Story

The story of each Fate game is narrated with accompanying text scroll and pictures following character creation.

Fate
Since oldest living memory, the Dungeon Gate has stood in the heart of the Old Wood. Its doorway leads to infinite possibility, to subterranean lands fabled in stories and myths. Many adventurers have passed over that ancient threshold - some to find fame, glory, and wealth beyond telling, and others never to return.

The town of Grove has ever been the safe haven at the Dungeon's mouth - a watering hole and resting place for weary adventurers. Here great tales are told by the Inn's fire. Journeys are planned, and legacies are made. Minstrels sing of the great feats of heroes long gone, and statues ring the square, a testament to their deeds.

After traveling many hard and dusty days, you and your faithful companion arrive at last in the fabled forest town, which waits beneath the long shadow of the Gate.

Within these walls lies the path to infinite adventure. It is here that you will test your worth, and perhaps find fortune and glory along the way. It is here that you will determine your Fate...

Fate: Undiscovered Realms
Battle-worn and weary, you emerge from the dungeon depths, triumphant. Your heroic courage has won freedom for the town of Grove, prying its people from the clutches of the Dungeon's manxome scourge.

As you feast upon the generous bounty brought forth by grateful townsfolk, the appearance of a mysterious stranger casts a shadow across the festivities.

The Stranger, a withered old man hunched over his gnarled cane, speaks cryptically of new evil to befall Grove, of ancient secrets locked within a temple, buried deep inside the dungeon's catacombs - of gateways to Undiscovered Realms.

He weaves enchanting tales of the wealth and glory to be found in these mysterious realms: Druantia, the land of verdant forests; Typhon, with cities of ice long-since fallen from the clouds; Aquatis, where murky waters entomb lost souls; and Prometheus, a world of cracked earth and flaming towers. Finally he speaks of Khaos, the realm of eternal turmoil.

Of the temple's secrets, he divulges only the greatest: hidden within is an ancient tome- The Book of Fate, which maintains the balance between these realms. Within its pages lies the key to Grove's salvation.

The townsfolk look to you, their new champion, to take up this perilous quest and guide the stranger through the dungeon in search of the ancient temple. You must protect the town from these foreboding prophecies, you must once again step boldly across the threshold of that ancient dungeon gate in search of your true Fate. The Stranger leads you into the bowels of the Dungeon, through endless passages and twisting corridors.

He cowers in the shadows while you dispatch denizens of the dark, clearing the way for your urgent quest.

At long last, the stranger calls for you to "Halt".

Great foreboding fills your heart as he intones a guttural chant: glowing light fills his eyes while his body thrashes and gesticulates wildly in an eldritch trance...

This is no mere old man.

The chamber shudders, great cracks forming in the moldy dungeon walls. Amid a cloud of dust, rubble, and fetid fumes, turrets and statues of lost heroes thrust violently into the chamber. With a final heave, the chaos reveals the cyclopean gates of a hidden temple as described by the stranger. "Behold" he mutters breathlessly, "The Temple of Fate."

The Temple walls are lined with majestic statues of the fabled guardian gatekeepers of the Realms. In the center of the room an altar glows incandescently, bearing the mighty volume, "The Book of Fate".

Staring intently at each page you search for the answers to Grove's deliverance, but the arcane text reveals something more ominous. This book holds powers beyond those the stranger's tales led you to believe. Locked within its covers lies the key to the Undiscovered Realms, protecting them from the evil forces that would bring corruption and devastation. You realize now that by uncovering this temple, you have committed a grave error.

"At last, I will rule the Realms!" you hear the Stranger cackle before blackness engulfs you following a mighty, crackling, concussive blast. Treachery! You find yourself alone, lying prostrate on the cold temple floor. The fabled book is missing.

All that remains are two whirling portals torn open by the Stranger's fell magic.

Gateways to realms unseen for countless eons are open in front of you.

A lush green glow emits from one, no doubt leasing to the long-lost forest realm of Druantia.

