"They speak of gold that flows like water. Of a mine that never empties. Of wishes granted without price. But there is always a price. The mountain remembers what men forget."
Chapter Overview
Sessions
1-4 (12-16 hours)
Focus
Investigation & Exploration
Key Locations
Threshold, Praxis, Golden Mile
Clock Advances
Corruption +1, Research starts
Chapter Objectives
By the end of Chapter 1, players should:
- Understand the Domain of Restraint's basic nature and current crisis
- Establish a base of operations (bastion) in one of the cities
- Meet at least two major NPCs (varies by origin)
- Witness firsthand the effects of gold corruption
- Learn about Enoch (though not necessarily his identity)
- Make their first significant choice affecting faction relationships
Domain of Restraint Map
The Domain of Restraint at the start of Chapter 1. Click locations to see details. Golden areas indicate corruption, while orange indicates contested zones.
Domain of Restraint
A domain of strict laws and binding oaths, now corrupted by the infinite gold of Greed.
Click on a location to explore
Session 1: Arrival (By Origin)
The first session varies dramatically based on how players entered the campaign. Choose the appropriate starting scenario:
The Outsiders: Through the Quarry Door
🎭 Opening Scene: The Abandoned Quarry
"You stand at the edge of the old Dubois quarry, abandoned since 1987. The forum post that brought you here promised answers about the 'gold rain' phenomenon—smartphones all over Paris briefly displaying golden static, ATMs dispensing single gold coins that vanished after an hour. The quarry entrance shouldn't be glowing purple, but it is."
Scene Setup
Location: Modern Earth, outskirts of Paris, abandoned quarry
Time: Night, light rain
Mood: Urban exploration turning to cosmic horror
Player Hooks (choose or roll):
- Investigative journalist following the "gold rain" story
- Urban explorer whose friend vanished near here
- Conspiracy theorist who tracked the phenomenon's epicenter
- Off-duty police officer following an anonymous tip
- Geology student who noticed impossible mineral readings
Key NPCs
- Marie-Claire: Elderly woman at quarry edge, "looking for her husband who went in 40 years ago." Actually a manifestation of The Count testing the players.
- The Quarry Voice: Whispers in the stone. Enoch's first contact, offering to "show you the source."
First Choices
- Enter willingly: Players step through with intent → Arrive at Threshold Gate (established entry)
- Enter reluctantly: Players are pulled in → Arrive at Riverside (chaotic entry, immediate danger)
- Refuse but investigate: Portal expands, reality breaks → Arrive at Golden Mile (worst case, near corruption)
⚔️ Possible Combat: The Threshold Guardians
If players arrive through the established gate, they face Restraint's border patrol—monks in grey robes who demand "declaration of intent."
- Social resolution: Declare honest intent → Escorted to Threshold for processing
- Deception: Lie about purpose → Guardians suspicious, surveillance begins
- Combat: Fight the guardians → Criminals in Restraint, hunted by zealots
Session 2: The Investigation
Regardless of origin, Session 2 converges on investigation. All paths lead to Threshold—the corruption's epicenter.
Investigation Framework
Use the Three Clue Rule: every important revelation has at least three paths to discovery. If players miss one clue, two others remain.
Clue Path: Commerce
- • Interview gold traders
- • Trace gold shipments
- • Follow the money
- Leads to: The Golden Mile
Clue Path: Religion
- • Speak with Genii temples
- • Research domain history
- • Witness purification rites
- Leads to: Monastery Hill
Clue Path: Medicine
- • Examine corruption victims
- • Collect samples
- • Consult healers
- Leads to: The Doctor
Sub-Scenario: The Threshold Market
One-Shot: "Gold Fever"
Duration: 2-3 hours | Difficulty: Medium | Focus: Investigation + Social
📜 Scenario Hook
"A merchant named Vessa Goldwright has been selling golden trinkets at suspiciously low prices. Her competitors are going bankrupt, customers are becoming obsessed, and three people who bought her wares have vanished. The Market Guild wants answers—discreetly."
Act 1: The Market Floor
- • Observe Vessa's stall (Perception vs DC 10)
- • Interview jealous competitors
- • Notice customer's glazed eyes
- • Find hidden ledger showing supplier: "G.M."
Act 2: Following the Thread
- • Track shipments to warehouse district
- • Confront Vessa (she's a victim too)
- • Discover "G.M." = Golden Merchant
- • Optional combat: Gilded Thugs (3x Tier 1)
Act 3: The Warehouse
- • Infiltrate or assault warehouse
- • Find missing people (partially gilded)
- • Encounter Aurumite (Tier 2 boss)
- • Discover shipment manifest: Golden Mile origin
Resolution: Success
Players expose the Golden Merchant's supply chain, rescue 2 of 3 victims (one too far gone), and gain valuable intel about the Golden Mile. +1 reputation with Market Guild.
