Damned & Dreams (2025 - 2026)
- Jun 6
- 17 min read
Updated: Jul 19
A Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition role-playing game set in a Bloodborne-like universe that meets China Miéville’s Perdido Street Station. It takes place in a world where Mother Nature has vanished, and the beings of this world have ceased to die. Yet the eternity they were hoping for has quickly given way to an unspeakable horror: with every second that passes when you should have perished, you see a little more of what death had been hiding from you. There is a Veil behind our good old reality. And humanity was not ready to discover what lay on the other side. It still isn’t...
A resolutely hardcore yet ultimately very fair campaign, which puts the heroes back in their place as humans facing entities far more powerful than themselves. The concept of abolishing death allowed me, in terms of both storytelling and game design, to craft a gruelling adventure where the focus isn’t on figuring out how to win, as is often the case in D&D campaigns. It pushes players to think outside the box and reinvent themselves.
Introductory Text
Legends tell that, long ago, Mother watched over humankind. Some saw this as nothing more than a myth, championing science and reason as the new hallmarks of their existence, and so much the better for them: Mother loved them nonetheless, in spite of their disbelief, showering them with seasons, fruit and sunshine. Myther embraced every beating heart without distinction.
However, one morning dawned without the sun rising. The golden halo had vanished, giving way to a blackish, blood-red eclipse. The sun seemed to be weeping, and it passed over the world without changing in the slightest. As night fell, mankind could do nothing but watch, powerless, as its sister, the Moon, shone in the heavens with an unbearable brightness.
It was only after a few days that people realised the true change that had befallen them all. The bricklayer who had fallen from his scaffolding, the victim of an unfortunate fire, and the man stabbed in a lovers’ quarrel all shared the same realisation: why on earth were they still standing? The terminally ill never recovered, the elderly did not overcome their senility any more than the infants recovered from their bluish complexion. Yet they remained.
And so mankind realised that Death had left them at the same time as the sun’s radiance. A decade later, two decades, five have now passed. Neither day nor death yet walk this earth. Societies have adapted to this new world, vying with one another in ingenuity to capitalise on this phenomenon. For indeed, whilst the living had ceased to die, that did not mean that ‘nothing’ was happening. Little by little, every time a person crossed that threshold where they should have died, they took another step towards the other side of the veil that once separated the dead from the living.
Then they would see. For a fleeting moment, they would see what the world really looked like. Often they would scream. These travellers from the Afterlife were soon called the ‘Damned’. Some had descended into madness, sometimes screaming, sometimes falling silent. Others had grown accustomed to these ghosts and strange creatures. A few even tried to make peace with them, with varying degrees of success. A thousand seasons. Our story is about to begin. The human population has dwindled greatly, but a few cities and societies still hold out. The world of Men has split between the Damned of the Old World, the Olsdam, and those who have never known the light of day, the Neo-Damned, often abbreviated to Neod. The cities have followed this schism: thus Lonris-the-Old has established its damned suburb, and very few dare to venture to either side of the Veil. A few merchants, priests from cults of varying degrees of acceptability, schemers too greedy for power to be cautious, and hunters.
Above all, hunters.
For whilst life goes on with surprising normality in the old towns, this is largely thanks to these brave souls who have agreed to take on the role of reapers that Death has abandoned. Between the ghostly creatures that choose to take on flesh—which we shall call Nightmares—the madmen driven to raving madness by repeatedly crossing the Veil, sometimes to the point of transforming into Abominations, and the animals rendered monstrous by the moon… There is much to be done. And what about you – what exactly are you going to do? Which side of the Veil will you stand on? Olsdam, Neod? A ruined noble, a farmer tilling the last patch of land, an arrogant bourgeois, a street urchin, a travelling merchant…? Or perhaps you’d prefer the life of a paladin of some faith, that of a seasoned mercenary, or even the adventures of a reaper-hunter? Are you even human anymore? Only you and the ghosts watching over you will know. But rest assured: whoever you are, whatever you are, the ‘Au Repos des Songes’ inn will always welcome you with open doors. Just as Mother always opened her arms to cradle you with the same lie. No, not everything will be all right.
Opening plot
For reasons of your own, you find yourself at the Auberge des Songes, this refuge for travellers accessible from the four corners of the world through a few doors scattered here and there. Perhaps you arrived here from Lonris-la-Vieille, seeking refuge from the delusional antics of the decrepit Olsdams in the capital. Or perhaps, being a valiant chafaud, you simply wished to rest after a gruelling day. It matters not. Whoever you may be—rogue, physician, assassin, or all three at once—the Auberge des Songes welcomes anyone who swears to abide by its rules.
