth, a shrill scream breaks the death-like silence of the witching hour.

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Setting Inspirations

LiteratureRobert E. Howard's Solomon Kane stories; Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray; Bram Stoker's Dracula; Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto; Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque; Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling's Queen Victoria's Book of Spells; Kim Newman's Anno Dracula; Oliver Potzsch's The Hangman's Daughter; Cherie Priest's Boneshaker

Film & TelevisionThe Brotherhood of the Wolf; Vampire Hunter D; Penny Dreadful; Ripper Street; Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde; Black Sunday; The Vampire Lovers; Sleepy Hollow; Sweeney Todd; I Sell the Dead; Witchfinder General; Pirates of the Caribbean; The Prestige; Le Chevalier D'Eon

ComicsFrom Hell; The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen; Defoe: 1666; Victorian Undead; The Cain Saga; The Scorpion; Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities; Baltimore; Sebastian O

MusicNick Cave; Sopor Aeternus; Marissa Nadler; Rasputina; Cradle of Filth; Moonspell; Nox Arcana; Midnight Syndicate; The Rohan Theatre Band; My Dying Bride; King Diamond; The Tiger Lillies

Miscellaneous Castlevania and Darkstalkers; Innistrad; the art of Harry Clarke, Joseph Vargo, and Simon Marsden; Ravenloft

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A Brief Historical Account

The Ancient Era During the Ancient Era, the island was home to Kellmen tribes ethnically and culturally similar to the people of the Shae Isle.

The Iron EraWith the coming of the Iron Era, the island was conquered and colonized by the Iron Empire. Eventually, the Iron Empire would fall to barbarian invaders, fragment into the various Iron Principalities, and most of the Empire colonials would flee from Ulverland when cut off from the Empire's support.

The Wolf EraIn this era, the southern Kellmen of the island were conquered by barbarians from the northern lands of the Grand Continent. These Ulvermen used wolf imagery that is still favored by the country today. At first the Ulvermen won land in battle, but eventually they intermarried with the island's Kellmen populace and their cultures intermixed to form the basis of what will come to be called Ulverlandian culture.

The Sword EraMorgundian knights led by Lord Ather invade and annex Ulverland for the Morgundian queen, Analise I. Instead of imposing their culture on the populace, these conquerors assimilated to Ulverlandian ways; the only noteworthy Morgundian contribution to Ulverlandian culture was the importation of knightly virtues and the ideals of chivalry.

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The Frost EraThe Morgundian invaders had by this time fully assimilated into Ulverlandian culture and lost their ties with Morgundy. Frostreaver marauders began to raid the northern towns of Ulverland. Desirous of a clime milder than their own, these Frostreavers forged their own settlements in the Northlands. The Northwall was built to keep the Frostreaver threat contained.

The Illumined EraNew ideas, philosophies, and technological innovations from the southern countries of the Grand Continent began to filter into Ulverlandian society. Resistant to change, Ulverlandians are slow to adopt these novel concepts, but eventually a mania for new experiences set in; during this era, Ulverland sent explorers on state-backed expeditions and funded mercantile ventures to far-off locales.

The Blood EraSpurred by the desire for novelty, Ulverland utilized the new ideas and technologies that first arrived during the Illumined Era and became a modernized, industrialized society. Colonies in other lands are established, and Ulverland emerges as one of the richest countries in the world. However, this era is not without its anxieties; vampire lords from Harrowfaust establish themselves in the Northlands, disrupting the dominion of the Kellmen and Frostreaver-descended leaders, and instituting a blood-based system of feudalism. It is currently year 1666 of the Blood Era.

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A Rough Guide to Ulverland

Ulverland can be roughly divided into four districts:

Suthenbrook is the most civilized region of Ulverland, and is home to the kingdom's capital cityLowedonwhich straddles the River Albin. Lowedon is a sprawling, foggy, fortified city that was established by colonizers from the Iron Empire in the distant past. Lowedon is the seat of governance; Queen Erzebeta II and her Parliament rule from her palace at Minister's Rest. The people of Lowedon are currently aghast at the outrages of a serial murderer known only as the Gardener, so called because he cuts the bloom of youth short for the women he catches at night on the streets of the Madchapel borough. The Queen's Bloom borough houses the Stained Cathedral, a spiritual center of the Church of the White Way. The Stained Cathedral also serves as the barracks for the Knights of the White Raven, a religious order comprised of templars, inquisitors, and witch finders led by Sir Robert Aubrey. The countryside of Suthenbrook is mostly farmland and light woodlands; these areas are menaced by winter wolves. It is rumored that twin necromancers, Arion and Arianna, are raising an army of the dead from Suthenbrook's many neglected cemeteries. The Orxham Academy, Ulverland's premier university and one of the few colleges that teaches Occult Science, is also located in Suthenbrook.

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Westenbrook is a region of farmlands and deep woods. Grand Bishop Julianna VI holds sway at the great cathedral at Covenant. The people are hardy and mix their belief in the Ulverlandian Church with superstitions and folk magic; this has earned them a reputation as a hex-blooded people. It is not uncommon for the folk of Westenbrook to leave gifts on their doorsteps at night to appease the fey. The people live in fear of werewolves, banshees, will-o'-wisps, and worgs. Once a year all of Westenbrook engages in the regional Festival of the Blood Moon, which culminates in a stoic hunt for werewolves in the wild-lands. While gypsies travel all of Ulverland, the gypsy king Bela Drachen maintains a permanent camp in Westenbrook. The countryside is dotted with rings of standing stones, barrow mounds, and tenebrous fissures in the earth that are said to lead down into lower planes.

