The world we knew is gone. A century ago, an unstoppable cataclysm known as the Dark consumed the world’s power grids and twisted nature into something alien—and far more sinister. Now, Earth lies scarred and changed beyond recognition, with most of humanity wiped out. In the aftermath, nightmarish creatures called Aberrants have risen and roam free throughout the land, drawn to even the faintest spark of electricity.
What remains of Earth is a broken, blasted landscape. Forests have become gnarled mazes of toxic spores and luminous fungi. Desert dunes harbor nests of mutated predators that thrive in the Dark’s afterglow. Abandoned cities loom as silent graveyards, their skyscrapers hollowed out by time and crawling with unknown threats. Everywhere you look, traces of the Dark’s infestation appear—pulsing vines, shimmering spore clouds, cracked soil, and more.
The few remaining pockets of humanity have gathered together in settlements called safezones, which act as the last beacons of civilization. Each safezone is a haven in the wilderness, with sturdy walls built from wood or cement. Within their safety, human society still resembles the one we left behind many decades ago. People cook, build, talk, and trade. They gather in pubs and share stories about the day’s events. Most importantly, they carry on.
Safezones are a necessity for all survivors, but each one has specific requirements for entry. You may need to have the proper amount of supplies, or a particular job class. Most safezones allow any survivor who makes themselves useful, as long as they don’t cause trouble. But some only allow specific groups—religious sects, military factions, and so on.
If you’re caught outside a safezone after dark, your chances of survival decrease dramatically. Aberrants are most active at night, and they are especially drawn to the artificial light and electricity cast by safezones. They can smell the scent of humanity within, and it drives them wild.
Safezones often tend to keep their use of electricity to a minimum, as they know this attracts the monsters outside. At night, however, spotlights are absolutely necessary to see beyond the walls and illuminate the perimeter. Safezone guards patrol these perimeters constantly, using rifles and machine guns to fend off attacks. But sentry guns run out of ammunition eventually and guards need to sleep. Safety is never guaranteed at a hundred percent.
Aberrants are said to live in the deep wilderness, far away from safezones. They often live together inside Dark Zones, where the Dark is strongest. Many unfortunate souls have disappeared while exploring these areas, never to be heard or seen again.
Aberrants come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Their features can range from animalistic horns and claws, to twisted human faces and limbs, to bizarre monstrosities that can barely be considered alive. Each Aberrant is unique and can exhibit abilities such as fire-breathing, poison gas, psionic emissions, or incredible agility. Each has different strengths and weaknesses. Read more about them in the Creatures & Aberrants page.
The Inhabitants
The scarce pockets of humanity left in the world are composed of two groups of people: normal humans and mutants. Normal humans are the majority in safezones and towns, with Mutants being the minority.
Mutants are those who have been affected by the Dark’s influence and have transformed into a new kind of human. These mutations can be minor, such as a physical alteration (a change in skin color) or major, such as the sprouting of extra appendages or gaining supernatural abilities such as psychic powers or animal-like reflexes.
Mutants are generally ostracized and shunned by normal human communities, both because of the inherent danger they pose and because many mutants develop powers that can be exploited and used against their fellow survivors. Mutants, however, tend to not reveal their powers unless absolutely necessary.
Normal humans are those who have not been mutated by the Dark. They are the majority of survivors and form the backbone of human society (what’s left of it anyway).
Cultural Details in Safezones
♦♦ Barter Currency
In the absence of centralized economies, most safezones operate on a barter system. Items like canned food, clean water, and ammunition are valuable, but so are less obvious things like batteries, solar panels, or even books from the old world.
♦♦ Legends of the Dark
Over the years, survivors have created folklore to explain the Dark. Some believe it’s a divine punishment for humanity’s hubris, while others think it’s an alien force that came to consume Earth entirely. Taverns are filled with stories of “Shadow Walkers,” humanoid figures that can blend into the Dark, appearing just long enough to snatch an unsuspecting victim and disappearing with them without leaving a trace.
Environmental Challenges
♦♦ Dark Storms
These sudden, violent storms are unlike any natural weather patterns. They blot out the sun with swirling black clouds and bring acidic rain that corrodes flesh and metal alike. Survivors caught in a Dark Storm must find shelter quickly, as the Aberrants seem to grow more active during these events.
♦♦ Corrupted Waterways
Many rivers and lakes have been tainted by the Dark, turning the water into an iridescent sludge, akin to liquid soap rather than water. While some safezones have rudimentary filtration systems, others must rely on dangerous scavenging missions to collect clean water from distant, uncontaminated sources.
