Grim Hollow

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Grim Hollow is a 3rd party Dark Fantasy setting for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition published by Ghostfire Gaming. Currently, only a Campaign Setting exists, with a Player's Guide being crowdfunded for on Kickstarter.

The World of Etharis

Lands of Etharis

Etharis, as the campaign setting's world is called, is a grimdark slant on the standard D&D 5e world. It takes place on a world where a brutal humanity rose up and almost annihilated the empires of dwarves, elves and dragonborn, then nearly annihilated itself in pointless internecine wars, allowing the oppressed remnants of those races to rise up and forcibly carve a place for themselves out of the ruins. Civilization exists in a Points of Light format; islands of light and hope surrounded by vast tracts of hostile, monster-infected wilderness. Some regions suffer supernatural or paranatural auras that shroud them in darkness, and plagues ravage the land - especially the dreaded Weeping Pox. The gods of Etharis annihilated each other in a brutal civil war, leaving behind only their lieutenants - the Arch Seraphs and Arch Daemons - to heed the prayers of mortal followers, and work to exploit the world as it exists for their own advantage. In many portions of the world, arcane magic is feared, and there is even a crusade, the Arcanist Inquisition, dedicated to destroying all who are even accused of dabbling with magic.

But despite all this... Etharis is not a relentlessly bleak world, and there is some hope for it to get better. To quote the book itself:

Etharis as a campaign setting is not meant to be relentlessly bleak and depressing, or to wallow in cruelty for its own sake. Small victories become heroic when they take heroic effort to achieve. No one in Etharis is safe by default, so any safety the characters win or give to others is a true blessing. No one in Etharis is good by default, so moments of genuine grace are worth celebrating – and can come from unexpected places. Amid profound darkness, even the smallest lights have value.

There's even a chapter in the Campaign Guide that breaks down Dark Fantasy into its four major components: Grimdark, Horror, Dark Fairy Tales, and Sword & Sorcery, with advice to the DM on how to pick and mix these themes to make Etharis more their own.

Etharis Races

Etharis is home to the following races:

Humans: The most numerous race, who rose up from barbarism during the age of the dwarven and elven dominance over the world into a vast conquering horde that first almost annihilated the elves and dwarves, then nearly wiped themselves out. They technically are still the "dominant" race of Etharis, but their short lives have led to their old hatred fading... whilst the other races have not forgotten what humanity did to them...

Elves: Formerly the masters of Etharis' forests, their empires were burned to ashes during humanity's rise, and they spent decades as wandering nomads who were given magic by the forest spirits who survived as a way to avenge their loss.

Dwarves: During humanity's expansion, the dwarves retreated to their two greatest strongholds. Grevenstein was ultimately breached and its people annihilated, but Stehlenwald dug deeper and armed its people with adamantine; although their population was halved, their superior arms and armor allowed them to push humanity back. Still, they agreed to become a vassal race of humanity in the name of survival.

Half-Orcs: Pureblooded orcs are long gone in Etharis, but they remain figures of dark legends. Only half-orcs remain, and they are largely feared and distrusted, dwelling voluntarily amidst the harsh environment of the frozen north.

Half-Elves: Nomadic outcasts rejected by both sides of their parentage.

Dragonborn: The small kingdom of the dragonborn fell when caught between warring humans and elves, but its people survived. They have abandoned their original gods, and instead embraced the new religion of the Divine Seraphs with fanatical zeal, winning a place in the Castinellan theocracy.

Gnomes: Cousins of the dwarves, they retreated into Stehlenwald with their kin, and were instrumental in turning back the tides of humanity by inventing the first primitve gunpowder weapons.

Halflings: When humanity began its bloody Era of Expansion, the halflings surrended rather than fight, voluntarily subsuming themselves into human culture as a race of servants.

Etharis Pantheon

As stated above, Etharis' gods have all been wiped out, leaving a handful of powerful Arch Seraphs and Arch Daemons to take their place.

The Arch Seraphs consist of:

• Miklas: Arch Seraph of Mercy, who wants to do the job of her former boss, the Goddess of Protection Aurelia, but just doesn't have the power.
• Empyreus: Arch Seraph of Valor, who seeks to take the place of the fallen war-god Maligant and champion good-aligned warriors to return Etharis to its Golden Age.
• Zabriel: Arch Seraph of Truth, who has abandoned the neutrality of her patron Typharia, God of Knowledge, to instead seek to weaponize knowledge and truth.
• Morael: Arch Seraph of Sacrifice, is a former aspect of the Vetara, Goddess of Love, and acts as the patron of heroes, martyrs and diplomats.
• Solyma: Arch Seraph of Justice and silent heir to the throne of the forgotten God of Justice, whose followers are straying from her ways due to her self-imposed vow of silence.
• Aphaeleon: Arch Seraph of Temperance, who has abandoned the way of the God of Joy, Myria, to instead champion those who seek freedom from worldly desires.

The malevolent Arch Daemons, on the other hand, consist of:

• Venin: Arch Daemon of Deceit
• Tormach: Arch Daemon of Wrath, Empyreus' bitter rival, who delights in killing and bloody violence.
• Gorodyn: Arch Daemon of Avarice, who has stolen the throne of the God of Commerce, Jezra, to spread his doctrine of naked greed and consumption.
• Sitri: Arch Daemon of Hedonism, who is basically Slaanesh.
• Beleth: Arch Daemon of Fear, who revels in his ability to torment mortals.
• Malikir: Arch Daemon of Pride

Other entities of cosmic significance in Etharis are the Primordials, which are basically Etharis' Archomentals, and the Aether Kindred, which are Elder Evils-like god-tier aberrations who slew the original gods of Etharis.

New Mechanics

Grim Hollow contains a number of new mechanics for 5e. These include expanded mechanical aspects and "subclasses" for Backgrounds, and its most iconic element, the Transformations mechanic; a kind of 4 level Prestige Class that allows a player to slowly become some kind of specific monster, gaining unique powers and flaws at each of the four levels. Transformations in the Campaign Guide consist of the Aberrant Horror, the Fiend, the Lich, the Lycanthrope, the Seraph and the Vampire. Yes, becoming an angel is treated as being as horrifying and dehumanizing as becoming a fiend.