Estenbrook is a land of rolling hills, cold beaches, port towns, and seaside cities. The shipyards of Estenbrook are famous for the seaworthiness of their vessels. It is rumored that resurrectionists and mad inventors ply their diabolic trades under the cover of night in this region of Ulverland. Estenbrook is also home to the headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Yew, a secret society dedicated to hunting and slaying undead abominations. The people of Estenbrook are said to be a bloodthirsty lot; their favored form of entertainment is vicious pit-fighting. Louisa de Grace, a renowned sculptor residing in the city of Ilwich, is equally famed for her charm as she is for the vices attributed to her nocturnal rambles. Estenbrook is also known as the

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hauntlands, as it suffers from the presences of ghouls, wraiths, and specters. Undead dragons and untamed wyvern have even been spotted off the coasts. The lonely Stormkirk Tower is perpetually shrouded in a violent galenone who have ventured inside have ever returned. Roadside shrines are not uncommon throughout the country and wilderness.

The Northlands are a fog-shrouded area of moors, bogs, and the treacherous Penitent Mountains. Separated from the rest of Ulverland by the Northwall, the Northlands are not ruled by the sovereign of Ulverland; rather, the people are pagan wildlings clad in tartan trousers and kilts. The wildling clans are ruled by vampiric families who originally hail from Harrowfaust. The vampire families tend to leave governance to the people's local clan leadershipthey simply require a blood-tithe from the populace. Two of the undead royal families in the Northlands are currently at war with each other: Count Sebastian von Karlok, who rules his domain from Castle Mortheim, wages a protracted intrigue against Lady Madeline Lochstein (the Sanguinary Duchess), who controls the territory surrounding Mandershire Manor. The wilds are home to monstrous bats and nightmares.

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Some Facts About the Queen

She is unmarried; some hope that she will marry the sovereign of another nation to forge a political alliance.

She is reclusive; she publicly defers to Parliament but pulls strings behind the scenes.

She is an adept sorceress, as magic is in her bloodline.

Her vibrant red hair betrays the fact that there is fey ancestry in her family tree.

She has imperial aims.

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Religion

The dominant religion in Ulverland is the Church of the White Way. In the Sword Age, the Church managed to convert many people of Ulverland and largely eradicate the pagan religions that existed before its spread. Despite its dominance, heretical sects and cults devoted to pagan deities or the Ladys demonic foes (the Church sees little distinction between them) still persist and are occasionally the targets of the Churchs crusades, inquisitions, and witch hunters.

The Lady of the White Way revered by the Church is a fierce, but nurturing, warrior-mother goddess, something akin to a cross between Mother Mary and Joan dArc. Her holy symbol is a cross composed of perpendicular swords. The Church also accords near demigod status to a number of saintsparticularly those who were martyred. The Church preaches the gospel of a feminine divinity rather than a male god; its holy text is called The Book of the Lady. Due to the Church of the Ladys matriarchal traditions, women are able to attain rank and power within its hierarchy.

At the head of Ulverland's church is a Grand Bishop; beneath that (in order) are the Archbishops, Bishops, and Priests. Holy orders of monks and nuns who have left the mundane world to pursue spiritual contemplation can also be found throughout the realm.

Sacraments commonly performed by clergy of the

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Church include baptism, confirmation, confession and the absolution of sin, eucharist, holy ordination, the marriage ceremony, last rites, and the burial ceremony. Clergy granted divine power by the Lady may also perform healings, blessings, and exorcisms.

The Ulverlandian Church is a sovereign religious entity; the Western Church dominates Morgundy, Caligari, Midian, and the Iron Principalities, whereas the Eastern Church commands the loyalty of the people in Harrowfaust and the Relmeenos Empire. All three churches revere the same goddess, but differ on matters of scripture, rite, and doctrine. The Western Church is led by a female Pope, while the Eastern Church has a Matriarch at its head.

Pagans in Ulverland (and throughout the world) generally worship nature spirits and deities associated with the natural cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Their spiritual leaders are druids and shamans. Some turn to the worship of darker entities, such as devils, demons, and the Great Old Ones. These cultists pay homage to their unholy masters in return for occult power.

An upstart religion, the Children of the New Fire, has arisen in the Martyrlands; the fanatics of this faith wish to purify all other religions through conquest, flame, and the sword.

The Spicelands, Kathai, and the Island of Jade Mysteries all have their own complex systems of religion and philosophy.

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Time and Technology

To quote Shakespeare's Hamlet, in this world the time is out of joint. While the larger metropolises of the kingdom (such as Lowedon, Orxham, and Covenant) and the larger towns possess a decidedly dark Victorian sensibility, the country villages are less technologically advanced, and more in tune with the Early Modern era. The uncivilized reaches (such as the Northlands and the nearby Shae Isle) still exist in a state of Dark Ages barbarism; the further you move from the civilizing glare of the urban gaslights, the father back in time you appear to travel.

While this disjointed disparity creates a tension within Ulverland between those still consumed by barbarous superstition and those who endorse rational Enlightenment values, it is common knowledge among Ulverlandians that supernatural threats are real and active in the world. Though feared and distrusted, magic is known to be a genuine manifestation of occult power. Ghosts are an accepted form of the past's intrusion on the present. Forests said to be the haunts of werewolves are avoided, and the reality of undeath is terrifyingly evident in the disused burial grounds and abandoned fortresses that dot the kingdom's countryside. Welcome to Ulverlanda mortal realm caught between the light and unholy darkness.

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Notes on Technology in Ulverland The cities are lit by gaslight. Towns and

villages are more likely to be lit by torches, if they are lit at all at night. Orxham is lit by magical lanterns maintained by apprentices studying the magical arts at the Orxham Academy.

Vehicular transportation in the cities is handled by horse-drawn omnibuses and carriages. Two cities (Lowedon and Elderburg) have underground rail systems. Whereas transportation in towns will mostly like be by carriage, in most rural areas only wagons and carts are likely to be found for hire.

Steam-powered trains connect the major cities. There are also regular routes on which

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carriages travel; indeed, carriage routes tend to be the only service that reaches out-of-the-way locations.

There is currently a fad for travelling via bicycle.

Sea travel is done via sail, steamship (which are rare), hot air balloon (rarer still), and zeppelin (rarest of all).

Telegraphs are expensive, but can send information with remarkable speed. Similarly, daguerreotypes are pricey, but can most faithfully capture an image.

The printing presses have become steam-powered, allowing for the mass-production of books, broadsheets, and penny dreadfuls.

