corrective and supplementary lore

The Valley of Kernath

Kernath is a closed valley in the northern borderlands — a forgotten strip of land trapped between cliffs, forests, and a dying river.

Fifty years ago, the Abbey of Saint Kernath stood at its heart: a monastery known for its medicine and alchemy.

When plague struck the King’s army, the monks promised a cure.

They called it the Golden Blood — a formula said to heal wounds, strengthen the body, and drive out disease.

The cure worked.

For a while.

Then soldiers began to change — stronger, faster, but unstable. Some went mad, others simply burned from the inside.

The King blamed the monks. The Church called it heresy.

When royal troops arrived to seize the formula, the Abbey exploded in fire and smoke.

Half the valley died that day. The rest learned to keep their mouths shut.

Now the ruins still stand — black stone, golden dust in the cracks, and no clear truth about what really happened.

The Crown says the Church burned it to hide its sin.

The Church says the Crown wanted to weaponize faith.

The locals say both are lying.

People still live here: miners, trappers, smugglers, and a few stubborn families who refuse to leave.

They whisper that the Abbey’s gold dust still drifts through the air, making the soil rich — and anyone who breathes too long strange.

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⚙️ The Three Powers of Kernath

The Crown’s Hand – soldiers and mercenaries under Captain Velan.

They claim to be restoring order but mostly search for the lost formula.

To them, Golden Blood means power, and power means survival.

The Church of the Flame – inquisitors led by Father Lethar.

They say they came to purify the ruins, but their fires spread faster than their prayers.

Where they pass, nothing grows again.

The Locals’ Circle – farmers, hunters, and outcasts who reject both sides.

They follow Old Mira, a blind herbalist who believes the valley itself can heal if left alone.

They don’t speak of faith or kings — only of balance and soil.

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🩸 Current State

The Abbey lies in ruins, the bridge still guarded by one old soldier, and the air hums with something no one wants to name.

Rumors spread of letters written in familiar handwriting, of golden veins under the riverbed, and of men who dream in another man’s voice.

The war outside the valley is ending, but here it’s only just begun — a war not for land or faith, but for what’s left of humanity.

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🔧 GM Notes

Kernath is not a mystical land. It’s a wounded place where human ambition went too far.

The “Golden Blood” is science gone wrong — a desperate cure turned weapon.

There is no prophecy, no chosen one, no talking stones. Only people, guilt, and consequences.

Every faction believes it’s saving the world. All of them are wrong.

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💬 Use this as the top-level Lore — replace the old text in Fables.

To GM to říká, že svět je realistický, tvrdý, bez magie, ale s pořádnou historií, která dává prostor pro konflikty, intriky i morální volby.