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Art

What art is not drawn by me is public domain, sourced from Old Book Illustrations, and edited by me to fit the format and tone of Gothica.

Genre

This world is all gothic horror. In the beginning it was gothic horror. In the future it will be gothic horror. Although time and technology advance, the atmosphere remains the same.

• Gothic
• Horror
• Scifi
• Mystery
• Romance

Experience

Gothica is at once magical and grounded. The mundane pieces of the world are explainable by science. The denizens are comfortable in their familiar and stratified society. However, much of Gothica cannot be explained by science. Characters, when faced with these phenomena beyond their comprehension, must adapt or descend into madness.

Tone

Noble Dark: Gothica is a dark and harsh place where society is forged in the blood of past conquests. Danger abounds both within civilization and outside it. There is little means of bettering oneself without utilizing mystical powers. Still, with danger ever present, the downtrodden must look out for one another and will often help a weary traveler. Even a few of the nobility who wish to better society will use their resources to combat the forces of darkness.

Recurring Themes

• Inequality & Oppression
• Mortality v. Immortality
• Nature v. Civilization
• Brightness v. Darkness
• Science v. Magic
• Love
• Duty
• Certitude & Strength

Character Agency

People can do much to change the course of events, at least with respect to their own fate and that of their families.

Focus

• Power corrupts: The institutions of this world are inherently corrupt. Those that espouse morality such as organized religions are just as corrupt as those that promote immorality such as criminal guilds.
• Existence is fleeting: The nobility, those who have unlimited resources will still die and be forgotten. Even those who are immortal suffer from boredom, having seen and done everything. Those who sacrifice much to rise to the top find that without the climb, they lose their purpose.
• Society can whitewash over primal nature, but cannot erase it: In nature the dangers are clear and present: the base fears that have chased humanity since time immemorial. In the safety of society, however, these dangers simply take on a new face.

Drama

• For centuries science and religion have warred with each other. The religious admonish scientists for tampering in concepts they do not understand without concern for the consequences. The scientists admonish the religious for stifling information and stagnating society in service of their own power.
• Human ambition always outstrips human ability. There are always too many mouths to feed. War and disease run rampant and in the chaos some people just disappear.
• The forces of good believe in individual morality and individual agency. They take a laissez-faire approach to magical intervention. This has had dire consequences for society as the forces of evil have no such concerns. Evil forces wish to control the world and enslave mankind. Although careful to remain secret, the forces of evil intervene where and when its convenient, thus intervening with much greater frequency than their enemies.