While exploring the land of Norovellir, you will be faced with many different threats. From hunger, to thirst, to freezing temperatures, and even the Death Plague itself, there will always be something to worry about. Still, some foes are more directly antagonistic than others, and this distinction is best exemplified in the many different factions that have taken control of certain regions of the island.
While some of these enemies, such as the Bandits and Wild Peasants (which we discussed in the last dev diary), have simpler motivations, others have come to this land with more ambitious goals. For today, let’s focus on the foes that are native to the island of Norovellir, and who once freely worshiped the deities of the Four Trees, before their very culture was taken away.
The province of Norovellir was discovered over a thousand years ago by a powerful explorer named Kaia, also known as the GuideHeart. Kaia, weary of the unending wars of her homeland in the Far North, sailed away in search of a better life for her people.
After months of sailing, they arrived in a new and beautiful land and began working on a new vision of their religion. While other deities, such as Lopalo, Ullar, and Syragna were not forgotten, the pilgrims’ efforts to move away from the destruction and eternal conflict of the Far North led to a new focus on Nobara, goddess of nature, balance, and the moon.
And so it was, for a time.
Mad Occultists
Far later down the timeline, after Norovellir had been vassalized by the growing power of the Sacner Kingdom, the peaceful worshippers of the Four Trees were hunted down and exiled to the putrid swamp of Dark Waters, where their hatred festered into sheer insanity.
They began to view Nobara as the one true goddess, now dead and corrupted like the world, and claimed the plague was her vengeance against the colonizers who had taken everything from them. Madness and bloodlust completely consumed them, to the point where they now kill anyone who crosses their path, decorating their surroundings with the innards of their victims, as well as venerating the plague itself as a mark of divine favor.
However, they started and whatever their goals are, these cultists have managed to survive amongst the most vile of corruptions, of the body, of the mind, and even of the soul.
Infected Savages
Yet, these cultists are not the only residents of Dark Waters. Hidden amongst the dark fog and damp blight are the accursed souls known as Infected Savages.
No one knows their exact origin, but they have appeared more and more in the last few years. Some believe they are nothing more than the product of botched treatments of the Death Plague, while others claim their condition is the product of divine punishment. Others still claim they are not even human, but ferocious monsters born of the plague itself.
Whatever the truth, these beings now serve only the will of the disease: to spread their corruption, and to kill all those unfortunate enough to cross their paths.
Chaos and Order
The Mad Occultists and the Infected Savages represent the chaos and corruption born of a dying world, where madness, carnage, and decay are the new norm. For those that lost everything, even themselves, there is no higher reasoning than to spread their own suffering to others.
And yet, they are only one side of the coin. On the other side reside the Corrupted Priests and Rogue Soldiers, agents of the powerful Glorious religion, or what remains of it, which we will discuss next time!
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