The great Darkness rose up to destroy the world, and it succeeded, in a way.
It sought absolute control, so turned its focus to the arcane crystals which powered the Empire, and which many believed had created life itself. The good, then the brave, and finally the powerful confronted the Darkness, and one by one they fell. After the final battle only a few weary souls remained, and the Darkness smiled. A new order was within its grasp. Then in a final, desperate act to prevent their magic from falling into the hands of evil, those few souls cracked open the crystals, and a wave of raw magic was unleashed. The Darkness was obliterated, and the old world with it.
The capital city shone brightly, then imploded. The mines rumbled, ominously. The roads were deserted. The bridged fell. With neither its rulers nor its spells intact, the Empire's collapse was sealed in an instant. The arcane crystals shattered, sending shards far and wide across the landscape. Shards of raw magic, scattered across a wild and dangerous new world, calling out to those who might need them.
Everybody wants something. Some are desperate to restore the world that existed before the fall. Some want redemption. Some want respect. There is desire in every heart, and a shard for every desire.
The Venerable Guild of Mage s is older than the EMpire itself. This group of elderly witches and wizards has spent most of the last century in the Guild's vast library, studying, debating, and advising the ruling class. They have age and power in common, but very little else. One thing they can agree on is the need to preserve magic, and to restore and protect their library.
The mages are powerful, but fragile, spellcasters, supported by Lunk, their mobile librarian. They seek to hoard and protect the rare magics trapped within certain shards, for the use of future generations.
The roving bands of blacksmiths, tinkerers, and artificers who travel the old roads were named for their gnomes, but are composed of many races (so long as they are small enough to fit into the caravans). Extremely hard-working, most wagon-riders have a loyalty that rivals family. The gnomes Tak and Elsie have a particular talent for clockwork, giving Elsie back the mobility she had lost, and bringing life to their helper, Automate. All they're trying to do is keep each other alive.
The Gnomads are not particularly tough, but they're fast, which makes them a flexible force when they stick together. They seek the shards which will keep their clockwork machinery ticking.
When the Empire fell, and the border towns were deserted, one small militia was left with a choice> leave the prisoners in their cells to die, or set them loose. The sheriff and her deputy agreed on a third option: conscription. Working with a drunken minotaur, a serial delinquent and a murderous satyr to bring law and order back to the Wildlands might seem like a fool's errand, but all it takes is a little faith.
The Lawbringers are tough in a fight, and each character has their own specialty. They seek only the shard which will help them restore the rule of law.
Warriors. Killers. Monsters. Slaves, prisoners and professional gladiators were made to fight for the Empire's entertainment, but who is left for them to entertain? Who do an elvish assassin, an angry gnoll, orc siblings and a mysterious challenger have left to trust but each other? Now they are free, where will they go? And who is going to stand in their way?
The Pit Fighters are extremely dangerous up close, as they are exclusively focused on melee combat. They seek powerful shards to keep themselves free.
"Oodles of fun!"
"It's really entertaining!"
"The miniatures and components are fantastic!"
"Very much recommend it, just really fun!"
-Tom Vasel, the Dice Tower
Within the Wildlands the word is spreading - the dead have not finished with the living. Refusing to yield to their own mortality, a nightmarish gang of undead miscreants have taken to the battlefield, striking fear into the hearts of all who oppose them.
The Unquiet Dead introduces a new faction to Martin Wallace's Wildlands with the unique mechanic of common activation. Undead characters share activation symbols, giving players an aggressive new play style
This expansion can be used to replace any faction in Wildlands, or to introduce a new type of play: Encounters.
Choose a faction and fight for control of the shards! Get your copy of Wildlands today!