Welcome to the Age of Evil. Ævum Malum (EE-vuhm MAL-uhm) is a modern, urban dark fantasy tabletop RPG setting where hidden powers, forbidden knowledge, and living myths collide. In this video, we break down the setting’s unique cosmology, the four realms of existence, and how it differs from genre giants like World of Darkness and In Nomine.
If you love Clive Barker, urban gothic punk, and the idea of “personal horror” where every choice has a price, this setting is for you.
About Ævum Malum
Ævum Malum is a modern, urban dark fantasy where hidden powers, forbidden knowledge, and living myths collide in a world held together by lies, secret societies, and the desperate effort to delay an inevitable unmaking. It was created by Adam P Campbell in 2025.
Transcript
Cold Open
The world you know is a fragile skin stretched over a wound that refuses to heal.
Intro
Welcome to Eviliv3 Play, a celebration of my favorite tabletop role playing games. This is a sister channel to Eviliv3. Subscribe if you’re new to the channel, because today I am introducing you to Ævum Malum, my modern, urban dark fantasy tabletop roleplaying game campaign setting.
Discussion
Welcome to the first look at Ævum Malum. The name is Latin for “Age of Evil,” but this isn’t a world of cartoon villains. It is a world of shadows, corporate boardrooms, and locked doors that were never meant to be opened. We live in a time where magic bleeds into our technology and faith clashes with cold ambition. You might look at a city skyline and see progress, but in Ævum Malum, you see a decayed, urban gothic landscape where secret societies and mythic entities move unseen through the crowd.
The core of this setting is the idea of the Hidden World. Reality is a surface, and right now, that surface is cracking. You play the people caught in those cracks—those who have stumbled upon forbidden knowledge or been touched by forces that shouldn’t exist. This isn’t just about survival; it’s about the personal horror of your choices. Every secret you uncover has a price, and every action you take carries a weight that can ripple across dimensions.
To understand the stakes, we have to look at the four realms that make up existence. First, there is the Corporeal Realm—that’s us. It is the stage of mortality and free will, where our collective belief acts as a stabilizer for the universe. But we aren’t alone. Above or perhaps beside us is the Celestial Realm, the domain of angels and demons. Unlike other games where these beings might be front-and-center warriors, here they are subtle. They influence and tempt, but they cannot override your agency. They are patient, morally gray, and bound by ancient laws.
Then we have the Ethereal Realm, which is a fascinating, fluid space born entirely from human imagination. This is where myths like vampires and werewolves actually come from—they are “Myth Made Flesh,” manifestations of our collective unconscious. The danger is that the Ethereal is unstable. It’s the “crack” in the world. When we dream or perform rituals, we widen that crack, and that leads us to the fourth and most terrifying realm: The Void.
The Void is the original state of nothingness that existed before time. It views our reality as a mistake, a wound that needs to be “corrected” back into silence. It doesn’t invade with armies; it bleeds in through the fractures we create. It is eternal, indifferent, and ultimately unstoppable. In Ævum Malum, you aren’t trying to save the world forever. You are trying to contain the bleed. You are fighting to delay an inevitable unmaking.
Now, if you’re a veteran of tabletop RPGs, you’re probably comparing this to some heavy hitters. It’s important to see where Ævum Malum carves its own path. While a game like World of Darkness focuses heavily on the internal politics and high drama of specific monster types, Ævum Malum shifts the focus to the fragility of reality itself. You aren’t just a cog in a vampire sect; you are a witness to the unraveling of existence.
If you’ve played In Nomine, you’re used to the direct war between Heaven and Hell. In our setting, that conflict is much more shadowed. Angels and demons aren’t just fighting each other; they are both equally terrified of the Void. They are forced into a position of maintaining a status quo they didn’t fully create.
When we look at Call of Cthulhu, the horror usually comes from the realization that humans don’t matter. In Ævum Malum, the horror is the exact opposite: humans matter too much. Our imagination is what creates the Ethereal monsters, and our choices are what allow the Void to enter. We aren’t insignificant; we are the very reason the walls are falling down. Even compared to the modern noir of City of Mist, where legends inhabit people, Ævum Malum treats those legends as dangerous anomalies that threaten to tear the physical world apart rather than just being a source of cool superpowers.
This campaign is for the GMs and players who love the “layered revelation.” We start with street-level mysteries—a missing person, a weird ritual in a basement—and slowly peel back the skin to reveal the cosmic horror beneath. True understanding in this world isn’t a reward; it’s a burden. It’s earned, and it’s usually terrifying.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be breaking down the specific factions, the mechanics of “Ethereal Bleed,” and how to run a game where the consequences are always personal. If you’re ready to see what’s moving in the shadows of the urban sprawl, stay tuned. The Age of Evil is just beginning, and the Void is waiting.
Outro
Thank you for watching today’s Ævum Malum episode. Subscribe and ring the bell if you are new to the channel. Don’t forget to click the like button and comment to let others learn about this dark and engaging, modern urban fantasy tabletop roleplaying game campaign setting. You can join my actual plays and get $10 by signing up to StartPlaying.Games, and even pick up other ttrpg’s using my affiliate link in the description below.
Thank you Creator Patrons Aaron Hardy & D. Robert Handy and Developer Patrons Chris Androu & Sam Ruiz!
And as always, remember that evil spelled backwards is live, so get out there and Be Evil!