Yet, on that particular day, perhaps you should have stayed away. Whilst card players, aided by complicit dealers, were fleecing the ground floor, upstairs a group of noble merchants appeared to have brought back a strange artefact from their latest expedition. They were feasting heartily under the sombre gaze of two masked figures.
Tremble, for the Moon’s Child is about to weep. Flee before it is too late. What a tragedy it would be if your story were to begin with the destruction of the one and only haven of peace that this land still holds…
Glossary specific to the universe (excerpt)
Characters
Olsdam
A human born before the Solar Tear. 250+ years old. Stuck at the age they were on the day of the Solar Tear.
If they lose too much of their sanity, they may become Mad – either an Ascetic (if mute, etc.) or a Maniac (if violent).
If they cross the Veil again and again, they transform into an Abomination.
There are still ‘virgin’ Olsdams who have never crossed the Veil. They are called the Blind.
Neod
A human born after the Solar Tear. Ages normally until they stabilise at the ‘prime’ they have chosen. More resistant than average to mental attacks.
A Neod who goes Mad and continues to cross the Veil reaches the stages of Ascetic or Maniac in the same way as an Olsdam. However, this process is longer and more difficult than for an Olsdam. And whatever happens, they will never become an Abomination. Instead, they will become...
Huntreapers
Whilst neither the Olsdams nor the Neods can die, this is nevertheless the case for the Abominations and all those things from beyond the Veil. Consequently, humans have realised that it is theoretically possible to ‘kill’ an Olsdam. By killing them repeatedly, over and over again, until they transform, and then finishing them off in their monstrous form. This is the role of the Huntreapers.
After centuries of experience, the method has been greatly refined: like Victorian plague doctors, they inject a poison into the veins of the Olsdam seeking to depart, lulling it to sleep whilst gradually sapping its life force. Then, tick by tick, they watch for the moment when the Abomination is born, and then attempt to kill it immediately, ensuring a painless death without a struggle. In a sense, the Hunters are the doctors of this new world.
After roughly two and a half centuries of experimentation, the consensus is that assisted suicide involves two Huntreapers: a ‘Doctor’—usually a Cleric—who attempts to lull the person’s mind to sleep; a sturdy iron chair; the administration of a lethal poison; and an ‘Executioner’ ready to put the person to death the moment the transformation begins.
Doctors: Often Clerics
Executioners: Quite often Paladins or Rangers
Apothecaries: Often Druids (not always affiliated with the Huntreapers)
Ascetic
A human who has gone mad but has essentially become a vegetable. It is said that some are still able to answer questions.
Maniac
A human who has gone mad and become filled with hatred. Raging Olsdams are the most likely to transform into Abominations.
Abomination
An Olsdam who has crossed the Veil too many times, to the point of losing both mind and body. It is generally the fusion of a ghost and this unfortunate Olsdam.
Nightmares
Ghosts that have taken root in the ‘real’ world, and have therefore shed their ethereal form to appear in the flesh, even before the Olsdam. Extremely powerful, they must be slain at all costs.
The most powerful among them can act as minor deities, making Occultists who worship them ideal targets for contracts.
Worshipper
A human who worships the Nightmares.
Ghosts
Humanoid or non-humanoid creatures that swarm beyond the Veil. Not all of them are malevolent, unless they have been transformed.
Offsprings
Mini-Nightmares, often created due to the presence of a Nightmare nearby.
Calamity
The name of a Neod who is said to have embraced the Veil.
Pilgrims
Ces êtres intelligents dont on ignore s'ils sont encore humains ou s'ils l'ont jamais été. Certains prétendent qu'ils seraient les derniers membres d'un autre temps, d'autres que se sont de simples fous. La plupart sont des marchands ou des érudits amateurs de reliques bizarres.
Deities
Myther, Nurturing Mother
Mother Nature, nurturing and loving, breathing life into all things. She reigns over the Clerics and Druids of the Circle of the Earth/Land, though her power is now limited, particularly regarding healing abilities.
Radiance, 'Chevalier-Lige' of Myther and Deathbringer of the World
Sun God loyal to Myther, whose tears are now blood-stained, reigning supreme over the Paladins.
Moon
Wild and unpredictable, an amoral goddess who nonetheless favours the brave. Mistress of the Druids of the Circle of the Moon, the Rangers and a few Occultists (Archfey & co).
