Smith
Legendary Pubber
- Joined
- May 3, 2019
- Messages
- 984
- Reaction score
- 1,386
Sign up thread: here.
OUR TRUTHS
THE OLD WORLD
I think once we come to an agreement on world and characters I could create an OOC thread to collate it all in one place, but here's some choice bits from the book (starting on page 111):
WELCOME TO THE IRONLANDS
The Ironlands is a vast peninsula in the northern ocean. The people who now refer to themselves as Ironlanders settled here two generations ago, cast out of their homelands by a catastrophic event. Since that time, they have survived but not prospered. The Ironlands are a harsh, dangerous place. The winters are long and brutal. Harvests are uncertain. Depending on the choices you make as you create your version of the Ironlands, monstrous beasts and dreaded horrors may be a constant threat.
OUR TRUTHS
THE OLD WORLD
- Terrible magic and necromancy spoiled the lands, our ancestors rebelled against the power that unleashed it but it became more than just magic vile folk used - the very land was soiled with decay and desolation of their powers. We cast our fate to the sea and found the Ironlands. A new world. A fresh start.
- The weather is bleak. Rain and wind sweep in from the ocean. The winters are long and bitter. One of the first settlers complained, “Only those made of iron dare live in this foul place”—and thus our land was named.
- Inscrutable metal pillars are found throughout the land. They are iron gray, and smooth as river stone. No one knows their purpose. Some say they are as old as the world. Some, such as the Iron Priests, worship them and swear vows upon them. Most make the warding sign and hurry along their way when they happen across one. The pillars do not tarnish, and even the sharpest blade cannot mark them. Some folk have a superstition that the presence of the metallic obelisks is what causes the dead to not rest in this land.
- Before the Ironlanders, before even the firstborn, another people lived here. Their ancient ruins are found throughout the Ironlands. Rumours that the precursor peoples who resided here and left their stone ruins tried to cheat death and were cursed by the gods of the land to roam the night endlessly. The fears of our old world plague many commonfolk even here.
- We live in communities called circles. These are settlements ranging in size from a steading with a few families to a village of several hundred. Some circles belong to nomadic folk. Some powerful circles might include a cluster of settlements. We trade (and sometimes feud) with other circles.
- Leadership is as varied as the people. Some communities are governed by the head of a powerful family. Or, they have a council of elders who make decisions and settle disputes. In others, the priests hold sway. For some, it is duels in the circle that decide. There are some collectives of settlements ruled under single chieftains who are vying for total control.
- The wardens are our soldiers, guards, and militia. They serve their communities by standing sentry, patrolling surrounding lands, and organizing defenses in times of crisis. Most have strong ties to their community. Others, called free wardens, are wandering mercenaries who hire on to serve a community or protect caravans.
- Magic is rare and dangerous, but those few who wield the power are truly gifted. Given our collective history with the abuse of magic, those who use and wield are both feared and reviled by many superstitious folk.
- The people honor old gods and new. In this harsh land, a prayer is a simple but powerful comfort.
- The firstborn live in isolation and are fiercely protective of their own lands. They are so rarely seen or interacted with, that at the heart of our circles many believe that tales of the firstborn are just rumours and myths.
- Monstrous beasts stalk the wild areas of the Ironlands.
- We are wary of dark forests and deep waterways, for monsters lurk in those places. In the depths of the long-night, when all is wreathed in darkness, only fools venture beyond their homes.
- The dead do not rest in the Ironlands. At night we light torches, scatter salt, and post sentries at the gate. It is not enough. They are coming.