I've spoken at length about how The Cloven Lands offers a lot of colorful locations and nuanced NPC quest-givers. But, what's actually in the campaign? The Cloven Lands is divided into three parts, and today I want to give you a little insight into Part One.


Part One weaves the tale of the party coming together for the first time. Three unique introductory adventures give the heroes differing perspectives on the events of the region. Imagine a party of six players, where two heroes come from Kendaria, two from Nalathesh, and two from Bridgemoor itself.

As each hero eventually arrives in Bridgemoor, they all hear troubling rumors. It seems that cultists are causing trouble in the city! This gives the heroes common cause, naturally drawing them together. Sure, they might ultimately meet in a tavern, but this is far from your typical adventuring party's origin story.

And, while the heroes are likely united in their desire to stop the cult, they are likely not aligned on many other problems confronting Bridgemoor, Kendaria, and Nalathesh. As they take on other quests, these differences will no doubt boil to a head.

Now imagine the chaos when the heroes' opinions start to come into tension with each other! GMs, sit back and enjoy as your table argues about what to do next.

The Cloven Lands has scores of quests that the adventuring party might take. However, some of these quests make others impossible. As an example, let's look at one of the areas of tension in Kendaria: The two queens.


On one hand, there's Queen Astaria Gillian III. Although wise and mature, Queen Astaria struggles to maintain popular support. Years ago, the elsewise benevolent queen brutally put down a rebellion from several duchies. Ultimately, she beheaded her political rivals responsible for the rebellion, an action that is uncharacteristically violent for her. Her popularity has never quite recovered, but the nation has flourished under her leadership. Queen Astaria is the blood heir to the Gillian Throne, so she has a legitimate claim to her rulership. Her seat of power is the nation’s traditional capital, the coastal city of Dalewright.


On the other hand, we have Queen Amelia Grace. She is literally a child, not yet ten years old. Queen Amelia has nonetheless captured the hearts and minds of her population, proclaiming new laws from her throne in the Old Forest. Queen Amelia rules with the instinctively pure mindset of a well-intentioned child, and has not yet grasped the nuanced effects of some of her proclamations. Queen Amelia does not trace her bloodline to royalty, but argues that if you go back far enough, royalty is just a myth anyway.


If the heroes procure an audience with Queen Astaria, she will inform them of the illigitimate challenger to her crown, a child who hides in the forest and consorts with faeries and faerie tales. Queen Astaria will task the heroes with convincing this false child-queen to concede and give up her nonsensical claims to royalty.

If the heroes meet Queen Amelia, then she tells the heroes that nobody likes Queen Astaria anymore and it's time for a new era of leadership under Amelia's dictates. Queen Amelia will ask the heroes to march into Dalewright and demand that Queen Astaria abdicate her throne and allow Queen Amelia to assume total control over the nation.


As the adventuring party, it will be up to the heroes whether they take Queen Astaria's quest or Queen Amelia's. Of course, the heroes may throw up their hands and take neither quest, leaving the queens to sort out their own affairs; or, if they are ambitious, the heroes might try to come up with a creative solution that satisfies both royal parties.

The campain launches TOMORROW! Gear up for endless adventures and quests: you might join forces with the Luxxor Family in Nalathesh or might join House Sutian from Kendaria, but either way you are likely to spend a great deal of time in Bridgemoor. The Meritocrats, Bridge Knights, and guilds within the magnificent city-state each present unique opportunities as potent allies or adversaries.


Magellus Black is a professor of the University of Bridgemoor and a ranking member of the Meritocrats. An insightful scholar, deliberative lawmaker, and skilled arcanist, Magellus will often politely decline to give his opinion on a given situation. If pressed, he might say “my opinions are my own,” and instead focus on the indisputable facts of a given situation, putting the pressure back on other folk to make the decisions. When he uses this tactic, he may emphasize certain facts in order to get other people to make decisions that Magellus himself would prefer to see play out.


An enigmatic dragonfolk, Melki embodies a fascinating blend of mischief and wisdom, and his charismatic presence never fails to leave a lasting impression. He possesses an innate affinity for primal magic, which he expertly wields to bring about concentrated bursts of deliberate chaos in the world. Melki’s escapades often involve clever illusions and playful pranks, designed to teach people to embrace the unexpected and find solutions in unconventional places.


It seems that Hyleth Othen's intellect has only been sharpened in his old age. Hyleth believes that decisive action is more important than ongoing deliberation, and when he finds disputes between people he urges them to resolve their dispute as quickly as possible. The more quickly a resolution is reached, Hyleth says, the more the parties will be able to commit their energies to other constructive endeavors.


The Bridge Commander in charge of safety and stability within Bridgemoor, Ser Kellion Blacksky is a prestigious and highly regarded member of Bridgemoor’s public society. A human in his early thirties, Kellion is formal and polite in public, and in private conversation he is a little more relaxed but no less chivalrous. Kellion has spent many years securing the good graces of the public and establishing alliances with key figures in Bridgemoor and beyond and draws great pride in the fact that Bridgemoor is safer than ever under the watch of his Bridge Knights.

Lauby is a textiles merchant who specializes in costumes and formalwear. They are a kleppin with an appearance resembling a raccoon. Along with their spouse and daughter, Lauby has come under a lot of stress lately because of cult activity in the area. Lauby is one of the merchants that has been singled out and targeted by the cult, and they are beside themself as to how they might protect their family.

A dark figure with a shadowy past, Aradin the Witchblade seeks to undermine the legitimacy of Bridgemoor, Nalathesh, and Kendaria. With a powerful personal charisma and strong political connections, it proved relatively easy for Aradin to establish the Underbridge Cult and cultivate it into a legitimate threat to the three nations. Aradin is a terrifying figure to behold and possesses great occult power that he uses to summon fiends from inferno.

Yesterday we met the Luxxor family from Nalathesh. Now let's journey across the Great Chasm and meet one of the major noble families from Kendaria!


A Kendarian noble house of some prominence, the Sutians are the barons of Greenvalley. Situated almost directly between Bridgemoor and Kendaria’s capital city of Dalewright, they are prominent in international trade and diplomacy between the two nations.


Desmond Sutian is known for a peaceful yet strong disposition that makes him a great mediator. He spends several hours each day in open court, negotiating peace between disgruntled common folk. He also plays peacekeeper within his own family, always looking for compromise. His desire to find the middle of any argument can cause him to overlook clear wrongdoing in favor of finding an amenable solution, something which other political figures have tried to exploit.


Desmond’s wife, Lisa Sutian, is a passionate, firebrand politician who fiercely advocates for the prosperity of Greenvalley. The common folk of Greenvalley hold her in high regard; her compassionate heart and actions, coupled with her husband’s measured and just leadership, makes her a very popular figure not just in Greenvalley but in the whole region of central Kendaria. Along with Desmond, Lisa encourages her three children to take an active role in running Greenvalley.


Lord Elarion is the younger brother of Baron Desmond Sutian and wed to Brimmel Rockwall. Together, they have adopted two children: a dwarf named Garen and bhrunai named Renga who are now both in their teens. Elarion and Brimmel both help run affairs in their city, eagerly representing Desmond's and Lisa's interests wherever they can.