Factories in cities and larger towns have also become steam-powered. Some areas are experimenting with harnessing galvanic power to bolster industry.

Firearms are available, but have yet to fully displace more traditional ranged weapons such as bows and crossbows. (Treat pistols as hand crossbows, blunderbusses as light crossbows, and rifles as heavy crossbows.)

Many forms of personal armor have taken on more fashionable shapes, such as coats with protective linings and combat-ready corsetry. Some armor is also made of ebonite, a hardened form of rubber.

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Social Ranks of the Upper Class

King/QueenPrince/PrincessDuke/Duchess

Marques/MarchionessEarl/Countess

Viscount/ViscountessBaron/BaronessKnight/Dame

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Mourning and Funereal Culture

Death is both a stoically-expected finality in Ulverland and an occasion to show the depths of one's grief through lavish display.

A funeral procession that accompanies the dead to their final resting place is a long-standing tradition in Ulverland. For the rich, this would mean that the coffin is transported by a richly-appointed hearse-coach, behind which would trail the grieving family members, black-veiled professional mourners hired for the occasion, and at least one funerary violinist. For the poor, the procession might simply be a sorrowful march to the grave conducted by the friends and family of the deceased.

The dead in Ulverland are usually either buried in coffins on hallowed ground or

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entombed in mausoleums that have been consecrated by priests of the Lady; burial in a blessed location is fairly effective preventative measure that keeps the deceased from rising again as the undead.

The Kings and Queens of Ulverland are always interred in the massive and sprawling crypts beneath the Stained Cathedral in Lowedon. The upper classes tend to be immured in family mausoleums; the middle classes are most frequently inhumed in graves marked with a headstone or monument; the lower orders are often consigned to an unmarked spot in the pauper's field of a cemetery.

The remains of Rikard I, an Ulverlandian king of the Frost Era, are not entombed beneath the Stained Cathedral; rather, they were hastily buried in Morgundy where the king fell attempting to regain what are thought to be ancient territories of Ulverland. Several knightly expeditions have been attempted to find his bones so that they might be laid to rest in his native soil, but thus far every mission has been discovered and repulsed by the foul Morgundians.

Upon the death of a family member, it is customary to go into a period of mourning. For women, this means that they are expected to wear black clothing and jet jewelry exclusively. For men, this means adopting black attire or simply tying a black armband around the sleeve of one's coat. The length of the mourning period is determined by one's

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relationship to the deceased. Children, parents, and more distant family members are to be mourned for six months; a wife is to mourn her husband for a year; a husband should mourn his wife for two years. Mourning may be extended beyond its usual bounds, but never curtailedemerging from mourning too soon is to invite scandal.

Keeping mementos of the dead is popular throughout Ulverland. In particular, lengths of hair might be cut so that locks can be kept in lockets or woven into wreaths. Cameos and portraits of deceased loved ones are also treasured. For those who can afford it, having daguerreotypes taken of the deceasedposed as if in lifeis currently considered fashionable.

While most Ulverlandians treat the dead with solemn respect and regard cemeteries and burial grounds as sacred, there are criminals who call themselves resurrectionists or resurrection men who exhume corpses in order to sell them to medical schools. The practice of dissection is crucial in learning the surgeons art; although the bodies of criminals are often handed over to the medical men after execution, the law of supply and demand has created a grisly trade.

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Clothing, Fashion, and the Mode

Well-heeled gentlemen are expected to wear shirts, trousers, waistcoats, hats, and jackets with leather shoes or boots when in public, at a minimum. In colder weather, the above will be supplemented with a long coat or cloak.

Gentlewomen tend to wear elaborate dresses and gowns with leather shoes or ankle-boots, but multiple-piece skirt and blouse combinations are gaining ground in the fashionable world. Some women are breaking with tradition entirely and are adopting reformed dress: that is, trousers and shirts such as men wear.

The men of the Northlands favor tartan plaid trousers and kilts as a symbol of regional pride.

No Ulverlandian feels acceptable in public without a hat. Men currently favor tricornes, top hats, and derbies, while stylish forms for women seem to change with the breeze.

Popular accessories for men include walking sticks, watch fobs, monocles, insignia denoting club membership, and heraldic jewelry; popular accessories for women include fans, parasols, veils, and jewelry inlaid with precious gems.

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Crime and Punishment

Only larger cities such as Lowedon and Orxham have professional police forces. Smaller locales have either privately-run watchmen or voluntary constabularies.

The Lowedon City Police operate out of their headquarters at Scorchfield Yard and are innovators in the art of criminology. Their methods include the use of fingerprinting and the science of phrenology.

The efforts of the various police forces and constabularies are supported by a number of private consulting detectives and inquisitives that work for hire.

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Trials in Ulverland are conducted by jury in front of a judge. These trials are notoriously short, as jurymen tend to want to get back to their own business.

Defendants are not innocent until proven guilty; indeed, a defendant must establish their own innocence to be freed from the charges against them.

Whereas all cases are prosecuted by a government-employed barrister, few defendants can afford legal counsel of their own.

Wealthy families tend to have solicitors on retainer to hire legal aid when necessary.

Gaols in Ulverland are horrible places; both food and sanitation exist only at abysmal levels. Hard laborsuch as the treadmillis a common staple of Ulverlandian incarceration.

Crimes such as treason, murder, piracy, and major theft are punishable by public execution. Upper class criminals are beheaded with sword, axe, or guillotine. Everyone else is hung by the neck until dead.

Public executions draw enormous crowds of curious, morbid onlookers. Ironically, although these executions are held in public as a way to discourage crime, the crowds that gather for execution are usually thick with pickpockets.

Lesser crimes are punished with public whipping, transportation to the colonies, fines, and imprisonment in gaols or prison hulks.

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The Military

The common soldier or navy sailor enlisted because it was an alternative to abject poverty.

Some soldiers or sailors were forced into military service to avoid a harsher prison sentence.

In times of trouble when war seems to be on the horizon, men and women can be press-ganged into service.

