Lauk

Style of Play

Rather than the Heroic Fantasy assumed by the base D&D 5e rules, campaigns set in Lauk tend towards Low Fantasy, Dark Fantasy (see VRGtR p50), and Intrigue. Further, they often include elements of Mystery and Sword and Sorcery (see DMG p38 for rough definitions). Rather than playing characters destined for superheroism, you are playing adventurers pushing back against the chaos of a dark, magical world, and hopefully, one day, your characters will be considered heroes of it.  

Themes

World of Lauk is one of adventure and mystery, but also one of loss and strife. This world is a mixture of great highs and perilous lows. Common themes that exist across the world are danger being required for change, hope against all odds, the horror of the unknown, the complexity of both society and the individual, and survival in the face of hopelessness.  

Society and technology

Typically, societies in Lauk are either structured as empires or kingdoms. However, there is a great deal of variability. Some regions are dominated by city states. Others have a more democratic lilt.   Technology is limited in the setting. Most regions have a technological level in the range of the European Middle Ages. However, it is quite varied. The fantastical nature of the setting and abundance of magic has led to a number of technologies either not being needed or it being impossible for them to be developed at a large scale. Further, even with magic, information travels slowly. Long-distance communication is incredibly iffy and can draw unwanted attention. As such, technologies that are developed are very slow to spread, even at times being instead lost to the ages.  

Geography

The world itself has a number of large continents, the largest of which is Thaer. Generally, the north is cooler than the south. See the regions section for region-specific geography.