The fire crackled and popped, casting long shadows against the walls of the great hall. The children sat cross-legged on the thick furs, wide-eyed, their breath hitching in anticipation. Old Kvothe leaned forward, his gnome features wreathed in the glow of the flames, a knowing glint in his eye.

"Ah, so you want a story, do you? A real one. Not one of those pretty little fables your mothers tell to send you off to sleep, no, no. You want a tale of adventure—of steel and sorcery, of dark things that skulk where the sun has never touched, of battles fought and oaths sworn. You want to know the tale of the North Watch."

"I was there, you know. I stood among them, fought beside them, bled beside them.  Agatha, the Hammer of Torag... Jocelin, the Lionhearted... Zarah, the Unyielding Hand... Rindle, the Wildcaller... and, of course, myself—Kvothe the Stormtouched. These were names that carried weight in the world below, names earned in shadow and blood. Some tales are lost to time, carried away on the wind like embers from a dying flame. But I remember."

"It began, as these things often do, with a mystery. Three Riders of the Watch had vanished. The beasts of the land had grown restless. Something stirred beneath our feet, a whisper in the dark that gnawed at the edges of the world."

"We thought we were hunting goblins and bandits, a simple errand, a favor to an old friend. We did not know then what we truly chased, nor what hunted us in return. The road took us through crumbling ruins and forgotten halls, down into the deep places where ancient things slumber and dream of waking. We broke seals that had been long left undisturbed, crossed swords with things that should not be, and heard the whispers of minds that did not belong to this world.:"

"But all of that, my dear children, is a story for another night."

The North Watch is a dark fantasy tabletop RPG campaign run in Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E), a deep and immersive evolution of the classic 5E system. Players take on the roles of adventurers exploring the mysteries lurking beneath the frontier town of Fallcrest, uncovering ancient horrors, forgotten civilizations, and the machinations of forces far beyond mortal comprehension.

Themes of the campaign include exploration, mystery, horror, and political intrigue as the players navigate both the dangers of the Underdark and the ambitions of those who would seek to control its power. Inspired by the legendary Night Below adventure, The North Watch is a tale of survival, strategy, and uncovering the truth hidden in the dark places of the world.

Will you stand against the encroaching shadows, or will you be swallowed by them?