Oath is a great game and the one of the things I love the most about it is the way how it makes it easy to understand the emerging storyline from the interaction between rules, cards and player decisions.
This is a fleshed out version of the story that emerged from the notes I took during the game plugged into ChatGPT and then edited by me.
the world is an expansive and well known land, although half of it is run by independent bandit groups
The chancellor is very inclined towards the arcane arts and erects a wizarding school in the cradle. This place continuously pushes the bounds of knowledge and give the empire an upperhand in knowing the secrets of the world
Blue exile has an advisor with a powerful gift of clairvoyance. This allows him to steal the secrets of other easily and he quickly rivals the knowledge of the imperium
Yellow exile starts building a strong foothold in the hinterlands after expelling the bandits from the Salt Flats
Red tries to flee from the harassment of Blue, but in vain and almost all the secrets that his elders pass onto him are stolen.
The chancellor develops the civilized parts of the imperium with great care, but leaves the farther provinces to the mercy of squabbling exiled warlords
Yellow finds a secret entrance to the Hidden Place and annexes it to their territory. Magic flourishes in that place and quickly a alchemists and Trader’s Fair settles in that place, away from prying eyes
Red, in an attempt to dissuade Blue in their thievery, claims the banner of the darkest secret and hides among his Scryers in the Mines.
In a turn of Fate, Red also is struck by a Vision of Fate and garners support from the miners.
Simultaneously, Blue is struck by a Vision of Rebellion after being banished to the Bandit Mountains by yellow. They quickly cash in favors for their secrets and claim the banner of the People’s Favor.
Although seeing yellow slowly gain power and territories every passing day, the Chancellor knows that yellow cannot leave Red be, lest all their amassed power would have been in vain. In a brilliant political move, they leave the Religious Visionarie to be dealt with by yellow. The chancellor gathers all his troops and sets to the Mountains. Under the overwhelming assault, Blue’s Favor among the populace vanishes and the mob is now on the side of the imperium.
Blue flees to the capitol in hopes of garnering support there while the Chancellor tries to return from the Hinterlands
Yellow sees no option but to invade the Mines and steal the darkest secret from the cult formed by red, also anexxing the Mines to their territories in the process.
Red does not give in and is able to recover the darkest secret, although he sees that the belief in him as the Messiah is fleeting. They leave the Mine’s underground tunnels and caves to the Salt Flats in a desperate move to find unexplored riches.
While returning from the mountains, with the mob dispersing on the way, the Chancellor stumbles upon the entrance to the hidden place. Although the army is tired, nomadic horse archers with an old relationship with the Chancellor aid in the battle and the Hidden Place is conquered.
Yellow once again defeats Red, showing the misguided views of his Religion. A new following starts forming behind Yellow, as people seem to think he leads an undefeatable army, having never lost in a direct confrontation. Rumors start to spread of dark magic resurrected soldiers and hypnotic rythms that draw people into their cause.
Red, humiliated, returns to the Mines and, derp within the caves, discovers that true believers still had Faith in their vision. An explosive amount of support is shown when Fire Talkers join Red in his mission, granting much more credibility to his claim.
Blue, at the capitol on a vendetta against the imperium, walks through the Wayside Inn and even in the Empire’s Garrison, fanning the flames of rebellion. An Insurgent group names Blue their leader and declares war against the capital. The Ancient City watches in awe as the group takes to the palace. The people’s Favor is clearly with them as they stroll through the inner city and take the palace.
The Chancellor sees the revolution happen from the Rocky Coast nearby and, knowing that his conquests and victories in the farlands will recapture the hearts and minds of the population, waltz in the city bringing the loot and rewards of the campaign. The masses, easily swayed by this display of force, lose interest in the ideology if the revolution and insurgets are delat with without much of a fuss.
After dealing with the insurrection, the chancellor pays a visit to the Rocky coast once again. There, they find out that a Roving Terror has appeared, and cuts a deal to make it travel to the Salt Flats, in order to weaken Yellow grip on the region.
Faith radiates from the cave. This world will crumble and a new world will rise anew, one of coal and salt. This is what Red preaches to his followers, deep within the Mines. “My path was set from the beginning! A Small Favor gave me the strength to stand up to this wretched world, and only through the trials of loss and persecution could I see what this world needed. It needs fire.” More and more followers, pilgrims and believers gather in the Mines, their tunnels offering refuge to all who adopt the dogmas.
Yellow sees the exponential rise of Red’s influence and once again, marches to dispel the blind mass behind their messiah. It was a massacre. No one had ever beaten yellow and their immortal army in direct conflict. No one, before Red. The incendiary ideas of a new world forged from the depths of despair gave strength to the believers. The narrow entrances and claustrophobic tunnels in the mines were the perfect defensive infrastructure for the fire talkers and their beasts of flame. Ashes and charred remains were all what was left from the unbeaten army of yellow.
The Prophecy was fulfilled. While insurrection and revolution rattled the empire, a flame grew from within the depths of the Mines. It was stifled and harassed. But all that did was fan the fire of faith and the fervor of passion.
At the end of the clash, alone, Yellow waited for his execution at the hands of the cult. However, Red extended their hand, Yellow would not be punished for they were also an integral part of the story, for there can be no persecuted without a persecutor. Yellow took a knee and, without choice, agreed to take part in this new world, as forever a reminder of the undeniable triumph of Faith over those who persecute it.