Clean water is a precious resource, and those who control it often hold considerable power. Around these precious water resources, fortifications or armed groups have established themselves, making access difficult for outsiders.
♦♦ Abandoned Cities
Many cities were destroyed in the initial days of the cataclysm, while others have since fallen into disrepair due to a lack of resources or manpower. These ghost cities are filled with eerie reminders of the old world and can be a dangerous place to navigate.
While some cities have been abandoned due to structural damage or a lack of resources, others were deliberately evacuated in the wake of the Dark’s arrival. In the latter cases, the decision to leave was not usually a calculated one, and the inhabitants often left behind supplies that could prove valuable if found intact.
Unique Features of the World
♦♦ The Skyfire Phenomenon
Occasionally, streaks of vibrant light arc across the sky in mesmerizing, chaotic patterns. Known as Skyfire, these events are beautiful but dangerous. The lights have an unsettling effect on electronics, causing power surges that attract Aberrants. Some survivors claim Skyfire is tied to the Dark’s origin, while others dismiss it as atmospheric fallout from the old world.
♦♦ Feral Machinery
Not all dangers come from Aberrants. In certain areas, abandoned industrial sites have become home to rogue machines corrupted by the Dark. These “Feral Machines” range from malfunctioning cleaning bots with jagged tools to hulking mining mechs that attack anything moving. Though rare, scavengers who can disable these machines often find valuable tech within them. And if brought to a skilled Tinkerer, these machines can turn into valuable allies.
♦♦ The Singing Stones
Massive, smooth boulders scattered across the wasteland that emit a low, harmonic hum when the wind passes over them. The tones seem random but occasionally resemble music. Survivors often avoid these stones, as prolonged exposure to their sound has been linked to hallucinations and paranoia. Despite their ominous reputation, the Singing Stones are rumored to have healing properties—if one can decipher their “song.”
Recognizable Locations / In-Game Biomes
♦♦ Shardspire Expanse
An open plain where colossal shards of an unknown, glass-like material rise from the earth at odd angles, some towering hundreds of feet into the air. These spires hum faintly in the presence of the Dark, and their surfaces seem to ripple like water when touched. The expanse is littered with remnants of scavengers’ camps, many abandoned in haste. Survivors report hearing melodic, almost hypnotic tones when the wind passes through the spires, but those who stay too long often find themselves drawn into the depths of the expanse, never to return.
♦♦ The Ashlands
In the aftermath of the Dark’s arrival, entire regions of the world were reduced to ashen wastelands. These areas are coated in a thick, gray powder that clings to everything and carries the faint stench of decay. The air is difficult to breathe, requiring survivors to wear makeshift masks or scarves to avoid choking. Aberrants in the Ashlands, such as Ashcrawlers, have adapted to the hostile environment, using the ash as camouflage before ambushing their prey. Despite the dangers, the Ashlands hold promise for scavengers brave enough to dig beneath the ash-covered ground, where artifacts of the old world are often buried.
♦♦ The Bone Grove
A forest where the trees have turned into grotesque bone-like structures, their “branches” forming twisted spires that can scrape and tear flesh if one is not careful. The ground is littered with shards of calcified material, and some trees appear to have faces frozen in agony. The Bone Grove is eerily quiet, as if sound itself is absorbed by the skeletal canopy. Some rumors say that if you are scraped by one of the branches, you will become infected. Aberrants known as Mimicshells—insect-like creatures that disguise themselves as part of the grove—ambush anyone who dares to enter their nesting grounds within the grove.
♦♦ The Rusted Sea
An inland body of water that has turned a deep, metallic red, its surface covered with flakes of rust. Survivors speculate it’s the result of the Dark corrupting the iron-rich soil, but no one knows for certain. The water is toxic to humans, and drinking even a small amount causes debilitating hallucinations and fevers. Strange, eel-like creatures known as Rust Serpents patrol the depths, their skin covered in razor-sharp metallic scales and electric emissions.
♦♦ The Bleeding Hills
An area of rolling hills where the soil has a dark tint and appears to “bleed” a viscous, metallic liquid when disturbed. This liquid corrodes metal but strangely not skin and is warm to the touch. Survivors have speculated that the hills are the remnants of a massive Aberrant buried beneath the ground, its body slowly decaying and seeping into the earth. No one really knows what the blood liquid is, but traders often collect it to sell later at safezones as potions.
