THE HUNGER

A Folk-Horror Campaign for The Ruins of Symbaroum

Tagline: In the desolate village of Hollowbrook, an ancient hunger stirs, fed by whispered
madness and forbidden feasts. To save those they love, a few immune survivors must return to
the heart of a nightmare made real by an Old God of terrible power: The Ashen King.
I. Introduction & Core Premise
Logline:
The isolated, once-diverse village of Hollowbrook, crippled by an unnatural winter and gnawing
starvation, has fallen under the sway of an ancient, malevolent entity. Known formally as The
Ashen King, manifesting its active terror as The Fell-Horn, and whispered fearfully by locals as
The Whisper of the Wood, this Old God of Symbaroum has twisted the community's desperation
into a dark folk-witchcraft, compelling them towards horrific rituals, including cannibalism. The
Player Characters are among the last few who, by refusing to partake in the ultimate taboo of
cannibalism, resisted its full influence. Having narrowly escaped becoming part of a "Twisted
Feast," they are now driven by the desperate hope of returning to save family and loved ones
trapped in the unfolding folk-horror.
Core Themes:
* Folk-Horror & Primal Fear: The corruption of a community from within, the twisting of
traditions, and the terror of ancient, earth-bound powers.
* Survival & Desperation: The extreme lengths people resort to when faced with annihilation
and insidious manipulation.
* Corruption (Physical & Spiritual): The ever-present threat of Symbaroum's Blight, amplified by
the malevolent will of an Old God.
* The Mystery of Immunity: The PCs' resistance to The Ashen King's influence, rooted in their
refusal of cannibalism, is a central, evolving enigma for them to uncover.
* Bonds of Love & Community: The desperate drive to save loved ones clashing with the horror
of what that community has become.
* The Unseen History of Symbaroum: Unearthing fragments of a dangerous, undocumented
past and powers best left undisturbed.
* Moral Ambiguity & Difficult Choices: Navigating a world where the lines between victim and
perpetrator blur.
Tone & Atmosphere:
Dark, oppressive, and steeped in dread. The campaign should evoke a sense of creeping
paranoia, visceral horror, and profound sorrow, with intense action, perilous exploration, and
challenging moral dilemmas.
II. The Setting: Hollowbrook & Its Environs
Hollowbrook: The Doomed Village
* Original Diverse Nature & Hopeful Founding: Hollowbrook was once a testament to resilience,
a settlement founded on the very edge of Davokar. It was a place where diverse peoples—
Ambrians, various Barbarian clansfolk, Goblins, Ogres, and perhaps others—sought to build a
life, driven by hope, the promise of fertile (if dangerous) land, or a strategic position for trade or
resource gathering. This diversity was its bedrock.
* Geographic Location: Remote and isolated, nestled near the foreboding expanse of Davokar
forest. Its precise location can be tailored (e.g., near the Sinking Hills, the foothills of the Titans,
or a lesser-known, mist-shrouded river valley). This isolation makes it vulnerable and cuts it off
from easy aid.
* The Unnatural Winter & Ensuing Starvation: The campaign's prelude is an unusually harsh,
seemingly endless winter that has smothered Hollowbrook – the culmination of the Ashen King’s
insidious influence, gradually exerted over the twenty-two years since Hollowbrook’s founding.
Game has vanished, stores are depleted, crops have failed utterly, and the gnawing pangs of
starvation have become a constant, driving the inhabitants to the brink of madness and despair.
The Descent into Folk-Horror
* The Creeping Corruption & Twisted Folkways: As conventional prayers and leadership failed
against the relentless, decades-long winter, the community’s desperation festered. The first
subtle encouragements of The Whisper of the Wood began to take root. Old, half-forgotten folk
remedies and rural superstitions were revived, then slowly perverted. Hope curdled into a dark,
communal embrace of strange new beliefs and rituals.
* Embrace of Dark Witchcraft: Guided by the insidious influence of The Ashen King, these
practices evolved into a potent, corrupted form of folk-witchcraft. This involved:
* Profane Rites: Seasonal celebrations transformed into grotesque parodies. Once-sacred
groves, village commons, or ancient stones became sites for bloody rituals and whispered
chants to their new, dark patron.
