The Hamlet: A Post-Apocalyptic Low Fantasy Mystery Adventure

About the adventure

“Over 70 years have passed since darkness descended upon us. Wizards say the planes have collapsed, priests say the gods are dead, the sun has nearly vanished from the sky, and our world has been overrun with unimaginable horrors… For millennia, we did not listen to the prophets who had foretold this divine apocalypse. We continued to worship the gods, to give them power, to fulfill their divine mandate… Now, we suffer the consequences! Khianabog, our divine savior, sacrificed her very godhood to release mankind from the clutches of the gods, yet mankind dared to call her ‘Betrayer’! We chose to be pawns of corrupt gods for our entire existence, spat in the face of the one who freed us, and now we are finally free… the right choice, but not the one we made. What will we do with this freedom... this agency? Will we rise to become the new gods of our own world? Will we become the same twisted tyrants obsessed with our own divinity? Are we mere replicas of the gods which created us? There is one undeniable truth we can all agree upon... that hope is lost and it shall never return.” In 'The Hamlet', you begin your adventure as a simple townsfolk from a rural hamlet called Tarnham. Though this simple village may be small, it has somehow remained standing amidst the everlasting destruction of the world around you. Until now, every day was just about survival and making the best of what little happiness you could find in this dark world. However, your survival, and the survival of all those you can friends and families, is under threat. The brave rangers, known as the 'Dark Scouts', who venture beyond the palisades to gather critical resources and protect the hamlet have gone missing. Now, Mayor Eden Weste calls upon you and a few other brave souls to not only fill the void left behind by the Dark Scouts, but also to find them and hopefully aid in their return. The Hamlet is a grim-dark low magic fantasy post-apocalyptic mystery sandbox campaign set in the homebrew world of Mezhdumir. Though the party has a clear goal: find and return the Dark Scouts, this quest will turn out to be a campaign long mystery as you piece together the circumstances of their disappearance while travelling across the hostile lands of the valley of Essfirth. During this adventure will inevitably find themselves getting involved in many of the local and regional conflicts, taking sides and making choice that will shape not only the survival of the hamlet, but also the future of Mezhdumir. Though once a valley inhabited by Humans, Wood Elves, and Tritons, Essfirth has descended into chaos following the invasion of countless extraplanar armies of fiends, celestials, elementals, and more. Now, the land is scarred by battles between the gods themselves, leaving behind unnatural magical phenomena and lingering dark forces that have since had no way of returning home. Most importantly, the sun is dim and a thick layer of necrotic fog lingers in the sky, day and night.

Additional Details

How to prepare

Players should have a decent microphone and internet connection so as to minimize disruptions during play. Webcams are not required as they will not be used. The game will occur entirely on Discord, in which there will be a dice bot or players may use their own physical dice. Players may create and store their character sheets wherever they wish, since I do not require access to them.

What I provide

All virtual materials used to facilitate play are the property of the DM and will not be distributed.

Gameplay details

All official WotC content is approved without DM consultation. I am open to but will review any homebrew and possibly make modifications before approving. To preserve themes, tones, and lore, certain homebrew may be denied. Since rules are not the focus of the game, mechanic rulings will be made on the spot by the DM and we will revisit later if the ruling had a significant impact. This campaign contains dark themes of hopelessness, good vs. evil, the grayness of morality, death, sacrifice, and general violence. No descriptions or allusions to sexual violence, excessive blood and gore, body mutilation will be included or tolerated. Other sensitive topics, such as healthy sexuality or serious injuries, will be vaguely described or faded to black.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Breaks
Lines and Veils
Luxton Technique Discussion
Open Door
Session 0

How will character creation work

All characters will begin at level 1. Due to the unique starting scenario, characters must be created specifically for the campaign, which we will discuss in session 0.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.