Gold Rush: Lore & Setting

Gold Rush is our first full release at @playcambria - a hardcore, risk-to-earn MMORPG with onchain stakes set in the world of New Cambria, where recent discoveries of gold deposits & ancient treasure by early explorers have attracted hordes of adventurers eager to extract a fortune from the remnants of a land devastated in the aftermath of an unknown disaster.

Each new Season of Gold Rush introduces a new twist to the core game while also advancing the overarching storyline, following players as they begin to explore more and more of the surrounding world and as their actions begin to shape its future. In this article, we aim to provide a brief overview of the initial lore & world setting at the start of Season 2.

Mood Board & Inspiration

Gold Rush, at its core, is a game where players continuously engage in a brutal gamble with fate. Only those willing to risk it all and embrace nonstop adaptation to changing circumstances will survive long enough to carve out fame and fortune, mostly at the expense of less fortunate players.

When designing the gameplay, economy, and the world that Gold Rush takes place in, we were heavily inspired by historical accounts of the Spanish exploration of the Americas - stories wherein adventurers driven by Gold, God, and Glory are drawn into the endless depths of a treacherous New World, lured by tales of endless wealth and fountains of youth to their inevitable demise at the hands of the natives or, more commonly, each other.

It's not all PvP though - with the influx of new adventurers, New Cambria is also a land teeming with endless possibilities. Players can make it as skilled craftsmen, farmers, merchants, guild captains, monster hunters, etc. etc. Deep strategy, meaningful specialization (due to the real stakes of developing a character) and a wealth of macro / and micro economic interactions are all the result of a game where risk, reward, and opportunity cost has to be continuously juggled.

The Arrival

The Crownlands, formerly a bastion of knighthood and prosperity, has been ridden by an century of strife, disease, and poverty. With the realm's might teetering on the edge, thousands of refugees and explorers alike flock to the lands of New Cambria, braving the malevolent dark in search of ancient, ominous artifacts said to be capable of elevating any man to untold wealth and favor with the Crown... at staggering cost to life and limb.

The story begins at the Realm Gates on Tutorial Island, where groups of ragtag mercenaries, merchants, and worksmen cross the Realm Gates from the Crownlands into New Cambria. They are then summarily transported into the Capital City on ships, with each person bearing a precious Royal Charter from the Crown, granting them license to explore and conquer.

The Crown has delegated regional authority of these new lands to the Viceroys, scions from noble families who administer the Capital City, its foothold in New Cambria and the launchpad for an increasing number of expeditions into the wastelands.

Viceroys finance these expeditions out into the unknown with Ether - supplying adventurers with the Energy orbs and supplies needed to brave the dangers outside the Castle walls. Most adventurers do not return, but those who do, come back loaded with unimaginable treasures ("Royal Loot") - Artifacts, Gems, Curios, & Gold Ore.

The Royal Treasury, for reasons forcibly shrouded in mystery, is the sole purchaser and monopolizer of Artifacts obtained from New Cambria. Its representatives pay a hefty premium in gold and Royal Favor for Artifacts brought in with a majority of their otherworldly Luster intact.

The Capital island itself is a busy center of commerce and industry, with a Coastline teeming with fish to the west and the Docks to the south.

Expeditions Outward

Outside of the Capital City and its surrounding settlements, the lands of New Cambria are populated by bandits, vampires, cultists, and innumerable hordes of mutated and fantastical creatures that lurk in the dark that surrounds the major cities - the Capital City, New Mortis to the northeast, and Dreadfort in the west. The continent consists of 4 primary regions, 7 original themes, and 78 unique zones.

Quartermasters speak of trines of monsters in the South, where Maggots, Swamp Fiends, and Living Slime have taken over. This putrid region is a tangled mass of ooze, slime, thorns, and rotting flora, a place where every living thing seems bent on ending you in the most cruel and unnatural ways. The air itself is thick with a feeling of malevolence, and the swamp's dark, shallow waters are popular dens for Poison crafters.

The Barrenlands to the North are overrun by those struck with the curse of Vampirism and Lycanthropy, with Stone Gargoyles coming to life - seeking to spill blood for vengeance. The Vampires that roam these areas aspire to reclaim the surface of New Mortis, the territory above their enigmatic underground stronghold, Old Mortis. Their fervor is unmatched as they prepare for the rise of their immortal god from the depths of their city-state.

To the west lies the shadowy woods of the Dark Forest. Barely mapped, its secrets are hidden in myths and fearsome tales told by frightened merchants. Only vague mentions of brutal ritual sites mark its known landmarks, but the specifics are as elusive as they are horrifying.

