Here's a bit of a teaser for a setting I'm building for Dark Passages.  It's still very much a work in progress but the basic theme is Gothic Age of Reason.

The Crucible and the Chalice

   Across the Crucible the wagon trains of the Vampyres roll down the weary roads of night.  Cast out of the realms of the Chalice for the sin of undeath they wander across the war ravaged realms trading goods and information.  In the north they trade freely with the savage Bear Kings who do not fear their curse but they cannot linger in those frozen realms so far from the human blood that animates their decaying forms.  In other lands they trade with Werewolves, Bandits, and Criminals for no others will have any dealings with those cast out by the Council of Light.

   While the thriving kingdoms of the Chalice do not claim dominion over the lands beyond the great bowl they exert great power through trade and military alliances, sending forth the highly disciplined Armies of Light to crush rebellion and sedition in the lands of their allies and the agents of the Circle of Dawn to sow chaos in the lands that oppose them.  The great mountain ranges that encircle the Chalice lands act as a wall, protecting them from the ravages of war and famine.  The Seven Kingdoms, united by the rule of the Council of Light have seen ten thousand years of peace and progress, rising up from little more than savage tribes, fortunate enough to find their way into a rich and fertile land to build great cities and temples.  Their Armies and explorers march forth into the world beyond the Chalice providing an outlet for the young and aggressive and keeping the population from outgrowing .  Now, with the world subdued beneath their power the Council of Light is turning its sights beyond the endless seas, sending forth explorers to bring back the treasures of a thousand worlds by the might of their cannons.

   In the streets and alleys of the Crucible times are changing.  The outcast and down trodden grow hungry as their numbers grow beyond the ability of the lands to feed them.  Wars and pestilence rage unchecked in the slums and factories.  The prisons overflow with the desperate and indigent and everywhere is talk of change and revolution.

Religion
   Light is reason irresistable and intractable in its discipline.

   Of the Seven Gods of the Seven tribes, Eathna Goddess of Reason is the dominant principle.  The priestesses of her great temples follow a strict regimen of study and service.  Their calling is to learn and teach and bring knowledge to the world.  Their severe manner and dress are the ideal to which all women in the Chalice are held.  Her husband Uazan God of Inquiry is seen as a somewhat comic and hapless fool who’s mad experimentation and research lead to disasters from which much is learned.  Lydwhn is the Godess of honor and her husband Genrastar is the God of duty and military virtue while they are often apart Lydwhn’s maid Bouvyn has given them many children.  Dislera Goddess of purity is the patron of nurses and maids her husband Chastno is the Purity and virtuous thoughts.  Together they teach that there can be no tolerance for filth or low mindedness in body or mind.  Bouvyn Goddess of Motherhood is the only unmarried deity, submissive and meek her role is to remind women of their duty to the empire and her parables teach that women who bear children must accept their lot meekly or face harsh punishment.  Thus learning and self discipline are exalted in the society of the Chalice.   Among the upper classes women generally bear a single heir for their husband and then hire a maid from the lower classes to see to his needs.

Worthy and Blessed
   Upon completing their education, either in a lower class public school or under upper class private tutors, young adults are given their mark of citizenship, a brand in the center of their forehead.  Those of the lower classes receive the Mark of the Worthy and those in the upper receive the Mark of the Blessed.  These intricate designs are difficult to counterfeit and painful if administered by unskilled hands.  The two classes of citizens in Chalice society are quite rigid.  While there are paths from the lower classes to the higher there is no such road from the high to low, only exile or Damnishrive.  The best students among the Worthy can apply to the Temples as Aspirants and the Academies of the legions to become priests or officers.  Such students receive no mark until they complete those difficult studies as those who succeed join the ranks of The Blessed.  Many failures will become servitors or exiles.

The Lower Classes
   In the society of The Chalice the lower classes are tradesmen, merchants, soldiers and servants there is little dissent as great effort is given to providing these with the necessities of life, their children are educated in public schools overseen by disciples of Eathna, they live in sturdy homes that are sufficient for their needs so long as all things are kept in proper order.  There is crime and sedition but these are kept to a minimum by the Damnishrive Procedure whereby criminals, prisoners, and traitors are converted into a willing and helpful underclass that handles the hard and dangerous labor that serves the needs of the greater society.