Positions of command in the military are frequently purchased from the government by upper-class mothers or fathers as a vocation for their second sons or daughters. This means that the leadership is frequently comprised of aristocratic whelps with no real military experience.

Ulverland is famed for the bravery of its cavalry.

Ulverlandian army ranks: Grand Marshall, General, Lt. General, Major General, Brigadier, Colonel, Lt. Colonel, Major, Captain, Lieutenant.

Ulverlandian naval ranks: Grand Admiral, Admiral, Vice Admiral, Rear Admiral, Commodore, Captain, Commander, Lt. Commander, Lieutenant.

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Literature

Five Popular Penny Dreadfuls Rubies the Color of Blood The Curse of the Black Road The Mystery Beneath the Streets of Lowedon The Boys from Rotwood Patricia, the Devil Monarch of the Penanggalan

Five Popular Plays in Ulverland An Aesthete Upon the Sea (a tragedy) The Importance of Smelling the Blood-roses

(a comedy) A Slaughter of Shark Men (a grand guignol) The Family is a Disease (a play of social issues) A Husband for a Young Widow (a romance)

Five Important Novels The Schoolmistress's Lament (the tale of a

beleaguered school teacher who eventually marries a Baron)

The Boyish Adventures of Latham Such (a coming of age story)

The Drowned Village (the story of twin siblings trying to save their village from an impending flood)

Climbing the Ladder of Knives (a satire of upper-class life)

Carnations at Dusk (a horror novel about the undead threat)

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Organizations

The Knights of the White Raven are an order of religious warriors sworn to destroy the enemies of the Church of the Lady. The White Raven Knights make war against the infidel in the Martyrlands, and root out heretics at home. However, there are persistent rumors that some members of the order secretly belong to demonic and diabolic cults and are subverting the knighthood from within.

The Brotherhood of the Yew is an organization devoted to hunting and killing the undead. The Brotherhood includes commoners who gather information, academics who research the weaknesses of the undead, and adventurers who lead the actual assaults against the unquiet dead.

The Thrice-Damned Penitents are an order of monks and nuns who travel the land seeking cursed artifacts, which they safeguard in their fortified vaults so that they do not fall into innocent hands.

Old Graham's Gang is an informal thieves' guild lead by the infamous and semi-mythical Old Graham. His thieves are all children; when they reach their seventeenth year, they mysteriously disappear.

The two major political parties in Parliament are the Blue Bloods and the Powdered Wigs. The Blue Bloods dominate the Lordly House, while the Powdered Wigs have tended to hold more seat in the Common House.

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Mores and Manners

Learning decorum is as important as literacy and the sciences.

When visiting the home of a genteel person, one should always present a calling card to the help first.

One should always bow before tipping one's hat.

Courting couples of distinction should always be accompanied by a chaperone.

It is rude to dance three dances with the same partner.

To cut someone by refusing to acknowledge their presence is a grave slight.

Young members of the upper classes are to be presented to the court before their first social season.

A duel must have seconds present to make sure that all formalities are adhered to properly.

Tea and light refreshments should be served to all guests.

Money

Coins are mostly commonly made of copper or silver.

Gold was once found only in coin form, but now it is more common for banks to issue paper gold notes of various denominations.

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Miscellaneous

Every civilized man and woman in the world speaks the Common tongue because of the existence of the Lexicos Spire in the Martyrlands. In the Ancient Era the Spire was erected by wise Matriarchs who performed a ritual upon it that grants the world's denizens knowledge of a shared language. Unfortunately, this shared language has done little to end factionalism and war as the Matriarchs had hoped it might.

Dragons are not natural creatures; rather, they are manifestations of human sin.

Characters who are elves, halflings, gnomes, and the like are not members of their own cultures. Instead, they are changelings left behind when the fey steal human infants from their cribs. Half-elves are the product of mortal men falling in love with the fey.

Characters who are dwarves were born misshapen and mangled of limb due to the presence of black magic in the vicinity of their conception.

Dragonborn were not born as such; rather, they became dragonborn because they are haunted by some great sin they have committed.

Tieflings had a parent who consorted with a demon or devil from the lower planes.

Characters who are half-orcs have the tainted blood of lycanthropes in their ancestry.

Warforged are singular creations of mad scientists and rogue inventors.

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Popular Street Foods in Lowedon

Jacket potatoes Roasted chestnuts Tea and coffee served in tin cups Oysters Hot eels and peas Meat pies Muffins and buns

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A Rough Guide to Lowedon

Tybalt's TreeThis massive tree rooted at the edge of Edward's Park has seven gallows built into its branches. The public executions that take place at Tybalt's Tree draw massive crowds of onlookers. It is currently in fashion for criminals to die well, that is, those to be executed are expected to appear before the public in their best finery and to face their fates with cheeky aplomb. Those who are slated to dance Tybalt's Jig are cheered by the assembly if their final walk is full of swagger and good humor.

Ranter's BenchRanter's Bench is an area within Edward's Park in which mystics, philosophers, preachers, and political agitators gather to give sermons and speeches to the crowds that gather there. Ranter's Bench is a unique area of Lowedon in that any and all speech is permitted thereeven treasonous or heretical ideas

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may be espoused there without fear of direct retaliation.

Black Gate CemeteryOne of the oldest and most prestigious burial grounds within Lowedon, Black Gate Cemetery has been sealed and enclosed by stout walls of stone for over a decade. For reasons as yet unknown, the dead laid to rest in Black Gate rose from their graves; now they wander the cemetery, waiting for a madman's hand to release them from their prison so that they might devour those who call the city home.

The Tower of the PenitentOnce a royal residence, this fortress is now used as a prison for criminals of the upper classes. It is known that several of the prisoners kept here are incarcerated for political reasons rather than having committed any actual acts of treason. Rumors circulate that a secret prisoner is kept within a hidden cell, her face obscured by an iron mask.

MadchapelThis borough in the east of Lowedon is home to the poorest of the poor. The district overflows with immigrants from Harrowfaust and Caligari. Crime is endemic to the area, and public drunkenness and violence are facts of daily life. The squalor of the area seems insurmountable; those who live in this district rarely have stable housing, and most spend their nights in common rooms and doss housesif they've earned enough coin during the day to afford it. If they haven't, they take their chances sleeping in the streets.

