The Demon Fields of Camen
A medieval fantasy campaign in three distinct acts. You begin as a common villager. Something dark this way comes. Will it destroy you or change you?
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Sunday - 12:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
4 / 5 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
4/5
About the adventure
"Ages ago, two brothers of an Anglish warchief stopped at the village of Camen on their way south to pay homage to the emperor at Songhold. The eldest, Duncan, was a lionheart with a head of golden hair; the younger, Edmond, was a prince-ne’er-do-well with a face-askew and a mess for hair that made him look a mangy dog. Though they came for respite, something dark they found in those Demon Fields that led them to descend below the surface. "Two went below; but only one resurfaced. Duncan emerged, wild-eyed and frantically barking orders to his entourage. Edmond was never found. In mere moments, Duncan assembled his men and rode east as if on demon wings! "Years passed as Duncan laid siege to and eventually captured the old port city of Edresfel. He established an embargo on the empire and called himself Usurper. With coin from Edresfel’s spoils, Duncan fattened the purse of many a gilded man. To his dissenters, he wrought tribulation and torture. "Once again, Duncan rode toward Camen, this time with an army in tow. All along the way he purified the land of a great many halfmen, witches, and ghost-callers. He threw them down on pillars of heavenly fire. None were spared. Upon arriving in Camen, Duncan had collected a host of ‘spies’, as he called them. He strung them up, three at a time, on the high branches of the Deadwood. After three days of hangings, he nearly burned the village to the ground, but a maiden stayed his hand. Enraged, he fled for Songhold and its eventual defeat. In the decade that followed, blood and ash and loam washed o’er the land in a seven-year monsoon. The rivers ran red. Those left in Camen and the surrounding hamlets feared only he should return. "But he never did. Duncan, the son of an Anglish barbarian-king, became the first emperor of the newly-formed land called Elwend. His throne was established at Edresfel - now called Duncan, The Golden City - and he ruled with an iron fist for all his days. And if histories were all to be said, that would be the end of it. The good folk of Camen haven’t the stomach for the past. And yet, something eerie - something unnatural - seems at work of late in those Demon Fields. Rumors run true. If it were one or two tall tales solely, such mutterings would die a slow and natural death. But more than a half-dozen stand witness to events too-strange to be all fancy. An acrid, sulphuric stench carries on the wind, and it stinks of Hell! The children and elderly take sick; several have died. The well water is fouled, the livestock are diseased, and the fields wither and turn to smut. "I ask you, what evil descends upon us? Wherefore does it plague us Camennites? If a hex, how can we remove it without direction or a source? What evil remains in those Demon Fields? "Something dark has come our way and we know not what it is…" You will play as villagers in Camen, a simple farming community at the heart of the fertile, but notorious Demon Fields.
Game style
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Tactical / Crunchy
Theater of the Mind
Roleplay Heavy
Combat Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
2 years on StartPlaying
About me
I started playing and running games over 20 years ago, first with GURPS 3rd ed., and then AD&D 2nd ed. for a few months before switching to D&D 3.0 the year it came out. I currently run, or plan to run, GURPS 4e, Cortex/Marvel Heroic, and Pathfinder 2e. I GM only custom adventures and settings of my creation, adapting scenes and story elements after each session to fit the tone and high drama of the group. I’m not saying my games are original, just that I put a lot of work into them at every stage - especially during and between sessions - and I’m not just regurgitating prewritten material. I'm a staunch feminist, POC, anti-fascist ally of civil rights for all people. I pride myself on making sure everyone's expectations and goals are workable and satisfied, and never at the expense of someone else. I only have fun if everyone is having fun. See you at the table!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Note: Numbers in [brackets] are character points. • Pick an Ancestry ◦ If Anglish or Delv, you must select a Historical Folks template. You are allotted [50], and up to [-20] in Disadvantages, [-5] in Quirks. ◦ If Caserian or Kwindis, you must select a Historical Folks template. You are allotted [45], and up to [-25] in Disadvantages, [-5] in Quirks. ◦ If non-human Ancestry, you are simply allotted [45], and up to [-25] in Disadvantages, [-5] in Quirks. You may choose to take a Historical Folks template if you wish. • You will receive a bonus [+2] if you list a special bond or positive relationship with another PC. If you do so, you may then choose a positive or neutral personal bond, relationship, or connection to an NPC listed in the Discord, for another [+3]. • If at least half of the PCs are Anglish or Delv, the entire group receives an additional [+5]. After templates have been paid for, use leftover points to round out your character according to the TL and setting. Overlapping traits stack only if they have levels. PCs without means to defend themselves in their templates will be required to spend at least [d3] in at least one combat/weapon skill. TL 3; $1,000 Starting Wealth, you can spend all your cash as you see fit; no job or study rules; purchase all gear from the Powered by GURPS Dungeon Fantasy line.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
We will be using Discord for voice chat and other setting related notes, but we will play and store characters on Foundry. A working mic with headphones and/or push to talk (so as not to distract with background noise) is required. Character death is not out of the realm of possibility - and powerful magic such as resurrection is out of the question for commoners. It is not required, but you may have a second villager ready (or nearly ready) should you require it.
