FOLKIN.IO
FOLKIN.IO
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Life in Folk is simple, yet heavy with the weight of duty. Fields must be tended, debts paid, and prayers whispered for protection from hunger, illness, and the unknown. Most people crave little more than peace—a quiet life where the dangers of war, heresy, and the Depth remain distant rumors.
But the world rarely lets anyone stay in their place for long. A failing harvest might bring the wrath of the lord’s taxman. A wandering stranger’s tale might lead a curious soul astray. The Church’s demands for faith—or whispers of heresy—might turn the most devout against their neighbors. And when the forest stretches its shadow closer, people cannot help but wonder if something stirs within its depths.
In Folk, even ordinary lives are fragile, and the smallest of sparks can send them tumbling into chaos. Whether through desperation, fate, or ambition, you will find yourself cast out of the familiar and into a world of doubt, danger, and decisions. The question is not whether your life will change—but how you will face it when it does.
“Before there was anything, there was the Depth, silent and eternal. Then came the White Star, and all was changed.”
In the beginning, there was only the Depth: an endless void of stillness and shadow, neither good nor evil, but empty. For countless ages, it existed without movement or form, until a single point of light pierced its silence. This light was the White Star, brilliant and pure, its radiance scattering the shadows of the Depth.
The White Star was more than light—it was will and purpose. From its brightness came the One God, who awoke and saw the vast emptiness of the Depth. The One God reached into the White Star’s radiance and began the work of creation.
The One God, using the light of the White Star, shaped the heavens and the earth. The sky was woven from its glowing threads, the seas from its shimmering essence, and the land from its shining dust. From the most radiant parts of the White Star, the Sun and the Moon were born, each a reflection of its creator’s light.
The stars were scattered across the heavens, their pale fire marking the One God’s presence in all corners of the world. Each star, it is said, watches over a soul, guiding it along its destined path.
After shaping the world, the One God looked upon it and saw that it was good, but lifeless. Drawing closer to the White Star, the One God took its purest light and kindled it into the first breath of life. From this breath came the first beings:
Humanity was made to reflect the One God’s light, but they were not bound to it. Their choices could strengthen the light within them or allow the shadows to take hold. This freedom was both their blessing and their burden.
But the Depth, once silent, stirred. The White Star’s light had banished its stillness, and in its resentment, the Depth gave birth to shadows—beings of envy and despair, called the Fallen Shades. These shadows whispered lies and temptations, seeking to drag humanity back into the darkness of the Depth.
The One God, seeing the threat, created the Veil, a barrier between the material world and the Depth. Through the Veil, the One God’s light shone faintly, visible in the stars and felt in the miracles of the faithful. The Veil protected humanity, but it was not invincible. Doubt, sin, and despair could thin its fabric, allowing the shadows to seep through.
As the Depth’s attacks grew stronger, the White Star gave its greatest sacrifice. It shattered into a thousand fragments, each one a spark of its original brilliance. These fragments fell to earth, becoming sacred places, powerful relics, or hidden lights within humanity itself.
The One God withdrew to watch over creation from afar, leaving humanity to carry the White Star’s light within them. Every choice they make strengthens either the light or the shadows, and the world’s fate hangs in the balance.
“The past is a fragile thing, hidden in ashes and shadows. Yet its echoes shape our present.”
Before the One God, the world was a wild and fragmented land. Tribes and petty kingdoms worshipped countless spirits, gods, and demons, each tied to rivers, mountains, and forests. The people believed in sacred pacts with the unseen, offering sacrifices to ensure good harvests, protection from storms, and victory in battle.
But these times were also chaotic. Wars between rival gods’ followers raged, and the land became a patchwork of blood-soaked territories. Oral traditions tell of a terrible event, a calamity known only as the Night of the Veil, when something unspeakable emerged from the world’s depths. The spirits fell silent, many gods vanished, and those who survived turned their worship to new powers.
Out of the chaos came the Prophets of the One God, preaching unity and salvation under a singular divine being. They promised an end to the endless wars and sacrifices, and a future of stability and harmony. The people, weary of chaos, began to convert in growing numbers.