The time passed and the Empire fell. As they always do. Some say it was due to the insurgent movements happening all around the land, some say it was because the government stretched itself too thin to deal with new problems that arose. What is known is that in a short span of time, the ancient city became irrelevant as people flocked to the Salt Flats and the Mine, searching for the one that spoke of renewal, of resilience. In time, the palace at the ancient city could not contain the clamor of the masses any longer and, failing to adhere to the winds of change, the empire fell.
A new government was established at the Mine and in the Salt Flats, and the new chancellor swore an Oath of devotion to their people. Thus began the era of Flame.
The land was divided. While half of it thrived under a structured dominion, the other half was at the mercy of independent factions of bandits. The Chancellor, always a patron of the arcane arts, founded a great school of magic in the Capital, a beacon of knowledge that gave the empire an unmatched advantage in discovering the world’s deepest secrets.
However, knowledge was not the Chancellor’s monopoly. In exile, a cunning leader in blue robes, guided by a seer of immense clairvoyant power, accumulated stolen secrets, rising quickly to rival the wisdom of the Empire. Meanwhile, the exiled warrior Yellow raised a stronghold in the Remote Lands, driving the bandits from the Salt Plains and laying the foundations of a new power. In contrast, Red, besieged by Blue’s relentless pursuit, saw the wisdom of its elders stolen, their legacy slipping through their fingers.
The Chancellor ruled the empire with diligence, but allowed the peripheral provinces to fall into chaos. Yellow’s expansion continued with the annexation of the Hidden Place, a refuge for alchemy and trade, while Red, desperate to escape Blue’s pursuit, took the Banner of the Darkest Secret and sought refuge among the seers in the Mines. And, in a twist of fate, Red was struck by a Vision of Faith, and the miners joined their cause. At the same time, Blue, banished to the Bandit Mountains by Yellow, had a Vision of Rebellion. With the accumulated knowledge, Blue traded favors and claimed the Banner of Popular Favor, becoming the voice of the discontented.
Despite Yellow’s growing power, the Chancellor saw a greater threat in Blue’s rise. In a masterful political maneuver, he left the religious fervor of Red for Yellow to handle and instead gathered his forces for a crushing attack on the Mountains. The battle was quick and relentless—the favor of Blue among the people unraveled, their influence in ruins. Fleeing to the capital, Blue sought to reignite support as the Chancellor, triumphant but exhausted, returned home.
Meanwhile, Yellow’s conquest of the Mines allowed him to seize the Darkest Secret from Red’s cultists. However, Red did not give up so easily. He recovered his sacred banner and, realizing the fleeting nature of his followers' faith, set off for the Salt Plains in search of untapped riches. The Chancellor’s march back from the Mountains led to an unexpected discovery—the entrance to the Hidden Place. Although his army was weary, nomadic archers, old allies of the empire, joined his cause, and the Hidden Place fell under imperial control.
Even after losing control of the Hidden Place, Yellow’s victories continued. In a crushing demonstration of power, he suppressed the growing faith of Red, further solidifying his reputation as an invincible force. Whispers of black magic and hypnotic rhythms spread, rumors of an immortal, resurrected army that bent all to its will. Yet, deep within the Mines, true believers still resisted. The Fire Speakers, prophets of the flames, joined Red’s cause, their conviction renewing their right to claim.
In the capital, Blue did not remain idle. Walking through the Roadside Inn and the Imperial Garrison, he stoked the flames of rebellion. An insurgent faction arose, naming him their leader, and in the heart of the empire, the people cried out for change. The Ancient City watched as Blue’s forces tried to invade the palace, with the people’s favor on his side.
But the Chancellor was no stranger to political tides. From the Rocky Coast, he watched the revolution unfold, knowing that his victories in distant lands could change the hearts of the people once more. Parading the spoils of war through the streets, he won over the masses, and Blue’s rebellion crumbled. The insurgents were eliminated, their movement dispersing like dust in the wind.
Having crushed the rebellion, the Chancellor returned to the Rocky Coast, where he encountered a Wandering Terror. Closing a deal, he sent the beast to the Salt Plains, the focal point of Yellow’s sphere of influence, hoping to weaken his domain. Meanwhile, Red’s faith burned stronger than ever. Deep within the Mines, he preached a new world—of coal and salt, of fire and renewal. Pilgrims and believers gathered in masses, seeking refuge in the labyrinthine tunnels, ready to forge their own destiny.
But faith alone would not protect them. Yellow, seeing Red’s rise, marched once again to extinguish the flame. This time, the result was different. No one had ever defeated Yellow in direct combat. No one, before Red in the Mines. The narrow tunnels became a furnace of resistance. The Fire Speakers and their fiery beasts turned the underground into a blazing hell. When the battle ended, only ashes and charred remains were left of Yellow’s once-invincible army.
The prophecy was fulfilled. As insurrection and revolution shook the empire, faith grew in the depths of the earth, forged in persecution and loss.
Alone, defeated, Yellow awaited his execution. However, Red, triumphant, extended his hand. Yellow was not to be punished— for there can be no persecuted without a persecutor. With no other choice, Yellow knelt, accepting his fate as a living witness to the undeniable triumph of faith over oppression.
And so, the empire fell. Whether due to insurrection or the inability to control the changing tides, its reign came to an end. The Ancient City, once the heart of the world, was abandoned as the masses moved to the Salt Plains and the Mines, seeking the one who spoke of renewal.
The palace, once a symbol of unshakable power, crumbled under the inexorable weight of history. In its place, a new order arose. A chancellor, chosen not by lineage, but by devotion...Thus began the era of the Flame.
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