04 — The Warden's Desk
The Road That Cracked Open
The lore of the Overpath, from the opening crawl to the Warden who hates being kept waiting — and the Deep that goes down forever.
The road between worlds cracked open. Nobody has claimed responsibility. Nobody ever does.
— Overpath, opening crawl
Everything on the Overpath wants you dead — politely, professionally. The toll is paid in gold or blood, and the management is flexible. The enemy's cards are played by the Collector's claw itself, a hand that reaches over the table like it owns the game. It does. Everything that fell out of the road owes a debt, and every one of the five heroes is walking the road to settle one: a bridge owed thirty years, a fire loan with compound interest, a wolf pack's simple ledger, graves that will not stay closed, and a promise to be back for supper.
Beneath the road, the Deep descends chamber by chamber, darker and meaner, through crystal caves and into Hell itself — past the Ash Warden, Dreadhorn, and a bestiary with names like Choir of Teeth, Null Widow and the Unmade Knight. Finish the campaign and your winning deck becomes a champion on the Open Road: duel other travellers' decks, climb the ladder, strike the community raid boss together, and spend rift marks at the Black Market. Walk on, traveller. The Warden hates being kept waiting.