Demon Gate

The apocalyptic dark fantasy tabletop roleplaying game. Survive the brutal combat and the horrors of a doomed world. Can you become legendary heroes powerful enough to quest against the soul gates and change the fate of the realm? Find it here on DrivethruRPG!  

Demon Gate is meant to be a dark fantasy roleplaying game. It uses an element of horror and high fantasy, then mixes it all up with some miniature battle rules. It is a sci-fi alien world, trapped in a medieval fantasy era. The stories that you create during gameplay are meant to have a somber feel, grim, and dangerous. It is a post-apocalyptic realm that over the past few centuries survived through many devastating eras, such as the Shattering and the Pale Plague. It is prophesized that there is one more cataclysm still to come, when the Demon Gate lets loose Hell upon the world. Within this world players often attempt to become powerful enough to be immortals or even gods that can quest against all the soul gates and destroy them. In the Demon Gate universe most worlds come with their own Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. All are surrounded by the layers of dimensions within the multi-verse and the Spirit World is one of them. It is possible to die in one world and move onto the next and continue your character.

The Setting

There is a conflict that began within the midst of the great Void between light and darkness. An endless war within the Never; a place that exists simultaneously with our own yet is hidden behind the umbra of the Spirit World. It is a place where ageless beings dwell in the coldest dark. An abode to ancient vile gods, that not even nightmares may birth shape to. It is believed that this war has always been since the times of the Travail and it will always be. Our story started at some unknown point within infinity. Eons, ages, unfathomable to mortals. For there are worlds scattered in the vast expanse of our universe amidst the sea of stars that have felt the echo of this war. Fractures of its existence ripple through the planes of reality. A battle between gods and devils that will not end. So, now we must fight for our place on the battlefield and huddle next to any light that might grant us sanctuary, any fire in an ocean of endless night. For it is the light that will keep the teeth in the darkness at bay. -Inscribed on the Tablets of Fate.

“In the darkest ages of mortals there was a secret that echoed through the stars. Scholars and wise men looked to the night sky and believed they knew the answer. They could not have been more wrong.”

-Eldijar the Scribe of Vazuun Denaahl

“In the beginning there was only darkness, the Void consumed all that there was and no life knew warmth nor solace. An ancient entity known as Zaghos the Timeworn, caused what is called the Travail as the entity shattered our universe was born and at that same moment the entity in its primordial form died. Eternal night did pass as the Fire Gods were formed in the Mists of Time. From their light, the Tree of Zaghos arose and it grew to manifest all worlds within its branches. These worlds gave birth to all things of spirit and around these spirits their physical forms did grow. For all things possess a spirit just as all things must die and then be reborn.

Our world gave birth to the behemoths and the leviathans but these things were too great and did not survive the ages. For they knew not but destruction and destroyed the land, sea and each other. Yet, from the fire gates the Dragon Lords did come. Through wyrmholes they traversed the Never to escape their dying god of fire, for upon the death of their god its power would shatter all surrounding worlds and take all their spirits with it. Thus, they came to Koth and brought us with them. We the thokk, the kin of dragons owe our very existence to these beings of fire. For thousands of years we served the Dragon Lords. Until one day the Void Gods came from the sky to wage war on our world. The dragons fought against the Void Gods and the skies filled with battle. The dead rained down upon our world and burned. They controlled the power of storms and fired lightning from staves of terrible magic. They flew inside the bellies of mertacullum beasts. They infected our world and leeched the life from the land with the construction of their black towers and the power to control the dead. The Dragon Lords lost the war and went into hiding or fled. The Void Gods harvested the power from the mertacullum and created magical gates to other worlds. Their dark technology and black magic was awe striking to behold and yet so terrifying to witness. They conjured wyrm devils, the demonic spirits of dead dragons to guard their gates. They used us as slaves to mine for centuries and then suddenly they stopped as if something in the stars troubled them. They withdrew all forces and left in such a hurry that much was left behind. Even their criminals were left in the dungeons of their black towers. Those criminals that over time grew twisted and ever viler, that in death they would become powerful demons that would await any foolish enough to step foot inside the black towers to pilfer. So, it came to pass that the Void Gods left our world unhinged. Did they leave in haste due to fear or had some other purpose fueled their flight?