* Macabre Talismans: Charms and effigies crafted from bone, teeth, human hair, strangely
bundled twigs, blighted flora, and other disturbing materials became commonplace, believed to
offer protection or favor.
* Blurred Boundaries: The lines between human and beast, living and dead, sanity and
madness began to erode under the weight of the new "faith."
* The "Faithful" & The "Inquisition": Most villagers have succumbed, becoming the "Faithful" of
The Ashen King. Among them, a zealous core has emerged, acting as an "Inquisition" –
specifically comprised of those who have partaken in human flesh. These are not formal
inquisitors but rather witch-finders and enforcers of the new dark order, often led by formerly
respected individuals now deeply corrupted. They hunt those who resist or, like the PCs, are
immune (having refused the Fell-Horn's ultimate temptation of cannibalism), seeing them as
abominations or necessary sacrifices to be consumed. Their methods are brutal, relying on
superstitious trials, mob justice, and paranoid fervor.
The Blighted Land
The area in and around Hollowbrook is increasingly tainted by The Ashen King's presence. The
forest grows silent and menacing, trees may become twisted and gnarled (perhaps seen as
aspects of The Fell-Horn), the water sources might become murky or poisonous, and a palpable
sense of dread hangs heavy in the air. Blight Marks may be visible on the land itself, not just its
inhabitants.
III. The Ancient Adversary: The Ashen King
Known Names & Titles
* The Ashen King: The formal, potent name for this Old God, suggesting its sovereignty over
domains of ruin, desolation, cold embers, and despair. Used in deeper lore or by those who
grasp its true nature.
 * The Fell-Horn: The name given to its more active, directly terrifying manifestations or aspects.
It speaks of its cruel, fiendish power and is associated with its direct interventions, its corrupting
"voice," and terrifying appearances (actual or symbolic horns).
* The Whisper of the Wood: The name used by commoners in and around Hollowbrook,
especially in the early stages of its influence. It describes the unseen, eerie presence, the
insidious suggestions, and the unsettling phenomena attributed to the local woods before its
fuller, more horrifying nature became apparent.
Nature & Origin
* An Old God of Symbaroum: This entity is not a mere spirit or abomination but a primordial
power, an Old God whose existence predates or lies outside the commonly acknowledged
pantheons and historical records of Ambria and the modern Barbarian clans. It is deeply rooted
in the undocumented, wild, and forgotten history of the world.
* Devil/Satanic Archetype (Symbaroum's Version): While an Old God, its nature aligns with that
of a supremely malevolent will: a tempter, a grand deceiver, a corrupter of souls and flesh, and
a spreader of suffering and despair. It delights in the fall from grace, the perversion of hope, and
the breaking of taboos. It seeks not just worship, but the utter degradation of its followers,
culminating in acts like cannibalism.
Methods of Influence
* Insidious Whispers: Its primary tool is subtle mental and spiritual intrusion, preying on fears,
doubts, and desires, twisting thoughts until they seem like the victim's own.
* Source of Corrupted Witchcraft & Blight: The power it grants and the rituals it inspires are a
dark, primal form of folk-witchcraft that directly channels and spreads Blight, corrupting both the
practitioners and the land.
* Exploitation of Despair and Fear: It masterfully uses the desperation caused by the prolonged,
supernaturally-induced starvation and the unnatural winter (a result of its influence over two
decades) to break the spirit of Hollowbrook and make its inhabitants receptive to its dark
promises, ultimately pushing them towards cannibalism as a perverse form of survival and
worship.
Goals (Speculative)
The true aims of an Old God like The Ashen King may be vast and alien. Possibilities include:
* Reclaiming ancient dominion over lands where it once held sway.
* Spreading its blighted influence like a spiritual plague.
* Reveling in the suffering, despair, and devolution of mortals.
* Achieving an ancient, unfathomable agenda tied to its original role or imprisonment.
* Simply feeding an insatiable hunger for worship, sacrifice (especially of those who resist its
deepest taints), or negative emotional energy.
The Twisted Feast (The Ritual Cannibalism)
The horrifying culmination of Hollowbrook's descent is ritualistic cannibalism, referred to by the
cult in perverted terms like "The Great Feast," "The Hallowed Consumption," or "The Seed of
Survival."
