June 2024 Update

Adam Donovan
Jun 28, 2024
11 min read

[June 2024]

Greetings all, and welcome to the June (2024) update for Roguelike Games!

This month sees the third of our 'Species Spotlights' for the Moralinth: Gothic Horror TTRPG. Relevant to both the Uncanny and Gloom versions of the game, over the last few months, we have dedicated an entire update to looking at one of the major playable species across The Known World that populate the various nations of the Empire of Estania. We have discussed what each of these species are, how they interact with one another and others, and what their place is in the game world.

June sees a deep dive into the last of the three playable species, those with the lineage of fabled fantastical beings: the enigmatic Enshrouded!

Species Spotlight: Enshrouded

Beyond Humanity and the newly emerged Clockworks exists another species in the Empire of Estania; a secret species who appear as humans to all but those with The Sight: the mysterious Enshrouded. With origins that are lost to the mists of history, the Enshrouded are a sub-species of humans who have the presence of a fantastical creature intermingled in their ancestry. Not truly belonging to one species or the other, Enshrouded constitute a new hybrid people that consists of both genetic heritages to create something entirely different.

The majority of the Enshrouded are completely unaware of their true legacy and assume that they are humans just like the majority of the Imperial population. Only the few Uncanny among the Enshrouded can see their true forms, let alone tap into some of the inherent powers of their bloodline. The predominance of Enshrouded will live, grow old and die not knowing that they have a connection to one of the creatures from The Age of Legends.

Enshrouded come from a multitude of bloodlines, each associated with a fantastical creature that was originally humanoid in physiology and approximate stature - none are part dragon or giant snake, for example. These creatures have long since slipped into legend and stories, but the potency of their ancestry lives on in their descendants: the Enshrouded.

Among the three available species to play in Moralinth, the Enshrouded are perhaps the most varied yet also represent the most secret and least understood of mortalkind.

Enshrouded Bloodlines:

Despite their limited number among the billions-strong population of the Empire of Estania, there are quite a few different Enshrouded bloodlines that constitute a hereditary connection to the supernatural creatures that existed in the Age of Legends. Of these, eight stand out as the most commonly seen among this minority population and of course, most of them are disguised to others and even one another due to The Delusion.

Enshrouded Dwarves are descended from a people who had a deep connection to the Mortal Realm and specifically to Moralinth. Referred to as 'the people of stone' Dwarves tended

to be shorter and heavier set than humans but other than that looked remarkably similar to them, at least outwardly. Those Enshrouded with Dwarf blood in their ancestry have a true form that is close to that of their fantastical counterpart and find they have a durability and sturdiness about them as well as an affinity for pragmatism and craftsmanship.

Enshrouded Elves come from an ancient line of magically-infused fae folk whose longevity and harmony with the arcane made them patient and calculating, with a love for things of beauty which could endure, such as art. Enshrouded descended from Elves are elegant and graceful and have an otherworldly beauty in their true form with slender, agile frames, prominent and sharp facial features as well as pointed tipped ears.

Enshrouded Fetchlings are descendants of supernatural humanoids that migrated from The Gloom to The Mortal Realm sometime in the early years of the Age of Legends. Creatures made up partly of shadow-stuff, Fetchlings deviate from Gloomed Humans in that they have severed their connection with the Gloom but have, in essence, brought some of it with them in their natural form. Enshrouded Fetchlings have skin of various shades of grey, and hair that is either black, white or grey as if the colour has been bleached from their bodies. They possess the ability to see in darkness without hindrance and are less likely to be influenced by void energies.

Enshrouded Gnomes are people whose ancestors were fae folk and called The Wyld home in the Age of Legends. The original Gnomes were creatures of chaotic freedom and unbridled creativity: colourful, verdant and primal. Short in stature compared to humans but full of enthusiastic energy, Gnomes and their Enshrouded descendants appear physically identical in their true forms: diminutive humanoids of three feet or less with mismatched colourful hair and eyes, thin limbs and pointed ears.

Enshrouded Halflings would probably the nearest in appearance to humanity among the Enshrouded, were it not for their short height Their natural form could easily be confused for a human child or someone of extremely short stature, as most Enshrouded Halflings rarely grow taller than three feet. Halflings were rumoured to be both extremely lucky and almost fearless, and these traits often carry on to their Enshrouded descendants, along with their uniquely violet eye colour.

Enshrouded Kitsune have the blood of true Kitsune in their ancestry: vulpine shape-shifters and tricksters from the Wyld that can morph into their alternate animal and humanoid forms effortlessly. Enshrouded Kitsune have inherited the same ability and can shift their humanoid form into that of a fox, and some have even inherited their ancestors' distinctive feature of having nine fox-tails as part of their forms (which are hidden when viewed by someone under The Delusion).

