Welcome to Alwion
The Tales were True is a 5th Edition Supplement intended for GMs and TTRPG players of all ages and experience levels. It is a complete campaign setting covering levels 1 – 14, that can also be played as standalone adventures.
Made for fans of high fantasy & British Isles folklore, it features new sub-classes, species, creatures of folklore both friend and foe, expanded foraging & crafting (based on real historical items!) and much, much more.
Set in Alwion, an alternate version of the British Isles, it encompasses what we know of as England, Wales, and Scotland. While similar in many ways to our world, in this land, magic abounds and the tales but whispered of in our world are all real. It is a place where the Fair Folk mingle with normal mortals, often offering up bargains that seem too good to be true (and probably are).
Fairy Godmothers. Brownies. Travelling Hedge Witches. Golden Egg Laying Geese. Jenny Greenteeth. Enchanted Animals. Goblin Merchants. Apple Eating Lazy Lawrences. Buttery Spirits. Roland the Farter. True Thomas. Herne the Hunter. A Frog Prince. Silver Tongued Bards. Graveyard Grims. Sleeping Giants…and so much more.
“I thoroughly enjoyed The Tales Were True—a compelling and quietly unusual experience. The exploration of lesser-known fairy tales and alternative versions of familiar ones (like the British Isles take on Rumplestiltskin) was both educational and entertaining. What stood out most were the subtle nods and clever Easter eggs woven throughout—little moments of recognition that felt like shared secrets. Altogether, the game struck a fine balance: a wistful celebration of childhood stories that, for all their whimsy, knew exactly how dark the woods could get.” —Aaron Murray (Playtest GM)
Why fairy tales & folk tales?
People have been telling each other stories since the beginning of human history. Folk tales and fairy tales are an integral part of this tradition. These shared stories were told not just for entertainment, but also to teach and share information. These tales have traditionally shown us how to live — when to be kind, when to stand up for ourselves, and when to look with suspicion on someone when they offer us something too good to be true.
Full of creatures both great and small, noble and trickster, strong and weak, we can still learn from and enjoy these stories today.
In creating this campaign sourcebook, we have pulled from both well-known and obscure tales, twisting them just a bit. Even when the party thinks they know something or guess how the encounter will go…they could be entirely wrong. Keep in mind that, while the tales used to create this campaign may be familiar, how the characters react can and will change the story.
