Do not concern yourself with what’s above you. From here on out, the only way forward is down.
The World Below provides. But you must dig. You must explore. You must map. You must build. You must defend. The World Below provides, but only to the worthy.
Your surroundings are horrific and wondrous. Extract gemstones and find natural springs of nourishing water, but be cautious: excavate too far, and you’ll wake the creatures in the walls, the caves, and the Dark.
The World Below is a game of adversity, heroism, terror, and awe. Your characters will overcome or be defeated by terrible beasts, environmental calamities, and Kaos storms ravaging their surroundings and the souls around them. They will chart their journeys, chronicle their tales, and pass their stories down to their descendants, who will, in turn, become your characters when your old ones perish or retire.
Expect threats and risks, joys, and discoveries. The World Below promises a hard, harsh existence, but when the light of hope gleams in the thick darkness, it feels as bright as the sun.
Unified Only to Survive
Gloom and impenetrable darkness fill the caverns of the World Below, hiding beasts and predators waiting to feed on unwary denizens. Guilds form around the business of curating knowledge of safe spaces, finding food, and studying the World Below. People equip themselves with what they can to survive, bedecking themselves in insect carapaces, woven plants, and silks. They arm themselves with fangs, bones, claws, and ores fashioned as blades and hammers.
Deep in the lowest mapped point of the World Below is the Well — an endless energy source that generates violet light, purifies water, and blooms hearty foodstuffs. This Well is guarded by entities known only as the Well Liches, who do not share their spoils lightly. The lifespring of this Well is called Kaos, and it radiates out beyond the Well Liches’ reach. When heroes raid the Well for power, they find themselves with a dilemma: Do I keep the power to myself or share it with the worthy?
A Multi-Faceted World
The World Below has many facets, from exotic settlements to abandoned temples and dungeons inhabited with monstrous predators and glittering wonders. Caverns ripped from alien worlds and portals to bizarre dimensions are hidden just behind a wall, down a pit, or buried within a lost city. New magics, technologies, treasures, and secrets await discovery.
Your tale may see you mapping a simple cave complex as you seek out gold ore for your settlement’s smiths, or a noble’s whims, or as a method of enriching yourself. Or perhaps you intend something loftier and more complex, such as breaking into a centuries-sealed tomb to seize a weapon purported to weaken the Well Liches and redistribute their hoarded wealth and power among the needy.
THE WORLD BELOW
The World Below provides. But you must dig. You must explore. You must map. You must build. You must defend.
The World Below provides, but only to the worthy.
The unworthy fall, consumed by bugs, lava, acidic fog, the vagaries of Kaos, and the World Below’s convulsing tunnels.
The World Below is your home, your prison, and your alien world containing terrible threats and wondrous discoveries.
The World Below is a complete tabletop roleplaying game and includes:
- Numerous playable options, some from the traditional fantasy mold, others unique to the World Below.
- The complete Storypath Ultra System, allowing you to play this game straight from the book.
- A myriad of settings, monsters, powers, and abilities for use in your stories, which you can play as minimalist dungeon crawls or World Below-spanning expeditions.