Enshrouded Ratfolk share ancestry with the anthropomorphic Ratfolk that were extremely common in the Age of Legends. Just like the people they descended from, Enshrouded Ratfolk appear as humanoid rats that stand upright on two legs but still possess the all-over body fur, long tail and muzzle of regular rats. Enshrouded Ratfolk all have an extremely acute sense of smell far beyond that of regular humans, and tend to be very family-orientated.

Enshrouded Tengu are distantly related to the flightless humanoid bird-folk known as the Tengu that once walked the world in the Age of Legends. Said to have originated in Orona, the Empire of Mists, they were resourceful and curious people who were highly social - traits shared by their descendants for the most part. Adaptable and amiable, Enshrouded Tengu tend to relish new experiences and value companionship greatly.

Enshrouded in society:

Enshrouded appear as Humans to all but those with The Sight and as such, tend to be treated in society as if they were human. They gain all the advantages and suffer the same pitfalls as their human counterparts, with even most of the Enshrouded population unaware of their fantastical lineage thanks to The Delusion.

For the Uncanny who know of their true nature, the Enshrouded tend to be viewed with a mix of trepidation and respect and are often called upon to tap their inherent abilities such as a Kitsune's power to change their form or a Fetching's capacity to see in darkness without a light source.

Enshrouded who awaken as Uncanny tend to feel the ancestral call of their people, making sense of a lot of their eccentricities or habits that might have seemed peculiar or out of place prior to their awakening. A Dwarf Enshrouded may have spent their life preferring to work in stone while the more popular thing was to use iron and steel for example, whereas a Halfling Enshrouded might have taken positions of considerable risk such as firefighting or as an Outrider, disagreeing with others that the work was too dangerous, or that they should be more careful in general.

While Enshrouded do not need to prove themselves in the same way that Clockworks find that they do, discovering their extraordinary heritage does mean that they need to be wary of other Uncanny, The Inquisition and, of course, Creatures of Darkness. These additional factors mean that few rarely carry on with the life they led before their awakening exactly as it was, and take steps to ensure their safety and privacy. Not all Uncanny Enshrouded become reclusive, but most certainly become more cautious.

Enshrouded and religious beliefs:

Enshrouded have as varied and individual views on religion as their Human and Clockwork counterparts do. Upon discovering their true lineage, few Enshrouded change these long-held beliefs though it is not uncommon for the more devout to go through a personal crisis (or testing) of faith. Next to nothing of the traditions pertaining to the creatures Enshrouded are descended from exist, so it is not known if any of the current pantheon are favoured over the other, or even that different Gods existed when these creatures walked Moralinth in the Age of Legends.

For most Enshrouded their worship and devotion to The Multi-Faced Pantheon remains unchanged, even if many Uncanny Enshrouded struggle with internal conflicts about where they fit into 'the big picture'. The presence of The Inquisition is a constant concern, with many of their agents able to sniff out when someone is different from what they consider the norm.

Even with all of the complications that come with their heritage, many Enshrouded end up in high-ranking positions within The Church. While those Enshrouded who know their true lineage are cautious in such matters, most are as unaware of their ancestry as anyone else and, as such, are treated as humans for their recruitment into - and ascendency through - the ranks of The Church.

A fabled history:

Despite being categorised as a single species for the purposes on the Moralinth game, Enshrouded is an umbrella term for an individual who is descended from one of many fantastical humanoid creatures from The Age of Legends. In antiquity Humans shared the world with many other species, many of which were fellow humanoids with comparable levels of society and civilisation but had their own cultures, traditions and beliefs. Many possessed what Humans would consider unusual or extraordinary gifts such as the ability to see in darkness as others could in light, or shapeshift into different forms.

Though the ancestor species that the various Enshrouded descended from have long since gone extinct, the potency of their blood has passed down through the generations and has manifested in the modern-day Enshrouded, granting them access to some of their unusual abilities. Not all of the ancestor species that Enshrouded descend from are native to Moralinth. While the Dwarves, Halflings, Ratfolk and Tengu all developed on The Mortal Realm, Elves, Gnomes and Kitsune all originally came from The Wyld. It is said that the Fetchlings emerged from the Gloom.

To the Uncanny, the existence of the Enshrouded was initially confused with that of Creatures of Darkness, with many who had The Sight seeing them as simply another type of supernatural species to be avoided, studied or confronted. When it was discovered that just as many Enshrouded laboured under the effects of The Delusion as both Humans and Clockworks did, they were considered less of an immediate threat to those around them - something which was further solidified with the appearance of the first Uncanny Enshrouded.

