Welcome to the Realm!
Chronicles of the Dark Path
Prologue
It is 413 TA. The Orcish Wars, a decade past, are now a bleak memory. Prosperity returns to Teufeldorf, the capital of the Reaches. From the west, across the Great Sea, bustling trade brings all manner of exotic goods to the city. From long-tailed Tang traders to colorful Sandalese pirates, the wharves, docks and dives are teeming with excitement. Mild weather promises a most plentiful harvest from the fertile farms that now stretch far to the east and south of the city. To the north, the elves of the tangled forests of the Loftwood report no orcish activity.
Life is good.
Except the new Ranger Queen - Jana Blackfire. She rules the Reaches with an iron fist. And her zealousness seems to be increasing. Her latest edict, not so affectionately known as The Gavel, gives the Holy Order of Justices immense power to dispense punishment unilaterally. An obvious choice after the failures of General Linius and the Ranger King Bertrand in the Third Orcish War, Blackfire is charismatic and honest to a fault. Aye, and there's the fault - her new rule of law is filling the prisons with merchants and traders just looking to make an honest profit. A simple brawl - jail. A whisper against the Rangers - jail. And, so you find yourselves in a stinking jail cell with five stinking companions - all of you innocent by your own accounts - and just about to be branded by the Holy Order with the mark of The Gavel. Dark days. Maybe torture, maybe worse.
A bucket of hot coals sits nearby, a blackened branding iron heating. Footsteps from down the corridor - guards undoubtedly. Along with that ugly, scarred Justice - Henry Meekson. You hope his face will not be the last you see. Suddenly, you hear a tapping - much too rhythmic to be rats. Someone is sending you a message. Your heart races as you mind tries to uncover the code. After six weeks, events are happening all too quickly. The others hear it too. Maybe together you can solve the mystery.
A New Campaign
As the leaves begin to change color and a cold wind blows off the mountains, the time for an autumn campaign arrives! Join five other adventurers in the Chronicles of the Dark Path. This game will use Pathfinder rules. Spaces are limited for the game - come join the fun!
We will roll up characters at the first session. A few things to keep in mind. This is primarily a city adventure. Also, no lawful good characters need apply.
Session 1: Friday, September 18
Session 2: Friday, October 2
Session 3: Friday, October 16
Session 4: Friday, October 30
Session 5: Friday, November 13
Session 6: Friday, December 11
The game runs from 6:00pm until midnight, and we will be ordering dinner.
About This Site
With the earliest documents dating from 1977 (mundane reckoning), The Realm is a wonderful place that has grown and multiplied over the years. During this time, many small documents, legends, and histories have been written concerning various aspects of the campaign. Most of these disjoint treatises dealt with a particular legend, dungeon, or notable character.
In 1988, Let The Adventure Begin... was published to chronicle the adventures of our heroes. This hefty tome included all of the known legends to date. However, its purpose was to present a chronological storyline of adventures undertaken. A hearty adventurer might attempt to piece together the history of the Realm from this work, but the effort would be huge and the results would have many gaps. The Games section of this site continues the efforts begun in Let The Adventure Begin..., and you should consult its content to gain insight about the adventures already taken.
To appreciate the Realm in the fullest sense, however, one must have the complete story. And to that end, I have pulled all of the historical information from Let The Adventure Begin..., mixed it with the legends published in the interim, and most importantly filled in the gaps where no published information existed before. The result is the Gazetteer section of this site - a compendium of the history, geography, and legends of the Realm. My hope is that this work will provide the color, interest, and clues needed to make the present campaign enjoyable and profitable. Use the Gazetteer to research background information that a clever character would have gathered over the years.
The complete milieu is now yours. As always, one must be warned that the material contained herein is subject to the artistic liberties and fabrications that naturally go hand-in-hand with lore and storytelling. Read on, enjoy, and take heed.