Campaign 1:The Shattered Reach
A Frontier of Ruin, Magic, and Mystery
"They say the land remembers. In the Reach, the earth still screams."
—Ranger Maret Vex, last survivor of the Seventh Expedition
The Shattered Reach was once a land of unspeakable power. Centuries ago, it was the heart of a mighty civilization that vanished in fire and magic. What caused its fall? No one knows for sure.
What remains is a blasted wasteland of fractured ley-lines, volcanic scars, and magical fallout—a place where the very air once shimmered with instability.
For hundreds of years, the Reach has been deemed uninhabitable, cursed, or worse. Expeditions vanished. Settlements failed. Stories of warped creatures, living firestorms, and temporal anomalies kept all but the desperate away.
Until now.
A Strange Silence
In recent months, the arcane instability that plagued the Reach has mysteriously quieted.
The magical storms have faded.
The warped terrain seems less violent.
The land—scarred and still dangerous—has grown silent.
And in that silence, opportunity speaks.
Port Vealoria: The Frontier Gate
Rising like a stubborn flame on the western edge of the Reach, Port Vealoria has long been a frontier haven for adventurers, scholars, and mercenaries. It is a neutral port where factions trade uneasy truces, and stories from the Reach fuel both fear and fortune.
Now, caravans are arriving daily.
Maps are redrawn.
Guilds are forming.
And whispers say something stirs beneath the ash.
Why Are You Here?
Each adventurer has their own reason to brave the Reach. Perhaps you are:
- A scholar chasing lost arcane knowledge buried beneath centuries of ruin.
- A mercenary hired to protect relic hunters or carve out new territory.
- A zealot or exile seeking divine signs in a broken land.
- A survivor of a cursed bloodline tied to the ancient world.
- A treasure seeker hoping to strike rich in the ruins of the forgotten.
- Or something darker—drawn by dreams, visions, or a voice that only you can hear...
Whatever your reason… the Reach is waking. And it remembers.
What You Know (and Don’t Know)
- The land was once powerful, but fell to disaster.
- The cause is unknown, though theories abound—leyline collapse, divine punishment, infernal experiment.
- The magical fallout kept it sealed for centuries, but now that fallout has faded.
- Many factions are moving in—explorers, zealots, inquisitors, rebels, cults.
- Something has changed in the Reach, and no one knows why.
What you uncover—and what you survive—may shape the future of all Zalthera.
The Shattered Reach is no longer a nation, but a scarred frontier. Here, time bends strangely, monsters crawl from arcane rifts, and ruined towers drift lazily in the air. Amidst this chaos, Many factions walk the lands, each with their own goals;
- Cathlidia , a holy kingdom of law and flame seeks to rid the land of its corruption.
- Cult of the Coil , builds a secret empire of Fanatics.
- Children of the Pyre , rallies kobold hordes, dragonborn beserkers and warped beasts to rain annihilation from above.
- Drowned Dominion of Azurlith , seeks to cleanse the waters of the land and reclaim ancient artifacts.
- The Severance , rebels prosecuted by Cathlidia, seek to search the ruins for power.
Themes & Tone
- Exploration of ancient ruins and shattered magic.
- Uncovering forgotten history—not through exposition, but through danger.
- Personal goals clashing with world-changing secrets.
- Moral ambiguity: not every truth is good, not every god is just.
- Slow-burn mystery that leads to cosmic-scale stakes—if you live long enough to see them.
Player Advice
This campaign will reward:
- Characters with personal mystery, ambition, or connection to the divine or arcane.
- Those willing to make hard choices in the face of strange truths.
- Players who enjoy piecing together ancient lore, fighting monstrous forces, and facing powers far greater than themselves.
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