The secret existence of a modern-day Enshrouded:

If Uncanny are scarce among the imperial populace, then Uncanny Enshrouded can be considered doubly-so. The amount of Enshrouded to standard Humans ratio is approximately one in every ten-thousand, and of those less than two percent are also awakened Uncanny. In short, there are not many Uncanny Enshrouded, making those able to perceive and manipulate The Dark a rare breed indeed.

The small number of Enshrouded Uncanny means that they often go their whole lives without meeting another awakened member of their species, and are sometimes prone to bouts of loneliness in the presence of other Enshrouded who are utterly unaware of their true natures. Enshrouded Uncanny form no communities of their own, but will often gravitate toward other non-awakened Enshrouded or - if they are lucky enough to locate them - other Uncanny regardless of whether they are Enshrouded Uncanny or not. Having to deal with possessing The Spark is confusing and traumatic enough as it is, but to also discover you have not even been Human the whole time can add considerable neurosis if not handled correctly.

Though eight bloodlines of Enshrouded have been officially identified (Dwarves, Elves, Fetchlings, Gnomes, Halflings, Kitsune, Ratfolk and Tengu), it is assumed that others persist into the Age of Reason, though they are likely so few in number that they have yet to be encountered by those who can recognize their extraordinary heritage.

For most, the Enshrouded do not exist and they are presumed to be regular Humans.

Playing an Enshrouded in the World of Moralinth:

To play an Enshrouded in Moralinth is to know that you are likely to be very different to everyone around you - even possessing special abilities that others do not - but having to forever keep to the shadows and peripheries of notice. You look and appear to others as human, and likely for most of your life you believed you were human, but you are not. Your existence is alien to the current Imperial society, and if others could see you as you truly were, you know they would not understand. If the truth were revealed, most citizens would assume you were a Creature of Darkness; the very entitles you look to protect mortalkind from.

Each of the eight main Enshrouded are technically a different species and are varied from one another in appearance, natural abilities, language and the way in which they connect to the world. Some are have descended from creatures native to the world of Moralinth while other can link their ancestry to outsider creatures from other realms such as The Wyld or The Gloom. Regardless of your choice of Enshrouded however, all are also part-human and are mortal in nature. They require sleep and sustenance, breathe and age just as Humans do, and for those Enshrouded who are not aware of their lineage these similarities keep them blissfully ignorant to the truth.

Enshrouded are rare compared to Humans or even Clockworks and it is unlikely to find more than one or two in any investigator Party. Players should check with the Narrator and their fellow Players to ensure their choice to have an Enshrouded Player-Character does not upset the party dynamic but ultimately, your table runs by its own rules. Just know that a full group of Enshrouded Player-Characters is the exception, not the rule.

Like all Player-Characters, Enshrouded Characters are Uncanny, able to pierce The Delusion and see the world as it truly is. They possess the ability to tap into The Dark and potentially weave it to their will, making them a rare breed among a minority.

Roguelike Community

FACEBOOK

The Moralinth Official Facebook Group is the place to visit for quick and concise updates for those who only want the summarised details of what is happening with Moralinth, and is a great place to see the artwork, lore snippets, and updates. We're looking to add more to it so that we can add extra information, but we need your help! What sort of things would you like to see included in the Facebook Group that isn't there already? Feel free to leave comments so we can know what is a priority for everyone - and make sure you tell your friends!

DISCORD:

For a more in-depth and interactive playground for all things Moralinth, you can head over to the Morlainth Official Discord Server. We're looking to foster the community and grow it out, and a few of the messages we've received of late have asked for more ways to interact with the game world as well as an increase in setting information. We're looking to try and grant both requests simultaneously, so keep an eye on Discord for more information! Feel free to invite anyone who you feel might want to follow the project but please remember they need to verify their account when they first join the server (you need to click the little "tick" to be granted the Uncanny role and gain access to all the Categories, Channels and Events).

Future Plans

July will continue our spotlight series but will move from species to vocation: what a Moralinth character does with their abilities is slightly different in both the Uncanny and Gloom versions of the game, but both fulfil similar roles. Often referred to as 'Classes' in other games, these bundles of skills and abilities added on to a character are referred to as: "Type" in the Uncanny Edition (of which there are 8 in the Uncanny Core Rulebook).

and

"Calling" in the Gloom Edition (of which there are 12 in the Gloom Core Rulebook).

July will cover the first four Types for the Uncanny Edition, with the second four being described in the following August update. In September the first six Callings for the Gloom Edition will be featured, with the remaining six Callings having their own update in October.

....and that wraps up our update for this month! Feel free to drop us a message or come visit us on our Facebook page or our Discord Group if you'd like! Until our next update,

Happy Gaming!

- Adam