"Once upon a time...

...a child saved the world of fairytales. His reward was a wish. The One who Plots in the Shadows saw an opportunity to tarnish the child's heart, whispering to him a corrupted idea. The child asked the King of Fairytales that the Villains, accursed for centuries, be granted a new life. This was to be their chance for redemption. This was how the Villains became good. But any light needs a shadow, and in turn, the Heroes became evil. At that moment, all fairytales were shattered."

Broken Tales is set in Europe in the 1700s, where shattered fairy tales have come to life as Broken Tales, inhuman and powerful beings with the potential for great good or great evil. While some wish nothing more than to be left alone in wilder places not yet claimed by humans, others seek to do harm to those they encounter. Seeing this danger the Church created the Order, an organization dedicated to investigating, capturing or, when necessary, dispatching Broken Tales. The Order is tasked with protecting the people who in most cases are unaware of the dangers facing them and what is truly possible.

And if it takes a thief to catch a thief, perhaps it takes a tale to understand one. The Order has done what they can, whether through attractive offers or barely veiled threats, to gain the cooperation of Broken Tales that will work with them. Designated as Hunters, these agents are sent to investigate reports of truly unexplainable happenings, and deal with them as best they can.

The story so far...

Red Hood Iskra:

James the Swordsman (SPG), The Astonishing Pied Piper Without a Name (Ghost) and Baba Yaga (Shadow) are sent to the village of Durfort at the request of its baron. Mysterious beasts are terrorizing the citizens and Baron Dubois insists the creatures are "something that moves outside the grace of God." The Hunters must investigate and determine who the true monsters are.

Of Flesh and Wood:

James, Piper and Baba Yaga are sent to Sinalunga, a small town in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Ten mutilated corpses have been discovered in a well outside of town, and residents fear there may be a connection to terror from centuries past when a woman of the town was burned at the stake for witchcraft. When lies and truth become tangled like the strings of a marionette, will they be able to discover what is really going on in this little town?

Wonderbedlam:

The Hunters are asked to discreetly investigate the possible disappearance of a young noblewoman. Alissa, daughter of the Duke of Norfolk, was taken to taken to the most renowned asylum in all of England, a mysterious facility called Wonder, where her parents hoped for a swift cure to what they described as a rebellious attitude. Alissa's letters gradually became more frightened and delusional, speaking about a strange evil in the place, until they stopped completely. What secrets lie in hidden in the bedlam of Wonder?

A Soldier's Duty:

The Riksråd, the great council of the Kingdom of Sweden, sent a request to the papacy who in turn have sent the Hunters to investigate disturbing reports of an invincible monster eliminating the remaining members of a military company. Only six had survived the war between Sweden and Russia, and this creature seems determined to slaughter all those that remain. Two have already fallen to it, and the remaining men have barricaded themselves in the home of their former commander, Andersen. It is up to the Hunters of the Order to discover the truth behind this monster and its deadly mission.

The Smile in the Darkness:

Those who live in the slums of Paris are living in fear, the fear of fire. Strange fires have been started, and have taken multiple lives already. At first they were blamed on radicals, dissatisfied with the monarchy, but as most of the victims are the poor and destitute who inhabit the slums beneath the city, the Order has taken an interest as they suspect there could be a different motivation. Father Adrien, a priest in the city, has reported talk of strange entities in the catacombs, of whispers of eerie laughter and glimpses of dark presences. Can the Hunters find the cause before Paris burns?

Tuvstarr's Reflection:

A very different kind of story, the Hunter's find themselves within a dream. Or is that all it is? A mysterious storyteller, a missing princess, and a kingdom under a curse. The knights who have been sent after the missing princess have never returned, but perhaps the Hunter's will have better luck?

We were lucky enough to be able to collaborate with The World Anvil Publishing on recorded playthroughs of two scenarios from expansions to Broken Tales! You can listen to our recordings of A Mother's Heart and Nikola's Pledge on The World Anvil Publishing's YouTube channel!