* Purpose: It is framed as a dark offering to The Ashen King, a method to absorb the "essence"
or "spirit" of those consumed (especially the "immune" who resisted cannibalism themselves), a
means of ensuring the cult's survival through a divinely sanctioned (by their dark god) act, and a
final, terrible pact that binds them to their master. Those who partake form the core of the
"Inquisition," driven to convert or consume all others.
* Horror: This act generates immense Corruption, solidifies The Ashen King's dominion, and
severs the community entirely from its former humanity.
IV. The Player Characters: The Immune Survivors
Fugitives from a Nightmare
The PCs are former residents of Hollowbrook. As the "Inquisition" (comprised of those who had
succumbed to cannibalism) began to solidify its hunt for those who refused the Ashen King's
ultimate corruption, the PCs, recognizing their shared uncorrupted state through their mutual
refusal of human flesh, organized a desperate and stealthy escape. They slipped out of the
village unbeknownst to the nascent Inquisitors just before they were to be sacrificed or
consumed.
Echoes of a Diverse Past
Reflecting Hollowbrook's original multicultural foundation, PCs can come from any of the races
and backgrounds found in Symbaroum, bringing a variety of skills, beliefs, and personal
histories to the group. Their shared home and subsequent trauma bind them.
The Central Enigma: Their Immunity
A core mystery of the campaign for the PCs is why they were able to resist when so many
others succumbed. The truth, to be discovered, is that their refusal to partake in the spreading
madness of cannibalism is the bedrock of their immunity to the Ashen King's deepest mental
and spiritual corruption. This was not necessarily a coordinated group decision initially, but
individual acts of revulsion or moral strength that set them apart. Discovering the shared nature
of this profound refusal and its link to their resistance will be a significant thread throughout their
journey.
Primary Motivation
The overwhelming driving force for the PCs is the desperate need to return to Hollowbrook, born
from a sense of having no other viable option and the haunting conviction that they must save
those they love. They are haunted by the faces of family members, children, loved ones, and
friends who could still be left behind, possibly resisting the call to cannibalism or not yet fully lost
to the Ashen King. They cling to the desperate hope of rescuing them from the clutches of The
Ashen King and its crazed, flesh-eating followers.
Other Motivations
Beyond rescue, PCs may also be driven by:
* Sheer survival and finding a new, safe place in the world.
* A need to understand the source and meaning of their immunity (their refusal of cannibalism)
and why it protected them.
* A desire for justice or revenge against the entity and those who betrayed their community by
embracing such horrors.
* A grim determination to stop the evil in Hollowbrook before it can spread further.
V. Campaign Elements in Symbaroum
Corruption
The Blight is a central and ever-present threat. The Ashen King is a potent source of it.
Hollowbrook and the surrounding lands are deeply tainted. PCs will risk gaining temporary and
permanent Corruption through exposure to the entity, its followers (especially the cannibalistic
Inquisition), its dark witchcraft, and the blighted environment. Managing, mitigating, and perhaps
finding ways to cleanse Corruption will be crucial.
Mystical Powers & Ancient Lore
* The Ashen King's Witchcraft: This is an ancient, potent, and deeply corrupted form of primal
folk magic, distinct from more formal Ambrian traditions or even conventional Barbarian
witchcraft. Its effects are often tied to blight, mental domination (especially tempting towards
cannibalism), elemental fury (like the unnatural winter), and dark pacts.
* Countering the Darkness: PCs may need to research forgotten lore, uncover specific
weaknesses of The Ashen King, find counter-rituals, or seek aid from practitioners of "purer"
mystical traditions, ancient orders, or even other denizens of Davokar who might oppose such a
primal evil. Their own mystical abilities (if any) will be tested in new ways.
The Outside World & Its Factions
The news of Hollowbrook's fate (if it reaches the outside) or the PCs' own story could draw the
attention of various Symbaroum factions:
* Ambrian Institutions:
* Ordo Magica: May view the situation with alarm but also as a unique opportunity to study an
Old God, its specific form of magic, and the nature of the PCs' immunity (rooted in their rejection
of cannibalism).
* Church of Prios: Would likely condemn Hollowbrook as a sinkhole of ultimate heresy and
abomination, demanding its utter annihilation to prevent the Blight from spreading.