The Veil
Whilst not an entity in its own right (or so it seems), this source of power remains nonetheless a fascinating subject of study, leading to the emergence of the Wizards. The Sorcerers, too, answer to the Veil. However, they do not draw their power from it; no, they belong to the Veil.
The concept of a ‘Veil tick’ refers to all those times when a human was meant to die. They thus take one further step beyond the Veil, leading them irrevocably towards greater madness. Some see this as a path to the truth.
Areas
Old Town
The part of the city that is protected from the effects of the Tear. Artificial lights (designed by Mages) have been installed here and there within it to ensure that darkness never returns. Highly exclusive and mostly confined to a very small part of the city, it is often reserved for the most powerful Olsdam, much like a new nobility.
High walls have been erected to encircle this artificial clearing that is the Old Town.
In terms of culture and wealth, they largely monopolise knowledge, cartography and the powers of the churches.
The In-Between
The gateway to most of the cities. Here, the streets are not lit as they are in the Old Town, but the buildings—mostly shops, inns or warehouses—are. This is where most Neod travellers and ordinary Olsdams live.
The Slums
The classic suburb, where light never really reaches. The epitome of vice and smuggling, you never really know what lurks there.
The Glades
Whilst night has fallen over the world, there are, however, ‘Glades’ in certain places – spots still bathed in light. Like a patch of sunshine breaking through the clouds, a halo surrounds these areas, and so both animal and plant life thrives there as it always has.
However, not only were these few and far between, but they also seem to be becoming increasingly rare as the years go by.
It is a place of pilgrimage for many travellers.
Societies
Children of the Moon
Amidst the widespread turmoil caused by the disappearance of the Sun and the onset of death, this cult was one of the first to emerge following the Solar Tear. It is also the cult with the largest number of followers, even 250 years later. No longer able to rely on the Sun, the Children of the Moon have sworn absolute allegiance to the Moon.
Refusing to go out in the open during the day (or indeed to go out at all), they have established communities here and there, most often near the Glades. Unlike the Druids of the Circle of the Moon, who seek to preserve these Glades, the Children wish to ‘absorb’ as much of them as possible at any cost, which often leads to conflict between them and the Druids.
Although they appear peaceful, the Children are nevertheless known for their tendency to sacrifice just about anything and anyone in droves, encouraging the appearance of Nightmares near the Glades.
Wanderers
A nomadic cult that worships the Pilgrims, whom they call the ‘Ancient People’ and follow like little dogs. They are often anti-human and prepared to commit all manner of atrocities against them.
Cantors of the Hereafter
A more obscure and mysterious cult, whose misdeeds are usually only heard of once it is too late. They are, however, well known for kidnapping Neod children in order to raise them within their cult. They teach them to chant and form choirs, so that, as they claim, ‘one day they may bring together those on either side of the Veil’.
Their litany can be heard for kilometres, summoning a gathering of Ghosts and Nightmares.
It is said that they are in the service of a Nightmare or a Calamity of terrifying power.
On the surface, the Chanters do not seem to be completely out of their minds. For them, the world is made up of those who see reality, and those who are blind. The Veil, by extension, is more a matter of truth and revelation than anything else. Ultimately, when they summon Nightmares, or even that which lies beyond the Horizon, they are merely asking what already exists to reveal itself to the light of day. In terms of alignment, Chanters are by nature rather Neutral Evil. The world deserves both its joys and its sorrows, and rather than turning a blind eye, one must ‘embrace the chaos’. That said, a Chanter is devout and fervent, but leads a fairly normal life in everyday terms. At least, as long as the Silent Ones have their backs turned.
Members of the Cult are known as the Singers. This is the standard rank.
The ‘kidnappers’ – who are also assassins – are known as the Screamers. They undergo particularly gruelling and bloody training.
The ‘Silent Ones’ are the leaders of the Cult. Neither their names nor their faces are known.
The Cult is responsible for the destruction of numerous entire towns.
Revamped DnD classes
Barbarian, i.e Exalted
Some Maniacs do not completely lose their sanity. Driven by the most human of all rages, these humans rebel against the influence of the Veil and resolve to resist it with all their might. Whilst they gain temporary immunity to sanity loss, they nevertheless suffer the consequences later on.
Druid
In a world where the cycle of life and death has become disrupted, the Druids have had to learn to reinvent themselves, even if it means, at times, abandoning their ancient values. As Guardians of the Glades for the first two Circles, they often travel the world in a desperate attempt to heal them.
