Local Lore

## What to Know

Time as you know it began only 200 years ago, when the eruption of an ancient supervolcano, the Maw of Ire, ripped apart timespace and plunged the planet somewhere far stranger. The world was coated in an ashen cloak that led to a brief ice age, wiping out the global population through famine, disease, storms, and drought. Only now have the choking clouds finally broken, allowing life to sprout in clinging hope throughout the Ashen Wastes. In this New World, magic exists, after the Maw's eruption literally collapsed supernatural barriers to the spirit world known as the Immaterial Plane, and is worshiped only just as much as the tech of the Times Before: technology capable of raising the dead, curing all ill, and destroying life through radiant energy. In this time, nearly anything is possible. An elven wizard defending a small human shire is just as likely to be found as a cult of chaos hijacking an A.I's laws to spread mass destruction. Expect the unexpected while you're traversing the Ashen Wastes.

You have come to the town of Durinov, a human settlement in the ferocious borderlands. The town is self-reliant and trades mostly for luxury with the distant, young city-states emerging beyond the fog of the wilderness. For whatever reason, you and your companions each seek something within the heart of the Wastes, whether it be for reasons of greed, wanderlust, or madness. Anything is possible when you travel far enough from civilization, as undiscovered wonders and horrors await in the Outlands, while untold treasure is believed to be laden throughout the inner workings of the very planet. Use careful judgement while traversing the land, as simply getting lost can be a death sentence, and tackling obstacles too large for oneself can often lead to a gruesome end.

## Homebrew

***Vehicles.*** You can expect to find vehicles ranging from station wagons and horses to wasteland rovers and gravity-cycles out in the wilderness, and eventually may be able to buy them yourself at Durinov.

***Energy, Psi Weapons, & More.*** You can expect to find multiple variants of weapons uncommonly throughout the Wastes, the two most common being energy and psi weapons. Each have their own unique effects and are much more powerful than modern and medieval weaponry.

***Currency.*** Currency is handled in copper, silver, lead bullets (gold), and energy cells (platinum).

***Carry Weight & Survival.*** Weight capacities will come into play much more, so keep tabs on the weight of your inventory and how much your character can actually carry. Furthermore, you must keep track of your food supplies, as starving is also a potential threat. **Rations cost 10 lead bullets instead of their original cost in the PHB.**

***Goals.*** Before planning each session, the party must come up with a central main objective, be it "explore the nearby cave" or "acquire the rumored magic scepter." You can find local rumors and quests in the section below. **If you complete the main objective of that session, the characters who embarked on that mission will level up.**

***Mapping & Exploration.*** As usual in a hexcrawl, the party is responsible for mapping out the local region, and must rely mostly on treasure maps and local knowledge for navigating the wasteland. Not everything you find in the wastes will be terrifying, and it may lead you to great reward, **so mark and defend such uncovered treasures lest the local raiders get to it before you can.**

## Regions and Rumors

You will discover many uncharted lands during your exploration deeper past the Wastes. Feel free to add new information to this section as you explore, such as monsters encountered, settlements found, and important landmarks. The following are the regions encompassing and directly bordering the Ashen Wastes.

Ashen Wastes

Yorlock Foothills

Leechwood

Aracropolis

The Maw of Ire