* Barbarian Clans: Different clans might react based on their own beliefs and histories. Some
might hold fragmented legends about The Ashen King or similar entities. Others might see
Hollowbrook as a cursed place to be shunned, or a threat to their own territories. Specific elders
or mystics might possess vital, hard-won knowledge.
* Elves of Davokar: May have their own ancient knowledge or reasons to intervene (or
pointedly ignore) such a powerful Old God reawakening so close to their ancestral lands.
* The Iron Pact: If The Ashen King is recognized as an ancient and world-threatening power,
the Iron Pact might take a grim interest, though their methods can be as perilous as the evils
they hunt.
Exploration & Peril
The campaign will involve perilous journeys:
* Navigating the treacherous and monster-filled depths of Davokar forest or the blighted frontier
lands.
* Infiltrating the transformed village of Hollowbrook, which will be a dangerous environment in
itself, both physically and spiritually, especially with the cannibalistic "Inquisition" actively
hunting resisters.
Folk-Horror Investigation
A significant part of the campaign will involve the PCs piecing together the specific rituals,
twisted beliefs (particularly surrounding cannibalism), fears, and internal dynamics of the
Hollowbrook cult. Understanding the local manifestation of The Ashen King's influence will be
key to finding weaknesses and saving anyone.
VI. Potential Campaign Arcs (Overview)
* The Flight & The Fragile Sanctuary: The PCs' organized and stealthy, yet desperate, escape
from Hollowbrook as the cannibalistic Inquisition began its purge; their arrival in a nearby (and
perhaps not entirely safe) settlement; the immediate struggle for survival and processing their
trauma.
* Gathering Shadows & Desperate Hope: PCs attempt to warn others, seek aid, and gather
information about what truly befell their home and the nature of the entity. They may face
skepticism or hostility, while the mystery of their immunity (and its connection to rejecting
cannibalism) might begin to surface. They must decide on the desperate course of returning,
driven by the belief that loved ones might still be resisting.
* The Bitter Road Back to Hollowbrook: The perilous journey to their transformed home, facing
the dangers of a blighted Davokar and perhaps evading cultist patrols. The emotional weight of
nearing the nightmare they fled.
* Within the Ashen Coils: Infiltrating the blighted Hollowbrook. Navigating the village of fear,
locating loved ones (who may be captive, corrupted, resisting, or even among the faithful), and
confronting key figures of the "Inquisition" and the power of The Fell-Horn.
* Confronting The Ashen King: The climax involves a direct or indirect confrontation with the
Old God itself, or its primary avatar/conduit. This might require a specific ritual, exploiting a
discovered weakness, a desperate battle, or a profound moral choice.
* Echoes in the Ashes: The aftermath. Dealing with Corruption gained, the fate of rescued
loved ones, the future of Hollowbrook (destroyed, cleansed, or a lingering wound), and the PCs'
place in a world now touched by such ancient horror. The mystery of their immunity may find
resolution or deepen.
VII. Driving Questions & Themes for Exploration
* What is the true origin and nature of our immunity? Is its root in our refusal of cannibalism a
shield, a weapon, a curse, or something else entirely in the eyes of ancient powers?
* Can our loved ones still in Hollowbrook truly be saved, or are they too far lost to the influence
of The Ashen King and the defilement of the "Twisted Feast"? What terrible choices will we
have to make for those who have partaken?
* How can a few survivors stand against an ancient god, its terrifying aspect The Fell-Horn, and
an entire village consumed by its dark witchcraft and driven by cannibalistic hunger?
* What forgotten lore, ancient rituals, or hidden weaknesses can be used against The Ashen
King? Who or what holds such secrets?
* Will the outside world believe our harrowing tales of cannibalism and dark gods? If so, will
their intervention save or further doom Hollowbrook?
* What is the ultimate, unfathomable agenda of The Ashen King, and what are the
consequences if it succeeds or its influence spreads beyond The Whisper of the Wood?
* What will be the cost of our return, even if we succeed? What parts of our own humanity will
we sacrifice along the way, especially when facing those we once knew?
* How do we live with the memories of what Hollowbrook became, the pervasive dread of The
Whisper of the Wood, the terror of The Fell-Horn, the horror of the cannibalistic "Inquisition,"
and the looming shadow of The Ashen King?