Welcome to Asvelgoth

Welcome to Asvelgoth, a city of ancient secrets, dark magic, and modern-day corruption. This book is your guide to weaving tales of mystery, intrigue, and adventure within its shadowed streets and tangled catacombs.

Asvelgoth was born from a love of dark and urban fantasy—a place where pain and sorrow seep into every stone, and the line between the monstrous and the mundane is blurred. Here, corruption is both a system of government and a supernatural force, and every alley might hide a secret that could change the city forever.

But let’s be clear from the start: Asvelgoth is not supposed to be realistic. This is a city where ancient curses coexist with crooked politicians, where undead creatures roam catacombs beneath the old cathedral, and where the echoes of forgotten gods still shape the city’s fate. It’s a sandbox of storytelling, a fantastical playground where imagination and drama take precedence over historical accuracy or strict realism.

This book is designed to be flexible—a framework of districts, factions, and adventures you can adapt to your own style and preferred system. Whether your players are hunting down cultists, negotiating with guild leaders, or unearthing buried secrets, Asvelgoth is ready to become the stage for your darkest and most memorable stories.

Asvelgoth draws inspiration from a blend of Gothic horror, urban noir, and tales of ancient magic. Picture the fog-drenched streets of Dracula’s London, where darkness hides both human malice and supernatural threat. Think of the brooding, stylized atmosphere of Batman: The Animated Series, where the city itself feels like a character—a labyrinth of shadows and alleys, drenched in moral ambiguity. The writings of Edgar Allan Poe lend a sense of melancholy and decay to Asvelgoth’s old buildings and tragic figures, while the twisted, ancient magic reminiscent of Clive Barker ensures that the supernatural here is as unsettling as it is powerful.

This book is intended to empower Game Masters and players alike. Use the details here as inspiration, not gospel—change them, expand them, or twist them to fit the needs of your table. Let your players’ choices shape the city, and let its shadows come alive in your hands.

Asvelgoth is a living city, meant to evolve with your table. Embrace improvisation, lean into the unexpected, and let your imagination—along with your players’—breathe life into its cobbled streets and darkened catacombs. Without the heroes who dare to walk its streets, Asvelgoth will only sink further into its own rotting systems—its people consumed by corruption, and its ancient evils growing stronger in the shadows.

Welcome to Asvelgoth. May the darkness guide your steps—and may your stories outshine even its deepest shadows.