Thursday, December 28, 2006

Interlude in Corvis: the case of the Elven serial killer

Back in Corvis, our noble protagonists planned to indulge in some well-earned rest...but it was not to be.

The paladin, Camilla, chased away a mysterious elf after he spooked the children at the church. The priestess Alicia had been teaching them about Morrow's love, and how each of them was special, and for some reason this fascinated the elf, who frightened Alicia's class. Not long after that, our heroes encountered the elf who'd assisted them on the train to Caspia. Introducing himself as Shas Menellyth, the Iosan said that he was in town looking for someone.

A few days later, Prelate Dumas and Captain Hellstrom of the City Watch informed them that several children had been murdered in the city. Shortly after, Shas hunted them up again to ask for their help in find the one he was looking for, saying he didn't know the city well enough to do it alone. They learned from him that the murders were quite likely committed by the elf he'd come to find.

They followed the elf's trail across the city, finally tracking him down at the market, where he was attempting to kidnap a child with some drugged sweet buns. Shas jumped the killer and fought him down, but an altercation began when he attempted to take the blackguard away. The City Guard wanted to handle the renegade themselves, but the elves insisted that they would deal with their own. Eventually, the Guard accepted their promises to punish their rogue accordingly. Shas would say little about what was wrong with the individual, but he did tell them that it was a form of madness that occasionally strikes elves, a nihilistic insanity where the elf believed he was doing the children a kindness, "saving" them from the pain of life or some such thing.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

The Orgoth Mystery Unfolds - soul cage the first

After gaining the additional funding for the dig, Grigori and his escort returned to the archaeological site, to find that something had gone wrong. Men who'd gone down into the newly opened ruins had not come back out. Our intrepid adventurers rose to the challenge, entering the long-abandoned complex to confront its mouldering horrors. They found the missing men chained to sacrificial tables where they'd been tortured to death, and later, the monstrosity that had done the deed--a Cephalyx, a repulsive beastie able to twist wills and turn people into mind-slaves.

Not only that, but they discovered the thing to be allied with the Infernal they had met once before. When the heroes entered the room, the two fiends were occupied with a strange black lattice which spewed an aura so evil that Ian felt shaken by it. Braydon recognized the artifact as a soul cage, one of those creations used by Cryx to trap and cannibalize souls for power. What's more, it was occupied.

Noticing the new arrivals, the Infernal turned to face them. When it spotted Grigori, it mockingly welcomed him as its 'savior.' They had a history, it said, though of course Grigori couldn't remember. The Orgoth had trapped Infernals in devices such as this soul cage, it explained; devices which enabled the Orgoth to make sacrifice to the Infernals within and then wield the resultant power as they pleased. After the Orgoth fled, the Infernal's cage had lain undisturbed in the dark for hundreds of years. It would lie there still, if it weren't for a larcenous band of thieves raiding a particular Orgoth ruin some years ago. Hadn't Grigori always wondered what had happened to him? Why he had awakened outside the entrance to those ruins wearing his companions' blood, unable to remember anything? When he had touched the cage, the Infernal told him, it had been able to "borrow" his body for a time, using him to kill the others and shatter its prison. And now, the elegant demon crowed, it would find its siblings...

But not if Islene had anything to say about it! With the Infernal distracted, she destroyed the soul cage with a single well-placed shot. But she didn't get the reaction she had bargained for. The Infernal laughingly thanked her as a second Infernal resolved out of the smoke of the cage's destruction. Bracing themselves for an uneven fight, the heroes were shocked when, instead, the first Infernal turned on his dazed, newly-freed sister. While she pleaded for her life, he absorbed her into himself. And then, in a black burst of magic, he vanished.

The Cephalyx didn't last long after that. It became a gift for Professor Pendrake, when they returned to Corvis.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Young James Vawdry, and the Beginning of the Orgoth Mystery

The Warcaster Cyrus, to whom they owed so much, made a simple request: escort a scholar specializing in Orgoth tongues to a dig on the border of Cygnar and the Protectorate, and while they were there, deliver some messages to the guards there. Little did our travelers know how momentous this adventure would prove to be.

A stop in a town along the way led to their investigation of a mystery. A wizard trafficking with Infernal powers had ritually sacrificed several women, created an Iron Maiden (a clockwork construct powered by the soul of a warrior woman, and meant to protect its builder), murdered and trapped the soul of an Illuminator (a member of the wizardous Order of Illumination, which serves the Church of Morrow by investigating evil magic), and made pacts with an Infernal who had provided him with the information to perform all these crimes. At the last, a showdown with the man led to his death and the Infernal's escape, albeit without the soul of the wizard who had conspired with him. This Infernal would grow all too familiar.

At the border, our canny crew rescued a young Menite wizard named James Vawdry, who had fled from the Protectorate that had enslaved him for his power to create the constructs needed to build warjacks. The Cygnaran military took great interest in this rescue, as they hoped young James might hold secrets about the Protectorate's weapons. Here, they also encountered a man named Grigori Larsa, an archaeologist of hidden talents who wished to accompany them back to Caspia in order to deliver letters from the dig's administrator. Taking these two, they headed back to Caspia.

