The Fiendish War

It is the Year of Our Lord Twelve-Hundred and Thirty, and darkness shrouds the land. A weak and indecisive king sits the throne, while his Árpád kin of name alone and blood no longer rule from the shadows…well in part, when they do not slaughter each other over rights and minor slights. The Cumans rule, however tenuously, over the Vlachs of Transylvania and all the way to the Kievan Rus nearest the Dnieper and Don. This is allowed of course, by the true rulers of these lands, since time immemorial. The Carpathians, bones of the East, named for a dead tribe of Dacia are home to terrible monsters, demons and worst of all, the Fiends. Evil feeds the soil of this land, and all who live on it know the price of their relative safety. Further to the North, in Moldovia and Galicia-Volhynia, beasts of a different breed stalk the forests. Those who know no fear of the dark woods, who indeed are lords of the shadows. The howl and gnash their teeth at the creatures that linger in their high castles, behind sturdy walls. Lies, they bark, for none shall protect you. And yet, for a time, the lies are truth yet, as the sons and daughters of Earth and Thunder have been wasted, plagued, diseased. And in the highest and most hidden mists of the Transylvanian Carpathians, that thirsting brood knows who has laid waste to them. For they too, were once of that same magickal ilk. Now, however, they practice a different but equally dark type of sorcery. They lay claim to the Carpathians, interlopers into an ancient struggle, and now the fiercest of foes. For two hundred years a secret war of blood, death and omens has been waged. Mortals are but pawns to the inhumane, alien and awe-inspiring monstrosities that haunt these lands. They fight for dominance, for revenge, for what they say is law. For blood, theirs or their foes. To fight in such a war requires years, decades of experience at atrocity and madness.

You, however, do not have those years of experience in this war. Thrust into the bloody quagmire of magic, flesh and fang, you must decide your path amongst the chaos. Do you wish to rule the night or simply survive to the next? Will you fall to the thirst? Will you stay human? In this grand game that is life, what do you do when you lose but keep playing?

So that's what I have so far for an opening to a V20 Dark Ages game set during the Omen War. I've done some research and have worked out a fair few character concepts of NPCs and the like who would exist in the Greater Carpathian area during this time. Decided to post this because Veness mentioned this place so if you like it thank them. Any questions or ideas, I'd love to hear em.