The Old World and its magic have been left behind. Across the ocean, a small colony of humanity throws off the shackles of the powers that be to fend for themselves on a strange new continent of prehistoric beasts and boundless opportunity. Expected to fall prey to nature without the protection of the Faelords, Dragons, and other Old World ruling races, they defy fate and thrive by virtue of innovation and industry, and soon threaten to rival their former lords.
At the zenith of their rise, however, a massive volcanic eruption in 1815 plunges the world into a cold and summerless age. Crops fail in the miserable weather, and strange, twisted beasts are reported skulking the frontier. Travelers and small towns alike vanish into the wild, as if they never existed at all.
The nations of the Old World, human and mythical alike, are protected by the powers of the Fae courts, but the fledgling America is plagued by dissent on whether or not to accept their help, and by extension their influence once more. Dissent becomes conflict, burgeoning into bloody civil war that splits the country into three: the industrial and fiercely-isolationist Northern Union, the agricultural Southern Confederacy, who trades with the Old World against the wishes of their fellows in the name of survival, and the opportunistic and lawless Columbian Commonwealth, a collection of semi-independent frontier states who have adapted to the harsher climate. Rumors and accusations fly that the Fae courts are behind the whole matter, sabotaging the planet in an attempt to bring humanity back to heel, but even they seem uneasy in the wake of deepening cold and growing darkness.
The year is 1874. A mysterious cold has settled across the northern hemisphere, bringing with it widespread famine and unrest. The fledgeling United States has died with the ending of the Civil War, giving way to three divided countries who rise to withstand the eternal winter in their own ways: the isolationist, industrial-powerhouse Union, the proud, traditionalist Confederacy, and the lawless western Commonwealth.
- Explore a massive open world, from the northern reaches of the American frontier to the foothills of the Appalachian mountains.
- Travel by foot, hoof, train, or other means.
- Discover hundreds of distinct locations, ranging from bustling frontier outposts to untamed wilderness to forgotten ghost towns.
Humans are not the only inhabitants of this world. Dwarves and beastfolk work alongside them, elves and fae reign over them, orcs, ogres, and other “monsters” fight with them. For all their mortality, lack of magic, and apparent weakness, they were the first to forsake the protection of the old powers to forge their own way in the world.
Step into the shoes of Amelia Bright, rancher and frontierswoman, to clear your family name of a wrongful accusation of practicing dark rituals and uncover the truth behind the matter. Your quest will bring you head-to-head with outlaws wielding black-market spells, immortal, corrupt elven businessmen, and mysterious, ancient forces.
The prairie is home to beasts of all stripes, many of them dangerous. Herds of giant buffalo and swift pronghorn are hunted by roving packs of dire wolves and hyaenodons. Thunderbirds and wyverns soar the skies. Wendigoes prowl the icy wastes, and dessicated corpses walk the deserts under the guise of living men. Behind the thin veil of reality, far worse things lurk, gibbering monstrosities and madness given form.
If it bleeds, you can kill it. But a simple lead bullet won't always do the trick.
Once the hunt is over, sell the meat and hides, or use them yourself. Collect bounties on the heads of monsters and increase your reknown across the frontier.
As iconic as the Old West itself, the horse was instrumental in taming the frontier, though the Divided States have seen more than the average mustang. The exotic, ferocious longma is a mount associated with only the most elite of high society--and certain opportunistic ranchers.
More than just a mode of transportation, this creature will be your partner and protector across the frontier, if you can earn his loyalty.
Your quest to clear your family name will take you to the edge of reality and back, pitting you against doomsday cults and forces beyond human understanding. Explore the dark secrets of your late father’s past and your dying world’s future, and discover just who you really are.