Resolution: Failure
The warehouse explodes (literal gold dust bomb), evidence destroyed, Vessa becomes fully Gilded. The Golden Merchant knows players are investigating. Clock: Corruption +1.
Key Investigation Scenes
Scene: The Golden Merchant
Location: Threshold Market | Tone: Tense negotiation
A merchant named Aureli openly sells golden artifacts at impossible prices. Her eyes gleam with metallic flecks. She offers players a sample—"just touch it, feel its warmth, hear what it has to say."
If Players Refuse
Aureli becomes hostile, calls them "enemies of prosperity." Guards arrive. Social or combat resolution needed.
If Players Touch the Gold
They hear Enoch's whisper: "I can give you what you truly want." Corruption check (Anima vs DC 12). Failure = +10% personal corruption.
Scene: The Doctor's Clinic
Location: Hidden clinic near Threshold Gate | Tone: Uneasy alliance
Players may encounter The Doctor treating victims of gold corruption. The clinic is marked with painted eyes. The Doctor offers diagnosis and temporary treatment—but wants something in return.
The Doctor's Request
"I need you to retrieve something from the Archive Quarter. A book that was never written, about a prison that should not exist. The Encyclopedist's agents have it, but they won't share with me. We have... professional disagreements."
Scene: The Genii's Warning
Location: Monastery Hill Temple | Tone: Ominous prophecy
The Genii Temperance appears as an elderly monk. She speaks in riddles but conveys urgency: "The prison cracks. The sleeper stirs. Seven sins will birth from one. Only those who restrain themselves can hope to restrain him."
Blessing Offered
Temperance offers Restraint's Minor Blessing: +2 to resist corruption, -2 to all commerce rolls. "Balance has a price. Will you pay it?"
Sub-Scenario: The Monastery Pilgrimage
One-Shot: "The Path of Denial"
Duration: 2-3 hours | Difficulty: Hard | Focus: Exploration + Roleplay
📜 Scenario Hook
"To receive Temperance's blessing—and learn the truth about Enoch's prison—players must complete the Pilgrimage of Denial. Three trials await on Monastery Hill, each testing a different aspect of self-control. Many begin this path. Few complete it."
Trial 1: The Feast
A lavish banquet appears, offering each player their favorite food from childhood.
- • Eating grants +2 to next roll but fails trial
- • Refusing while hungry: Corpus vs DC 12
- • Finding middle path (one bite, no more): DC 15 Ego
- • Reward: Fasting insight—see gold corruption aura
Trial 2: The Mirror
A golden mirror shows players as they could be—successful, powerful, adored.
- • Staring too long: +15% corruption
- • Smashing mirror: angers spirits, combat
- • Turning away while accepting truth: DC 14 Ego
- • Reward: Self-knowledge—immune to Envy
Trial 3: The Rage
Zealot monks attack, screaming accusations. They're testing, not killing.
- • Fighting back: fails trial (even if you win)
- • Fleeing: partial pass, no reward
- • Standing firm without violence: DC 16 Ego
- • Reward: Inner peace—advantage vs Wrath
Battle Encounter: Golden Mile Ambush
Combat: "The Claim Jumpers"
Difficulty: Medium | Enemies: 5 | Environment: Mining Camp
⚔️ Tactical Setup
While traveling the Golden Mile, players are ambushed by gold-maddened claim jumpers. The terrain is treacherous—mine shafts, unstable ground, and gold dust in the air.
Enemy Composition
- 2x Gold Fever Victims (Tier 1): Corpus 6, frenzied attacks
- 2x Corrupted Miners (Tier 1): Corpus 8, pickaxe weapons
- 1x Camp Boss (Tier 2): Corpus 12, leads coordination
Terrain Features
- Mine Shafts: 30ft drops, can be used tactically
- Gold Dust Cloud: Corruption check each round
- Mining Equipment: Improvised weapons available
- Unstable Ground: Dex DC 10 or fall prone
Round 1-2 Tactics
Enemies rush from cover. Camp Boss hangs back, directing. Use terrain to separate players.
Round 3-4 Tactics
If losing, Camp Boss triggers gold dust explosion (all in 20ft make corruption check, +10%).
Victory Reward
Mining manifest showing shipment routes, 15 gold coins, Camp Boss's corrupted compass (points to gold).