With their rise came the Holy Crown Alliance: an agreement between the emerging monarchy and the Church. Kings provided soldiers to enforce the Church’s will, and the Church declared the kings divinely chosen. Together, they waged a War of Unification, eradicating the old ways and breaking the power of pagan priests, mystics, and rival gods.
The conquest of knowledge was as important as the conquest of people. At the height of the Church’s power, it declared all writings from the old world heretical. In a symbolic act, the Great Library of Iorath, a vast repository of ancient wisdom, was burned to ashes.
This event marked the end of the Age of the Ancients and the beginning of the Church’s total dominance. Most records of pre-One God civilizations were lost, and with them, countless advancements in art, science, and philosophy. Small pieces of this knowledge survived, smuggled out by desperate scholars and hidden in forgotten places.
Whispers of forbidden cults grew louder in the years after the Great Library’s destruction. The most infamous was the Cult of the Veil, which claimed to worship a being older than the One God. The cult spread quickly, blending the language of the old spirits with promises of power and forbidden knowledge.
The Church declared the cult a demonic threat, launching an inquisition to root them out. Entire regions were purged, villages burned, and countless innocents executed on suspicion of heresy. The cult was driven underground, but its remnants remain, a dark stain on the Church’s legacy.
The most recent chapter in history is one of blood and ruin. The Great War erupted when a coalition of rebellious nobles declared independence from the Crown, claiming the king had overstepped his divine authority. The war tore the land apart, pitting noble against noble, and dragging peasants and townsfolk into its wake.
The Church aligned with the Crown, using its influence to frame the rebellion as a sin against God. The merchants’ guilds supplied both sides, reaping vast profits while watching the kingdom crumble. The war ended with the rebels crushed, but the kingdom has never recovered: fields lie fallow, villages are abandoned, and famine spreads.
The world is fractured, weary from centuries of conflict. The Church still preaches unity, but its iron grip is slipping as doubts grow and heretical whispers return. The king is broke, his treasury emptied by war, and his hold on the nobility is tenuous at best.
Meanwhile, the old ways refuse to die. In remote villages, people still leave offerings for the spirits of the forest, and whispers of the Veil persist in secret circles. The outcasts – witches, bandits, and heretics – grow bolder, testing the edges of society’s crumbling order.
The forest looms, ancient and indifferent. It watches as humanity struggles, its shadows hiding both forgotten secrets and untold dangers. In this time of uncertainty, every choice matters, and the echoes of the past resonate in the fragile present.
The stage is set for change. Will the world rise anew from its ashes, or will it descend further into darkness?
“The world is held together by fragile alliances and bitter rivalries, each faction pulling at the threads of power.”
The realm of Folk is a patchwork of competing factions, each driven by its own ambitions and beliefs. From the righteous zeal of the Church to the cunning schemes of the nobility, every group seeks to shape the world in its image. Some offer stability, others bring chaos, but all leave their mark on the fragile order of society.
In a land still scarred by war and haunted by shadows, these factions wield influence that can elevate or destroy. Who will you trust? Who will you betray? In Folk, alliances are as fleeting as the light beyond the Veil.
“Only through the One God can the world be saved. Those who stray are lost to darkness.”
The Church is the most powerful institution in the land, claiming both spiritual and temporal authority. Its priests, monks, and inquisitors enforce its doctrines with unyielding zeal, preaching that salvation lies in faith and obedience. The Church views itself as humanity’s shield against the Depth and its whispers, but its methods are often harsh and unforgiving.
“The king is chosen by the One God to rule over all. To defy the Crown is to defy the divine.”
The Crown is the seat of royal power, representing the king and their court. The king claims divine right, backed by the Church, but their authority is constantly tested by rebellious nobles, the ambitions of the merchants, and the demands of the common folk.
“The blood of kings runs through our veins. The king may reign, but we rule.”
The nobility are the landowners and power brokers of the realm. While some remain loyal to the Crown, others see themselves as rulers in their own right, paying lip service to the king while pursuing their own interests. Feuds between noble houses are common, often spilling over into violence that destabilizes entire regions.
“The Veil hides the truth. We will lift it and see the world as it truly is.”
The Cult of the Veil operates in secret, claiming to worship a being or force that predates the One God. They teach that the Depth holds truths hidden by the Church, and that humanity’s true power lies in embracing the forbidden. While some see them as nothing more than heretical fanatics, others whisper that their practices unlock real power.
