Story & Worldbuilding

An Isle of Gloam

No Rest For the Wicked takes place on the enchanting Sacra, and island which hosts a variety of climates, distinct cultures, flora, and settlements. Among the first outlying areas players are likely to encounter are the windswept dunes of Mariner’s Keep, the hushed cave-systems of the Orban Glades, and the sunflower-strewn hamlets of the the Lowland Meadows. Regions are separated not only by distinct biomes, but also by a jaw-dropping variety of environmental designs, shortcuts, structures, navigable terrain, and memorable inhabitants.

A Monarch and a Plague Eater

Our story begins shortly after the death of Isola Sacra’s long-reigning monarch, King Herold Bolein. His rule spanned the colonial city-state of Phalen, located on the “mainland” across the sea. Many of Sacra’s residents express disapproval of the monarchy, citing exploitation of resources and labor as well as a lack of empathy for the Island’s population.

Herold’s death is only the first bad omen to befall the mainland: a thousand years has elapsed since the last appearance of an apocalyptic plague called The Pestilence, which now makes an inexplicable return. The disease both erodes and evolves the flesh of the stricken, causing existing flesh to putrefy and shrivel while new limbs grow in abundance. Victims of Pestilence are referred to by many as “The Torn.” One could infer from the inhuman, massive stature of many of the afflicted that the condition may excelerate all growth, acting both as a cancer and a steroid.

There may be only one force capable of resisting Pestilence’s unimpeded spread: the Cerim. Described as a “race,” Cerim are a people with the miraculous gift of consuming draughts of Plague Ichor to enhance their strength and supernatural abilities. This Ichor seems to be an elixir developed by specialized apothecaries called Watchers. As one could expect, the population views Cerim with a mixture of awe, revulsion, and esteem. Perhaps as a consequence of their rituals, Cerim are also mute, garnering the additional title of “Unspoken.” With the threat of Torn returning to the shores of Sacra, the Cerim are once again called across the sea. 

…like a Babe, screaming into the light…

With Herold’s death, the crown is passed to his heir, Magnus. Although young, Magnus seems to have strong convictions about his father’s rule, claiming that he was “weak for many years.” Closely advising Magnus is Madrigal Seline, “tip of the church’s spear,” and architect of an impending inquisition. While we have not yet uncovered much about the imperial church, it is implied that they hold a monotheistic ideology in contrast to the polytheistic Dasha, indigenous people of Sacra’s Marin Woods. The Dasha worship a quartet of gods:

• The Sacred Mother: depicted with exaggerated sexual features, likely inspired by real world “Venus figurines.“ She is described by shrines as “carrying the earth” and having provenience over “the harvest, the heart, and the dawn.”

• The Learned Maker: depicted as an humanoid figure with a castle’s turret as a head, described as “shaping the home” with dominion over “the family, the law, and the way.”

• The Restless Seeker: depicted as a warrior with spear, described as “striving for growth: for vision, for valor, for more.”

• The Forsaken: depicted as a humanoid figure draped fully in cloth: “unto her we spare no word, cast no eye, give no prayer.” The idea of ignoring a canonized deity as part of spiritual practice is peculiar, hopefully we will receive additional information in the future.

The church’s animosity toward the Dasha mirrors that of real world colonizing powers who sought to christianize indigenous pagan peoples. Seline believes (or at least pronounces) that the Pestilence is a divine punishment brought upon heathens, another attitude with numerous real-world parallels. Regardless of whether her convictions are sincere, they have proved influential to the newly-coronated Magnus. He echoes support for the inquisition's objective to “cleans Sacra’s sins.” In a chilling speech, he vows to “reach into every corner of the island and bring it, like a newborn babe, into the light.” This macabre proclamation is underscored by what appear to be vertebrae ling the collar of his cloak. 

The Downtrodden and the Risen

It is likely that the “sins” Seline and Magnus seek to cleanse are not only spiritual, but also political in nature. In response to neglect and exploitation by the capitol, a Sacran resistance movement formed under the name “The Risen.” Early in the campaign, a Phalen envoy carrying Inquisition troops and the Cerim is attacked by a Risen brigade. The militia’s leader, Odessa, is soon revealed to be of royal lineage herself, a cousin of Magnus and daughter of Sacra’s governor, Ellseworth Bolein.

Perhaps as a result of seeing her father struggle to uplift Sacrament through the power of the pen, Odessa instead turns to the sword. Although Madrigal spares her life as a "gift from the Church," she executes the remaining militia in a stark show of force. It goes without saying that the Risen represent an unacceptable risk to Phalen's authority. Under Magnus, Church and State are united in pursuit of control.

Last of your kind, first of mine

After licking their wounds in neighboring Fort Reach, the Inquisition's next priority is clear: march with the Governor to the Holy City of Caylen. However, they must first overcome a daunting obstacle: passage through an ancient seal hewn into the cliffs of the Nameless Pass.

More to come, thank you for reading!! - Ian