Tales of the Dark Ages

Tales of the Dark Ages at a Glance

A digitized reissue of the first collection of adventures for Ars Magica second edition — and the first Atlas Games product.
Four intriguing and unique tales with a focus on story will provide hours of gaming fun.
Provides advice to adjust the game to a system of your preference such as your favorite edition of Ars Magica.

Anthology of Adventure: More about Tales of the Dark Ages

Take inspiration from this collection of adventures for Ars Magica second edition. Tales of the Dark Ages was the first adventure anthology for the RPG and the first product released under the Atlas Games label. With this reissue, fans can own this fun-filled and useful piece of Ars Magica history, which features four fully detailed adventures with a focus on story. While they are written for Ars Magica, guidelines for porting the plots to another system of your choice are provided.

"Tongue of Vipers," by Thomas M. Kane: Magi of the players' covenant are invited to the court of the Viscount Stutt von Orstadt, in the Lorraine region of France, at the behest of Lady Claire, a member of the court. When the PCs arrive, they find that their would-be hostess has been accused of attempting to poison the count! Can they find if she's really guilty - or who is responsible - while avoiding suspicion themselves, and winning access to the viscount's treasured, magical Seir Waters?

"The Inheritance," by James P. Buchanan: A companion of aristocratic lineage has been bequeathed a holding of land. When he and his friends journey to it, they find it holds an ancient Roman aqueduct. If they could restore this aqueduct to working condition, drought in their tenants' lands may be alleviated. But there are ancient forces which oppose such meddling...

"Copse of Skulls," by Thomas M. Kane: When a novice sorcerer of the covenant, dispatched as a messenger, disappears, word returns that he unleashed a nameless horror from the wood known as the Copse of Skulls. Now the player characters are dispatched to rectify the situation, and free the sorcerer – if he yet lives. To do so they must face bandits who are not quite human, and the forest's monstrous master – to whom the ancient pagan Celts sacrificed human skulls; as well as challenges of a more subtle character.

"The Ghoul of St. Lazare," by John Nephew: A horribly mutilated body floats downstream to the players' covenant. It is discovered that the pox killed the unfortunate girl - and afterwards someone did this to the corpse. What evil brews upstream? Diabolists, a necromancer, or worse? In the course of their investigations, the characters encounter a bizarre priest, twisted by lies and secrets of the dark past, who has lost much of his hold on reality. What evil fate awaits him and the investigating adventurers?

This is a digitized (scanned and OCR'd) reissue of the first edition of Tales of the Dark Ages, an out-of-print collection of adventures for the 2nd Edition of Ars Magica and the first book ever published by Atlas Games. It requires Ars Magica second edition to play.