Circle of the Earth/Land - Worship Myther and trees
Circle of the Moon - Worship Moon and animals
Corrupted Circle - Worship ??? and monsters
Cleric
The last representative of a silent goddess. Their powers are severely diminished, resulting in a penalty to their rolls. However, when successful, their effectiveness serves as a stark reminder of just how powerful Myther once was. Most of the time, they live in the Old Towns, working alongside the Wizards to create artefacts capable of illuminating the cities.
Paladin
The ultimate enemies of the Nightmares, dealing and taking colossal damage. A pacifist campaign is impossible. Radiance will compel you to slay every Fielon that has conquered this Land. Until Death and far beyond the Veil, until the last remaining Nightmare is drenched in blood.
Bard, i.e Storyteller
In this world destined to wither away, access to information has taken a giant step backwards. Yet it has only become all the more important. The Storytellers are the last people still bold enough to travel the world to record and recount the deeds of the brave. They draw their spells from absolutely everywhere, and do not necessarily swear allegiance to a single deity, nor to the Veil in particular.
Sorcerer, i.e Unveiled
Sorcerers are a class exclusive to Neods. Having felt the power of the Veil coursing through you since birth, you perceive the Veil with a terrifying ease. This grants you extremely keen senses and extraordinary magical power. The only downside is that you feel a heavy gaze upon you from the Horizon.
Warrior, i.e Mercenary
The battle-hardened jack-of-all-trades, capable of slaying any creature on either side of the Veil… or so he believes. Well, nothing more to say really, ‘he’s a warrior’.
Monk, i.e Enlightened
Confronted to the madness you glimpsed beyond the Veil, you did not renounce your humanity. By renouncing your senses for this, you have instead gained an enlightenment that brings you peace and serenity. In exchange for immunity to mental health issues, you must choose a penalty to one of your senses for the duration of the campaign.
Rogue
A friend of the underworld and of those who pay well, you quickly realised that humans can be just as terrifying as the worst of monsters. Extremely resourceful, you’ll be entitled to an additional gift.
Occultist
The madman is back to play a nasty trick. Faced with this never-ending apocalypse, the irrational and the desperate make up the bulk of the occultists’ ranks. But they do not all belong to the same categories.
Lunar Occultist – Devotee of the Moon, Archfey pact.
Worshipper Occultist – Devoted to Nightmares, Fiélon pact.
Corrupted Occultist – Has gazed upon the Horizon, Great Old One pact.
Ranger
The quintessential itinerant mercenaries and 'huntreapers'. As guides and protectors of the merchant caravans linking the various cities, they use every means at their disposal to combat both human and inhuman threats. Unlike Paladins, they are more flexible in their moral standards.
Examples of plot-related quests/events
The Luyard Massacre
32 years after the Solar Tear: a king who is now gone, Eleg II of Bohmën, ordered his executioners to test the limits of the Veil on three of his weakest and frailest subjects (including a child) from his kingdom. Bound and tied up as tightly as possible, they were knocked unconscious as soon as the transformation into an Abomination appeared to be taking place. It is said that the torture lasted for weeks, resulting in the ‘death’ of the two adult prisoners. However, the fate of the child remains a complete mystery. The only thing that is known is that nothing remains of the city of Bohmën except for the vague ruins of Oleg II’s castle. And that the few survivors of the massacre chanted the name ‘Luyard’, terror in their eyes. It is assumed that this was the child’s name.
31 years after S.T – Winter: Bohmën’s scouts return to Oleg II bearing terrible news: a ‘Hearth’ (an area with a high concentration of the ‘Veil’, and therefore more prone to the appearance of Nightmares) has been discovered less than a day’s march away, deep within a vast ruin. As the city of Bohmën is the nearest settlement in the vicinity, an attack seems inevitable. Seized by panic, Oleg II orders a troop of soldiers to check whether a Nightmare has already crossed the Veil and, if so, to act as decoys to lure it towards the town of Liver further south.
31 years after S.T – Spring: No news has ever been received from the first expedition, nor from the second. Just as Eleg II is preparing to dispatch a third, one of his advisers brings him word of a strange rumour: a child is said to have been found on the outskirts of Bohmën, starving, unkempt, and yet completely unharmed. The Veil did not seem to affect him particularly. With eyes and hair as black as an ill-omened raven, he goes by the name of Luyard.
