And the screen "Death comes swirling down.'
I'm thinking vast, open-world, ancient Kunuric North, heading out with some scalpoli(misspelled?). Possibly perma-death, and you take over another of the scalpoli? Get too low on dudes, and you have to abandon the Slog, taking you back to a "safe" town, to recuit new dudes and start over(with what you brought back intact, of course)? Some will be traitors, or skin-spies, etc, etc.