The Darkest Shadows Adventure Cast is set in what resembles in appearances the tail end of Earth’s medieval era but has changed due to magic and interdimensional beings becoming a reality. The landscape and climate has changed as a result of temporal and dimensional rifts and portals allowing for foreign elements and species to enter our ecosystem unrestricted, mutate and adapt resulting in disastrous consequences for the native population and climate. Thunder Storms that go on for days, plague clouds and meteor showers are but a few of the catastrophes that would strike the planet.
If you as the listener or player ever notice similarities with our timeline and histories that is intentional as there is an alternate history twist embedded in this setting. What if the Ottomans, the Vatican and all the other medieval powerhouses had to adapt and change because everything they held to be true changed overnight and would continue to change for the next 50 years? How would religions maintain their stranglehold and influence if magic was a real force in the world and how could monarchs hold onto thrones when their standing armies now have to face the legions of the undead or fireball slinging sorcerers raining havoc in the court?
Our characters find themselves caught in the midst of the last changes which results in the core party, The Brothers of the Blue Keep, being transplanted to another part of the planet but believe it to be hell for most of the time. The story opens with the listener being given some backstory and context for our party and what they have went through. The trials of the dunes to the slavers and bandits that are hunting them for the bounty on their heads. Having disappeared and being military men of high standing and rank the army had no choice but to issue bounties and arrest warrants for them having believed they deserted their post. It is not until they are reunited with former allies that they realize that they had been gone for 5 years!
When insects the size of cattle are picking up grown men for food and sea serpents sinking entire armadas isolating island civilizations. Not all the changes were bad for the leaps in understanding and technology some civilizations managed to attain through struggle and immense dedication would see man again rising to the challenge but with a great cost.
Frontiers would have to be redrawn following the invasion of the hordes of Orcs, Demons and other unholy spawn that would spread like a plague across the globe devouring and corrupting whatever lay in its path.
The Western Alliance of Nordan, Syrac, Colonía, Bretonnia, Frankia and Barvaria would no longer have the influence and resources they once had and would have to reestablish communications and trade as Bretonnia the island nation now was further isolated by active underwater volcanoes and has been raised 20 meters above sea level. Syrac lost the land bridge that connected it to Europa and now the republic that was on the largest landmass in the West was a adrift in an uncharted ocean, cut off from their allies and several states.
The Central States and Unified Republics of the Trinity were fortunate for their lands to not be entirely displaced but casmsa and sinkholes the size of mountains would displace the populations and force them to relocate capitals and agricultural zones while fending off night spawn and other predators that appeared in the absence of patrols and military units. The Trinity would open its koffers and unleash the divine magic they had been studying in secret to better sway the masses back to the old faith. This would allow most of the nations to rally under a moral code instead of a god manipulation leading tot he flourishing of the craft and tough stock. The central and Unified Republics are:
Almeria, Walchmar, Rominis, Slavia, Dalmos, Kamenforge, Talinara, Zagnica and Concaria.
The Eastern Kingdoms and Dynasties would suffer lesser tectonic activity but solar activity and other phenomena would see famines mark the first years of the ‘Great Change’ and rampant lawlessness redraw borders as Khans and Kings would once more have to fight legions and monsters but unlike many of the other tribes of man they would embrace these new forces to their benefit. They would domesticate large beasts and incorporate elemental magic along with necromancy to give them an edge in their campaigns but also to allow them to align and recruit new allies from the Half Orcs and Fel-Kar (a species of Cat folk).
The Eastern Kingdoms are comprised of :
the Red Dragon Dynasties, Monkhar Empire, The Kingdom of Sylonisi, The Golden Dawn Clan, Indara and Austaria.
The new northern nations of Oslas, Ismark, Vikland, and the Brotherhood of the Wolf would learn to live in harmony as they always did with nature making them for a while an economic powerhouse as their whaling fleets would be escorted by unicorn whales that would aide in the capture of other species along with their Berserkers and Druids mastering runic magic. They would learn to even command units of polar bears through the aid of rune collars allowing them to risk less men but still offer protection to their convoys.
Not all monsters and races are known to all civilizations and with the introduction of entirely new civilizations the most valuable item a leader could possess in Ardan is an accurate Map and knowledge of the other leaders and their people. Man has not gone back to square one but has been playing catch up for 50 years and is bold enough to know that at least half the planets population were human or favored them or else why would they not have been eaten or corrupted? Rulers and leaders alike must find a way to establish diplomatic channels and carve out travel paths and trade routes if man is to ever return to progressing and standing a chance.
The guide will be uploaded and made available for download when the first episode goes online. Adventure Cast is sponsored by Nerd Dimension and kindly ask all listeners and viewers to click like and to subscribe to their Facebook page. Should you wish to contact us you can reach us using their instructions and email
Adventurecast 