Sessions 3-4: Rising Action
The investigation reaches a critical point. Players must choose their base, their allies, and their approach.
Bastion Establishment
By the end of Session 4, players should establish a bastion—a safe house, headquarters, or allied location. This becomes their base for the campaign.
Covenant (Safest)
The city of oaths. Maximum protection from corruption. Strict rules, all agreements binding. Access to legal authority.
Cost: Must swear an oath of service to the city.
Praxis (Political)
The capital. Access to Genii council, political factions. Contested territory with both allies and enemies.
Cost: Must navigate faction politics.
Threshold (Dangerous)
The trade hub. Best access to information, commerce, and the Golden Mile. High corruption risk.
Cost: Weekly corruption checks, constant temptation.
Chapter 1 Bestiary
Creatures players may encounter during this chapter:
Gilded Ones
Tier 1 | Corrupted Humanoid
Humans (and others) fully consumed by gold corruption. Their skin shimmers, their eyes are golden coins, and they speak only of wealth. Not mindless—they remember who they were, which makes them tragic.
Corpus: 8 | Anima: 4 | Ego: 6
Abilities: Golden Touch (corrupts on contact), Whisper Temptation, Reform from Gold
Weakness: Pure water, genuine generosity, oaths of poverty
Zealot Monks
Tier 1 | Fanatic Humanoid
Restraint's guardians driven to extremism by the corruption crisis. They hunt anyone touched by gold, demanding "purification through pain." Not evil—just terrified and overcorrecting.
Corpus: 10 | Anima: 8 | Ego: 6
Abilities: Binding Chains, Detect Corruption, Resistance to Temptation
Weakness: Reasoned argument, evidence of moderation, Genii authority
Aurumites
Tier 2 | Elemental Construct
Creatures of living gold that spawn near heavy corruption. They have no mind of their own but respond to Enoch's will. Destroying them releases clouds of gold dust that cause corruption checks.
Corpus: 15 | Anima: 2 | Ego: 1
Abilities: Reshape Form, Gold Spray (AoE corruption), Absorb Metal
Weakness: Extreme cold, binding magic, Restraint blessings
Hollow Scout
Tier 2 | Khore's Servant
Advance scouts from Khore's Hollow Legion. Once travelers who failed to pay their debts, now bound to Khore's will. They reform after death unless their debt token is destroyed.
Corpus: 12 | Anima: 6 | Ego: 4
Abilities: Regeneration (unless token destroyed), Debt Sense, Shadow Step
Weakness: Destroying debt token, paying their original debt, The Count's intervention
Random Encounter Tables
Roll 1d6 when players travel between locations or spend extended time in an area. On a 5-6, an encounter occurs. Roll on the appropriate table based on location.
City & Town Encounters (1d8)
1: Zealot Patrol
3 Zealot Monks checking travelers for corruption. DC 12 to avoid inspection. Corrupted characters risk arrest.
2: Gold Fever Outbreak
Crowd surrounds a newly-corrupted citizen. Help or flee? Intervening risks exposure but earns goodwill.
3: Partisan Agent
Market agent offers information trade. Roll Ego DC 14 to sense their true agenda.
4: Hollow Spy
Disguised Hollow observing the party. Notice with Anima DC 15. If caught, provides intel on Khore.
5: Political Rally
Faction gathering (roll 1d4: Reformists, Zealots, Merchants, Refugees). Chance to influence or infiltrate.
6: Genii Appearance
Minor Genii manifests briefly with cryptic warning. Gain clue about upcoming danger.
7: Old Acquaintance
NPC from player's backstory appears (GM coordinates). Personal subplot begins.
8: The Doctor's Notice
The Doctor appears, offers cryptic help. Establishes future ally potential.
Chapter 1 Conclusion
Clock Advances
At the end of Chapter 1, update faction clocks based on events:
- Enoch's Corruption: +1 (automatic, gold continues spreading)
- Khore's Conquest: +0 or +1 (if players engaged with Hollow Scouts)
- Restraint's Fracture: +0 or +1 (if players sided with Zealots OR ignored Genii)
- Encyclopedist's Research: +0 or +1 (if players provided information to Agents)
Chapter 1 Success Criteria
- ✓ Players understand the basic conflict
- ✓ Bastion established in one city
- ✓ At least one major NPC alliance formed
- ✓ Players have witnessed gold corruption firsthand
- ✓ First faction choice made
Leading to Chapter 2
Players should end Chapter 1 knowing that the corruption is spreading, that multiple factions are involved, and that the source lies somewhere beyond the Golden Mile. Chapter 2 opens with the first sub-domain manifestation—reality itself beginning to fracture.