The Cleansed
   Two hundred years ago, the Damnishrive Surgical  Procedure was a revolutionary break through both on a medical and sociological level.  No longer were prisons and work camps required by society.  A little anesthetic and a bit of simple surgery and the subjects became willing and silent workers.  The subjects, called Cleansed, have no volition of their own but will follow instruction without consideration or complaint.  To the disciples of Eathna the Cleansed live in a state of perpetual grace, free from idle thoughts or temptations of the flesh.  An additional surgery reduces the facial character of the subject to a minimum to prevent recognition or stress to the victims and families of the subject.  Hair, nose, lips, genitalia, and outer ears are all removed as distinguishing characteristics and potential sources of uncleanliness.  Thus clad, in simple grey shifts, the Cleansed march out from their stables each day under the guidance of their overseers to work for the good of society.  Without the guidance of an overseer they would simply stand still until they fell over from exhaustion.  If they serve as a dire warning to the perverse and rebellious it is an honest and clear one.

The Legions of Charity
   The one great disadvantage of The Chalice’s mountain walled heart land is that it is land locked.  The great river of Truth flows out of the fertile valley and eventually reaches the sea but it is treacherous and broken by three great waterfalls.  A great canal with locks is nearing completion after a more than one hundred years of digging and building.  But the Chalice has always had a great dependance on trade and it has long been necessary to protect the caravans that endlessly flow through the seven passes to feed the great markets.  Ever seeking to spread reason and virtue, the legions are charged with doing good works in the lands they enter, building roads, fortresses, and temples, and promoting peace with their presence.  Military service is highly esteemed in society and is the only way a man can progress from the ranks of the Worthy to the ranks of the Blessed.  A bright and successful young soldier might well become an officer and make his way to the highest ranks of society.  The standard tour of service is twenty one years after which the veteran is with honors and permitted to take a bride from the girls in the Women’s Service League.

The Women’s Service League
   With the legion marches the Women’s Service League.  Worthy young women who find immediate marriage to be too restrictive or inaccessible are enlisted to march beside the Legions serving in the laundries and the mess halls.  Those who bear children are moved to hostels where their progeny are raised and educated properly to be able to join society as adults.  While there is no shame in such service among the Worthy the only way to return to the Chalice is as the bride of a veteran soldier.   While is unacceptable to discuss it in polite society, difficult girls are often quietly sent from the ranks of the Blessed to serve the needs of the military.

Generally I cross post my design stuff to rpgnet.  In this case I don't think I will.  Interestingly, I'm pretty sure there's stuff in "among the beautiful creatures" that'd get me banned these days.

Little Tess, in her beautiful, frilly green and white, dress skipped ahead of her mother at the ends of her leads.  The excitement of market day was full upon her and her curls bounced and bounded drawing fond smiles from the Worthy as the walked in the lane and even the Blessed in their carriages could not but feel their hearts lifted by the child's simple joy.  Then she stopped short.  Ahead, a crew of broad backed men in dirty white shifts labored to dig a new sewer channel.  Fixing her eyes on the back of one of the diggers, she whispered "Daddy," then after a moment's hesitation rushed forward crying "Daddy." her voice trembling with love and delight.  But her fine ribbon leads were clenched tightly in her mother's hands and she pulled up short and stumbled in the dirt.  If the man heard her or reacted he made no motion.  One of the sharply dressed Blessed overseeing the digging came towards Tess and her mother gasped and tensed.  Heedless of his white breaches, he knelt beside the girl.  "Is that your father child?  How fortunate we are to have found you.  Your father, had a dark secret in his heart that took him away from you but he would not tell us where you could be found.  We do hate to break up a family that way.  COME!  He shouted and the digging men turned and came forward with haste, their noseless, lipless, earless faces no more anonymous than their dull, vacant eyes."  Her mother tried to run but the crowd joined ranks barring her way as her missing husband embraced her once more with his rough, gentle hands.

Conspiracies and Secret Societies
   Despite the best efforts of the churches and the Hearth Aides there is crime and sedition in the Chalice.  The Hearth Aides are taught that there are seven deadly threats to proper social order: false religions, unclean foreigners, decadent perverts, unethical scholars, accursed monsters, lazy workers, and above all destructive ideas.  Happiness, it is taught is the highest goal.  Sorrow is an expression of dissatisfaction.  Dissatisfaction leads to sedition and is the root of all crime and treachery.  Thus it is only rational that sorrow is a crime that must be dealt with as the root of all the ills of society.  A properly positive attitude is the only reasonable response to difficulties and where it is not found the attitude must be adjusted harshly.

