The Fractured Empire: Those who ride dragons
As fledgeling riders, our heroes will be thrust into an internal war of house rivalry. The Emperor is assassinated; you have key information.
$12.99
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Sunday - 8:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
Campaign Length / 30+ Sessions
0 / 6 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
The Emperor of the Drakor Imperium is dead. Not from age, not in battle — murdered in full view of the Ascendancy on the most sacred night of the imperial calendar. You are unbonded trainees at Cinderhold Academy, one from each of the five rival noble houses, standing in the bonding pens below when it happens. Within sixty seconds the killer is running, the drakes are loose, and your house representatives are giving orders that sound less like grief and more like preparation. Someone knew this was coming. And everyone in the building is now deciding what to do about the people who were close enough to see it. The Broken Roost is a fully original Draw Steel campaign, set in Seerth, a richly detailed homebrew world built over years of play. The Drakor Imperium is a small, proud martial nation whose noble houses ride drakes — lesser kin to true dragons, bonded to their riders through a dangerous rite of passage called The Proving. Its society is cutthroat and sophisticated in equal measure: betrayal is politics, loyalty is currency, and every house is perpetually plotting against every other behind a veneer of imperial tradition. Think political intrigue with teeth, where the wrong alliance gets you killed and the right one might save the world. This campaign is built for players who want their choices to matter. Every major decision branches the story — who you trust, what you reveal, which alliances you forge across house lines that were never meant to be crossed. Expect combat with genuine stakes, social encounters where the wrong word gets someone killed, and NPCs with real agendas on every side. No random encounters. No filler. Every session moves the story forward and every fight exists for a reason. The campaign runs across three acts and 30+ sessions, scaling from a locked-down Academy in Act I to continent-shaking consequences by Act III. No prior Pathfinder or world knowledge required — everything you need will be provided, and characters are built together in a pre-game session with the GM. All you need is a concept: which house are you from, what do you want from The Proving, and what does your character stand to lose if the truth about the Emperor's death comes out? New players are welcome at any point in the campaign — the hooks keep coming. If you want drama, intrigue, a world that hits back, and yes — your own drake to ride — this is your table.
Game style
Combat Heavy
Roleplay Heavy
Realm Building
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Tactical / Crunchy
Sandbox / Open World
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(10)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
9 games hosted
Highly rated for: World Builder, Storytelling, Creativity
Average response time: 7 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
I’m Amon (James) 40, lifelong TTRPG tragic, and usually the one running the show from behind the screen. I’m here for character-driven chaos, clutch rolls, and campaigns where choices have teeth. Expect story that reacts to you, action that feels cinematic, and a table that knows how to laugh without losing the tension.I’ve played and GMed across D&D (3.5 to 5e/2024), Pathfinder, Vampire: The Masquerade, Starfinder, Spelljammer, and more. If you like games that are immersive, purposeful, and built around the party, you’ll fit right in.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Characters are created before Session 1 in a pre-game chat with the GM. Each PC is an unbonded trainee attending The Proving at Cinderhold Academy — one from each of the five noble houses of the Drakor Imperium (or one Houseless character). Your house determines your background, your social standing inside the Academy, and the fragment of the Emperor's murder you'll witness on Session 1 night. Character creation uses standard Draw Steel rules starting at Level 1. We'll work through it together — no prior Pathfinder experience needed. All you need is a rough concept: which house are you from, what do you want from The Proving, and what does your character stand to lose if the truth about the Emperor's death comes out? Allowed content: Core Rulebook, Advanced Player's Guide, and the five custom house backgrounds provided by the GM. No alignment system is used — instead, each character has a house loyalty and a personal code, which may or may not be the same thing.
We are fresh so the world is your Oyster.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
1. Have a Discord account — we use Discord for session scheduling, between-session communication, and any private GM notes to your character. 2. Have access to https://forgesteel.net/#/hero/edit/SWwcp-s9wGB-6RyY0-sTvIZ-6yhYC-a4O1z/start — no books required to play). 3. Complete a short Session 0 with the GM before play begins. This is where we build your character together, discuss the tone and themes of the campaign, establish any personal lines or limits, and make sure your character concept fits the Cinderhold Academy setting. 4. Come to Session 1 knowing your character's house, their reason for attending The Proving, and one thing they're afraid of losing. Everything else can be discovered in play.
What Amon brings to the table
A fully original, handcrafted campaign with a complete 30+ session story arc, branching pathways, and consequences that respond to your choices. Every NPC has a reason for what they do — including the antagonists. Custom house backgrounds and a campaign primer covering the Drakor Imperium, the five houses, and the rules of The Proving. You'll arrive at Session 1 knowing exactly where your character fits. Detailed session recaps sent after each session so nothing gets lost between games. A GM style built around collaborative storytelling: I use the Rule of Cool, run roleplay-heavy scenes with real mechanical weight, and adjust tone and pacing based on what the table needs. Combat is tactical and purposeful — every fight changes something. I do character voices, use ambient sound when it fits, and take private player notes seriously. Between-session availability on Discord for any questions, character development threads, or world-building conversations you want to have outside of the table. Please find the house primer located here:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PJKu8fjq45qUkRgaGQj6OGz1l-mQGp8y?usp=drive_link The Imperium World Anvil link: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/seerth-greyman1985/a/drakor-imperium-organization
Homebrew rules
To be discussed in session 0.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Amon creates a safe table
Player safety and comfort is foundational to this campaign. We cover everything in a Session 0 before play begins, including a Lines and Veils discussion tailored to this specific campaign's themes (political betrayal, moral complexity, violence, loss of institutional trust). The X-Card is available at all times — any player can invoke it digitally via Discord message to the GM or hold it up on video, no explanation needed, and we move on immediately. The N-Card is available for content to be redirected rather than cut entirely. This campaign deals with themes of political murder, betrayal, paranoia, and characters under institutional pressure. It does not contain sexual content, real-world religious themes, or graphic torture. Violence exists but is not gratuitous — it serves the story and has consequences. Between sessions, players can contact the GM privately on Discord at any time to flag concerns, discuss character direction, or request adjustments. No issue is too small. The goal is a table where every player feels safe enough to be genuinely invested.
Content warnings
Safety tools used