• Medieval, but late medieval: there are few large cities, luxuries, long distance travel

• There is a hunger for progress and nostalgia for the lost Empire (Romarriket) that came before, but the Dark Age period is ending, right now

• There are politics and knighthood, emerging kingdoms and warlords, powerful bishops and an omnipresent church

• Just outside the major cities, it’s still hardcore medieval: it’s feudal, harsh and dirty, cold and violent, grit and mud

• There are small remote communities, that fall 200 or more years behind compared to cities

• There is medicine, there is knowledge; but there is still more faith in religion and superstition

• Often, there is a common and reasonable law protecting the weakest to some extent

• The strongest always has away around such laws (via politics, corruption, violence, nobility, magic, and so on)

• The Wild (”vildan”) is just out there: it’s more dangerous and bigger than any human kingdom and it is full of monsters

• The Wild (”vildan”) also holds the remains of the ancient Empire: its treasures and knowledge, its wicked dark magic

• And demons are out there too; and they always find their way into a weak human heart

• The Black Dogs (”byrackorna”) fight monsters to protect humans.

• The Black Dogs (”byrackorna”) are not always respected but almost surely needed; not always obeyed but often feared

Think of Europe in a late medieval time: there’s a new expansion and a growing economy; a new sense of wonder and discovery; and the feeling that even if there is not going to be an empire, ever again, the single nations and city-states will provide safety and prosperity.

It’s a world divided in two: culture and fashion, print and social changes, prosperity and new emerging classes rule in the major cities but the majority of the land still lingers in a feudal, oppressive and brutal social order.

Religion still dictates what’s right and what’s wrong, and fire burns heretics; but a new authentic desire for freedom also infiltrates the most solid religious orders. Monasteries and abbeys collect sacred books, and also foreign tractates, manuscripts of magic and alchemy, mysterious maps and bestiaries among them. Almost everyone is Christian but many worship, in secret, the local spirits of the ancient times. A few talk about a new faith in reason and science. Even fewer know that whatever you believe in, you must guard yourself and human kind against The Wild (”vildan”) and the demons of the night.

For The Wild (”vildan”) is just out there: beyond the walls of our cities, a few miles into the woods; just out of our village, sneaking into our fields, preying on our cattle and on our own blood, are the monsters. And demons, demons are after our poor souls; they’re born in the darkest nights, they are a shade of the devil, fragments of an evil spirit that poisons the Earth. This is how monsters are born: demons twist and corrupt nature, they consume faith, they destroy order, and bring along the chaos.

Only the wicked Black Dogs (”byrackorna”) can save us. And even if we despise them, we must trust in them. The Black Dogs are an informal organization of warriors and rogues, sorcerers and clerics, originally created by the Church to fight against witchcraft. The original order of the Black Dogs - comprised of fighting monks - was disbanded over a century ago, accused by the Church of corruption, use of black magic and unholy methods, and of consorting with the witches more often than fighting them.

In fact, Black Dogs have traditionally fought supernatural monsters and perilous beasts, which are far more common than the Church recognizes, and clearly a more present danger for humankind than the rare witch. The witches, by the way, are valid allies more often than enemies.

In their fight against monsters, the Black Dogs have indeed used any means necessary: steel and silver, black powder and sorcery, traps and clever tricks.

Nowadays, the Black Dogs are not a religious order anymore. They are not formally recognized as an authority. They are often despised by the local political powers or local nobles, and the Church often openly opposes them.

But these warriors still have an aura of authority about them, even if they carry with them blood and nightmares.

They fight monsters to protect humans, while humans often despise them and the Church occasionally hunts them as heretics. In their fight against monsters, they often discover that the real monster is the human, and that the only way to obtain peace is through balance, rather than through war.

The Black Dogs are an informal organization without a single leader. There is a council of older members, typically numbering ten to twelve, deliberating on the most politically relevant matters.

Besides that, every group of Black Dogs is mostly independent and acts according to a loose code of honor and chivalry. In this order, Black Dogs will fight against demons, monsters, and outstandingly evil humans. In order, they will protect: innocents and children, working man, humanity in general. Since they must provide for themselves, they rarely give up the opportunity to earn some coin looting ancient ruins or tombs, or working as mercenaries or similar. Each group trains its own new recruits. And indeed this is what your characters are: new recruits just out of training, in their first independent mission.

The general population, while certainly not daring to show appreciation, clearly respect Black Dogs for their strength and usefulness. Also, while they do not love how Black Dogs go about their business, shunning their connection with sorcerers, witches and heretics, and fear their dark powers, many actually recognize that Black Dogs are on the side of regular folks and protect the weakest among them.

It’s not uncommon for the regular population to seek - in public or in secret - the help of the Black Dogs for solving their troubles, be it personal trouble, about their family, or community.

Occasionally, nobles or royalty may hire them in secret to do business they consider dirty, but want done without too much fuss. The Black Dogs sometimes accept these offers, for profit or because they serve a more noble purpose in the greater scheme of things.

The Black Dogs are not mercenaries, although they often act as such and can solve problems with force. They work for commoners and nobles alike, and demand a fair price. They are not adventurers, but they always have their personal gain in mind, and often prefer to survive a defeat than die in victory. They are not martyrs nor saints, not philosophers nor priests: yet they obey a code of conduct and sometimes are capable of great sacrifice. They know more than most people and have a way to judge and bring justice that seems fair compared to local tribunals and common laws. They are also known to pass moral judgment, often in forms which are in conflict with the standard doctrine of the church.

These are your characters. They are a group that stands aside, they are peculiar, and in this form they are ready and willing to enter most of the adventures.

This is a draft of the Black Dogs' code of conduct:

In this order, fight against demons, monsters, outstandingly evil humans. In this fashion, protect: innocents and children, working commoners, humanity in general.