Religion
   The nations of The Crucible have their own faiths and gods.  Most of these are considered to be crude perversions of the true gods if only their followers might see the light and turn from their error.  Some veterans have been found to have turned to these other gods and have of course been corrected and removed from society as one might cut away a gangrenous limb to save a patient's life.  Worse still a pernicious cult exists which maintains that the Temples have fallen away from the true fait and corrupted the parables to serve base political ends.  This cult is, purged with due prejudice where and when ever is found.

Foreigners
   Spies and agents from the Crucible are often found among the merchants and hanged, in due course, after careful questioning.  But even, "innocent" merchants and dignitaries are often full of outlandish ideas (such a useful and to the point word that), which may, though there is no intent to do harm can spread doubt and dissatisfaction among the Worthy and the Blessed alike.  The Hearth Aides take care to question any persons who have had contact with foreigners to draw out the poison before it spreads.  

Decadence
   The Blessed are wealthy and rewarded for their successes with large homes, fine clothing, and time and money to pursue their own ends.  This can of course turn to idleness and pride.  Even the most upright and prudent seeming persons in the highest stations have been found to fall into laziness, sexual perversion and other pleasures of the flesh such as gluttony and narcissism.  The Hearth Aides irregular and unscheduled visits help to protect the Blessed from this dark temptation and must be particularly rigorous.

Scholars
   While the pre-eminence of Eathna's temples exalts learning and knowledge as roads to self discipline.  Her gift of the written word can be corrupted most horribly.  Incorrect and unacceptable ideas can lie hidden in books and bring about every kind of societal malaise.  Worse still are those who seek out and study such material or write it themselves or seek to publish and distribute such filth.  The Hearth Aides take great care to examine and cull the libraries of their charges and seek in every nook and cranny for hidden volumes to burn.

Monsters
   Vampirism, Lycanthropy, and Possession are well understood medical conditions which must be quarantined like any virulent pathogen.  Possession can be treated with the Damnishrive Surgical  Procedure but the victims of Vampirism are already technically dead and whatever spirit animates their frame is no longer joined to the body in the normal sense.  Lycanthropy is also problematic in that a Servitor that occasionally turns into a blood thirsty and ravening beast is nothing but a nuisance.  In some cases the victims must be euthanised, but more often they are sent into exile in the lands of the Cauldron for the good of society and the harm of its neighbors.

Workers
   Some among the Worthy suffer from the malaise of discontent.  They cannot accept the rightful rule of their betters and are jealous of the Blessed.  Some seek to escape work and waste their days in idle pursuits.  Worse still, some stoop to sedition and seek to organize their fellows in protest and bloody revolution.  Even the ever vigilant Hearth Aides cannot attend every meeting and passing conversation among the throngs of the Worthy.  Thus efforts are made to offer small advancements and concessions to appease the masses but any form of riotous outburst is dealt with as it were an act of war and put down by the Legions of Charity.

Ideas
   At the heart of all these dreadful and secretive parasites are the false ideas that lead to dissatisfaction.  Wisely, society has elected to combat them with strong and pure courses of regular education and public chastisement.  If nothing else, the object lesson of the Servitors in their mindless, soulless labor serves as a strong tonic to any mad notions which might undermine the rule of reason and prudence in The Chalice.

The City of Sorcerers
   The greatest obstacle to the Chalice's domination of the Crucible is the great city of Diablitaire which lies at the junction of five rivers.  Aqueducts, canals and dams have shaped the waterways to form a great pentagram.  The great spires of the city rise up as thick as grass, each uniquely twisted in structure and detail.  Beneath the streets the great maze of sewers, tunnels, mines, and caves extends far deeper than the highest spire and everywhere the teeming human population scuttles about, each convinced of the importance of their own role and place in the city.  At the heart of the star lies the grand pentagon of the Carnival Market, with its street performers, colorful pavilions, and slave market, which turns away volunteers by the thousand.  It is said that the population of Diablitaire is so mercenary that a naked maiden can safely walk through the darkest alleyways knowing she can't even get raped for free.

