CROWN and SKULL takes place in a realm called
The North Holds.
This vast, diverse landscape is fi lled with cultures, secrets, and dangers for you to explore. It is a dark time, but thanks to you, there is always hope.
The North Holds are recovering from a terrible time of calamity. Some 30 years before present day, The Bloodwing War ravaged the realm. The once-unified lands no longer have a king, borders have decayed, wilds are more dangerous than ever. An age of order and ideas has come to an end. With no unifying rule, The North Holds struggle to find new purpose and new direction. An era of adventure.
Bloodwing was a colossal green dragon, driven mad by a slime-entity called The Corruption. Since his rampage of desolation, dragons are widely feared by all but the elves of Dragon Tooth, and seldom seen. Only the very old remember a time when dragons and mortal folk were allies. A formless evil has been creeping into the world since the fall of Bloodwing. It is not fully understood, but the dreams of mortal folk are
darkening. Rumor holds that the lord of Blood Manor is somehow behind this growing shadow. This is a mysterious fi gure known as Lord Royce, said by doomsayers to be ‘he who would drink the world.’
Despite all this, good yet has a foothold. Three once-tiny towns are on the rise with renewed ambition... havens for a new generation of adventurers. Long-standing tyrannies are being worn away by courageous defectors. The light challenges the darkness to retreat, and asks every soul in The Holds: will you choose the Crown, or the Skull?
An irrevocable choice.
As you grow and explore The North Holds during play, at some point a lord, king or elder wizard will offer you access to once-forbidden realms of knowledge and power. To make this exciting step in your journey, you will face a choice that can never be undone... you must choose either the CROWN or the SKULL. Both paths have secrets and skills to teach. Choose wisely! There are many foes of both sides in the wide world...
Free Players Guide
