Image by MythologyArt
The Dark Rises- Free Session 0, LGBTQ+/Beginner Friendly
The seals are breaking. The Dark stirs. And you're the only ones who can stop the end of everything.
$20.00
/ Session
Details
10 players following this game
Weekly / Sunday - 12:00 AM UTC
Jun 28 / Session 5
Session Duration / 3–3.5 hours
3 / 6 Seats Filled
Report Adventure
StartPlaying Money Back Guarantee
If your game doesn't happen, we guarantee a refund. Just reach out to StartPlaying Support. Refund Policy
Schedule
About the adventure
In a world where Irish legends meet medieval might, an ancient evil stirs. The Dark—imprisoned before time began—has spent eons corrupting the desperate and power-hungry, turning them into instruments of its escape. Now strange cults arise, ancient seals crack, and reality itself begins to unravel. You are unlikely heroes thrust into a web of conspiracy and cosmic horror. From humble beginnings, you'll rise to forge alliances with kingdoms and outcasts, recover legendary artifacts, and master both blade and spell. You will encounter warrior-poets defending stone castles, druids wielding ancient magic in bustling towns, and fae creatures lurking beyond torchlit walls. Face the deities and monsters of Celtic myth—the Tuatha Dé Danann, Fomorians, selkies, and banshees—while navigating feudal intrigue and siege warfare. This is a world of hill forts and cathedrals, ogham stones and illuminated manuscripts, where mysticism and steel collide. Classic adventuring, dungeon delving, and dragon slaying—with a Celtic twist that makes everything feel fresh. What to Expect: • Epic 1-20 level campaign with rich lore (optional worldbuilding resources provided free—no homework required!) • Welcoming to new players; rewarding for veterans • Balanced mix of combat, exploration, roleplay, and mystery The seals are breaking. Will you rise to face The Dark, or will the world fall to shadow? **Free Worldbuilding Resources Available:** Two comprehensive guides (worldbook and deities book) are available to players who want to dive deeper—but they're 100% optional. Everything you need to play will be introduced naturally in-game. Think of them as bonus content for lore enthusiasts!
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Dungeon Crawl
Hexcrawl / Exploration
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
Less than a year on StartPlaying
4 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Teacher, World Builder
Average response time: 7 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
I’ve been a player since 1980 and been running my own campaigns, playtesting, and running tabletop games at cons since 1982. In addition, I’ve played and run Play-by-Email games for over 20 years, and LARPS here and there. My favorite games are fantasy (D&D, Pathfinder, Harn, GURPS), Call of Cthulu, the World of Darkness, and a time-traveling, body-jumping anything-goes game built around the Rule of Cool. I specialize in long-running campaigns with lots of lore and backstories. My longest running campaign is over 14 years old with the same core players and characters.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We will create first level characters during the free Session 0. I’m not using anything from Tian Xia or Guns and Gears. The tech level is about 13th century, so there aren’t any guns or constructs.
an Elven kineticist a human sorceress a human Champion
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Please create an account on Discord. If you're not sure how to do this, contact me privately. Once I get your email address, I will send you a Foundry and Obsidian invitation. Optionally, you are welcome to download my world book and deity book from Dropbox. You do not need to memorize or even read everything- the information you need to know will be explained as we go.
What Beth brings to the table
I will provide weekly well-organized adventures that combine roleplaying, exploration, and combat (in those relative amounts). While rules are important, I'll come up with a quick way to resolve an issue if it looks like things are getting bogged down. I use music and a lot of images to set the scene. I happily act out NPCs- although my voices are fairly limited. I have set up an Obsidian Portal site for this game to help keep track of information. The most important aspects of the site are the journals and the wiki. Players are encouraged (and bribed!) to enter their own accounts under Adventure Logs. The Wiki will be used to keep track of places, people, and events. Currently, there is information about some of the inhabitants of the characters' starting town, Cathriasc in the kingdom of Glendalough. There is also an Item section for magical and other interesting character belongings. We can use the Forum if there is interest. There are a few other sections we might want to use as well. I have written a world book and a deity book which are available on Dropbox. These books are optional to read, although they do contain information that will help you get a feel for the world since we aren't using the standard Pathfinder one. All necessary information will be explained during the course of the game.
Homebrew rules
• Everyone gets a free archetype at second level. • Hero Points can’t put you in a worse position. If you re-roll and get a poorer result, keep the first roll. • Anyone who does a write-up of the adventure gets an extra Hero Point in the next session. • Using a webcam is optional, but I'd really appreciate it if you did since it will help us roleplay and hopefully become friends. I will be using one.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Webcam
Platforms used
Safety
How Beth creates a safe table
During Session 0, we'll talk about safety. We'll be using X/N/O either over video or through private messages depending on the individual's comfort level. We'll talk about Lines and Veils and everyone will have the opportunity to say/private message their own limitations in. These will be written up and added to the Obsidian site. Anyone is welcome to step away from the table without judgement. I would like to leave a few minutes at the end of each session to do a debrief so we can talk about any problems that arose or anything good that happened. Star and Wishes are there so people will feel comfortable voicing their own needs and desires about where the campaign is heading and/or what they especially like. I also have an open door policy. If something is bothering a player and they do not feel comfortable bringing it up in front of the group, everyone is welcome to talk with me about it so we can work out any problems.
Content warnings
Safety tools used
