---
title: The Sundering Tide
system: D&D 5e
levels: 5-20
setting: Aethrune
status: planning
---

# The Sundering Tide

## Elevator Pitch

The world of Aethrune is held together by seven ancient seals, forged millennia ago by the First Sages to imprison the **Primordial Wrath** — a being of pure elemental chaos. The seals are weakening. A secret cult called the **Hand of Ruin** works to shatter them, while the ruling **Crown Concordat** bickers over borders and coin. The party arrives as capable heroes of level 5, stumbling onto a cell of cultists in a remote border town — and from there, the conspiracy unravels across continents, planes, and ages.

## Central Conflict

| Side | Goal | Methods |
|------|------|---------|
| **Hand of Ruin** | Free the Primordial Wrath; remake the world in chaos | Infiltration, assassination, ritual magic, dragon-binding |
| **Crown Concordat** | Maintain power and status quo | Diplomacy, military force, denial |
| **The Verdant Circle** (secret society) | Reinforce the seals; preserve balance | Espionage, ancient lore, druidic ritual |
| **The Dragon Lords** (neutral) | Guardian duty to the seals; fragmented loyalties | Isolation, ancient pacts, draconic magic |

## Campaign Arcs

| Arc | Title | Levels | Focus |
|-----|-------|--------|-------|
| 1 | [[Arc 1 - Heirs of Sundering]] | 5-8 | Discovery, investigation, first cult encounters |
| 2 | [[Arc 2 - The Gilded War]] | 9-12 | Political intrigue, factional war, betrayal |
| 3 | [[Arc 3 - Heart of the Mountain]] | 13-16 | Dragon Lords, planar travel, ancient secrets |
| 4 | [[Arc 4 - Tide of Ruin]] | 17-20 | The seals break, reality frays, final battle |

## Key Factions

- [[The Hand of Ruin]] — apocalyptic cult
- [[Crown Concordat]] — ruling alliance of five kingdoms
- [[The Verdant Circle]] — druidic secret society preserving the seals
- [[The Silent College]] — arcane academy with forbidden knowledge
- [[Dragon Lords]] — ancient dragons bound to the seals
- [[The Iron Concord]] — mercenary guild / independent power

## Tone

- **Arc 1:** Mystery / investigative horror (cults, disappearances, creeping dread)
- **Arc 2:** Political thriller / war drama (alliances, betrayals, siege warfare)
- **Arc 3:** Epic fantasy / planar exploration (elemental planes, dragon lairs, lost civilizations)
- **Arc 4:** Apocalyptic survival / cosmic horror (reality unraveling, desperate gambits, god-tier stakes)

## Player Buy-In

- Characters should have a personal stake in protecting the world — not just gold or glory.
- One character should have ties to a faction (Crown Concordat, Verdant Circle, or Silent College).
- Characters begin at level 5, already known in their region as capable troubleshooters.

## Quick-Start

1. Session zero: players arrive in [[Eastmarch]], a border town between [[Valdris]] and [[Kethra]].
2. Hook: a merchant caravan has vanished on the Old Salt Road; strange weather plagues the region.
3. Investigation leads to a Hand of Ruin cell conducting a ritual at a [[Seal Anchor]] site.
4. The first seal is already cracked — the campaign clock is ticking.