CLAUDIO PUSTORINO
E M B RACE YOUR DAR KNES S
QUICKSTART
EMBRAC E YOUR DA R K NE S S
WELCOME TO VILEBORN!
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Table of contents
1 INTRO - THE END AND THE BEGINNING............... 7
The setting in a few pages
Backstory - A perfect storm .................................................... 8
Who you are - Vileborn........................................................... 11
Where you are - Into darkness............................................... 12
2 ADVENTURE - LEX UMBRÆ........................................... 16
An adventure to learn how to play step by step
Preparation - Roles and adventure structure.......................... 18
Prologue - Facing tests........................................................... 30
On the Road - Defining motives............................................ 38
Darkness and dark heritages.............................................. 46
Ordeal - Facing a challenge.................................................. 48
Sacrament - Consuming reverie............................................... 54
Training - Defining bonds........................................................ 56
On the Hunt - Practice what you have learned...................... 60
Reviled - Concluding the adventure......................................... 64
3 PREVIEW - IN THE COMPLETE GAME..................... 70
A preview of what you will find in the complete rulebook
Characters - A coming-of-age story...................................... 72
Stories - A three-act structure................................................. 75
Challenges - Fearsome enemies............................................. 76
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B E F O R E Y O U S TA R T
About this
Quickstart
Welcome to Lex Umbræ, an introductory adventure for Vileborn.
After a quick presentation of the game setting, you will embark on an
adventure that will teach you how to play step by step!
Vileborn is a tabletop role-playing game with the gritty and adventurous
flavor of a nobledark coming-of-age novel. By playing it, you will experience
the adventures of young heroes who must face the darkness of the world and
learn to grapple with that within them. Vileborn is designed to tell stories of
the hero's journey: the hard training and the conflictual relationship with your
mentors, the exploration of your dark heritage and the fear of the urges that
come from it, the camaraderie and bonds that only adventures in a dangerous
world can forge.
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY
h Gather between 3 and 5 people, including you.
h Print the character sheets that you will find attached to this Quickstart, or
that you can download at horribleguild.com.
h Keep something handy for taking notes, like paper, eraser, and pencils, or
electronic devices.
h Procure a few polyhedral dice or a dice-rolling app. Ideally, you should
have 3 six-sided dice (d6), 3 eight-sided dice (d8), 3 ten-sided dice (d10),
and 1 twelve-sided die (d12).
4 Intro
What is Vileborn?
It is a role-playing game Vileborn is a collaborative storytelling game. It's
perfect for those who enjoy role-playing games with
intuitive yet deep rules systems. Despite its dark
themes, Vileborn isn't necessarily about a descent
into corruption. Instead, it's a game about characters
exploring their darker sides to discover, for better or
worse, their true selves and what sets them apart.
It is a game because There are rules to follow; though they are few and
straightforward. You’ll refer to your character sheet,
which describes the character you embody, and roll
dice to determine the outcomes of important actions
in the story.
It is role-playing because As you play, you'll step into the shoes of the
protagonists of this story. You'll adopt their
perspectives, make decisions on their behalf, develop
their personalities, define their goals, and describe
their actions.
It's the game for you if You enjoy nobledark coming-of-age novels. You love
adventurous, character-focused RPGs. You want to
narrate memorable stories with your fellow players,
without pressure and anxiety about your performance.
Intro 5
INTRODUCTION
The end and
the beginning
“You said that you handed me over to the Order to protect me.
Admit it: you did it because you were afraid of me.”
- Antoine Lecourt, Vileborn
BACKSTORY
A perfect
storm
Egas Empire,
Year 1498 of the Redeemer calendar.
Five years have passed since darkness shrouded the skies above Egas,
plunging the Empire into an unprecedented crisis. Temperatures are
plummeting, food is scarce, and the reviled roam freely. Vampires, fallen,
shapeshifters — every creature of darkness has crawled out of its lair,
eager to seize power in these days of waning sunlight.
You are vileborn: half human, half reviled. Mere children when your
corrupted heritage manifested itself, your lives were irrevocably changed,
tearing you from those you loved. The Luminarian Church, the Empire's
spiritual guide, now fuels a wave of moral fervor, inciting the world to
hunt and persecute you in the name of faith.
Desperate for a weapon in the war against the reviled, the Empress of
Egas defied the Church and issued the Lex Umbræ, a decree conscripting
all vileborn into the Order of Dusk — an ancient society sworn to protect
the Empire.
You are the first vileborn enlisted into the Order of Dusk.
You stand at the center of a growing rift between Church and Empire.
You are at odds with your nature, feared and despised by all.
What will you do with the darkness that dwells within you?
