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Worldbuilding for writers and GMs. Characters, maps, lore, timelines — all stored as plain Markdown files on your machine. No account. No cloud.

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Stories & Library · The Fall of Ashveil

The Fall of Ashveil

It began not with fire, but with silence. The outer watchtowers, usually bustling with the chaotic noise of shift-changes, stood completely still against the twilight.

Elowen traced the edge of the parapet, her fingers coming away slick with frost. "They're already here," she whispered.

DM Note

If the players failed the perception check in the courtyard, the ambush triggers immediately after Elowen speaks.

Below in the courtyard, shadows detached themselves from the walls. Not men, but silhouettes that drank the dying light.

Characters · Elowen Ashveil
Elowen Ashveil
Protagonist
Age
28
Race
Half-Elven
Origin
Ashveil Keep
Faction
The Dawnwatch
Biography
Relationships
Caius Morn
Seraphel
Thalos Ryn
Timeline · The Shattered Realms
Year 412 — Age of Sundering
The First Fracture
The Ashveil Accord collapses. Three kingdoms splinter into seven factions.
Year 445 — Age of Silence
The Mage Purge
Caius Morn orders all unlicensed arcane practice outlawed across the northern reaches.
Year 471 — Present
The Dawnwatch Forms
Elowen Ashveil unites the scattered remnants of the old order.
Add event…
11
Entity types
.md
Plain Markdown files
0
Accounts required
Free
Always, forever

Your stories belong to you — not a server, not a subscription, not a company. Realm Lore keeps your worlds on your machine, in plain text, forever.

Features

Everything your world needs.

From sprawling character networks to timelines — every tool runs locally, in files you own outright.

Plain Markdown files
Everything saves as .md files in a folder you choose. No vendor lock-in, ever.
Obsidian compatible
Open your worlds folder directly in Obsidian, VS Code, or any Markdown editor — it's just files on disk.
Characters & Lore
Rich wiki pages for characters, factions, creatures, and races — with custom fields and cross-linking.
Timelines
Visualize your world's history on a scrollable timeline. Custom epochs, events, and eras.
No account needed
No sign-up. No email. No subscription. Download, open, and start building — free forever.
Stories & Library
Write and organize in-world stories, books, and lore documents within a distraction-free editor.
How it works

Up and running in minutes.

Native macOS app or self-hosted in your browser — pick whatever fits your workflow.

I
Choose your version
Download the macOS app for the cleanest experience, or self-host in the browser if you prefer full control.
II
Install
Open the DMG and drag to Applications — or run npm install && npm run dev in the repo folder.
III
Start building
Create a world, name it, and start adding characters, locations, and lore. Files save instantly.
Get Realm Lore

Two ways to run it.

Pick the version that fits how you work. Both are free, open-source, and store your data as plain Markdown files.

macOS App
Native Mac App
A dedicated desktop app with auto-updates, native macOS menus, and no terminal required. Just download, install, and open.
Apple Silicon (arm64) Intel (x64)
Download for macOS
Free · macOS 12+ · Auto-updates built in
Self-hosted
Run in Your Browser
Clone the repo, run a local dev server, and open Realm Lore in any browser. Works on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
1
Clone or download from GitHub
2
Run npm install in the project folder
3
Start with npm run dev — opens at localhost:5180
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Requires Node.js 18+ · macOS, Windows, Linux

Free and open source

Realm Lore is MIT licensed. Read the code, fork it, contribute — it's yours. All worlds data is plain Markdown so you can always move to another tool.

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FAQ

Common questions.

Yes. Realm Lore is MIT licensed and free to download, use, and modify indefinitely. There's no paid tier, no trial period, and no features locked behind a paywall. Ever.
Everything is saved as plain .md files in a folder on your own machine. Nothing is sent to any server. You can open, edit, back up, or move your files with any tool you like.
Completely. The native macOS app requires no internet connection at all. The self-hosted version runs a local server on your machine — same story, no cloud required.
Yes. Because everything is plain Markdown, you can open your worlds folder directly in Obsidian, VS Code, or any text editor. Realm Lore and other tools coexist on the same files without conflict.
The native app is currently macOS only. The self-hosted version (clone the repo and run npm run dev) works on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Start building your world.

Free, local, and yours. No account, no subscription, no strings.

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