Other Lands and the Fate of the World
Survivors in what was once called America rarely refer to it by its old name anymore. The concept of national borders and continents has lost much of its meaning in the wake of the Dark. Many simply call it the Wastes, the Deadlands, or the Contaminated Zones, with regions given practical or descriptive names like The Ironbelt (former industrial Midwest), The Glow Coast (what remains of California), or The Fractured Plains (Great Plains).
As for lands across the ocean, information is scarce, and most of it comes in the form of rumors and legends, passed down by word of mouth or scavenged from old-world records. Survivors often speculate about what lies beyond the seas, but few know for certain.
Rumors About Distant Lands
‣ The Frozenscape (Europe):
Some say Europe has been entirely overtaken by the Dark, its cities buried under massive layers of snow and its people long dead. Others tell tales of an alliance of survivors living deep underground in a massive network of subways, using geothermal energy to stay alive. They’re said to have advanced technology and an arsenal of weaponry capable of combating the Dark—but they’re too consumed by their own survival to help anyone else.
‣ The Red Sands (Africa):
Stories passed down via sea-faring captains hint that much of Africa has been turned into vast deserts of crimson sand, dotted with the ruins of old abandoned cities. Survivors claim that some areas are untouched by the Dark, protected by an ancient, mysterious force. These regions are said to be sanctuaries, but reaching them would require crossing the treacherous Red Wastes, where Aberrants with mirrored carapaces stalk the sands.
‣ The Echoing Isles (Asia):
Rumors speak of a distant archipelago in the East where the Dark has “retreated,” leaving behind eerie silence. Survivors claim the islands are covered in thick mist and inhabited by shadowy figures that don’t appear hostile—until you try to leave. Some believe these figures are ghosts, while others insist they’re a new form of Aberrant with a dependency on human companionship. However, for most wasteland people, that seems too farfetched to believe.
‣ The Scorchlands (Australia):
It’s said that the entire continent has been consumed by raging wildfires that never die. Last anyone heard from the continent once known as Australia was that its cities had been scorched and its deserts were abnormally high in radiation levels and heat. Survivors tell tales of glowing ash storms that drift across the ocean, carrying with them spores that mutate anything they touch. If there are people left in Australia, no one has heard from them in decades.
‣ The Ghost Fleet (Oceania):
Legends describe a fleet of abandoned ships drifting aimlessly across the Pacific in what was once Oceania, their crews long dead or turned into Aberrants. The ships are said to contain old-world treasures, but they are also shrouded in dense fog and patrolled by Spectral Mariners, humanoid Aberrants with glowing forms that are often mistaken for ghosts or spirits. It is said that no firearm or melee weapon can affect their incorporeal/energy form.
The State of the Oceans
The oceans have been profoundly affected by the Dark, becoming treacherous and alien landscapes of their own. Much of the ocean now contains glowing patches of bioluminescent algae that survivors call Dark Bloom. These blooms emit faint pulses of light that mesmerize fish—and often humans.
‣ Corrupted Marine Life: Many marine creatures have been twisted by the Dark, growing to enormous sizes or developing grotesque features. Survivors speak of Abyssal Leviathans, massive serpentine creatures that lurk the vast depths of the ocean, rarely coming up to the surface.
‣ Unpredictable Weather: Storms on the open sea have become more violent and erratic, with lightning that arcs sideways and rain that burns like acid.
Do People Cross the Ocean?
Crossing the ocean is nearly impossible for most survivors due to the state of the waters and the lack of resources. However, a few daring individuals and groups have made the attempt:
‣ The Salt Runners: A group of scavengers known as the Salt Runners claim to have patched together a fleet of old-world cargo ships. They set sail in search of untouched lands but have never returned—or so the story goes.
‣ Rumored Safe Havens: Survivors often whisper about “the Safe Coast,” a distant land free from the Dark, where humanity thrives. Many believe it’s a myth, while others see it as a beacon of hope worth chasing.
‣ Relics from the Deep: Occasionally, strange objects wash ashore—pieces of ships with alien writing, fragments of technology too advanced to comprehend, or even preserved corpses of creatures no one can identify. These discoveries only deepen the mystery of what lies beyond.
A Growing World Setting
What you’ve seen here is just a small glimpse of what the world is like. This list is by no means exhaustive, as the setting continues to expand with new locations, strange phenomena, and more. With each new adventure, more pieces of the puzzle come to light—safezones uncover forgotten technology to push back the Dark, explorers map dangerous new regions, and survivors face new and strange Aberrants whose origins may still be unknown.
So step into Darkbound and become part of the tale that’s still unfolding. What are you waiting for?