How humans came to settle the land of Morden is lost to time, but what stories remain tell of people leaving a land that had suffered a tragic disaster. Those able and willing to seek better shores set off, discovering a fertile, but wild land, with only remnants of ancient settlement and sparsely populated by reclusive Fey. In time the humans transformed the subcontinent into a blustering mix of cultures and civilizations.
Then, the Grand Coven invaded.
Over a generation ago, the Witch Armies poured down from the Darkwall Peaks, monstrous banes and cruel mercenaries led by the Witches of the Grand Coven, thirteen otherworldly beings of immense and unholy power, and accompanied by the Accursed—mortal men and women forced into servitude, their physical bodies warped and mutated through terrible magic.
After decades of war, the heroes of the Last Alliance managed to strike down one of the Witches in an action known as the Summer Betrayal, bringing an abrupt end to the conflict, but releasing a magical catastrophe that devastated the landscape further. Much of the Alliance’s strength vanished that day, along with several of the Grand Coven themselves. Many of the remaining loyal forces of the Grand Coven fled back to the Darkwall Peaks, but the cataclysm and vacuum of magical energy left a space for some to resist their bonds of servitude.
Though still marked by each Witch and transformed beyond mortal recognition, these Accursed were now free but now abandoned to fend for themselves. Some turned fully to their unholy nature and remained as agents of the Witches, ruling as Regents over the devastated land left bereft of leadership. Some say the Witches themselves remain, possibly even hiding in plain sight, others that the ruling Regents find this merely a useful lie. In the wake of the Alliance’s pyrrhic victory, the influence of the Witches is still felt strongly in Morden, though their own ancient animosities have resurfaced and much of their attention is now absorbed in infighting and struggles for dominance.
However, liberated from their shackles, many of the Accursed stepped forward to defend the nations of Morden from the tyrannical reign of the remaining Witchbrood and their horrors. However, few of the surviving humans could accept these monsters into their midst. Some struck out on their own, executing their own vision of vigilante justice. Others seek to, as in the old legends, find a new home more welcoming. The United Enochian Church set up the Order of the Penitent for those truly devoted to ending the Witches’ reign and finding salvation for their blighted existence.
You are one of these Accursed. Once dreaded champions of the Witches, you have joined the Order of the Penitent to help overthrow the Grand Coven and protect the populace from their monstrous banes.
There are 9 playable Witchlines - those marked by a Witch and thereby transformed in a particular way. As the character advances, they can either move towards Defiance or Acceptance of their Witchmark in 3 stages.
Revenants - The Morrigan
Resilient undead seeking vengeance, but weak to cold iron
Ophidians - The Gorgon
Quick striking venomous fangs, can fit in tight spaces, cold blooded
Mummy - The Djinn
Undead in Sarcophagus Armor, weak to fire
Shade - The Dark Queen
Intangible with an aura of ghostly dread, weak to salt
Mongrel - The Chimera
Grafted Animal/Creature hybrid, in constant pain
Dhampir - The Blood Witch
Agile, perceptive, low light vision, blood hunger, weak to wood
Vargr - The Hunter
Can change to a bestial wolf form, low light vision, insatiably hungry, weak to silver
Golem - The Soulforger
Hulking resilent construct but slow, weak to appropriate element (organic = fire, inorganic = blunt/bludgeoning)
Thanids - The Gardener
Plant-like human monstrosities that can regenerate and reanimate, weak to fire.
Humans are playable and receive a free Edge as per normal.
Also if you have ideas for other similar monster types (spider came up in my brainstorming) we can probably work something out.
There are also 3 Arcane Backgrounds:
Alchemist
Creates concoctions, salves, harnesses electrolytic fluid
Tinkerer
Incorporates unholy magical energies into devices
Witchcraft
“White witches” attempt to harness the powers of the Witches for themselves