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Prostitution is also rampant; most women (and many men) use prostitution to supplement their meager wages. The district is currently the hunting grounds of a serial murderer who has been dubbed the Gardener by the press.

Jadehouse This dockland borough is primarily inhabited by immigrants from Kathai and the Island of Jade Mysteries. Because the residents of Jadehouse are looked down upon due to common Ulverlandian prejudices, the district is a poor one and its constituents largely subsist on menial labor. However, various criminal organizations from the East have also arrived and taken root in Jadehouse; they run gambling operations and opium dens that are open secrets in Jadehouse.

AmphisA borough of theaters, opera houses, and cabarets in the west end of Lowedon, Amphis is the playground of the monied elite. Of course, Amphis also hosts a number of less licit entertainments; it is said that a variety of specialized brothels operate in the region that cater to very specific and rarefied tastes.

Nest Located south of the Albin River, Nest is a dilapidated, working-class borough. Though the area isn't nearly as downtrodden as Madchapel, it is notorious for harboring many thieves' guilds. The most infamous organization operating out of Nest is Old Graham's Gang, a pack of thieving children controlled by the

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vile Old Graham. Nest is also a district known for its fences; if you have stolen goods you wish to dispose of, Nest will likely supply you with an interested buyerprovided you don't ask too many questions.

Queen's BloomA wealthy borough inhabited mainly by aristocrats and high-ranking members of the Church, Queen's Bloom is largely insulated from the horrors that so often plague the rest of the city. Located within the district is Erzebeta's palace, Minister's Rest, which is patrolled by the elite Wolf Angel Guard. Queen's Bloom is also home to the Stained Cathedral, the current barracks for the Knights of the White Raven.

The Queen's SchoolSituated near the mercantile district and the courts of law, the Queen's School is the premier university in Lowedon. Most of the faculty are learned members of the clergy; indeed, a functioning chapel devoted to the Lady of the White Way is at the center of the college. For such a recent construction, the interiors of the buildings that make up the school are perplexing and labyrinthine in internal structure; rumors abound about hidden rooms and secret passages. The grounds of the Queen's School are guarded by several stone golems shaped like fierce lionsgifts from the magisters of Orxham Academy.

The Pale ObeliskThis chalk-white monument was a gift from the Necropolitan of Mord-Stavian to the sovereign of Ulverland. It was a strange and unexpected gift; it is

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currently erected upon the north bank of the Albin River. Interestingly, the queen's alchemists are unable to determine what substance the Pale Obelisk is made ofbut whatever it is, it is oddly warm to the touch no matter what the weather.

The Horrowhock Asylum for the InsaneA lonely edifice located far in the southern reaches of Lowedon, the Horrowhock Asylum was founded by Dr. Philip Horrowhock in hopes of creating an establishment that could advance the burgeoning science of mental surgery. However, it quickly altered from the course of Dr. Horrowhock's dream to a place where the most violent of cases were locked up shoulder to shoulder with inconvenient relatives. Dreadful things are said about the current administration that runs the asylum; whispers abound of secret experiments that happen deep below the premises.

The Lowedon MuseumA magnificent building styled after the ancient patterns of the Relmeenos Empire, the Lowedon museum houses the cultural treasures of Ulverland. Contentiously, it also houses the cultural treasures of other nations that were liberated over the years by Ulverlandian explorers and conquerors. The museum contains paintings from Morgundy, marble statutes from Relmeenos, and sarcophagi from Mord-Stavian as part of its permanent displays.

Cruciform StationThe southern-most terminus of Ulverland's largest

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railroad line, which connects Lowedon to Gallowsburgh. Other major stops on the line are Elderburgh, Midenbrook, Covenant, and Orxham. Although it has only existed for but a decade, the Cruciform Line is already said to be haunted by the specters of those who died laboring upon its construction.

Orxham CircusA prominent ring road in the Center City district, Orxham Circus is festooned with a variety of shops, taverns, and eateries. Among its most famous attractions are the Drover's Wheel and the Eld Shoppe. The Drover's Wheel is a public house frequented by the intelligentsia; playwrights, poets, and philosophers gather there to drink absinthe and find inspiration. The Eld Shoppe is a curious little store that sells antiques and oddities; each item they sell has a lengthy story attached to it.

The Coronet Theater Though Amphis is widely known as the theater district du jour, the Coronet Theater is a theater with a long history that still remains popular today. Once frequented exclusively by the nobility, the Coronet now stays open by mixing theatrical entertainments on the weekends with weekday bouts of bare-knuckle boxing and bear-baiting. It is said in some circles that the Coronet came be hired out privately for those wishing to see a nastier sort of bloodsport.

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A Rough Guide to the Northlands

The Slaughtered SonA prosperous wayside inn and tavern situated on the main trade road

The Slaughtered Son is operated by Alfric Hausmuller, a defrocked priest of the Lady of the White Way, who is known to have connections with the mayors of Hearth and Cember.

Signy Hausmuller, Alfric's daughter, runs a brothel within the Slaughtered Son. She is attended by a mute manservant of terrifying size and aspect.

A troupe of musicians is employed as entertainment for the tavern's guests; but one of them is not at all what she seems.

An enchanted ring was lost in the fray of a particularly raucous brawl within the Slaughtered Son. It remains behind the bar, its powers untested and unrecognized.

The Temple of the Sheathed SwordA ruined temple to the Lady of the White Way founded by a penitent knight full of remorse for the lives he took in the Martyrlands

On a certain night every year, the temple is surrounded by a ghostly procession of warriors who wail and demand justice.

It is rumored that the knight who founded the temple buried a stolen treasure of great value within the temple's crypts, but few have been

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brave enough to venture into its depths. None have returned.

A young girl has been repeatedly sighted running and dancing among the graves of the burial grounds that surround the temple. Some say she is of the wereblood.

Although the temple was founded to honor the Lady, there are signs within its walls that the congregation that gathered there turned to the vile worship of devils.

