The premise
East of the kingdom of Garance, a vast stretch of land lies in ruin: Wars, plagues, and centuries of royal neglect have created the Sauvâgerie, a lawless wilderness full of monsters. The young king Erelianus de Montbéliard II, entangled in legal issues about the legality of his rulership, recently announced an initiative to reclaim this lost land for the good of the people. His troops however are nowhere near the Sauvâgerie since they’re needed to keep his contenders at bay.
The king has repaired a few roads and outposts along the informal border to the wilderness, and also sent town criers to every corner of Garance. Now, hundreds of foolhardy adventurers look east and begin wondering… how much fame and treasure might be found there?
You are one of those adventurers.
What’s waiting
The Sauvâgerie is an untamed land dotted with ruins, some of which are as old as Aior, the fabled precursor empire. It encompasses what was once considered the eastern borderlands of Garance as well as a vast stretch of mountainous terrain beyond. That region hasn’t been part of any nation for almost two millennia. Vicious beasts and humanoid tribes aligned with Chaos live there, and the lay of the land is generally unknown. Myths tell about various riches Aior supposedly left behind.
Aside from the prospect of plunder, what makes this region interesting for mages and priests is the assumed presence of manifest zones. Here, magic from the Outer Realms pours into the world to twist animals into monsters and turn trinkets into artifacts. Because of that, soldiers of fortune are now marching into the unknown, commerce following in their wake. Sleepy villages turn into busy way stations overnight as returning survivors sell their hauls and attempt to recruit new followers.
Game start
Player Characters assemble in Albâtre, a hamlet in the barony of Quarrefors, right on the edge of the Sauvâgerie. It lies way south of the main roads that facilitate the current Reconquista, and things still are pretty quiet down here. The nearest settlement is the village of Rabastion (two days riding west), and some PCs might have joined a caravan there. The closest city is Mathyé (five days northwest), where the Baron of Quarrefors lives in splendor.
But even though it’s still quiet, life in this remote corner of the world is changing right now.
A large inn, only recently built inside the remnants of an ancient watch tower, dominates today’s Albâtre. A general store, an alchemist, and a few farmsteads constitute the rest of the hamlet. The Church of Lévienne plans to build a temple, but the new priestess still waits for workers to arrive.
And about a day’s ride to the east, in the Sauvâgerie, lies a dungeon called Merveille de la Mort – the Wonder of Death. Local legend has it that a prince once went there to use a magical well to return his murdered bride to life. So far, adventurers have only returned with tarnished pieces of silver and tales of evil lurking within the former temple… but maybe you will be the one to find the mythical well?