Driftborn is a Noir Fantasy RPG setting about social order after the apocalypse. Truth is obscured, institutions are imperfect, and good people are forced into difficult choices. It is intended for a mature audience, it contains adult themes and events that aren’t suited, or fun, for young children.
In Driftborn, the greatest threats are rarely monsters. They are secrets, ambitions, and the lies societies tell themselves to survive. Players must protect civilization while uncovering truths that could shake its very foundations.
The setting is post-post-apocalyptic. So its’s not about rebuilding and surviving the apocalypse, that already happened. Instead we pose the question: If during the aftermath of an apocalypse people are forced to make horrible choices in order to survive, what are the consequences? How would that affect the society that comes after? And would people still accept these choices as easily without the circumstances that required them? Will they be able to let them go once these have become the facts of life? Would you?
People are not monsters; their choices are shaped by circumstance. In Driftborn, everyone is the hero of their own story. True evil is rare, and morality is seldom black and white. What is right often depends on what you know, what you believe, and what you are willing to sacrifice.
Civilization did not emerge by accident. Every institution was built to solve a problem, and every solution comes with a cost.
Magic is the original sin of the Driftborn world. While other fantasy settings celebrate arcane power, Driftborn treats it as a dangerous legacy of the past. Misunderstood and feared much like nuclear technology technoly today, it is blamed for the world’s collapse, magic is something most people avoid, distrust, and condemn. To touch it is to invite scrutiny; to pursue it is to risk becoming an outcast.
In Driftborn, players take on the role of Union agents tasked with protecting civilization in a shattered world. Armed with authority and expected to uphold the public good, they investigate unrest, resolve crises, and uncover hidden truths. Every decision carries weight, forcing players to navigate the difficult space between duty, justice, and conscience.
Driftborn ‘s central tension is the conflict between safety and freedom. Every major theme explores a different consequence of rebuilding society after catastrophe. They intertwine to provide conflict, character development, and moral dilemmas, pushing the players forward and inviting them to reflect on the complexities and consequences of their actions.
The trauma of the Shattering and the history of magic is ever present. Driftborn grapple with lessons taught by their ancestors and the implications of forgetting or misrepresenting history. It’s a cultural wound that shapes behaviour, law, and identity. People act the way they do because they remember what happened, or because their ancestors did. Even if the Shattering is centuries past, its psychological weight still defines everything.
The Driftborn live in a world that can literally kill them: Sliverstorms, scarcity, Noxis creatures, industrial dangers… Thus, society clings to order and routine for safety. Every Driftborn grows up understanding that chaos is something real. Their ancestors faced it and the sky might unleash it again at any moment. Because of this, there is a cultural obsession with compliance and a person’s worth is defined by their contribution to society.
Three centuries after the Shattering, the responsibilities that once ensured survival are increasingly questioned. Every Driftborn is expected to contribute to society and place the common good above personal interests. For some, this sense of duty is a source of pride and purpose. For others, it has become a burden that limits freedom and discourages change. Driftborn explores the tension between personal liberty and social responsibility, asking whether the obligations that once saved civilization are still necessary today.
Lingering fear shapes Driftborn attitudes and decisions: fear of the unpredictable Sliverstorms, which can devastate communities. Fear of the rule-breakers who risk everyone’s safety. Fear of outsiders and those that live beyond the borders of the Union, preying on the Driftborn’s hard earned success. There is fear of uncontrolled magic, the Witchkin, and the chaos they bring. These prejudices are deeply rooted and calcified by a lifetime of evidence justifying them.
The Driftborn are united by history but separated by reality: dangerous skies, vast distances, and limited communication have fractured society into countless local cultures. Every Shard has its own way of life, its own concerns, and its own truths. Driftborn explores the challenge of maintaining unity across a world where isolation constantly pushes people apart.
Driftborn asks whether people really want to know the truth. History is incomplete, records are controlled, and institutions often hide uncomfortable realities. Throughout the setting, characters must decide whether exposing the truth will strengthen society or tear it apart.