The Funeral Barrows of the Kell KingsAncient burial mounds and catacombs of a forgotten age

Ghouls, bog mummies, and will-o'-wisps openly haunt the barrows from midnight to dawn.

A Kell warband flying the Red Tusk banner has begun using the barrowlands as its encampment.

Two demons have agreed to make the barrows the site of their battle for supremacy. A mortal wizard plays both sides, hoping to entrap the victor and bend it to his will.

It is known that those who stay too long among the barrows inevitably go mad from grief. Melancholy seeps from their very soil itself, and the air hides a miasma of black sorrow.

The CragfastnessA decadent town of Frostreaver immigrants built high upon the mountains

Jarl Grunwald employs the most vicious

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members of the Stormbolts, his personal bodyguard, as assassins against the other noble houses of the Cragfastness. Though this practice cannot be proven, it is well known and will inspire violent reprisals from the other Frostreaver lords.

A great devil sleeps beneath the Cragfastness. The devil's dreams infect the sleep of the most weak-willed Frostreavers, turning their thoughts to kin-murder.

The fighting men and women of the Cragfastness have grown indolent and lazy; they have forgotten their training and the tales of their forefathers' valor slips daily from their minds. The Cragfastness is particularly vulnerable at this moment.

Grunwald's jester is the only man not of Frostreaver blood allowed to permanently reside in the Cragfastness. He is a misshapen brute called Fraomar, and his illusions entertain the Jarl mightily.

The Silent ForestA deep forest that hides elf-homes and the strange workings of the fey

While the elves have no formal governance, they all take heed of the words of Lillian, a young leanan sidhe oracle whose visions guide all major decisions made by the elfin people.

A band of capering imps disguised as sprites travel from elf-home to elf-home, encouraging the elves to indulge in orgiastic debauchery for an untold purpose.

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The Scarred Ones, the most untamed of all the fey of the Silent Forest, harbor a fugitive from justice named Esma within their ranks. They would fight to the death to see that she does not face the claims of the Ulverland's laws.

Secreted within a hollow hill is the entrance to a land of eternal spring.

CemberA thriving town of fatalists. It is governed by mayor Harald Alblotter

The Child of Blasphemy, a trickster demon, wanders the streets of Cember in a variety of guises, looking to make mischief.

A guild of thieves, cutthroats, and assassins known as the Black Knives operate a protection racket that effectively controls trade within the city.

The Wyrmhunters, a knightly order dedicated to the slaying of dragons, has barracks within Cember; each year they sally forth from the town on a questthey do not return until they have slain a wyrm. They drag the corpse of the dragon home with them, which begins a week-long festival of drunkenness and revelry in which the dragon is ritually eaten.

The Tomas McPhail, an elderly man who teaches magic to exceptional youths, has a tower within the city's walls.

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The Acwel HomeAn abandoned manor house known to be haunted by unquiet shades

The decrepit manor is inhabited by the bloodthirsty, spectral Acwels, a family of once-prosperous mariners.

Hidden within the Acwel Home is an enchanted axe wrested from a forgotten storm giant king.

Finan Skagsdar, the impetuous son of a wealthy merchant family, offers great wealth to anyone brave enough to retrieve the books from the Acwel library.

Maida Threestaves, a young priestess of the Lady, wishes to bring peace to the ghosts that dwell within the Acwel Home. She will barter her healing skill to a party of adventurers willing to act as her guard when she ventures inside the manor.

The Ruins of Oswine's KeepA shattered fortress now home to the enemies of civilization

The western half of the keep is overrun by Frostreaver barbarians who rally under the Fenris-rider banner; they are led by Calder of the Bloody Cleaver.

The eastern half of the keep is under the dominion of Lucan Kinslayer, a fallen paladin and his corrupted knightly retinue. They have an uneasy truce with Calder's horde.

An ancient knight pledged to serve the Lady's cause lies locked within a block of magical ice within the keep. Whomever frees him will be

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gifted with a powerful magical sword forged by the dwarf kings of old.

The Fenris-riders have recently been approached by demonologists, who wish to convince them to break truce with Lucan Kinslayer so that they may have rule over the keep's eastern section.

The Cackling WoodsThese deep and disorienting woods are the ancestral home of goblins

At the edge of the forest sits Tarnmore Abbey, a monastery home to filthy, impoverished monks who safeguard ancient tomes of immense learning.

A bitter young man named Branwick MacCork has begun to form his own loyal coterie of goblin spellweavers.

Malek Foultongue, the goblin king, holds sway over his goblin kin because he is unmatched in the powers of skaldsong. So black is his speech that his lyrics can literally consume a man's soul.

The Witchmoon Clan of goblins has abducted the daughter of a prominent warrior from Cember.

MagpieA developing township growing wealthy through logging run by Burgomeister Graff

Beorn Arrowson, a young skald, attracts travelers from across the Northlands who wish to be stirred by his inspired verse.

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Druidic priestesses wish to revive the Old Ways and bring the sacrifice of captured enemies back into the religious rites practiced in Magpie.

Pearce, youngest son of Tredan Oathmaker and noble of Hearth, has run away to Magpie with his forbidden lover. A bounty is upon their headsPearce would be returned to his father for a small fortune in gold, while an equal amount of coin would be given for the lover's death.

Sofia, a child who was the only survivor of a raid on her family's gypsy caravan, is currently under the care of a young widow. The child knows a ghastly secret, though it lies locked within her traumatized mind.

The Caves of KenwayA complex of natural caverns and carved underground chambers that serve as the hideout of the Swords of Shadow, a ruthless gang of bandits led by a murderous warlock

Kenan Kellkenney, a blood-thirsty warlock, imbibes sorcerous drugs and has congress with succubi; he trades pleasure for the whereabouts of wealth ready for the taking.

Kellkenney's control of the Swords of Shadow is contested by Norvel Cutpurse, a talented thief who decries all deities as false deceivers.

Hidden within the ranks of the Swords of Shadow is Eostra Riverford, an apprentice smith who stole something of great import from her master.

