Echoes of Elystrad

 Echoes of Elystrad: Prototype Vault Draft

“The world was sealed for a reason. We broke it anyway.”

 Compatible with DCC, Cairn, Into the Odd, Mörk Borg, and any OSR/NSR-adjacent system. Easily adaptable to 5E and Blades-style campaigns.

Thirteen centuries ago, the Orvex Imperium shattered the Vault — a titanic arcane seal buried in the bones of the world. What followed was the Sundering: skies torn open, time fractured, and nightmares returned to the waking world.

Now, the ruined land of Elystrad limps through its cursed age. Magic bleeds from broken stones. Dungeons shift like memories. Gods are dead, or worse — silent. And yet, adventurers crawl into the dark, desperate to carve meaning from a world that has already ended once.

              What This Is

This is the prototype Vault draft of Echoes of Elystrad — a raw, unpolished look into a world of pulpy dungeon horror, post-apocalyptic fantasy, and sky-bridged city-states balancing on the edge of madness.

Inside this early document, you'll find:

A shattered world where magic distorts time

The sky-city of Kavareth, clinging to power above the ruins

An ancient calendar — the Black Sun Cycle — that governs fate, dungeon shifts, and Vault Days

Early mechanics for mutating dungeons, guild politics, and Vaultborn destinies

Lore fragments, weird tables, and setting pieces emerging from the fog of deep time

Prototype Warning This is not a finished product.

              You may find:

Unedited content

Layout placeholders

Notes from the Warden scrawled in the margins

But what you will find is a raw spark of the Elystrad setting — enough to dig into, run an early session, or help shape what this becomes.

The first official zine version is coming soon. This prototype will vanish into the Vault before it arrives.

Feedback Welcomed

If the world calls to you — if you dream of fractured stars, cursed ruins, and shifting time — I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can leave a comment, send a raven, or whisper to the Black Sun itself.