Blessings of the Dark Gods

A fantastic RPG of desperate deals and drawn fate, where things work as expected and Dark Gods are willing to give a hand. Literally.

A narrative‑driven RPG where your deck is your destiny, exhaustion is real, and the Dark Gods offer help you will regret accepting.

Magic faded. Industry rose. The world became predictable.

Then someone made a deal.

Now the Dark Gods are back - not in temples, but in contracts. Not in sermons, but in whispers. They don’t demand worship. Only agreement.

And people sign.

What Makes This Game Different

Card‑Driven Tension - Every draw pushes you closer to exhaustion. When your deck runs out, so do you.

Temptation Mechanics - Draw from a Dark God’s deck for power. Then face the consequences.

Exploits, Not Stats - Characters are defined by story, not numbers.

Emergent Chaos - Simple mechanics, meaningful outcomes.

A Unique Setting - Bureaucracy meets folklore.

How It Plays

You act by drawing from your personal deck of 40 cards.

Each draw represents effort, uncertainty, and the creeping weight of consequence.

Need more power?

Draw from a Dark God instead.

It will work.

It always works.

But afterward, you owe them - and they always collect.

What You Need

• One GM and one or more players
• A 40 card deck per character, and one for the GM (1–10, four copies each)
• A 60 card Dark God deck
• A character sheet
• These rules
• The world (Optional)
• An adventure (Optional)

All of which is provided below - less the players, sorry.

What’s Inside

Complete rules for character creation and play

Five Dark Gods, each with their own skewed deck and terrible blessings

A full region of the world, including:

• Current events
• Major settlements
• Institutions and powers
• Denizens
• Places of interest
• Adventure seeds, mysteries, and hooks throughout

About This Release - V2

This game is free.

You can donate if you want to support further development, but it’s not expected.

The rules and setting are complete.

What’s in “early access” is the format - more content will be added over time, including:

• Additional realms and regions
• New Dark Gods
• Adventures and player aids

Feedback shapes what comes next.

The World

For nearly a thousand years, the world moved forward - slowly, stubbornly, and with purpose. Magic waned. Industry crept in. Roads were paved, machines were made, contracts replaced charms, and the world became legible.

Then someone made a deal.

Now, the Dark Gods are back. Not in temples, but in contracts. Not in sermons, but in whispers. They do not demand worship, only agreement.

And people sign.

Every minute, of every hour, of every day, people sign.

Then, invariably, they pay.

The Valefold

This Valefold is old. Not in the poetic sense, but in the way a cellar is old - damp, uneven, and full of things best left undisturbed. Towns thrive unnaturally or else they crumble quietly. Trade routes shift. Ruins whisper. Names carry weight.

Folklore has returned - not as belief, but as currency. Taverns host cults of two. The stones ring at midnight. The river is emotionally compromised. And somewhere, someone climbs the Shale Steps at night - where none have yet returned.

The setting section of the rules contains a wealth of detail on this part of the world. This includes:

Current Events

In Old Dunfell, a second tavern has opened in the nearby hills. No one knows who built it, and the ale is free. Locals are wary, but the knives are still sharp. The Wight in the watchtower has been quiet, though its footprints now lead toward the new establishment.

Major Settlements

Tharnwick is a city of ink and argument. It sits at the confluence of three rivers and twice as many philosophies. The streets are lined with printshops, debating halls, and taverns that double as lecture theatres. Everyone has an opinion. Most are written down.

Institutions and Powers

The Guild of Second Chances is a mercantile group that deals exclusively in reclaimed goods, failed ventures, and abandoned quests. Their motto is: “If it didn’t work the first time, it might not again.” Membership is, unsurprisingly, always open.

Denizens

The Witchborn are raised in bogs and bramble, steeped in hexes before they learn to speak. Their eyes glint with swamplight, and their blood carries old curses like heirlooms.

The Hollowblooded are pale and slow, sustained by borrowed breath and ritual fasting. Neither fully alive nor entirely dead, but tolerated in most towns about as well as anyone else.

Places of Interest

The Chapel of St. Veit is a former house of faith that stands alone in a field of thistles. Its roof collapsed decades ago, but the altar remains intact. Pilgrims still visit, leaving offerings of salt, teeth, and folded paper. No one remembers the saint’s miracles, only the warnings. A pair of Harpies nest in the rafters, silent and watchful. They do not sing, but they do listen.

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