Malifaux (pronounced MAL-ih-foe) is the name of both a world and a city which are the primary setting for Wyrd Games Malifaux universe.
History[]
In the year 1797, the magic of Earth was beginning to dwindle. Seeing that the source of their power was slowly seeping from the world, the greatest magicians of the time gathered together as a group which would come to be known as The Guild, and pooled their power in an effort to open a rift to another realm in the hopes that they could plunder the sorcerous resources of a fresh land.
To this effect, they created what was to become known as The Great Breach, a portal to the world of Malifaux. Whilst Malifaux was indeed rich in soulstones, the artefacts which store magical power for use by those proficient in the art, they also discovered something which they had never expected: evidence of an advanced civilisation.
The Breach had opened just on the outskirts of a great city which, while in excellent repair, appeared devoid of life: it seemed that its former occupants had simply upped sticks and left. In addition, there were abandoned mineworks north of the city, which looked to be tailor-made for the extraction of the soulstones which the Guild had come for.
Not to be put off by the unnerving emptiness of the place, the Guild moved in, and soon had a large workforce installed, busily mining the valuable soulstones, with only the occasional intrusions of the bizarre wildlife which occupied the wildernesses surrounding the city to contend with.
All of this came to an end however, when ten years after its first opening the Great Breach simply stopped working; whilst it was clearly still there, passage through it proved impossible. What was worse, through the portal could be heard the sounds of a terrible slaughter: it appeared that the original inhabitants had not entirely abandoned their city. Shortly before the Breach closed entirely, a single human body was flung through it: upon the chest of this poor unfortunate was carved a single word: “Ours.”
Since that time, the Guild hoarded the precious soulstones which had been taken from Malifaux. Then one day in 1897, the Breach spontaneously reopened, much to everyone’s surprise. Cautiously venturing through, the Guild found the city intact, and once again seemingly abandoned. Re-occupying the city, the Guild have since discovered the existence of Malifaux’s indigenous population, the Neverborn, and have set up measures to contain and eradicate these creatures, although this has developed into something of a guerrilla war over the four years since the Breach’s reopening.
Malifaux[]
The world of Malifaux remains largely unexplored by humans, with the exception of the territory for a few leagues around the city. However, there are a few regions of note.
The Northern Hills[]
To the north of the city lie the Northern Hills, which extend further north into a vast mountain range, and contain many of the soulstone mines which are the primary reason for the presence of humanity on Malifaux. Barren lands, the hills support few settlements outside of those constructed to support the mining operations, although unbeknownst to the Guild a second, smaller, Breach has opened in the area, one which connects to a location within the Three Kingdoms (the united countries of Vietnam, China and Japan) on Earth.
The Bayous[]
To the East of Malifaux lie the vast swamplands known as the Bayous. Home to many different forms of unique and deadly wildlife - and for some reason, large numbers of alligators and pigs - the Bayous are also home to the diminutive species of goblinoids known as Gremlins, who maintain a substantial, if primitive, civilisation there. Whilst the Gremlins are mostly harmless to the human presence on Malifaux, the Bayous themselves are a dangerous place with little to reward explorers, and so few venture into their dank interiors.
The Badlands[]
The south and southwest of mapped Malifaux is home to the Badlands, vast open tracts of rocks, sand and scrubby brush. Little dwells there, but it is where one of the Guild’s premier defence force - the Ortega Clan - are based, in a fortified compound named Latigo.
The Knotwoods[]
The expansive forest to the west of Malifaux is known as the Knotwoods, and aside from a single settlement is unexplored, the dangerous woods offering nothing but an agonising death to any who would venture into its dark terrain.
The City of Malifaux[]
The actual city of Malifaux is a large, walled urban sprawl which the Guild has divided into several districts. In addition, the monstrous train which serves as transport for both goods and people back and forth through the Breach, has a line which cuts directly through the middle of the city, as does a large river.
The Governor’s Mansion and the Hanging Tree[]
Whilst not technically within the city limits, the first things that newcomers through the Breach see on their way to Malifaux are the Mansion and the Tree. The former is an enormous, opulent estate designed to showcase the power and wealth possessed by the Guild, whilst the second is a gruesome reminder to those who would challenge that might, decorated with the bodies of convicted criminals.
The Industrial Zone[]
As its name might suggest, this is where most of the city’s heavy industry and manufacturing plants are located. It is also where many of the workers involved in the trade are housed. It is also where much of the activity of the techno-magicians known as Arcanists takes place.
Downtown[]
The home of much of the entertainment for the masses, Downtown is a loud, boisterous area which never really sleeps, and offers the fulfilment of any vice which the population of a Malifaux could desire (and, of course, afford).
The Slums[]
Living quarters for the vast majority of the city’s residents, the Slums are a dangerous place for an unwary traveller, full of dingy drinking pits, and home to those many thousands who came through the Breach looking for a better life only to find that although they now inhabit a different world, nothing has really changed.
The Quarantine Zone[]
Large tracts of Malifaux are off-limits to the general population, with the Guild citing these areas as structurally unsafe. The truth is that the Quarantine Zone is home to countless undiscovered relics of the city’s former inhabitants which the Guild does not wish to fall into the wrong hands, and has thus become the hiding place of many unlicensed practitioners of magic, such as the Resurrectionist Masters Seamus, Nicodem and Douglas McMourning.