31 years after S.T – Autumn: Although too weak to be called Nightmares, creatures have finally reached the walls of Bohmën. A pedlar was even found disembowelled in the heart of the Undercity, suggesting that these Spawn had infiltrated the city. Eleg II raged at his advisers, causing one of them—who had already been very old at the time of the Solar Tear—to succumb to a ruptured aneurysm. The old man begins to transform into an Abomination, but, already greatly weakened, he is far less imposing than usual. Better still, for a brief moment he seems to retain some semblance of consciousness. Eleg II sees this as a glimmer of hope.
32 after S.T – Winter: The city of Bohmën is gripped by a pervasive sense of terror, its inhabitants caught between repeated attacks by Spawn of a Nightmare that never shows its face, and the growing madness of a petty king whose council has been decimated. In the grip of despair, Eleg II orders Jazir, the Royal Physician, to put his plan into action. The plan in question? To capture three Bohmënian citizens and torture them until the mystery is solved: is it possible to achieve a point of equilibrium in the midst of the Veil? Two adults and the wandering child with raven-black hair. For weeks, the Physicians, Apothecaries, Magicians and other Clerics took turns striving to torture the three unfortunate souls as slowly and meticulously as possible. Every action and gesture, every reaction was noted down, in the search for that point of equilibrium. In memory of a forgotten science, this long-awaited equilibrium will be described as the ‘Horizon’. The first week passes, and the first patient breaks down. An Abomination is born, but too frail to pose the slightest danger; it merely whimpers and moans. The researchers of Bohmën manage to contain it. It took the entire Royal Guard to apprehend him, despite the preventive measures. Despite this incident, the search continued, and a whole month passed. The emaciated Abomination seemed to be gradually losing strength, as if it were ‘liquefying’. As for the child, he no longer uttered a single word. He endured it all in silence, and yet his shining eyes suggested that he was still fully conscious.
32 years after S.T. – Spring Equinox: Eleg II personally visits the underground laboratory where the experiments are being carried out. A brilliant idea has occurred to him to take the experiment a step further. Will Luyard really be able to remain impassive if the woman who took him in at Bohmën is brought before him and tortured in his place? And indeed, it worked. Luyard broke his bonds with the slightest of effort and began to slaughter everyone present in the laboratory indiscriminately. Seized by panic, Eleg II ordered his guards to protect him and threw the woman at the feet of the nascent Calamity. Taking advantage of Luyard’s hesitation, he fled without a backward glance and huddled in a corner of his castle, hoping that Luyard would never find him. Trembling like a tiny sparrow trapped in a winter that had come far too early. Luyard destroyed the city of Bohmën in a matter of hours. Today, all that remains are a few pitiful, almost laughable ruins of the castle. What became of Eleg II and Luyard, no one knows. But everything suggests that somewhere, the First Calamity, with its raven’s beak and wings, still lurks…
Česzhy's Experiment
150 years after S.T: An attempt was made to transfuse Neod’s blood into the veins of an Olsdam, with Clerics continuously healing both individuals to prevent rejection (Neod’s blood is normally poisonous to Olsdams).
The experiment has so far been a success. The Neod, known as Elvinn, has now aged far more than he was supposed to; his long, sinuous body has become cadaverous and his face is no less gaunt, but his power remains very real.
For obvious reasons – so as not to give too much away – I will only include the titles given to certain key characters in the campaign:
The Honourable Who Turned into a Nightmare
Lada Ada proved, through her theorem, that states were binary, and that a Neod could become a true Nightmare. She then applied this to herself.
The Venerable Who Aged like a Tree
The architect of the Česzhy experiment, Helesyas was not the immortal he had wished to become.
King Eleg II, “Sparrow’s Brain”
A wretched little king, ruler of a kingdom on its last legs. One of the first “bosses” from the early days. The instigator of the Luyard Massacre.
His mother, the Regent, died on the day of the Solar Tear, becoming an Abomination who remains chained to this day in the dungeons of Dorn.
Mada, the “Eye of Lonris”
Guardian of the Lighthouse—blind, deaf and mute. Yet has never faltered.
The Pilgrims’ Chopped-off Child
Far to the east, bordering the Rift, lies a vast forest whose rustling foliage is reminiscent of the sound of sobbing.
The Man Who Didn’t Believe in Ghosts
Lord Henry de Flamen, dining for eternity with his ghostly family. Please do not tell him so.
The Druidess Who Hated the World with Burning Passion
Cathe will probably not survive any prologue ever performed. Never mind; here, even in death, she will be able to continue her quest to liberate every Glade in this world. By fire.