Thursday, December 14, 2006

Welcome to the Iron Kingdoms

Have you never been here before? Then it is my honor to introduce you.

This is Caen, a world that plays host to three moons and several gods. This is Western Immoren, a great continent stretching off to the east beyond unnavigable mountains and wastelands. This is the Iron Kingdoms, a handful of nations built on the backs of steam-powered sorcery and dark and ancient history.



The nations are thus:

Cygnar, jewel of human civilization, rests in the southwest of the mainland. Claiming many great and noble cities, including some that predate the Iron Kingdoms themselves, Cygnar is ruled over by a just and pious king. Not so very long ago, however, this kingdom lay under a black cloud, in the form of the king's brother who usurped the throne and ruled by fear and an iron fist. The magnificent walled city of Caspia is Cygnar's capital, standing bravely at the mouth of the Black River.

The Protectorate of Menoth is a kingdom forged of faith. The ancient god Menoth is the creator of humankind and the giver of law, but his faith is not a kind one nor easy to follow. As more friendly gods arose, his followers grew tired of persecution and fled to this land they were given to call their own, but the peaceful early dreams of men have hardened and grown an edge. Now ruled by a fanatical monk-priest, the Protectorate has become a nation to fear. The Protectorate's capital, Imer, stands isolate, landlocked and defensible, ready for the day when she must protect her people...or return the rest of Immoren to the fold.

Ord is a rugged land that makes its living on trade, and is justly famed for its Royal Navy. Her people are rough and ready types, ruled over by a king wise in both statecraft and...more subversive occupations. Ord's capital is the city of Merin, but the true heart of the kingdom is the great free port of Five Fingers, rumored to be more beloved of Ord's scoundrel-hearted king than the city where his throne sits.

Llael is a proud but poor land that depends mostly on inland trade. Still, its people can boast a rich heritage and strong hearts. Allied with Cygnar, that nation's protection is the only reason Llael remains intact, as the last king died without an heir and the government at present is tied up in knots.

Bordering the mountains to the north, Khador is an unconquerable land of ice and stone, whose people mirror their home--warriors every one, down to the bone. Khador's rulers have always nursed dreams of empire, intermittently challenging their neighbors to that end. Their queen rules from the centrally-located city of Korsk.

Those five--Cygnar, the Protectorate, Ord, Llael, and Khador--are the Iron Kingdoms, but they are not the only kingdoms to be found in Western Immoren. The others, however, are not so human.

The mountain kingdom of Rhul is the territory of the Dwarves. A bastion of stability and tradition, Rhul traces its history back further than any other civilization in the region. The Dwarves prefer to keep themselves to themselves, but trade happily with the human realms, producing some of the finest craftsmanship known. The smiths of Rhul hold close certain secrets of metalworking, and a few goods coveted by humans, such as the magic-channeling magelock gun, can only be gotten from the master forgers of the Dwarves.

The Elven land of Ios is mysterious and isolate. Standoffish in the extreme, exceedingly few beings of other races have ever even seen the Elven lands, and few enough Elves care to venture out among humans. Beings of greatest enigma and rumor, the Iosans are known mainly to be chaotic, dangerous, and xenophobic.

The Nightmare Realm of Cryx is a land of ancient horrors, ruled by a council of Lich Lords in the name of their creator Toruk--Lord of Wyrms, eldest of dragons and God-King of Cryx. The Dragonfather is worshipped as a god in these isles, and indeed his priests show themselves able to wield magic in his name. The best that can be said of Cryx is that it is a place of barbarism and unfettered chaos. The humans that live in this place are twisted and degenerate with the taint of the Dragonlord's evil, and death proves no great obstacle to service in this kingdom.

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