Guidebook
Beyond the protective boundaries of the Concord and the fortified cities lies a place few dare to name aloud—the Outskirts. To call it a wasteland would be a mercy.
The Outskirts are what remains when order collapses and magic no longer protects, a sprawling expanse of ruined land, fractured reality, and predatory darkness. It is not governed, not stabilized, not safe. It is a place where the rules that bind the cities simply do not apply—and where something far older and more brutal has taken their place. Here, violence is not punished. It is survival.
The Outskirts are the domain of Nightworld’s demons—their territory, their hunting ground, their kingdom. These are not merely creatures of instinct, but ancient, cunning entities that thrive in chaos. Some rule over fractured territories, others roam freely, and a few lurk in the shadows of abandoned structures and broken landscapes, waiting for something foolish enough to wander too far from safety. The land itself reflects their influence.
Forests grow twisted and wrong, their roots feeding on something unseen. Skies shift unpredictably, from ashen gray to blood-red storms without warning. Entire regions seem to move, as if the Outskirts resist being mapped or understood. Magic behaves unpredictably here—warped, amplified, or silenced altogether. And yet, it is not entirely abandoned.
At the very edges of this nightmare stand two defiant strongholds: the cities of Defiance and Apocaleptika. Though protected, they are not untouched by the threat beyond their walls. The witches of these cities form the first line of defense.
Through constant vigilance and immense magical effort, they maintain barriers, wards, and countermeasures designed to keep the worst of the Outskirts at bay. Their work is relentless and unending. Spells must be reinforced, breaches must be sealed, and the ever-encroaching darkness must be pushed back again and again. Magic alone, however, is not enough.
In Defiance, humanity refuses to yield.
Ordinary humans—fragile compared to the supernatural forces they face—stand their ground with sheer determination. They build, fortify, and fight with whatever tools they can wield. Steel, fire, strategy, and grit become their weapons in a war they were never meant to survive. Alongside them are the Hunters.
Neither fully human nor truly supernatural, Hunters exist in the space between. Their abilities are limited—enhanced strength, sharpened senses, heightened endurance—but they lack the overwhelming power of witches or demons. What they possess instead is discipline, training, and an unyielding purpose. They are the ones who step beyond the walls.
Hunters patrol the borders, track threats, and eliminate what they can before it reaches the cities. They venture into the Outskirts not because they expect to win, but because someone must hold the line. Every mission is a gamble. Every return is uncertain. And still, the darkness advances.
The Outskirts are not static. They grow. They press forward, testing the defenses, searching for weaknesses, waiting for the moment when the barriers falter or the spellwork fails. Because unlike the Concord, where violence is suppressed, the Outskirts are defined by it.
They are what the world looks like without restraint.
And one day—if the witches falter, if the Hunters fall, if the walls break—
The Outskirts will not remain beyond the cities.
They will become them.
