The Fairelands

In the northern country of Hale lies the fertile valley known as the Fairelands. For over a decade, the world has grappled with the effects of a fierce cold snap known as the Shiver. While many countries face shorter growing seasons and food shortages, the relatively temperate valley of the Fairelands provides for Halen citizens. Unfortunately for the people of this region, the land and its resources are highly sought after. When they’re not defending their borders from invasion, they’re catching their breath before the next attack.

The Last Great War

Over the Glass Sea, across the Vastchasm, lies the country the Newfairens have come to refer to as Otherwhere. Though relations were peaceful for decades, in 1898 this distant power sailed their military forces into Hallowharbor to capture the agricultural resources of the Fairelands.

The war lasted for roughly six years, and the Fairelands and its citizens suffered immensely. Food and other natural resources allowed the people here to sustain themselves throughout the conflict, but it was the discovery and harnessing of electricity, first in Newfaire and then across all of Hale, that allowed them to push back the colonizing forces of Otherwhere.

In the wake of their victory, the city, always a hub of immigration, suddenly flooded with war refugees. Though the population boom was daunting for wartime infrastructure, the cultural adaptations born from this time transformed Newfaire into one of the most vibrant cities in Hale.

In the three years since the war, the country has restored itself, but, like the wastes of Westwreck, the collective psyche is permanently changed. While some have adopted an electric, “live while you can” attitude, others desperately seek resolution for the loss of an entire generation to the forces of Otherwhere.

The Language of Hale

Many of the words found within this text are English translations of the Halen language. This is particularly apparent in the names of places. You’ll notice that many regions and districts are called exactly what they are—for example, Westwreck is the land to the west of Newfaire that was ravaged during the Last Great War. Because the Fairelands were conquered so often and remain so diversely populated, over time, Halen citizens found it easier to speak frankly. Simpler names ease translation in cities filled with speakers of diverse languages. To some, the directness of Halen speech is considered rude, while others find it trustworthy.

GMs are welcome to establish their own Halen words. If you choose to go this route, we recommend that you draw from your own language, and the history and experiences that shaped it. When developing your own vocabulary, remember that respect for real-world languages and their speakers builds a safer playing space and encourages bolder exploration of the topics that your group wishes to explore.

The City of Newfaire

Newfaire is a sprawling and diverse city on the western coast of the continent of Hale. Filled with technology that resembles your own during the turn of the nineteenth century, this civilization stands upon the ruins of its ancient, alchemical predecessor known as Oldfaire. This place embodies the perpetual integration of the ancient and the innovative that occurs within such cities as Edinburgh, Lima, New York, Paris, and Istanbul. In Newfaire, citizens are nestled within historical Brutalist architecture and the recent evolution from Art Nouveau into Art Deco. Here, modern development consumes arcane history, and players grapple with the great forces that rule the mundane world: the Ascendancy, the Primacy, and the Periphery.

The Triumvirate

The Ascendancy: The official religion of the Fairelands. They are led by the Ascendant, an official appointed from within the faith. They have incredible influence and, like every aspect of the Triumvirate powers, are highly corrupt.

The Primacy: The central government of the Fairelands, led by an elected official: the Premier. Members of the Chamber work beneath them to make decisions for Newfaire and its surrounding districts. Though the Primacy claims to be a distinct entity, they collaborate closely with the other facets of the Triumvirate.

The Periphery: The police force within the Fairelands. In the wake of the Last Great War, the Periphery inherited military technology that is incongruous with the supposed goal of interfacing peacefully with Halen citizens. The Captain of the Periphery is appointed by the Premier, thus they are seen by many Fairens as the violent hand of the government.

Oldfaire

Beneath the city of Newfaire lies the mysterious ruins of Oldfaire—a place that was once a thriving civilization, but suffered a catastrophic collapse around 2,000 years ago. Perfectly positioned within the safety of Hallowharbor and protected by the treacherous Bridleborne Mountains, Oldfaire operated with relative impunity in the ancient world. Led over time by empresses and emperors as well as a council of powerful alchemists, the entire city attempted to utilize magick in the way Newfaire now uses electricity.

The ancient city was built around a central tower-vault, the Ziggurat, where the government of Oldfaire attempted to house and utilize magickal phenomena. But the alchemists were ill-equipped to manage bleed, and the citizens were affected by the horrors that come from prolonged exposure to the corrupting energy.

Halen lore suggests that human minds and bodies transformed and society collapsed. The once powerful city of stone fell when a local thinning was torn asunder. It was this cataclysmic event that tore a rift in the sea, known as the Vastchasam. From this seismic shift, a wall of water swept forth and first drowned, then buried Oldfaire, wiping its technology from the face of the world.

Today, beneath the modern metropolis of Newfaire, within the tombs of its predecessor, magickal monsters, alchemical discoveries, and mutated Oldfairen citizens still lurk.

ON SYSTEMS OF POWER

The systems of power within the Fairelands are designed to provide a scaffolding for the very human aspect of the horror genre. This is especially evident in the Criminal specialty. This character type is the foundation of a person who, for one reason or another, finds themselves on the wrong side of an unjust policing system. When you play within Hale, craft both a hero and world that best supports the monsters you wish to defeat.

Lighthouses

As Candela Obscura evolved through the ages, they attempted to find and secure the effects of bleed. When the investigators discovered thinnings, they built lighthouses containing magickal astrolabes at each site to hold back the deadly forces from beyond this realm.

