Local Actual Play!
Albuquerque gets its own local actual play D&D 5e series on Local Channel 26, YouTube, and Twitch!
Follow the escapades of Lex, Lumi, Ozek, and Atticus--four wayward souls who've somehow stumbled their way into being unlikely threats to the Imperiate, a mysterious governing body of all-powerful magi.
Do they stand and fight? Or do they use the chaos to pursue their own agenda?
Even if by accident, this unlikely cadre may very well reignite the fires of hope and bring about
The Fall of the Imperiate.
The Cast
Natalie as
Lex (Human Paladin)
Natalie has been playing D&D for only about 5 years but loved it immediately. She uses her love of console RPGs, comic books, movies and TV to inform her characters' development, but still ends up somehow playing every character as some part of herself. She's looking forward to playing in the DARC Fall of the Imperiate campaign as well as returning to her first character with Pair-A-Dice Rolls in spring 2026.
Lex Lindlehar was born and raised in Sahn'Tafe to Mary (a human teacher) and George (a human artificer) Lindlehar. Raised under Imperiate rule, she attended private school as a devout follower intending to serve the regime for life. After graduation she attended university, excited to declare an Oath of Devotion—that was until a chance encounter with a mysterious local businessman at the behest of her favorite professor opened her eyes to the truth behind the faith at the center of her identity. Swearing Vengeance, her only path forward is to bring down the Imperiate at any cost.
Max as
Atticus ("Elf" Tiefling Sorcerer)
Max Bode is a lifelong D&D player and has finally escaped his perma-GM cage to join as Atticus Orlock. Max has lived in New Mexico since he was a child and has always emphasized writing and community as two important facets of his identity. He currently works at an elementary school as a community school impact coordinator, and hopes that one day writing and storytelling will be a more permanent part of his professional life.
Atticus Orlock, the cursed and hidden son of the (in)famous Orlock family, known for…well to be honest not many know why the family of socialites is so rich, but they are known for being some of the better magical elven families in the Sahn islands. Atticus, the only tiefling of the family due to the real and very secret reason his family holds so much power, ran off to seek answers to his power and the odd dream he has, and how far the corruption of the empire really went. He’s not used to being outside (without several servants) but makes up for it with incredible charm and even better looks (his words) Oh! And he is followed by his faithful companion, Flicker: an adorable sable who gains more and more dragonlike qualities with each passing day.
Monique as
Lumina (Verdan Bard)
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Found as an orphan, raised by the sea; Lumina lived most of her life as the adopted daughter of Captain Flăcări “Flăc” Soarelui, the captain of the dreaded Burning Fleet. Despite the Fleet's infamy, the tight-knit crew were loving, supportive siblings toward their adoptive sister. Things recently changed when an unknown rival sprung a surprise attack on the Fleet's flagship, kidnapping Capt. Flăc and vanishing into the mists. Lumina set out on her own to search for her father, only to get caught up in an Imperiate sweep, entangling her fate with that of her fellow prisoners.
Nathanial as
Ozek (Dwarf Cleric)
A life-long role-player and storyteller. Nathanial graduated from swinging sticks in the back forty of his family farm, to tabletop RPGs in college and hasn’t stopped since. Always curious to try new characters and stories, he’s played and DMed games in every system he could get his hands on. From D&D 5th and 2nd edition, to Monster of The Week, and even inside of multiplayer computer games. His current favorite system is Pathfinder 2e, and he runs several games through the internet and in person for fellow DARC members and family friends. Since moving to Albuquerque with his boyfriend in the spring of 2020, he has fallen in love with New Mexico and the city he calls home. And spends much of his free time walking or fishing in the bosque, spending time at his local game stores, and searching for the perfect green chili breakfast burrito.
This entire archipelago once belonged to the dwarves of the Sahn Empire. Though long gone, many modern Sahn'diyan dwarves closely identify with that heritage, fueling a zealous crusade to win back their ancient land. Of course, the islands did not go uninhabited in the milenium since the Sahn's absence. This makes the Reclamation movement's job politically difficult. On the island of Sahn'Diya, the Reclamation Forces have waged a particullarly brutal campaign against the drow occupants of the Underlands beneath. It was this campaign where Ozek started his military career, ultimately defecting when he found his hesitancy and compassion incompatiable with the commands of his superiors. Fleeing Sahn'diya, the defector embarked on a new religious pilgrimage of openness and repentence--a pilgrimage that, strangely, found him at odds with the Imperiate forces on the neighboring island.
Anthony as
The GM
A gibbering mass pulsates at the dawn of time.
It extends across eternity; reaching the end.
A single node of this mass touches down into our linear time, taking the form of flesh and assuming conciousness.
Completely Unrelated: Anthony Torretti has been GMing for almost 15 years and is a published author in the TTRPG space. His day job is marketing & production consulting, helping clients execute projects and organize creative teams.
The Lore
Our Stage:
The Sahn Archapelaego
Once dominated by the Sahn Empire, ancient volcanic activity drove off the heavily dwarven civilization long ago. The Sahn Archipelago, still bearing the names and ruins of their forebearers, gradually became settled by disparate peoples over the ensuing century.
Amid struggles for territory between various groups on the central island of Sahn'tafe, a mysterious order of powerful, flying masked magi, known only as the Imperiate, revealed themselves and quickly seized power. Since then, they've ruled the island for almost a millenium.
Despite the Imperiate’s power, they show little interest in conquest beyond the shores of Sahn’tafe, leading to a stable but precarious relationship with the other islands. Some nations conduct business as if Sahn’tafe were any other trading partner, while others watch, wait, and bide their time to make their move.
Fall of the What?
Ruling over the central island of Sahn'tafe for nearly a millenium, the Imperiate is a mysterious, all-powerful order of masked magi who dominate the island nation via their monopolies on higher-level maigc (spells, artifacts, materials, etc.), natural resources, and food staples.
On any given day, their ranks can be seen hovering in silent observation over the island's major settlements and rapidly flying over the wilderness. Beyond this presence, they show little interest in day-to-day governence, pawning such duties off to the less-magically-inclinded Magistrate that operates out of the capital city of Castihill.
--
"Unlike most regimes I've seen in my travels, the Imperiate demands neither nationalistic zeal, theocratic piety, nor fascistic group affinity. Such things are tools to acquire and maintain state power, But what if the state has already acquired it and is confident in its ability to hold?"
"What's more terrifying than a regime cracking down on dissent, education, and worship? A regime that allows them to flourish due to them posing no threat whatsoever to their absolute power."
- Prof. Andris Desmond, Political Science, University of Castihill, 912 IA