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The most feared member of the Swords of Shadow is Oxa Skullbreaker, a hulking brute and former gladiator who has never been bested in combat.

Pendragon's FollyA ghost town through which the wind seems to whisper innumerable names

A dark tower lies at the center of Pendragon's Folly. Within its blackened walls the soul of a dead wizard strives to be reborn.

One of the few living inhabitant of Pendragon's Folly is a necromancer who wishes to trap the soul of the tower's ghostly guardian.

The town's remaining buildings show signs of damage from an otherworldly source. In truth, the town was ripped apart and its denizens killed by the unleashed power of the primal elements.

Pendragon's Folly is also currently inhabited by an antiquarian explorer named Jhonil MacDouglas; Jhonil seeks entry into the dark tower so that he might preserve any knowledge hidden within.

Raven's ReachA stretch of barbarous territory where warbands, hordes, and frost giants do battle with each other for survival

The largest clan of Kell barbarians is led by Wilona Wolfclaw, a fierce, red-haired warrior woman guided by an ancestral spirit.

The Knights of the White Raven maintain a

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small keep within Raven's Reach. Most feared are the mammoth-riding frost

giants of the Hoarbeard clan. A group of flagellants known as the Red

Crucifiers travel the breadth of Raven's Reach looking for witches and warlocks to execute.

CarnifugeA defaced temple now used as a place of worship by an insane cult of demon worshippers

Carnifuge is ruled by Warian of the Hand and his inbred family. Warian is a raving prophet, and he encourages every unhealthy appetite within his faithful flock.

Uncanny creatures not born of nature prowl the woods nearby the Carnifuge.

Verge Windthorn has brought his latest wife to join the community at Carnifuge. She is in grave danger.

The Uncounted Midwives, a group of stealthy women, have a scheme to rescue Udela, Verge's endangered wife, from the clutches of the Carnifuge cult, but they require aid if their plan is to be executed successfully.

The Fortress of BoneA bleak, fortified keep in which an army gathers to make war against mankind

One of the leaders of the army that gathers at the Fortress of Bone is Sigfried Bloodroarer, a great, bellowing minotaur whose strength and ferocity inspire loyalty through fear.

The other leader of the army gathering at the

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Fortress of Bone is Wotanis the Sly-eyed, a drow of cunning and tyrannical disposition. He is a master of stratagem.

Wotanis is armed with an enchanted short blade called Lifecutterthe blade has acquired a taste for innocent blood.

It is rumored that the Fortress of Bone conceals an evil spring of deadly poison.

HearthA populous town of the Northlands; a center of trade and intrigue

Hestr Royalton, a perfumer employed by Tredan Oathmaker, is an accomplished alchemist; some of her more expensive perfumes promise to grant the wearer extraordinary prowess.

At night, the streets of Hearth are haunted by the reanimate corpse of a great hound.

Mayor Tredan's adviser, the sorceress Morgeta, is mad with the desire to know everything that can be known. She would give much to be escorted to the fabled Tree of Knowledge, so that she might finally comprehend the way of all things.

A masked man foments revolutionary thoughts amongst the poor residents of Hearth.

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Ulverland's Colonies in the Discovered Countries

SolemnityA bustling township growing wealthy from salt mining; however, this new-found prosperity is undercut by the burgeoning witch hysteria growing within the community

St. John Masters, a firebrand preacher of the White Way, has arrived in Solemnity to ferret out the coven of witches blamed for every miscarriage, failed crop, and misfortune that befalls the citizens.

Ferris McLorde, a gnarled and deranged man, is St. John Masters's agent in sniffing-out deviltry in Solemnity; Masters keeps him on a leash and treats him like a dog, but McLorde can smell witchery as surely as a hound smells game.

Goody Warwick, a renowned beauty with golden hair and clear eyes, runs a public house within the township. It's rumored that she stores smuggled goods in the basement of her establishment, or dabbles in a far less savory trade down in its depths.

Bonfires of hellish flames have been seen flickering deep within the woods around the township; these are believed to be the marks of the witches' sabbath.

Thirteen BladesA curving roadeach curve is one of the blades it is named afterthat connects Solemnity to Sharpe's Valley; few dare to travel this road at night for fear of

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being attacked by animate shadows.

Bourbon Vale RoadThis road veers north and west from Sharpe's Valley and serves as a route by which the farmers attached to remote hinterlands bring their produce to market. Wayfarers report that defiled remains have been found in several clearings along this road; rumors of witch-cult activity abound in the region.

The Floating ChapelThis place of worship is the sole building dotting a small island on Lake Oneiric. It is maintained by a small splinter congregation of the Church who believe free love and bigamy to be no sins.

Sharpe's ValleyA struggling farming community and way station between Solemnity and Port Esterburg

Paul Kilmason, an apothecary clad in curiously out-of-fashion clothes, sells a tonic rumored to cure most ailmentsincluding the plague.

Spectral war parties of native braves arise in the moonlight to make war once again on the settlers from Ulverland who now build on their ancestral lands.

A rusty gibbet hangs at the crossroads where the Thirteen Blades and Bourbon Vale Roads meet; it is said that on midnight of the first of each month a gateway to a fey marketplace where goblin merchants sell marvelous fruits opens beneath it.

The Sword of St. Stephen of the Fields, a

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magical artifact sacred to the Church, has been brought to Sharpe's Valley under mysterious circumstances.

Buck's RoadStrange effigies of wicker and twine are often found mysteriously tied into the branches of the trees that line this road connecting Sharpe's Valley to Port Esterburg. Travelers report being attacked by shaggy fey creatures who steal away with the decapitated heads of their victims.

Misery LaneThis road is another route that stretches between Sharpe's Valley and Port Esterburg. Approximately halfway between the two major settlements is Varnworth's Asylum for the Mentally Unsound. This road is said to be haunted by the white ladies of the elven fey, hell hounds, and owlbears.

The Stone ProphetThe Stone Prophet is an immense statue of a sphinx found upon the banks of the Saskatoo River. The natives of the region claim that the Stone Prophet was in place long before their arrival in the area. Some say that the Stone Prophet is a burial monument to a forgotten native chieftain, and that untold treasures are secreted within it.