Along the way, the little band found themselves passing through another mystery: a haunted woods. For a thousand years had the ancient shades of a town and nearby Orgoth camp had dwelt in this forest, reliving the firelit events of one terrible night of death and sacrifice over and over. Lured in by echoes of voices and flitting shadows, our brave adventurers found themselves caught up in these ghosts of the past. They had no power to help the ancient dead, but when the Orgoth warriors turned on them, they fought off those spirits to uncover the source of the restless memories--a ritual Orgoth helm, left buried in the ground beneath the site for centuries and scribed with symbols in the Orgoth language of power, the ancient Telgesh script. This dangerous item, too, they carried with them to Caspia.

Upon boarding the train that would bear them to their destination, they met the Morrowan monk, Ichabod, of the Order of the Keeping, and an officer sent to take James into custody. On the train, they met several colorful individuals who would resurface during their travels: the Iosan they would come to know as Shas Menelyth; a fascinating inventor who claimed to have a device which could create paintings of objects almost instantly; a young Dwarven merchant-woman and weaponsmith; a Rynnish family traveling to make a new life for themselves, a well-to-do Llaelese family who turned out to be the Llaelese ambassador and his family, and a handsome woman of few words and many intimidating glares.

When the train came under seige by Menite monks come to capture James, they discovered the woman was a well-armed Morrowan paladin by the name of Camilla. With her help and the Iosan's, our merry band of misfits defended the passengers and thwarted the monks' attempt to gain control of the train, combating them through the cars of the train and along the roof to reach the engine. When the Cygnaran officer traveling with them found his cause lost there, he was forced to reveal himself as a double agent, intent on killing James if he could not return him to the Protectorate. Islene, particularly, took his betrayal to heart, having taken a liking to the man as well as to James against all her strongly held inclinations against Menites. She narrowly resisted her desire to simply gun the blackguard down, but in the end she simply incapacitated him, taking him into custody. Sadly, however, the agent would not live long. After they arrived at Caspia, the man was found dead in his cell. Investigation revealed him as a deep-cover agent that Cygnar had long been attempting to track.

The Cygnarans made the frightened young wizard James as comfortable as possible, while Grigori turned the helm over to the Order of Illumination, who announced themselves fascinated by the discovery.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

The Heroes of Corvis and the Witchfire Blade

More than 20 years ago, King Vinter Raelthorne IV sat on the throne of Cygnar. Known as perhaps the greatest swordsman the Iron Kingdoms had ever seen, this harsh sovereign utilized tactics of rule such as a wizard-led secret police called the Inquisition, which pursued and eliminated potential enemies of the crown. So ruthless was he that the nation rose in rebellion, led the king's gentle younger brother Leto, and supported by no less than the Patriarch of Morrow himself. Leto overthrew his brother and took the crown, but Vinter escaped justice, kidnapping Leto's wife and son and disappearing in a hot air balloon across the Bloodstone Marches, from whence no one ever heard anything more. Though in his youth, the wish of his heart was to become a priest, Leto has ever been a good and just king, well-beloved of his people.

On a balmy day in 602 AR (that's 'After the Resistance'), our gallant protagonists--Islene Hartwick, Ian Cathmore, Tagrak Boomtongue, and Braydon Grath--first met in what would become a heroic quest to save the city of Corvis. When the Witchfire Blade, an artifact with the power to drink the souls of spellcasters and command the dead, resurfaced, they found themselves striving against vilest witchcraft to claim the sword and keep it from the hands of two feuding magicians.

What they thought to be a relatively simple (if dangerous) task became suddenly far more perilous when the long-absent Vinter Raelthorne IV returned at the head of an inhuman army raised beyond the Bloodstone Marches. One of the contending wizards, Vahn Oberon, revealed himself to be Vinter's trusted old aide Dexer Sirac, who had led Vinter's Inquisition during his iron-handed reign.

Forging an alliance with the young sorceress Alexia, who had sought the Witchfire, and aided by a crafty military Warcaster named Lieutenant Cyrus Vanfeld as well as a church guardsman named Douglas, our heroes sought an army of their own to face Vinter's alien Skorne warriors. Guided by the prophecy of a cursed, betrayed legion that lay sleeping until roused at a time of Cygnar's need, the little group woke the spectral Legion of Lost Souls to rescue Corvis from Vinter's forces.

In the aftermath of that battle, the sorceress Alexia used the Witchfire to devour Vahn Oberon's soul, for he had slain her kind-hearted mother, then attempted to exact vengeance upon him by destroying the blade. Thwarted, she fled with the sword. Neither has been seen since, though fading traces of the Witchfire's power still linger about Corvis, stirring the spirits in the City of Ghosts to greater than usual restlessness. After duelling with the Warcaster and his Warjack (in which Cyrus could not be said to have had the upper hand) Vinter Raelthorne likewise escaped. Undoubtedly, he will return to trouble the realm again.