A time of sorrow befell the land as we starved and prayed to the Gods of Fire to help us. Many dark years tore at our hearts as we pled and sacrificed. To the twin stars Aos and Set we asked for mercy. Then, a star fell from the sky in a ball of flame and burst into a great light. The traveler had moved eons across the Void, now shattering the shadows into a thousand fires. He had heard our prayers and he had come to answer them. He had traveled so long across the Never that he had forgotten much. Yet, in time he put the pieces together. As he unlocked the memories that the Void had taken from him, he became omnipotent. Baal was what he named himself and we bowed before our lord. He came to harness the powers of the Void Gods with ease. The Great One rewarded us for our obedience and gave us hope. He walked with us and brought down our enemies with the gift of storms. Baal stood beside us in our times of hardship and sought out the 10 Spirit Shards forged in the hearts of the twin stars that the Dragon Lords had hidden away, so that this realm would hold all manner of beings. Things of stone, things of fire, of ice, and things of flesh could all exist and walk with our divine creator. He taught us how powerful souls were. That all things contained spirit, yet the soul was the spirit of mortal things and souls held powerful energy. He wanted more souls for his quest of light. For it is known that the darkness of our world had been set for too long, for the cycle it was to come again. The Great One had arrived from far away in the stars to free us from our suffering, to save us from ourselves. Our Lord would lead us to paradise.”

-Excerpt from the Book of Baal

Written in ezeethanall, the dead tongue of the thokk and the dragons, there are ruins that still hold the words of the all-powerful Seraphim. The mighty angels of dominant dragons, these powerful spirits of fire ascended to the heavens in the battles that changed the world of Koth forever. As I run my torch across the images within the ruins beneath Wyrmfall I know why the thokk worshiped these beings. In life, their power was untouched and their wrath could bring doom to an entire city. Such is the legacy of Wyrmfall. This city once thrived on the coast facing the mystic country of Myen Wu. Now it lay in ashes, a skeleton of what it once was. Its ruins are filled with monsters and demons that wait until nightfall to hunt the land in search of mortals to feast upon. I have paid my fellow soldiers from Veldwar a hefty sum of silver to protect me in my research; I hope they hold true on their bargain for now I know half of them have gone looking for treasure. I warned them, this place has many angry spirits to stir up within its bowels. These words in ezeethanall seem to be in an older dialect yet I can still translate some. They were written by a thokk scribe who names herself Jezaphar. There are images with her words suggesting that a council was held during the “Trivium,” the eclipse when Aos, Set, & Gana align with Koth in a complete surge of power... or perhaps their word for mana is used here. It seems they used this time to council with other great wyrms from another world, possibly their home world. I can see images of a gate, unmistakably crafted from mertacullum by the look of the artistry depicting the shimmering metal. Yet then it is written that the council of the wyrms is interrupted or broken. The Wyrmdevils attack the Seraphim and shatter the Dragon Gate, destroying their passage home forever. Could this be true? Perhaps this is merely a legend of their people, or perhaps the remains of the old Dragon Gate still reside in the ruins here? The underground portion of Wyrmfall is said to be a vast and majestic labyrinth of passages, chambers, and awe-inspiring grottos. I cannot wait to delve deeper and unlock more mysteries of these tombs. I will find more tomorrow; seems as though the men have found something.

-Last Entry (Gregory Lacell of Northwater)

“The darkness of this world cannot be broken by the fires of the twin suns Aos and Set. Neither the Twelve Fates nor the Gods of Light will be able to break the paradigm to save what is left of the reign of mortals. It is written in the Books of the Tao, chiseled into the Tablets of Fate, and etched into the minds of all the prophets who walk upon the surface of Koth that one day the Demon Gate will bring about the doom of our world. Everything ends and everything begins, so it is said and so it is written. So, shall the cycle continue to evolve and then perhaps a time will arise where there is no more war.

The year is 1378 of the 11th Era, the Year of the Crow. It is a time of darkness, where light is precious and vital to keep things most foul at bay. Fire is a lifeline and as important as water within this ravaged world. It is the dead of winter, the time of the Algor when the land becomes engulfed in this darkness, in a night that lasts three-months long. I write by the light of my candle as the wind howls outside my windows which I have boarded up to keep the creatures out. The Algor is a time for hiding by the flames. “Keep the fire high,” is a common farewell known throughout the land and uttered by many in passing. The legends of black witches and the dead rising from the graves are becoming much more prominent of late. There are rumors of a fog that they call the Veil Myst. This mist comes in the dark of night and all the dead that it passes over arise to feed on the living, even those who are buried in graves find their way out of the cold ground. Many warn of this fog for it always carries with it all manner of twisted horrors. Some say it is a rift to the Black Plane, that opens and closes letting things in and taking them away. Many who have gotten lost in the Veil Myst are said to return possessed or mad. The night watch has had to kill many that return for they are filled with a maniacal rage and try to kill their neighbors. An old man told me last winter to board up my doors and windows this year. For if the Veil Myst comes even the darkness can come to life and tear at your flesh. It is harsh time living after the Pale Plague came and took so many lives. All are told to burn their dead now, so that they will not rise against us. If the light of the suns will scorch these demons to ash, banishing their broken souls back to the Spirit World where they belong, then I pray for it. I pray to the Gods of Light. I believe that there is a Spirit World and that there are gods of light, shadow, and dark that rule its kingdoms. Many pray to the gods and each race has their own beliefs, yet I think all of them hold similar truths. Our souls will move on when we die to a new realm and we will have a chance to live again. I think that our actions in this world will define or shape what our spirits become in the next life. I suppose some of us get caught between worlds. Perhaps those who die with unfinished business or those who die fueled by so much hate, maybe they get trapped here? Everything has a spirit, but the souls of mortals are the most powerful spirits. It is this power that the demons and djinn seek, or so say the scriptures of the High Order. For who better to know about death than they? The High Order also preach about the Apocalyptic Prophesies and how they will come to pass. One cannot dismiss the fact that these predictions have all come true so far, thus fear has gripped many and caused a great storm of panic among the people to rush toward any religious power for guidance and protection. I was not alive in the Age of Falling to witness what destruction the Shattering had wrought but I bear witness to its aftermath. One has only to cast a glance to the sky and see for themselves that our moon, Gana has been grievously wounded by the Void Stone. The Broken Moon and