   The Sorcerers who rule the city wear elaborate robes and bear staves.  To wear such robes is to be accounted a sorcerer but also carries the burden of expectation and challenge.  As sorcerers routinely kill each other in the streets in duels, to impersonate one is a dangerous game.  The common folk know little of the sorcerers arts and pursuits, their shifting alliances and policies are opaque and reported only in whispered rumor.  There is no doubt that there is a grand council that meets in various places to discuss matters of policy but there is no hall or office of administration.  The folk of the city may approach a sorcerer and request judgement and sorcerers often act in judgement without being asked.  Having seen supplicants consumed in a whirlwind of razor sharp knives or devoured from within by faeries or a thousand other horrible deaths, great care is taken to not trouble the masters of the city with trivial matters.

 Diablitaire is the greatest population center in the world.  It blocks the Chalice's ambitions in the west and has been assaulted and besieged by the Legions of Charity a hundred and one times.  Only thrice have the outer walls been breached and in those instances, none who entered ever returned.  Even speaking Diablitaire's name is forbidden in the Chalice.  It is a dark whisper of horror and often confused with the elaborate hells and punishments of the afterlife.  It is also whispered that the greatest obstacle to its conquest and desertion is the high level of desertion, that the demons and devils which adorn its great walls whisper false promises of delights profane and freedom from all discipline and remorse.





Of Demons and Angels
   There is a depth or layer to the universe unseen by mortal eyes in which the divine principles move and flow.  There are realms of salvation and damnation as described in the scriptures of the Seven Gods of the Chalice and the black tomes of Diablitaire.  Beings from those realms can be called up by priests and sorcerers to do their bidding or answer obscure questions.  It is notable that the Angels make no claim to their association with the Seven Gods or any others yet they are beings of pure light and terror.  The claims of the Devils are manifold, contradictory, and often obscure and of course, blasphemous and profane.

   In aspect Angels and Devils are much alike: their forms are like those of men or fantastical beasts and their voices echo and reverberate like a chorus or a host.  They often bear swords, spears, and other such ancient arms for the deeper realm is forever at war for there can be no peace between the principals of light and darkness. Through their veiling robes one can glimpse celestial machineries such as those which govern the motions of the stars and the planets.  In discerning between them it is often necessary to question them closely for Angels speak clearly and never contradict themselves while Devils weave lies which will soon cross themselves and unravel.  It is said that the Seven Churches have learned the right names of seven times seven, seven times which they may call upon without doubt or fear of error.

As I noted once or twice, The Crucible and the Chalice will be using the Dark Passages engine.  Actually I'll probably get around to revising my super hero rules to use it and Barren and Desolate Stars (which was originally a fix D&D effort anyhow).  Here are the player character races.

Bjorn
   Among the various intelligent animals, some are the offspring of normal beasts and the mythical beast lords or other nature spirits and godlings, in some rarer cases such creatures find another of their rare kind with which to mate and a new race is born.  Such are the Bjorn, a race of intelligent bears who live in small, loose knit tribes, and are often on friendly terms with the northern tribes who will occasionally make armor for their allies in times of war.

   Large
   d10 Hit Dice
   - 1 Defense
   + 3 Strength
   + 2 Constitution
   - 3 Dexterity

Gnomes
   These, small, shy folk are distantly related to sprites.  They are fond of magic and nature but also have a gift for crafting leather and wooden items.
   Small
   1d6 Hit Dice
   +1 Defense
   +1 Craft Leather or Craft Wood
   + 1 Intelligence
   - 2 Strength
   Infravision

Seraphs
   These beautiful winged folk are fair to the point of ethereal.  Their hollow bones make them lighter and weaker than humans or even elves of the same height and build.  Their feathered pinions are often considered a sign of divine heritage though some have pointed out that pegasi also have wings.  Seraphs trade their Climbing ability for Flying.  It is hard to fly while heavily burdened so the Dexterity penalty for Armor or other loads is doubled while doing so.
         
   - 1 Strength
   Winged Flight

Sprites
   These little fairies are the most serious and patient of their kind.  Which is to say they are flighty and impatient by the standards of most other races.  They are often found in the company of elves who are more likely to be amused by their antics than shorter lived races who, perhaps, rightly believe they don’t have time for such nonsense.  Sprites trade their Climbing ability for Flying.  It is hard to fly while heavily burdened so the Dexterity penalty for Armor or other loads is doubled while doing so.