Both ancient and recently constructed, these bleed-infested lighthouses are found all across the Halen landscape. For Candela Obscura members, they offer an ominous reminder of the ramifications of failure. For Newfaire citizens, they’ve become a pinnacle of local mythos to warn the vulnerable away from danger.

Vastchasm

This rift in the ocean lies between Newfaire and Otherwhere. Torn into the sea during the fall of Oldfaire, water now pours over all sides in a perpetual, deadly fall. The terrifying currents around the chasm destroy ships, and there is a Candela Obscura lighthouse within its depths.

The Faraway

Newfairens refer to any place that is not within the Fairelands as “Faraway.” It is common to ask (politely, or otherwise) if someone is “from Faire or Far?”

Otherwhere

Newfairens use this name for the country across the sea. When Otherwhere attempted to colonize the Fairelands in the Last Great War three years ago, relations with the people of this nation shattered. Though Hale was able to hold off invading forces with the development of electricity, this scientific development is spreading across the world and has brought a new fear of war down on the people of the Fairelands.

Districts of Newfaire

The city of Newfaire is vibrant and sprawling. It is divided into distinct districts, each with its own personality and purpose within the community.
Some of these include:

Briar Green: The most verdant area of the city. Because it surrounds Briarbank College and contains the majority of the city’s parks, Briar Green is filled with a large number of flowering trees and affluent homes.

The Eaves: The exclusive, upscale community perched atop the roofs of exposed Oldfairen buildings. This district is exceedingly wealthy and exclusive. The Eaves is also home to the residence of the Premier.

Hallowharbor: The port of Newfaire. A trade hub for the entire continent, Hallowharbor accounts for a major portion of Newfaire’s wealth. Both Newfaire and Oldfaire were built around the natural protections afforded to this section of the Halen coast.

Nine Irons: The home base for the Periphery within Newfaire. A relatively small district, Nine Irons contains the Periphery headquarters, prison, and the hanging grounds known as Gallowgate. The Eastreek Landfill has a small shantytown burgeoning around its borders, placing some of the region’s most vulnerable citizens within reach of its most violent force.

Red Lamp: The arts district within the city and Newfaire’s hub of legalized sex work. Most of the establishments here sell one of three things: sex, scarlet, or the chance to gamble your money away. Red Lamp hosts both artists and scientists eager to buy large workspaces at affordable prices.

The Steel: The industrial portion of the city. Here, the greatest minds and strongest laborers are hard at work modernizing Newfaire. The Steel accounts for a huge portion of Newfaire’s recent expansion.

The Shriveline: The home of the Ascendancy within the Fairelands. In this district, religious members and practitioners establish their homes to live alongside the Church. The Shriveline is a popular tourist destination due to its collection of historical buildings.

The Sidle: The middle-class sprawl of Newfaire. Home to up-and-coming residential neighborhoods and family-operated shops. Newly installed electric lights illuminate streets, affording the Sidle a reputation for being incredibly safe at night.

Silverslip: The seat of the Primacy. This large district reflects the opulence the government wishes to convey to its citizens. Those who visit Silverslip will find courthouses, law offices, and some of the wealthiest businesses in the region.

South Soffit: The lower-class district built into the Oldfairen ruins beneath the Eaves. The electric wires that feed the district above run haphazardly through South Soffit, making it a dangerous place to live and work. This place is commonly occupied by blue-collar workers and war refugees.

The Varnish: The downtown portion of urbanized Newfaire. Filled with expensive shops, bars, and restaurants, the Varnish attracts tourists and wealthy locals alike. This district also serves as the central hub for the cable cars that stretch out across all of Newfaire.

Landmarks of the Fairelands

The Fairelands are incredibly diverse in their geographic range, positioning the city of Newfaire within reach of a variety of locales. Some of these places include:

Seasway: The small, coastal village to the east of Newfaire. Here, structures are built to bend in the fierce wind that sweeps in from the ocean. The majority of fishing families that live and work in Seasway have occupied this stretch of coast for generations.

Tottergrass: The rural land south of the city. In Tottergrass, farmers raise livestock and cultivate a variety of crops to great effect, despite the seasonal limits across the world, post-Shiver. The Ascendancy has a strong, decades-long foothold within this region.

The Verge: The high cliffs on the western edge of Hale. On a misty day, it appears as if the Verge marks the end of the world and one might fall off this precipice into the sky. At its highest point, a famous monolith covered in Ancient Fairen writing looms over the sea.

The Bridleborne Mountains: The mountain range to the east of Newfaire. With the Scarlet Wood at its base, this rocky terrain hosts insular communities and is the home of the most powerful bootleggers in Hale. The Periphery struggles to gain a foothold within Bridleborne, and citizens only truly answer to their own enforcers.

The Scarlet Wood: The ancient forest famous for its vibrant red foliage. The trees of the Scarlet Wood produce a hallucinogenic sap, the alcohol and powder from which is prohibited across the Fairelands. Scarlet libations are the foundation of a thriving bootlegging industry.

Westwreck: The war-torn land to the west of Newfaire. This area marks the last stand of the war before Hale drove back Otherwhere with electric advancements. Westwreck is well known for the proliferation of landmines that still pose a threat, and travelers must hire a local guide to lead them through.