the Shattered Isles lay for all to witness the wrath of the gods. Four great pieces of Gana float near it, with smaller bits trailing along and it has been this way since my childhood. They say when it happened the entire world trembled and pieces fell to the surface of our world. In an instant, entire cities were turned to ash. As well, I have read on the years that followed known as the Eternal Winter. There were 150 years of cold darkness. A time that makes the Algor seem like such a trivial thing. Many adventurers seek fortunes in the ruined remnants of what the Age of Falling left upon our world. It is written that the Shattering was the reason for the end of the thokk race. The people that were not eradicated by the destruction are claimed to have later been buried by the Eternal Winter. Their ruins can still be traversed, and their graves plundered, but it is said that they too went the way of their ancient masters, the dragons. Now they live on only in the myths and legends of our tragic tales. You can sometimes find their curious artifacts, ruins, and paintings on cave walls. I have heard that adventurers often quest for ancient void god technology or archaic weapons of age-old magic to trade and use. These artifacts must be worth a king’s ransom, filled with powerful runes, and shaped from mertacullum steel. The steel alone is a mystical metal that can channel magical energy through it and enhance it in terrifying ways. They must be a magnificent thing to behold. The black towers of the old gods still stand after ages and still hold deadly traps. They are also said to possess demonic and horrific beings within them that will forever guard their forgotten treasures. The Black Towers are said to be strewn across Koth where the old gods searched for mertacullum in the ground. Yet, they are difficult to reach or even locate. I wonder as well if they hide the Soul Gates that legends speak of within them. Perhaps if my life had been different, I too would have longed to travel the lands in search of adventure? Regrettably, I was around for the Pale Plague which surfaced in the year 1365 of the 11th Era. I had only witnessed 16 winters at the time when the plague hit my village in Kauldane, a hamlet called Vaswick. It would ruin my life and steal the lives of all those I held dear. It was my little brother Tibbun that caught the fever first, then my mum. Who with all the warnings that the village gave her and the priest that turned us away, she would not relent. She could not bear to let Tibbun suffer all alone and I could not blame her.

My father told me to leave the house and stay with my uncle until he called for me, but that call never came. My home, along with many others had been stigmatized by the white mark of the plague. They were boarded up and those inside were burned to death. That did not work for every victim, for it was too late. Some pale ones broke free and charged those who were not cursed. In what I have witnessed as pure rage, they would claw, bite, and trample the living without remorse and try to feast on their flesh. There is no longer a mortal in control of the pale body, this I know for sure. It did not take long for the High Order to call upon all councils to enact a desperate law. They would call it the Black Arbitration. These “arbitrators” were necromancers, all summoned to take part in trying to bring some kind of control. However, this did not work. The necromancers had the power to control the dead through the use of black magic, but the pale ones were not dead. They were cursed, infected, and uncontrollable. The light of the stars could not even kill them even though they behaved much like the mindless undead, they were something else. These arbitrators were disbanded, and many were treated in the worst manner. Some were blamed or burned at the stake as the laws quickly changed and the Black Arbitration was destroyed. These former arbitrators that were not chased off or killed discovered that once the pale ones finally died from the plague, they could be reanimated and controlled. This only granted necromancers a new weapon, known as the plague zombie. Many have chosen to ignore the warning signs or choose not to believe them. There once was a time when the demons enslaved our world, and vile devils such as Baal ruled us all. All these myths and legends are still told around the campfires but commoners do not want to believe them. Even when their ancestors suffered through it. The empire continues to operate as usual, selling slaves, gladiator games, counting their imperial coin, and enjoying lavish parties. Trade continues as normal on the Spice Road as the cities deal and barter. What else are we to do I suppose? I believe it is up to all mortals to unite! As we did in the old books, during the Thrall Wars, we must join together again to fight! The darkness is coming for us all and we need great heroes once again, who will fight the evil and seal the devils away into Tartarus forever!”

-Rynthro Kal of Candle Street, Northwater

The Age of Bones

Wyrmfall

The Traveler

The Ever War