   Tiny
   d4 HD
   +2 Defense
   -3 Strength
   +2 Dexterity
   Winged Flight

Vampyres
   Death, for some, is a new beginning.  For, having been fed upon by a vampire, all unknowing at some point a new life of darkness and terror awaits them.  The ancient curse in the blood of these young undead is thin and their powers and traditional weaknesses are limited.  Their greatest weakness is the Thirst which requires them to drink the blood of sentient beings nightly.  No other food will nourish the vampyre.  A Poison/Disease saving throw is required to avoid gorging and killing the victim while feeding.

   +2 Strength
   Darkvision
   Thirst
   Sunburn
   
Werewolves
   The ancient curse of lycanthropy is passed on in the bloodline of some families.  Many such folk take to a nomadic life on the road in order to hide their true nature.  A person with lycanthropy can attempt to turn into a wolf or resist doing so through force of will. Unwilling changes can happen at the full moon but also in times of stress.  It takes a full round to change after the test of will.  The wolf form is under the player’s control but suffers uncontrollable blood hunger during the full moon and stress induced changes and must resist attacking everyone it sees.  While in wolf form they have Hit Dice equal to their Level and +1 Melee Attack and Tracking at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, 9...  But they cannot use any other skills or abilities they may have.

   Wolf Form
      Size Medium
      Hit Dice d8
      -2 Strength
      +1 Dexterity
      +1 Constitution
      -3 Intelligence
      -3 Wisdom
      +3 Tracking
      Bite Attack

New Haven
   As we could not refrain from reaching out to save our neighbors we cannot refrain from taking this opportunity to cleanse and purify ourselves through this time of sacrifice and trial.  Our example will echo across the world and they will all know that we will be there for them in their hour of weakness.  The children of New Haven bless our names for saving them from the iniquity of their fathers.  We have not plundered their realm as others might have done, nor have we sullied our seed with their blood, we have restored their birthright to them whole and clean.  The cost has been great but we have proven worthy of the task.

   At the foot of the southern mountains, the River of Truth pours over the great cataract of the Chalice and winds its way to the sea.  Here the Kingdom of Haven has stood for hundreds of years (or thousands by some less reliable accounts).  The lands of Haven are dry and rocky but the River of Truth is the greatest trade route in the world and the Chalice is the greatest market.  The caravan traffic through the southern passes is so heavy that one pass is only used for wagons passing into the Chalice and the other is only used for those coming out.  The Hearth Helper’s and Legion of Charity have always been very active in the great city of Haven’s Gate, for almost half of the foreigners who travel into the Chalice pass through it on their way.

   With the great canal with its damns and locks nearing completion, the policy of The Chalice changed toward’s Haven.  Long seen as a festering and polluted pool of vice and crime, alliances were formed with Haven’s neighbors.  The horrific murder of a sister of the Women’s Service League provided the catalyst for the Chalice to take action.  Soon, dozens of missing Worthy citizens were shown to be victims of the flesh pits and vice dens that flourished in Haven’s Gate.  At the height of the scandal the Legions of Charity swept into Haven to purge the realm of all filth and moral decay.  Refugees found the boarders of neighboring lands closed by their armies and only those who took to the river escaped to reach the sea and freedom.

   The butchery was selective and methodical.  Ninety-five percent of the men were slain out of hand, prisoners were herded into camps and separated.  These were inspected by skilled doctors and the week, ill, disfigured, elderly and lame were culled from their ranks.  Once processed and cleansed, the remaining women were herded into compounds where they were carefully bred with the remaining men.  Women who proved to be barren were removed and destroyed.  Pregnant women were removed to hospices where they received superior attention and food until their child was weaned, at which time they were returned to the breeding compounds.  The children were raised in carefully run schools managed by priests and priestesses of Eathna where Heath Aides carefully examined each child for faults and weaknesses to be corrected or culled.  In less than thirty years the entire population of Haven was replaced with a new generation raised in and integrated with the culture of the Chalice.
   The war and repopulation of Haven was a massive undertaking for the people of the Chalice and represented a great period of austerity and hardship.  During this time the Hearth Aides have been little kinder to the folk of the Chalice than those of New Haven.  The message preached in the classrooms and schools was simple and clear: the Chalice would not defile and pillage Haven but return it to its children clean and purified.