)Most of its trees have been reshaped into sharp, brutal palisades or siege weaponry, scattered derelict near Dreadfort, an ancient city whose walls are still standing. Further south, one can find the deep forest, an area where even the Spider Cultists refuse to set foot, inhabited by a far more sinister force.

All of these regions end up in the Wilderness, a wasteland where endless seas of felfire stretch further than the eye can see. Fel Demons, Elementals, Broken Legionnaires, and other corrupted creatures roam the remnants of what was once an empire. Even after years of exploration, adventurers have yet to map out its unbroken expanse.

The Darkness

New Cambria is a land enveloped by corruption and darkness. This mysterious haze that has gripped the continent corrupts indiscriminately, turning its once-peaceful denizens against one another, morphing others into vicious, primal beings, and giving life to those not meant to wield it.

The Holy Church stands as a last bastion of faith and order against the dark. Its Priests, clad in the regalia of divine protection, serve as healers, mentors, and wardens against the encroaching malevolence. They maintain the churches spread throughout New Cambria, offering sanctuary to the weary and the broken. With sacred rites and the might of prayer, they erect wards that stave off the Darkness, if only temporarily.

Where the Priests see damnation, the Royal Order of the Magus sees opportunity. The Imperial Wizards—cloaked in secrecy and arrogance—push ever deeper into the mysteries of the Darkness, seeking to harness its raw, untamed power. Their research, though veiled in shadow, is rumored to stretch into the farthest reaches of New Cambria, with secret laboratories hidden in the ruins of its long-forgotten civilizations. They delve into forbidden texts, unearth ancient artifacts pulsing with unholy energy, and experiment with spells that warp reality itself.

Strongholds & Points of Interest

To secure the Crown’s interests in New Cambria, the Viceroys have begun the construction of Strongholds—heavily fortified bastions designed to serve as both military installations and economic hubs in the lawless wilderness. These Strongholds (and their networks of campsites) act as staging grounds for expeditions into uncharted territories, providing adventurers with a place to resupply, rest, and deposit their spoils.

Despite their intended purpose, these Strongholds have slowly become the heart of the ongoing struggle for dominance in New Cambria. The competition for resources is fierce, with rival Viceroys dispatching agents, spies, and raiding parties to weaken their adversaries. Disputes over control frequently escalate into outright warfare, as skirmishes over gold deposits, ancient relics, and prime trade routes spill into the surrounding regions. In times of open war, entire Strongholds have been razed to the ground, their defenders slaughtered, and their treasuries plundered.Though the Crown nominally maintains authority, it is often powerless to intervene in these conflicts. As long as the Royal Treasury continues to receive its flow of artifacts and gold, they turn a blind eye to the carnage. For many Viceroys, New Cambria is not just a colony—it is a proving ground, a theater where the ambitious may carve out their own empires, free from the suffocating laws of the old world.

Roaming Threats

Long before the arrival of adventurers from the Crownlands, New Cambria was the domain of forgotten entities—spirits of vengeance, cursed warriors, and the remnants of civilizations. These beings, now known as Roaming Threats, once slumbered in the deep places of the world, undisturbed and unchallenged. But the flood of explorers, scavengers, and treasure hunters trampling their sacred grounds has stirred them from their restless dormancy.

To them, the Artifacts are not just trinkets of power but the last remnants of their shattered world. Drawn by the trail of plundered relics, these horrors now roam the wilds, seeking retribution against those who would rob New Cambria of its past. The more a player carries, the more they attract the attention of these vengeful creatures.

Magic Charges & Altars

Among the greatest discoveries of the Royal Magus Order are the Magic Altars, colossal arcane constructs that predate human civilization, hidden in the depths of crumbling temples and lost catacombs. These altars serve as the last remaining conduits to a power that once coursed freely through the land. The existence of these Magic Altars suggests that the ancients of New Cambria had mastered an art beyond even the greatest Imperial sorcerers. To channel this power, skilled chargecrafters imbue the raw elemental energy from these altars into Magic Charges, ancient runestones that serve as the foundation for all spellcasting. To fuel their relentless hunger for knowledge, the Royal Magus Order has begun a systematic effort to excavate, study, and exploit these sites. However, the altars do not welcome their presence. Many remain sealed behind arcane barriers, their entrance bound by long-lost incantations, enchanted talismans, or the approval of forces that do not take kindly to mortal interference.

The Depths Below (Season 3)

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Closing

Unfortunately, that's all we could fit in this article - you'll have to experience the rest yourself once Season 2 opens for early access. Stay tuned on our socials (@playcambria, @cyberpunk) for more on new updates!