Neo-Germany
The Grimmlands/Zero Point Zone/X-Germany
On the day of the Havoc of 2012, the world changed in chaotic ways. The saddest and darkest of them is the Zero Point Zone - a massive area of darkness, an interdimensional flux where the entirety of Germany once lay.
Anyone who goes in can never come out.
And what’s inside is a treasure trove of horrors, of dark legends and utter madness of murder. The populace is harried daily by monsters and fables out of tales of yore, and the various lawmakers are just as lief to slaughter an entire town of pathetic peasants rather than let them be tempted into the dark forest that spans the entirety of Neo-Germany.
Though there are enchanted paths that link tiny hamlets and villages to one another (the upkeep kept up by the various Guilds, who are the closest thing to solace for the common folk), there are many times where those paths fail…or are purposefully sabotaged.
Amongst the various dangers tempting humans to lose their way into the Dark Forest (dark as fuck Fae with absolutely evil intentions, haunted witches seeking to devour the flesh of the young, dark spirits waiting to possess and inhabit the flesh before twisting it to abominations of their desire) lay also the fragment of the Beowulf Society who got stuck in Neo Germany during the Havoc.
To these they have become The Hunters, dedicated to ridding the night of monstrosities…but somewhere along the lines, they lost their humanity.
Now it is highly suspected that they are purposefully transforming human citizens into the very monsters they wish to hunt.
In the outside world, many attempts to free the citizens of “X-Germany” have all failed. An act of God is meaningless in the face of such interdimensional isolation.
There are no happy endings in Neo-Germany.
There is only one ending in Neo-Germany.
At least you can decide how you die.
Cultural Notes
Outsiders are frowned upon, and anyone who ain’t of German stock (those who got stuck here to begin with, at least) are almost treated with scorn.
Hunters are feared, and respected…but HIGHLY feared on sight. There’s more than one case of common, normal citizens having attempted to slay them before they
Many citizens, especially the peasants who live further in the Dark Forest and in the Faelands, resort to cannibalism since none can truly trust the fruits of the Forest. “Normal” produce tends to not grow unless some divine intervention occurs…and the gods are completely cut off from Germany.
Demihumans are mostly treated as full blown monsters, though many do still thrive in the Borderlands and Edge Towns that lay strewn at the edge of the interdimensional wall.
NOTE: You’re gonna die. This setting wasn’t designed for happy endings, only closure…if you’re lucky enough to get it. Only the most sadistic of GM’s should even consider throwing their players at this, and only if they’re masochist enough to have actually enjoyed that DnD 1st edition deathfest bullshit.
Locations
NOTE: The “Dark Forest” is ever prevalent, and can even invade into the supposedly safe Borderlands and Edgetowns, the last known bastions of human civilization. The further into the center of Neo-Germany one goes, the deeper it gets - Neo-Germany is ever-imploding, and there is no known end limit to how far it’s grown inwards. It’s well known, though, that the deeper you go the worst things get.
The Village
Borderlands/Edgetowns
Tiny Hamlets
Fae Lands
The Dark Forest
Organizations
The Beowulf Society/The Hunters - the roaming monster slayers that are supposed to be the law in this weird world.
The Guilds - led by the Craftsmen, this is a loose collective of people who ensure the daily function of the Borderlands and Edgetowns continue on unabated in the face of ever-growing evil and wickedness. They TRY to strike out further inland, but they can only lose so many of their own.
Merchants Guild
Woodworkers Guild
Leathercrafters Guild
The Demolitionists (Explosives Guild)
The Town Criers (musicians/bards)
The Culinarians (cooking/gastro/eating guild)
Witchhunters - ex-hunters, witches and warlocks, the Witchhunters Guild does not, technically, exist. They also enjoy special privileges and rank within the Beowulf Society
Adventurer’s Guild
Noteworthy Individuals
The Hessian - The guardian of the Dark Forest, a hunter supreme who has felled more humans than cancer. The deeper into Neo-Germany one goes, the more likely they’ll come across the Hessian, a Dullahan of extraordinary power. Presumably unkillable even by The Killers, though such clashes usually just end in a draw.
Dax Shepard - rather than saying he somehow left Neo-Germany, it’s closer to the truth to say that he was ejected from this horrid place, carrying the word of Fenrir with him.
Fenrir - an eldritch god hunted by the Beowulf Society/Hunters of Neo-Germany, one who would rather seek freedom than pit himself against them with needless violence.
Huntsmen Ranks
Sparrow
Low Flight
Flight
Top Flight
Huntsman
The Killers - the leaders of the Beowulf Society, the Killers each have earned their rank by being the top slayer of their specialization:
Giantkiller - a young-looking woman with scraggly, mousy brown hair who specializes in high-speed attacks and daggers. Can apparently “turn the air into knives,” and is reportedly unkillable. Has slain ten thousand giants (that we know of). Usually wears a large trench coat, combat boots and gloves with the collar turned up over the lower half of her face. Pink irises that glare eternally at anything in her path. Can be incredibly vicious and cruel, especially towards demihumans.
