The Vast is a frontier land where civilization survives in scattered sparks – isolated towns, fortified ports, and lonely monasteries clinging to edges of deep wilderness. Between these lights stretch forests older than memory, mountains full of hungry things, and ruins from empires that fell long before humans arrived. The Vast has never been a true kingdom. It’s a scatter of city-states and lonely strongholds clinging to the western edge of the Dragon Reach – each one a fragile spark in a land where the wilderness is older, deeper, and far more patient than the people who try to tame it.
For generations, these scattered lights have endured. Trade flowed. Roads stayed open. Monsters kept to the deep woods and high mountains. Life was dangerous, definitely, but more predictable.
That is changing.
Across the Vast, the wilds are pushing back. Caravans vanish in well-travelled routes. Villages report strange lights in the trees. Orc warbands gather in the Earthfasts under banners no one recognizes. Old ruins stir with a new purpose. Priests whisper that the gods are remote, and scholars mutter about ancient powers waking beneath the mountains.
The city-states – Raven’s Bluff, Tantras, Procampur, Tsurlagol – stand alone, their walls bright but their reach is short. Between them stretch leagues of dark forest, broken roads, and forgotten keeps where the past has teeth.
In this rising uncertainty, adventurers matter again. Not as treasure hunters or hired blades, but as the thin line between survival and collapse. When a village cries for help, no army will come. When a road falls silent, no patrol will investigate. When something old and hungry wakes in the Rawlinswood, only those willing to face the dark will stand in its way.
You are amongst those few.
What Your Character Knows
- The Vast is dangerous but full of opportunity.
- The city-states don’t trust each other, but rely on trade.
- Roads are unpatrolled; caravans vanish; maps lie.
- Adventurers are rare – and needed
- Something in the land feels unsettled, as if old powers are stirring
The Points of Light
These are the places where people gather, trade, and hope. Each stands alone.
- Raven’s Bluff – A wealthy trade city built on old alliances and fragile politics.
- Tantras – A holy city marked by divine scars and prophetic unrest
- Procampur – A disciplined naval stronghold guarding the Dragon Reach.
- Tsurlagol – A rough port of smugglers, mercenaries, and desperate folk.
Smaller villages, keeps, and monasteries dot the land, each one a fragile ember in the dark.
The Darkness Between
- The Earthfast Mountains – Orc Warlords, lost dwarven delves, and deep things that never see the sun.
- The Rawlinswood – A forest steeped in Narfelli sorcery; demons whisper beneath the roots
- The Forest of Lethyr – Ancient, fey-haunted, and large enough to swallow armies.
- Ruins of Old Barons – Crumbling keeps from felled realms, now lairs for bandits, undead, or worse…
What This Campaign Is About
You can expect:
- Frontier Survival – isolated settlements relying on your help
- Exploration – forests, mountains, ruins, and forgotten roads.
- Mystery – ancient powers, divine echoes, and hidden cults
- Heroic Impact – your victories brighten the map
- Consequences – choices matter. Failure reshapes the region.
Recently changes have occurred in the Vast.
- Monsters grow bolder
- Strange omens spread across the Dragon Reach
- Priests whisper that the gods feel distant
- Scholars speak of ancient powers waking beneath the Earthfasts
- Villages report lights in the woods, voices in the dark, and runs that weren’t there last season
Character Hooks
Feel free to discover your own backgrounds. Here are some ideas that might tie you to the region.
- Lost Heir – Your family once ruled a fallen barony; now you seek its truth.
- Caravan Survivor – Your home was destroyed on the road; you want answers.
- Scholar of Narfell – Forbidden lore calls to you from the Rawlinswood.
- Procampur Mercenary – You’ve left the regiment behind to make your own fate.
- Tantras Pilgrim – A troubling vision drives you into the wilds.
- Raven’s Bluff Fixer – You have debts, enemies, and a talent for trouble.
- Lethyr Wanderer – You know the forest is changing – and not for the better.
Your choices will shape the fate of the Vast – brighten its lights or watch them gutter out one by one. This is a land where hope is fragile but real, where courage can change the map, and where even the smallest victory can push back the night.
Welcome to the frontier.
Welcome to the Vast.
Welcome to The Lights of the Dragon Reach