What Venuil Dave brings to the table
First, I want to welcome players new to GURPS. You will have time to warm up to the rules and I will assist you in every way I can. That said, combat will be swift and deadly. Not every violent conflict will require a classic "initiative" used in other systems. I will be looking to mix it up, with about half of combat being theater of the mind; the other half of the time, we will use advanced tactical grid combat. Second, I want to welcome players from all backgrounds. Though you may see ancestries like Anglish or Elf, and think twice about same old hetero-male Euro-centric tropes, I take joy in creating a diverse and vibrant world within and outside of the simple village of Camen. Delvs are Afro inspired humans respected across the land as elders of a previous empire; Caserians are indigenous horselords of the south; women and LGBTQ are represented in the leaders, villains, history, and lore of the realm, such as a female order of knights, LGBTQ heroes and villains alike, dwarf genderless relationships (men and women look alike!), and lizardfolk being completely without a concept for gender and able to also adopt either sex. My monsters are evil monsters, but they represent different facets of evil, not people, such as the evil drow, pale as Gollum, because they live without sunlight, isolated from a more dynamic society. I love character voices, and will use them often. I do not claim to be an especially good voice actor, however, but I do my best. I also use artwork for scenes and NPCs, but not to the detriment of always replacing your imagination. I tire quickly of bird's-eye maps, when a simple illustration and your own imagination will do. There will be a good deal of mystery and intrigue in this game, at least at the start depending on the direction the game goes. This leads into my next point: my players ultimately lead me - not the other way around. There is a story arc, and I have up to three acts in mind, but they are based in theme, not specifics. That said, I only ask that players work together, for the sake of the story. I won't say never to a separation if the drama and story demands it, but we should err on the side of camaraderie. Last, but certainly not least, this game will be heavily musical. I use various scores outside of typical RPG music (though some of it is from video games). I hope you enjoy my carefully crafted musical themes and anthems for each chapter of the story.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Headphones
Platforms used
Safety
How Venuil Dave creates a safe table
This game will begin dark. If players enjoy that mood, we may continue in that tone, but we do not have to. This does not mean anything goes. There may be romance, but I fade to black (and I do not encourage PC romance); there will be violence, but I do NOT mix violence and sex ever (I also rarely mention torture as an evil act, and PCs will not engage in it); there will be discrimination, but I don't do stories central to bigotry, homophobia, racism or sexism, and I don't do slavery at all. I will send out a consent checklist, and my door will always be open to comments, concerns, and criticisms. X cards will be implemented in Discord, just send me one if you want me to stop, rewind, revise, etc. You will not have to explain yourself, but will be given the floor if you wish to do so. I will also occasionally, privately, or, if you prefer with another player present, ask each of you to tell me your greatest concern or criticism with the game thus far. You can always confront me publicly as well. I have thick-skin, and am always looking to better myself.
Content warnings
Safety tools used