Tales of Ephyra: The Vecci Compact | Political Intrigue Thriller

Creating your character

Characters will be created together during Session 0 — no prep needed before our first meeting. All necessary books and world materials will be provided by the GM, so you don't need to own anything in advance. The campaign is set in an original magitek world (Ephyra), so flavour your character accordingly — think merchants, mercenaries, investigators, ex-military, information brokers, or anyone with a plausible reason to take private contract work in a wealthy coastal city. Avoid characters built purely for combat; this campaign rewards social skills, investigation, and lateral thinking. During Session 0 we'll go through the materials together, explore the world, assign character hooks, build at Level 5, and make sure everyone is connected and comfortable before play begins.

Preparing for the session

Before our session, you'll need a free Foundry VTT account and access to our server — I'll send you an invite link after booking. No special downloads required beyond a modern web browser. We'll kick off with a short Session 0 before the main adventure — this is where we'll build your characters together, talk through the tone of the game, and make sure everyone's on the same page about content and expectations. Come with a rough idea of who your character is and their connection to Valdara, but nothing needs to be finalised beforehand. No prior knowledge of the world of Ephyra is required. Everything you need to know will be woven into the game naturally — and all books and setting materials will be provided by the GM.

What MakotoMifuneGM brings to the table

I run narrative-focused, roleplay-heavy games where the story and characters come first. Expect distinct voices and personalities for every major NPC — in Valdara, everyone has an agenda, and the people you meet will feel like it. Every session is scored with curated ambient music to set the tone — from the candlelit tension of a harbor dinner to the quiet, watchful streets of Valcarcia's archive district. The atmosphere is part of the experience. All Fabula Ultima rulebooks are provided directly in the Foundry module — you do not need to own or purchase anything to play. Just show up ready to roll. I favour the Rule of Cool and lean into dramatic moments over strict rules enforcement. This is a campaign built around negotiation, moral compromise, and choices with no clean answers — so come ready to engage with the story and each other, not just the dice. The document is just paper. What you do with it is entirely up to you.

How MakotoMifuneGM creates a safe table

Player safety and comfort are a genuine priority at my table, not an afterthought. Here's how I handle it: Session Zero — Before we play, we'll go over Lines and Veils together as a group. Lines are hard stops — content we won't touch at all. Veils are content that can exist in the story but stays off-screen. Everyone's input shapes the table we build together. X-Card — Available throughout every session, digitally in chat or on video — whichever feels most comfortable for you. No explanation needed, no questions asked. If the X-Card is invoked, we edit, skip, or redirect immediately. Open Door Policy — If something comes up mid-game that you'd rather handle privately, my DMs are open. You can step away from the table at any time, no explanation required. Aftercare & Debrief — We close every session with a debrief. This is a space to decompress, talk about what landed, what didn't, and check in with each other as people — not just players. The Vecci Compact deals with themes of corruption, institutional betrayal, and moral compromise — powerful stuff, even in a fictional setting — so taking a moment to land the plane together matters to me.