I own every Dungeoneer set released by Thomas Denmark and Atlas Games, and I'm detailing the lore, story, and characters in each one. In this post, I'm looking at the setting of the Den of the Wererat deck.
The back of the box sets the scene:
A monster wererat and his transformed minions hold the city in fear. Vermin and shapeshifters, thieves and cutthroats lurk in every shadow. Can you face your fears and eradicate this sinister infestation?
As far as I can tell, the planet of the Dungeoneer world is called Tarnys. I base this assertion on the Haste card from the Vault of the Fiends deck, which names Tarnys as the destination for a creature that's arrived through a dimensional portal.
Den of the Wererats is an urban expansion set, and it probably takes place in a town called Lethom. The Eidetic Memory card has this flavour text:
I can recall the horrors that befell us the day the wererat took over Lethom.
It's possible that Lethom is the previous town the narrator lived in, and that the memory of the title is of the distant past. However, this set is called the Den of the Wererats, not the spread or plague of the wererats. It seems reasonable to assume that the memory on this card concerns wererats moving into this town, where this is Lethom.
The town of Lethom has a few named locations, including:
The rest of the town locations are city streets. There are no traps, although 4 streets offer passage into a dungeon, should you own a dungeon set, like Tomb of the Lich Lord, Vault of Fiends, Wrath of the Serpent Goddess, or Call of the Lich Lord.
There are only 3 player characters in this expansion set, but none of them share an ancestry, suggesting that diverse cultures mingle in the cities of Tarnys. Specifically, the set includes a human, a dwarf, and a darkling.
There are 2 culturally significant names mentioned in this set.
The Cloak of Flames bears this flavour text:
This cloak was woven with mystical fire from the ever-burning Durwin Wastes.
Strictly, that's all we know about the Durwin Wastes. The words "infernal" or "abyss" are usually used when referring to literal hells, so it's likely that the Durwin Wastes are located on Tarnys. We know there are volcanoes in the north, so potentially the Durwin Wastes could be within the realm of the Ice Witch.
The dwarves of Nim Ozhul are mentioned in several Dungeoneer sets, always in the past tense or in a way that suggests Nim Ozhul is a lost civilisation. The Bugbiter card of this set follows the same tradition:
Bugbiter was forged in the dwarven mines of Nim Ozhul to slay creepy crawly things.
However, on the Gem of Strength card, Nim Ozhul sounds active:
Deep in Nim Ozhul, the dwarves have uncovered gems of great power.
It seems that Nim Ozhul has a storied past and a good reputation, but let that be the last time I mistake age for extinction.
Omnisus is clearly a significant god on Tarnys, and very likely the default choice of devotion for most people. There's an Omnisus temple in Lethom, and Omnisus gets several mentions throughout this and other sets. There are other gods, such as Nepiron and Nakari and Oriella, but Omnisus seems like the default god for anyone who doesn't need anything more specialised.
The quest card Divive the Holy Symbol requires a hero to uncover a holy icon of Omnisus because, as the flavour text says:
The divine symbol of Omnisus is hidden from the eyes of unbelievers.
This seems consistent with commentary on the Omnisus' Favour card from Realm of the Ice Witch. he card, which reveals that Omnisus watches Tarnys and "blesses those in need who serve him."
The Helmet of Luck card in this set blissfully claims "Omnisus aids the needy," but actually Omnisus isn't a universal god. However seemingly ubiquitous his religion, Omnisus works at least partly in secret, out of sight of nonbelievers, and blesses only those that serve him. Omnisus is not a god of unconditional love, but a god with strict requirements.
The diety of luck and fortune gets a single mention in this set. The Helmet of Luck card says:
Omnisus aids those in need, but Nepiron is the bringer of luck.
Unlike Omnisus, there don't seem to be any special requirement (aside from prayer) to earn Nepiron's attention. Whether Nepiron's blessing brings only good luck is unclear, however.
Lethom (if that really is the city's name) seems like a relatively typical fantasy city. There's a tavern, there are cobbled streets, a governor with a bounty out on an overly-romantic rogue (as in the Bounty on the Paramour card), a Thieves' Guild, and a brewing infestation of a fantasy creature and its brood.
It's a simple setting, but also an excellent starting point for adventures on Tarnys. The possibilities are endless and, in my pretend-archeological reflection on Tarnys, the true history of the world is lost to time. Then again, your own history on Tarnys can start any time. Playing the game means you get to add your own story, so if you can find a Dungeoneer deck today, buy it!
Header and card image copyright by Thomas Denmark and Atlas Games, and used exclusively as reference.