Beneath the Cobblestones of Velnaris
Every city lies to itself. Velnaris has simply learned to do it beautifully.
At first glance, Velnaris is a triumph of stone, incense, and ceremony. Spires pierce the sky. Processions wind through marble streets. Contracts are signed in gilded halls, sins absolved in public, and poverty kept politely out of sight. Order reigns. Faith reassures. Commerce flows.
That is the story Velnaris tells.
Beneath the cobblestones, another truth stirs.
A City Built on Desire
Velnaris is a gothic tabletop roleplaying setting centered on a single, sprawling metropolis where political intrigue, religious hypocrisy, and cosmic horror collide. The city is not just a backdrop for adventure; it is a living system, shaped by its factions, rituals, and unspoken compromises.
Each district performs a role in the great civic masquerade:
- The Cathedral District, immaculate and severe, where purity is proclaimed loudly enough to drown out doubt.
- The Mercantile Exchange, where wealth moves faster than conscience and loyalty is measured in leverage.
- The Warrens, where survival demands creativity, solidarity, and silence.
These places are not aligned along neat moral axes. They exist in tension, feeding one another while pretending otherwise.
And all of them are touched by something older.
The Hunger Below
Trapped beneath the city lies an ancient, ravenous presence. It does not roar or rampage. It listens. It presses gently against the cracks in the soul.
This entity corrupts not through brute force, but through desire. Longing for safety. For power. For absolution. For love. It offers no commands, only opportunities, and watches what people choose when they believe no one is looking.
In Velnaris, corruption is not a binary state. It is a slope, a negotiation, a series of justifications you will recognize far too easily.
Sanctuaries and Secrets
Violence, in Velnaris, is rarely the cleanest solution.
Certain locations, such as the House of Red Vows, are bound by strict sanctuary laws. Bloodshed is forbidden. Weapons are sheathed. Retribution must wait.
Here, secrets become currency.
Information, favors, whispered confessions, and carefully chosen truths drive play forward. Social pressure replaces combat initiative. Conversations become confrontations. Reputation can protect you, or destroy you.
These sanctuaries force players to engage with the city on its own terms, learning when to threaten, when to bargain, and when silence is the sharpest blade.
Systems That Reflect the City
The upcoming Velnaris sourcebook is built around mechanics that reinforce its themes:
- Corruption tracks that reflect internal change rather than external punishment
- Threat clocks that model the slow escalation of political, religious, and supernatural tensions
- Faction pressures that respond to player choices instead of scripted outcomes
Nothing resets neatly. Consequences linger. The city remembers.
Velnaris asks players not just what they do, but who they are becoming.
What Will You Sacrifice?
This is not a setting about saving the world.
It is about surviving it without losing yourself entirely. Or deciding what parts of yourself you are willing to trade.
The Velnaris sourcebook is designed for tables that enjoy moral ambiguity, slow-burn horror, and character-driven stories where power always comes at a cost.
Soon, the gates will open.
The city is waiting.