Nightfall on Sylvania

Nightfall on Sylvaniaomewhere deep in the countryside of Sylvania, aThe Land of Sylvania
dark seal has been broken, and with its breaking The following are facts about Sylvania and its people that
a nefarious curse has fallen upon the once holy your character might already know:
province, conjuring with it a menagerie of
horrors. By night, the skies bring demons, winged Sylvania is a large island country, several days journey
from the nearest port.
Sand ravenous. From the shadows rise creatures The people of Sylvania commonly refer to the day of the
of the dark more grim than prophecies could ever initial attack as "Nightfall."
foretell. To many, it seems the end is upon the country of The people of Sylvania are primarily human by a large
Sylvania. And now, where once flourished a nation of devout margin. Other races are, in most places here, quite rare.
revolutionaries and thriving merchants--in the span of a Night brings with it the legion of the dark. Common travel
single night--remains only desolation and despair. or trade between towns and cities is rarer now, but if it is
done, it is only accomplished during the hours of daylight.
Those who did survive the initial onslaught have grown When night comes, citizens of Sylvania return to their
paranoid in its afermath. Towns have turned to survival by boarded shut homes and pray their towns are granted
any means, barring their gates from outsiders and praying mercy for the night. The demons do not attack every town
their rations last the week, let alone the month. Those of every night, but each night still the dread that they might
abled-body hold fast to the walls of their sanctuary with spear come is heavy in the air and heavy on the minds of town-
or sword, praying the demons beyond the walls and above folk.
their heads grant them mercy for the night. The term "demon" is used loosely to describe actual
demons as well as vampires, werewolves, undead,
It is the wilderness beyond these towns--as well as the abberations, and other such monstrosities.
roads that connect them--that harbors the greatest of dreads. Wine is the lifeblood of Sylvania, and was its greatest
As such, cities--with their great defences and high walls--have export before Nightfall. Though its production has
become the last bastions of survival, a final hope to cling to lessened in recent months, it still remains an every-day
for those unfit to fight. necessity for the commonfolk.

But those with the aptitude to face the dark, those with the
strength of mind or muscle, those chosen by the touch of the
arcane, the winds of fate, or the hand of some god, they may
yet bring light to the growing darkness of Sylvania.

Demon-Hunters Starting Level
In the aftermath of this quasi-apocalypse, while most Your characters will be starting at 5th-level. During the
cowered and prayed to their idle gods, a rare few survivors session zero talk, we will discuss your character's starting
proved capable of not just fighting off the demons, but slaying magic-items, as you won't be going into this campaign empty-
them outright. These few stood out amongst the common handed.
rabble and fought back against the demon-tide.
Remember that being a 5th-level hero puts your abilities in
Whether touched by some divine or abyssal essence, these combat well above the common crowd, which ties in to your
demon-hunters are the only ones capable of truly killing a character being a demon-hunter. (For some perspective, a
demon permanently. And, whether your character likes it or 5th-level dnd character can take on well over a dozen
not, they are one of them. commoners in combat simultaneously, and win rather
convincingly. In other words, be aware that you're far stronger
You are not the only ones who have been granted the ability in combat that the average man.)
to cull the demon-tide. Other demon-hunters exist in
Sylvania, though rare. These other 'chosen' use their unique
position in various ways. Some might use their newfound
power to gain leverage over the common-folk. Others extort a
great deal of coin from towns who plead for their services
and protection. You, though, may find your own way to use
the gift, or curse, of being a demon-hunter.

Amongst the common-folk, there are those that worship
hunters, and those that curse them, insisting they are part
demon themselves, and an omen in the eyes of the gods.
Given this contention, it is common for some demon-hunters
to hide their status by traveling with heavy cloaks and the
like, lying low if they wish to be left alone. Though some may
do the opposite, flaunting their position of power over the
common-folk.