Port EsterburgAn island-bound city of crime and opportunity over which Fort Esterburg stands grim vigil

Port Esterburg is attracting many immigrants

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who belong to heretical and persecuted branches of the Church of the White Way.

Lady Marigold FitzSimion, estranged wife of the adulterous Sir Reginald FitzSimion, plots her husband's disgrace and downfall.

Native tribes displaced by Ulverland's colonists meet in the wilderness to discuss whether Fort Esterburg should be overrun by force or by a great working of sacrificial magic.

The Ragged Rider, the ghost of a Caligarian mercenary, rides his spectral steed through the city at night, claiming the souls of those he chances to meet in Esterburg's streets.

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A Rough Guide to the Greater World

Across the Ice Sea to the north of Ulverland is Frostreave; it is home to clans of bloodthirsty raiders in its grim northern territories and decadent nobles that rule their serfs with an iron hand in the urban, southern areas. Hans Rimeheart, cares more for pursuing his own debauched pleasures than the welfare of his people. Frostreavers are obsessed with oracles and visions; Frostreave is a land of near-perpetual winter due to an ancient curse. The king of Frostreave,

Across the Sea of Kells to the west lies the Shae Isle, a forbidding land of woad-painted savages, hags, and fomorians. While the eastern coast of the Shae Isle has been colonized by Ulverlandian aristocrats, rebellion against the non-native landlords is a constant threat.

Across the Channel of Blue Tears to the south is the hated kingdom of Morgundy, ruled by the Mad King Dagon I; Morgundy is the eternal enemy of Ulverland, and it is well-known that the royalty of Morgundy mate with slaadi. The people of Morgundy frequently engage in violent rebellion to attempt to free themselves from their corrupt nobility's reign. One attraction that draws many to Luzia, Morgundy's capital, is the Verte Theaterwhere illusionists use magic to delight and terrify the patrons.

Other nations on the Grand Continent include Midian (ruled by Queen Evangelia II, capital city: Allonia), the

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Empire of Caligari (ruled by Emperor Olaf IV, capital city: Morton), Harrowfaust (ruled by King Maximilian I of the vampiric von Karlok family, capital city: Peshtar), the Iron Principalities (ruled by petty princes and warlords, important cities: the holy Rhema, the wealthy Florichio, and the canal-laced Venuz), and the Relmeenos Empire (ruled by Cassandra VII, capital city: Athar).

Midian has only recently emerged from a civil war that divided the nation; indeed, it is still a lawless land of boom towns and borderlands where bandits prowl unchecked. Defending one's honor by dueling with pistol or sword is a national obsession of the hot-headed and impassioned people of Midian.

The Caligari Empire is plagued with addiction (drink and opium usage are rife), crime, and hedonism. The Caligari Empire is internally riven by racial tension; a people without a homeland, the Eldmen, are forced to live in ghettos and are subject to prejudice and oppression by the majority. However, it is whispered that one of the Eldmen's spiritual leaders is crafting a mighty automaton from clay to avenge the wrongs done to his people.

Harrowfaust is a land of ignorant superstition ruled by cruel vampire counts; it is also a realm of sublime natural beauty. The rule of Harrowfaust's vampires is contested only by a newly-arrived coterie of death knights. Due to the high number of undead within its borders, Harrowfaust is the focus of the Brotherhood of the Yew's activities.

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The Iron Principalities are a collection of independent, mercantile city-states. Intrigue and subterfuge abound here. In the Iron Era the Principalities were once the heart of the Iron Empire. The city-state of Rhema is home to the Gilded Cathedral, the center of the Western Church's power.

The Relmeenos Empire is a fractured and hidebound realm of baroque and complex social customs that is near-impossible for outsiders to understand; to most, its ways look like madness. The gold-spired city of Zantium is home to the Mosaic Temple, the seat of the Eastern Church.

To the east are the Martyrlandscurrently ruled by Sultan Sulamanwhere the faithful of the Lady (particularly the Knights of the White Raven) go to do battle against the blasphemous Children of the New Fire. The Martyrlands is the region where the Church of the White Way first arose; as such, it is sacred to members of that religion and many feel that it must be liberated from the infidels who currently reside there. There are many small nations, city-states, and tribal lands within the Martyrlands; this collection of polities are barely held together by the Sultan's military might.

Further east are the strange kingdoms of the Spicelands, which Ulverland has colonized extensively. Though regarded as savages, the people of the Spicelands are an able source of laborbut rumors of an uprising chill the souls of the Ulverlandians who administer the country's many diverse territories.

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South of the Grand Continent is Gond, a land of unexplored jungles and deserts; the northernmost kingdom of that land is the death-obsessed Mord-Stavian, which is ruled by a lich-lord known as the Necropolitan. In recent years, Ulverlandian explorers have braved the undead horrors of Mord-Stavian to raid the pyramids and tombs of the country's ancient pharaohs.

In the far east is the Kathai Empire, ruled by Zhen Yi Lim, the Celestial Empress, with whom Ulverland has advantageous trade relations.

South of Kathai are the Scavenger Lands, which are home to warlike nomadic tribes famed for their skill at mounted archery.

Even farther east is Bastillia, an island prison colony to which Ulverland transports its worst criminals.

Above Bastillia is the isolationist, oni- and kappa-infested Island of Jade Mysteries, which is ruled by a supposed demigod known as Zun, the Solar Emperor.

To the far west are the Discovered Countries, two continents currently being colonized by Ulverland, Morgundy, Frostreave, and Midian. One of the most important areas of the Discovered Countries is the Ghael Isles, a chain of islands rich in sugarcane under the colonial governance of Morgundy.

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Credits

All text, maps, and setting ideas by Jack W. Shear

Thanks to Chris P. For editorial assistance

Full-page illustrations and cover by Harry Clarke

Small illustrations taken from various period sources

Fonts usedPalatino Linotype, Libre Baskerville, and Deutsch Gothic

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