The Founder's Tale
Look, I'm not gonna feed you some polished corporate story about how this all came together. Truth is, back in 2018, I was just another burned-out personal trainer working at a chain gym, watching people drag themselves through the same boring routines day after day. The spark was gone, y'know?
One night, I'm sitting with my D&D group - yeah, I'm that kind of nerd - and it hits me. Why do people show up every week for a fantasy game but can't stick with their fitness goals? Because quests are exciting. Because leveling up feels amazing. Because being part of a guild actually means something.
Marcus "The Chronicler" Thorne
Founder & Head Quest Master
"I wanted to build something that made people excited to train, not just another place to count reps."
So I started small - ran a few "quest-based" training sessions with some friends. We tracked progress like character stats, celebrated PRs like boss defeats, and suddenly people who'd never stuck with a program were showing up religiously. They weren't just working out anymore - they were on a journey.
Fast forward to 2020, and I maxed out my credit cards, convinced three other trainers who got the vision, and we opened the doors to Astryngal Chronicles. Named it after the fantasy world I'd been building in my head since I was a kid. People thought we were crazy. Maybe we were.
But here's what happened - folks started getting real results. Not because we had magic equipment or some secret formula, but because they actually wanted to be here. They'd text their guild members to make sure everyone showed up. They'd push through tough sessions because they were working toward their next "level up." The community built itself.
Now it's 2025, and we've got over 300 active members, a team of incredible trainers, and people flying in from across BC just to experience what we've built. Still feels surreal sometimes.