Starkiller - an older man, dark of skin with short-cropped silver hair, golden eyes and bulky in muscle. Starkiller excels in hand-to-hand combat and has apparently killed over ten thousand extradimensionals. Is incredibly hostile to Demonkiller, is the reported brother to Godkiller, and is apparently unkillable. Rarely wears clothes, and prefers to fight in the nude.
Demonkiller - the most Hunter-looking of all the Killers, Demonkiller prefers to fight with crossbows, holy water, and other implements. Wearing the coats of the Hunters and tri-cornered hat, he wears a blindfold due to a strange deathcurse that has been placed upon him by a higher demon. It is said that any who meets the gaze of the Demonkiller will die on the spot, their corpse spewing forth a Legion of demons into the surrounding area.
The kindest of the Killers (barely), Demonkiller believes in the law of the Beowulf Society and has actively sought the reformation of the Hunters, believing his brethren to have strayed from their path in general.
Absolutely HATES Starkiller, since “extradimensional traveler” can sometimes be confused for “demons.” Apparently knows a secret regarding Ghostkiller, and is absolutely frightened by it.
Hell has an entire segment waiting for him, and the number of both demons and devils dispatched by him are innumerable.
He, apparently, cannot be killed. Starkiller has tried on several occasions.
Mankiller - the most feral and vicious of the lot, Mankiller focuses on humans. Possessed, dark-turned, Fae-touched, it matters not - if they have strayed from humanity, Mankiller is probably nearby ready to tear them to shreds with his massive spiked club. Knows every implement of torture method that can be used on a human being, and is widely sought out for his medical and torture knowledge.
Bears shark-like, sharp teeth, a matting of dark hair, pale skin, and overly large, black eyes. It’s rumored that he’s a flat-out cannibal, and he hasn’t inexactly gone out of his way to dissuade those rumors. Dresses in a torn-up, blood-dried tunic and loose-fitting pants, his hobnailed boots also bearing dried blood splatters on them.
Is neither large or small, but somewhere in the middle, his frame never showing his unnatural, massive strength. Has killed over ten thousand “altered” humans, and is, of course, unkillable.
Godkiller - the brother of Starkiller who has slain over a thousand gods. Smaller than his brother and apparently able to swap gender at will, Godkiller is as pale as his brother is dark, with a genuinely lithe muscle tone. Has an incredible regeneration rate and vitality, and can literally walk through a war with no problems. Is bothered by little save for would-be godlets, upstart demigods, and various “evil” gods themselves.
His favorite method of slaying is to simply choke the life out of his targets after shutting down their energy sources with his strange, subtle methods.
Blonde-haired, green eyed, and is considered extremely beautiful, he considers humans less than worthy of his attentions and will ignore the most despicable of activities simply to single out and slay a god.
Naturally, he’s unkillable and can be the most cruel of all The Killers.
Serpentkiller - Serpents, in Neo-Germany, are heralds of destruction and carnage. Cannibals worship them, and the Serpentkiller lives to destroy them on sight. Serpents, serpent wizards, shamans, cannibals, she has slain more Serpent-based Evil Outsiders than even Starkiller, and is especially hateful of cults and venomous, malicious religious organizations. Has worked with Starkiller more than once, and it’s suggested that she has slain more than a hundred thousand of such types.
Utilizes gem-based magic attacks, and is highly sought after for her knowledge on necromancy. Wears whatever the fuck she wants because she’s a goddamn boss.
Dark, raven hair and pale skin with intensely violet eyes that burn with power when she employs her dwemers.
To her companions, she has the ability to gift enchanted items and weapons almost at a whim, and does so when she feels like it.
A temperamental woman of fiery temper who can just as easily melt down patches of the Dark Forest as save the people.
Unlike the rest of this group, she CAN be killed (if you’re good/lucky enough), but this triggers her second form, revealing herself to be a Powerlich. For 24 hours she’s at the top of her powers, and could even give the leader of the Killers a run for his money. After 24 hours she regains her normal human form, but her hatred for whoever killed her to begin with only grows far more violent. Holds the longest, hardest grudge out of any of the Killers, and would gladly destroy the entirety of Neo-Germany for bothering her….if not for the presence of Ghostkiller, who strangely holds her in check.
Ghostkiller - ghosts are a phenomenon that can harbor ill will and malice towards the living, even more so than other undead. Driven mad by the dark energies of the Dark Forest, ghosts are notably unkillable even by the Killers themselves.
All save for Ghostkiller, the ipso-facto leader of the Killers.
Ghostkiller has slain over a million ghosts in Neo-Germany, and has only grown stronger with each slaying. None truly know his methods, or even what he looks like - he is a constantly changing protean mass to the naked eye, though the Killers can see him directly…and they’re not talking.
Apparently Demonkiller knows a secret of Ghostkiller, and is absolutely terrified by that secret.
Ghostkiller is the most enigmatic of the Killers, and may or may not be human.
Becomes completely intangible when attacked, though his own attacks (which may or may not be melee, unarmed, ranged, or all three at the same time - no one can see beyond the constantly shifting, vaguely humanoid mass) can still reach his target no matter what.