“Gold rules where swords falter.”
The merchants’ guilds are an emerging force in the feudal world, controlling trade routes, goods, and the flow of wealth. Nominally loyal to the Crown and Church, the merchants’ true loyalty lies with profit. As towns and cities grow, so too does the influence of the guilds, challenging the traditional power structures of nobility and clergy.
“Whispers of power, glimpses of faith, and the shadows of a forgotten past.”
The world of Folk is layered with secrets and uncertainties. Miracles are subtle, the Depth whispers in moments of despair, and ancient knowledge lies buried beneath fear and ash. These mysteries weave through daily life, shaping the beliefs, struggles, and choices of those who inhabit the land. Some seek to unravel them, while others pray they remain hidden.
“Was it divine intervention, or simply the will of man?”
Miracles exist in Folk, but they are subtle, rare, and open to interpretation. A child recovers from illness after a prayer; a starving village suddenly finds an untouched cache of grain. The Church proclaims these events as signs of the One God’s favor, but skeptics see coincidences, and others whisper of darker forces at play.
For player characters, miracles are more about belief than certainty. A priest might heal with a touch—but is it divine power, or faith inspiring others to see what they wish? Miracles often come with a cost, whether real or imagined, leaving questions that linger long after the event.
“The deeper you listen, the less you belong to yourself.”
The Depth is not just a place but a force—a void beneath the world that hungers for the living. Its whispers can be heard in moments of desperation or weakness, promising forbidden knowledge or the power to change one’s fate. Those who listen too closely risk madness, possession, or worse.
The Depth’s influence manifests in strange ways:
The Depth tempts with promises of power, but its price is always higher than it seems.
“The Veil is thin, but what lies beyond it—heaven or horror?”
The Veil separates the mortal world from the Depth and the divine. It is said to be woven by the One God to protect humanity, but it is fragile, especially in places of great suffering or doubt. When the Veil thins, strange phenomena occur:
Thin places in the Veil are both sacred and dangerous. Pilgrims seek them for divine visions, while others fear the Depth’s influence creeping through.
“Some truths are better left buried.”
Fragments of the old world’s knowledge survived the burning of the Great Library, hidden by those who defied the Church. These remnants include books, maps, and artifacts, often written in languages no longer understood. Those who seek them risk the Church’s wrath—or worse, drawing the attention of the Depth.
Types of forgotten knowledge:
To uncover such knowledge is to invite power, danger, and doubt.
“The trees have seen more than any man, and they do not forget.”
The forest in Folk is not just a setting—it is a living, unknowable presence. People speak of the forest as if it has a will of its own, drawing in the lost or punishing the unwelcome. Travelers tell stories of paths that change, trees that seem to move, and the sensation of being watched.
Within the forest:
The forest represents both humanity’s fear of the unknown and the consequences of what they have forgotten.
“The White Star shattered for us; its fragments call to those who listen.”
Legend says the White Star, the source of the One God’s power, broke into countless pieces during the battle against the Depth. These shards are said to carry fragments of divine power, though their true nature is hotly debated.
Shards might be:
The search for these shards can lead to great power—or great peril, as not all shards are believed to be pure.
“In the quiet moments between fear and toil, life unfolds—simple, fragile, and utterly human.”
The world of Folk is shaped by the struggles and routines of everyday life. For most, survival is a constant challenge, governed by the turning of the seasons, the demands of the powerful, and the ever-present shadow of war and famine.
“The plow waits for no man, and neither does the landlord.”
“Power may rest in the king’s court, but its reach lies in the hands of the lords.”
“The smell of smoke and sweat fills the air, where merchants haggle and beggars linger.”
“To serve the One God is to serve the world, whether in glory or in silence.”
“Beyond the fields, beyond the law, lies a world untamed and unkind.”
In Folk, life is harsh but not without moments of beauty. A child’s laughter, a shared meal, or a story told by the fire can remind even the poorest soul of their humanity. Yet, every joy is shadowed by fear—of hunger, war, or the Depth’s whisper. In this fragile balance, the choices people make define their lives, shaping not only their fates but the fate of the world itself.