Witheringly cold gales waft from the other. Surely this is the path to Typhon and its mysterious snowy ruins.

The Temple's guardian statues glare disdainfully down at you. What evil have you foolishly released upon these noble creatures' domain.

You now know what must be done. Rise up as a hero and step forth into the Undiscovered Realms, defeat the great evil you have unleashed, and bring back the Book of Fate.

Fate: The Traitor Soul
Your armor clatters on stone as you sit on the temple floor, tired but exhilarated at your fresh victory. Under the grime and soot that coats your skin and armor few would recognize the youth who set off in search of adventure through the Dungeon Gate. Truly, you could no longer be called a youth, not after your time venturing into the darkness - your steel gaze speaks to the darkness that has followed you back.

And so, when the Traveler arrives, speaking of a test within the Temple of Fate, available to only the most dedicated of champions, you stand, confident that whatever spoils lie beyond the swirling portal will soon be yours. You are the hero of Grove, the Guardian of Fate - evil trembles at your every step. It does not occur to you to question the motives of the snake-haired Traveler, weaving tales of a Chamber of Trials in which to prove your mettle. It is only natural that such a test would come to one as accomplished as you. So it is with confidence that you step forward, ready to face the challenges ahead.

You are not the only traveler drawn to the beckoning void of the portal - you are joined at the nether gate by three strangers... an Orcish warrior, seeking to claim his warrior heritage; an envoy from the ornate fortresses of the Shadow Elves, hungry for the powers of the arcane; and a Cogger engineer, red-faced from the volcanic forges, hunting for remnants of the lost sciences. The portal is dark, reflective, and as you approach the chill breeze issuing forth gives you pause. Your actions are mirrored by the image on the other side, but... the eyes. The eyes have a malice you have known only in the heat of battle, a cruel stare you recognize but have resisted at every turn. Your companions, too, see the shadows that lie beyond. They have their own threats to face; their inner savagery, fiercest greed, and deepest obsession. You advance through the portal together, though you must face the shadows alone - what lies beyond is no common threat, no clear villain. The darkness you face is your own.

Fate: The Cursed King
There is a crumbling well near the edge of town where traveling merchants make their camps. As a child, you sat among them, enthralled by their songs and stories of noble heroes from far-away lands. These tales of great warriors and still greater deeds filled your heart with fire, and after every story, you resolved that the Champion of Grove would someday hear tales about you.

Now, eager for adventure and the chance to hone your skills, you have strayed far from the safety of city walls. Seeking shade and cool water, you spot a narrow opening in the rock face, where a recent tremor has exposed a small cave. Upon entering the gloom, a faint glimmer draws you deeper down the passage. Your eyes adjust to reveal a very large, old chest--there are glyphs upon the side, but you cannot make them out.

Curious, you push against the heavy lid. At a handswidth open, the skin on your arms prickles in warning, but only when the lid crashes to the ground do you realize the gravity of your mistake; you have unsealed a tomb. A pale green vapor billows up to engulf you, and within seconds the mists coalesce into a familiar shape--once a man, perhaps, now twisted and evil beyond your imagining.

Stories of heroes are never without villains, but the evil of T'Kala is described only in whispers. A necromantic priest, power-hungry and cruel, he was executed by the King when his treachery was discovered. The spirit does not speak, but a single thought fills the void... vengeance. Then, with little more than a low, rumbling groan, T'Kala is gone. Recovering your senses, you race from the cave. You must warn the town--you must warn the King. Moments later, a deafening explosion rips through the air.

Your home--the once proud, beautiful city of Ekbatan--lies in ruins. Enormous black rocks, disgorged from the earth, have smashed through walls and set fire to shops. Shining white columns have snapped like fresh reeds, their golden caps crushed against the rubble. The air is thick with dust and smoke, and worse still, it vibrates with a strange, sawing buzz... locusts, horrible and devouring.

The focus of T'Kala's wrath must be the King. Find him, and his advisors, and you will find a way to right this wrong. You must stop T'Kala and break the curse. For the Hero of Ekbatan, there is no other fate.