The World of Alwion
Alwion is more than a TTRPG setting—it’s a living tale stitched together from old songs, whispered secrets, and the long shadow of history. As your journey unfolds, you’ll encounter more than just monsters and maps. You’ll find a world brimming with meaning.
Alwion is an alternate version of the British Isles, woven from forgotten tales, historical fragments, and the eerie certainty that the old stories never truly left. It is a land where myth and memory shape reality and the Fair Folk beckon. Players begin in the quiet hamlet of Nether Wallop, but their path takes them all the way to The Stacks, not far from John O’Groats. As they travel, they will change the world around them as their own stories take shape. Join us in the journey!
This 5th Edition campaign setting blends folklore with fully playable adventure, offering immersive systems, new player options, new creature stat blocks and legendary NPCs, and over a dozen handcrafted locations. Whether you’re seeking an atmospheric home game or a classroom-friendly campaign with narrative depth, The Tales Were True offers a world worth wandering.
Guilds & Factions
Join or oppose a variety of new organizations, from secret societies to local power blocs. As you earn Trust and renown with these factions, you’ll unlock boons, additional encounters, and exclusive items shaped by your character’s choices. Gain enough Trust and you may find yourself with significant advantages…but if the people lose faith in you, you may have trouble even locating an inn that will let you stay.
New Ancestries & Sub-Classes
Play as a Leafling (half-dryad) tied to ancient trees, one of the enigmatic Fair Folk, a hagchild marked by strange birthrights, or a half-giant shaped by ancestral strength. Each ancestry offers unique features, vulnerabilities, and allegiances. Try out a new sub-class written by a range of TTRPG talents like Jordan C. from Modified Roll, Ben Sandfelder, and Kimberly Pauley.
Folktale Narratives
Every character has their own story and, more importantly, they are the protagonist of their own narrative within the campaign (and a supporting character in the tales of their fellow party members!). Choose from over 10 folktale narrative paths such as the Hedgewitch, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, or Hidden Royal.
These options can be used alongside or instead of traditional backgrounds, shaping your personal myth as the story unfolds. Similar to epic paths or destinies in some other 5E supplements, each option comes with suggestions for the GM on how to incorporate the player’s background into the very fabric of the world, how they might resolve their destiny, and what their reward might be.
Custom Battlemaps & Tokens
Each location in the 14-chapter campaign features detailed, custom battlemaps and unique NPC tokens, optimised for both in-person play and virtual tabletops (VTTs). Over 250 maps have been created for the campaign, including re-usable maps (hag huts! forest clearings! apothecary shops!) that you can use in any campaign. Each comes with or without a grid and with or without the traps marked.
Alnwick Gardens
The 13 Treasures of Britain
Uncover legendary magical items based on real myth and traditions (including a Welsh pronunciation guide so you know how to say them). These unique artefacts offer powerful abilities and story consequences tied to your actions throughout the campaign. Can you find all thirteen?
Foraging & Crafting
Collect over 40 different herbs, fungi, and components from 10+ foraging zones across Alwion. Recipes are inspired by real-world traditional folk remedies and alchemical traditions, offering flavorful alternatives to standard potion (and poison) use. Learn some real-world recipes based on traditional cookery (and drinks!).
Self-Heal
This historically essential purple flowered plant is known by many names, including heal-all, woundwort, heart-of-the-earth, and carpenter’s herb. Useful for many aspects of the healer’s arts.
Historical & Folkloric Sidebars
Each chapter includes sidebars highlighting the historical inspirations, mythic roots, and real-world figures behind the creatures and encounters—making the book ideal for educators, lore lovers, or TTRPG clubs with a literary bent. Not to mention the historical and literary Easter Eggs–how many can YOU find (Don’t worry, GMs, we’ve made a list for you)? Will you learn cutting and vicious Shakespearean insults from the master himself? Visit the Poison Garden? Come across a tall, ethereal elf singing “Come and buy my little toys, donkeys made of gingerbread and sugar horses painted red!”