8 Intro
LEX UMBRÆ
Imperial decree of mercy for the Vileborn
Victraine de Valois, First of her name, Empress of
Egas, Queen of Valois, thrice blessed by the grace of
Saint Aurélie,
Hereby grants each and every vileborn the
opportunity to absolve themselves of their birth
sin and dark heritage by dedicating their lives to
service within the Order of Dusk.
All Vileborn are commanded to surrender to the
Imperial Authority, where they shall be granted
amnesty and safe passage to the House of the Order.
Trials and summary executions of Vileborn are
henceforth forbidden. Any Vileborn who deserts or
resists conscription will be put to death.
Intro 9
10 Intro
WHO YOU ARE
Vileborn
Young adults with a dark heritage,
in a world that both despises and needs you.
TOUCHED BY DARKNESS
Your dark heritage awakened with the advent of the darkness, granting
you mysterious powers and overwhelming urges. Each of you experiences
something different: a thirst for blood, an affinity for the realm of the dead, a
feral urge to hunt, or a connection to the shadows. While many claim to know
your true nature, the origins of the vileborn remain a mystery; it's up to you to
uncover the truth.
YOUNG ENOUGH, OLD ENOUGH
Your childhood ended as you witnessed the world crumble, shattering the
convictions of your parents. Your adolescence was spent watching children
grow, blissfully unaware of the world that existed before darkness consumed it.
You carry the weight of the past, yet you are ready to adapt and transform.
A NECESSARY EVIL
The Empire offers you immunity in exchange for lifelong service among the
ranks of the Order of Dusk, a society with a long history of devotion to the
Luminarian Church and the protection of the Empire. You are given this
choice solely because you are deemed a powerful weapon in the war against
the reviled.
A shattered world, fractured families where you don’t belong, mentors who
seek to mold you to their will, and dark urges that both tempt and terrify
you. These elements create good hooks for exploring generational conflict and
weaving tales of personal growth and self-discovery.
Intro 11
WHERE YOU ARE
Into darkness
A world ravaged by a crisis
that the adults around you are powerless to confront.
DARKNESS GATHERS IN THE SKY
In the beginning it was just a faint haze. Your parents reassured you, claiming
it was a fleeting phenomenon. Yet, the shadows persisted, growing and
weakening the sun's light. If this continues, only darkness will remain.
DARKNESS WALKS AMONG US
They are called the reviled. Vampires, shapeshifters, fallen: the children of
darkness are crawling out of their lairs to claim what was once daylight. Early
experiments with gunpowder-based weapons are proving insufficient to stop
them; this war cannot be won with armies alone.
DARKNESS POISONS PEOPLE’S HEARTS
Some seek solace in the moral teachings of the Luminarian Church, while
others succumb to wretchedness in order to survive: they steal, murder, and
exploit the latest experiments in artificial lighting, powered by the light stolen
from the eyes of the dying.
Vileborn's setting is designed to evoke familiar elements and folklore
from our world. Immersing yourself in Vileborn will thus be intuitive and
immediate, allowing you to explore the aspects of the game that most intrigue
you and make them your own.
12 Intro
Intro 13
THE PILLARS OF VILEBORN CHANGE
Change, Conflict, and Adventure: The world has changed,
these three pillars form the whether you like it or not:
vibrant core of Vileborn. Keep shape it with your choices!
them in mind and follow the rules Your dark heritage has awakened:
to unlock the full potential of this dare to explore its depths! The
game! balance of power teeters on the
brink: test its limits!
14 Intro
CONFLICT ADVENTURE
The threat of the reviled grows Accomplish memorable feats,
ever stronger. The Order of Dusk, confront terrifying threats, and
devoted to the Church yet serving ultimately forge your own truth,
the Empire, is torn by internal defying the constraints imposed
tensions after enlisting vileborn like upon you. Create unique bonds,
you. Your dark heritage both tempts surpass your limits, and find out
and frightens you. Bring these who you truly are.
conflicts into play!
Intro 15
ADVENTURE
Lex umbræ
“We will not defeat darkness by welcoming its temptations.
The vileborn should not be allowed in the Order!”
- Enlightened Mother of the Order of Dusk
P R E PA R AT I O N
Pick your
Role
One of you will play the Darkness,
everybody else will play a Vileborn.
IF YOU PLAY THE DARKNESS
h Thoroughly read this entire manual before playing.
h Read some sections of this manual aloud to the group.
h Portray all characters encountered by the Vileborn, emphasizing their
personalities, distinctive traits, and goals.
h Bring the world around the Vileborn to life, enriching the descriptions and
situations provided in this adventure.
h Support the players and give them space to express themselves.
h Challenge each Vileborn to highlight their importance in the story and
inspire all players.
The complete Vileborn rulebook will provide comprehensive tools to create
original stories, unique scenarios, and memorable characters. To facilitate
learning, this adventure features a pre-set structure designed to gradually
familiarize you with the game mechanics.
18 Preparation