In gratitude for their service, King Leto Raelthorne himself called them to audience at his court in Caspia, where he hailed them as the Heroes of Corvis. Islene Hartwick and Ian Cathmore accepted knighthoods, and the king granted each of the city's saviors a boon, to be called upon at their discretion. Likewise did the king's advisor and court wizard count himself in their debt for at last unearthing Dexer Sirac, for whom he had searched ever since Vinter's exile.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Introducing our heroes





From left to right, we have Grigori Larsa, Braydon Grath, Tagrak Boomtongue, Ian Cathmore, and Islene Hartwick, the noble (or at least intrepid) heroes of our tale. Here we see them strolling the Rigs of Five Fingers--something they have, in fact, never yet done, though I imagine they'll get around to it eventually.

The Rigs, by the way, are a tremendous network of ropes and scaffolding built across the rooftops of Five Fingers. The most roguish part of a roguish city, the Rigs are populated by the sort of colorful individuals who prefer not being required to answer to authority. Surely our enterprising adventurers would feel right at home there.

But let us become acquainted with the heroes of the piece.

Islene Hartwick is something of a crusader. A noble and patriotic soul, she holds herself ever ready to step forth to serve the cause of right. Indeed, she has even been awarded a knighthood by the King of Cygnar for her services to the crown, much to her parents' combined pride and dismay. Though she comes from a wealthy, well-educated family, taking her for an easy target would be a fatal mistake. Islene is in fact a gunmage, a unique sort of sorcerer (or sorceress) who has learned to channel her magic through her firearms to deadly effect. She hopes one day to train as a warcaster, a mage who learns how to channel their power in order to control warjacks, the deadly, hulking steamjacks built specifically for warfare.

Ian Cathmore is a kind and faithful priest of Morrow. Though an exceedingly well-meaning young man who, with Islene, forms the moral backbone of the group, his somewhat orthodox background occasionally trips him up. Ian grew up on the streets of Corvis as a thief and pickpocket, until he was taken in to be raised by a gentle priest named Himerald. This, it turns out, is only half the story, as he recently discovered that the father he never knew had been an assassin for Vinter Raelthorne's Inquisition. Ian, too, is knighted by the King of Cygnar, and is enamored of a young priestess named Alicia Blair. The two make a nauseatingly cute couple.

Tagrak Boomtongue is a Trollkin Fell Caller, one of those dauntless Trollkin individuals whose voice is so powerful it can be cultivated as a weapon. Tagrak often eschews it, however, in favor of beating the living daylights out of those who cross him. When not relishing battle, he may usually be found relishing food, or alternatively drink or possibly a good party, if there's one to be found. A being of simple tastes and pleasures, he nonetheless enjoys practicing what he likes to call the art of 'diplomacy,' which in his case consists mostly of telling colorful stories about himself or of looming menacingly over uncooperative personages until they agree to his demands.

Braydon Grath is a Scharde, one of the men of sinister Cryx. Having...if not more morals then at least more discretion than most of his countrymen, he contrived to escape his homeland first as a pirate (a time-honored Cryxian profession) and then to simply book it for the mainland at his first opportunity. He left what might be charitably referred to as an 'adoptive family' on the islands, which he hopes fervently never to see again. A fairly relaxed soul aside from his ingrained paranoia, he is largely content to follow the lead of his companions, and remains bemused at the concept of having trustworthy friends.

Grigori Larsa is a roguish archaeologist with an obsession for the Orgoth. He firmly believes they will return one day, and counts it as his duty to the world to learn everything he possibly can so that the inhabitants of Immoren will be prepared for that day. Today, he works for the University of Corvis as their Orgoth expert, but he was not always so proper. Hailing from Five Fingers, that bastion of thieves, Grigori once made it his profession to rob tombs. This backfired terribly on him when he robbed an Orgoth tomb, only to be possessed by an Infernal that had lain trapped there for centuries. Though Grigori regained himself shortly after, this has left what you might call a mark, and it promises to leave some marks on his friends as well...

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Welcome to Corvis

Resting in the heart of the Iron Kingdoms on the shores of the Black River amidst a sprawling marshland, Corvis is a hub of trade. One of the crown jewels of the realm of Cygnar, Corvis has earned its moniker, 'City of Ghosts,' by being awash with both the spectres of history and ghosts of an entirely more present sort. Among other things, it was the seat of the council that drew up the famed Treaty of Corvis, establishing the Iron Kingdoms as they stand today.

Not least is this fair city notable for being the place our heroes call home, the seat of a number of their adventures and the place to which they retreat between adventures. It was, recently, also the site of a most notable series of events...the events which brought our intrepid heroes together and which drew the eyes of the realm down upon them.

Corvis is where we begin this story.

The faiths of the Iron Kingdoms

Religion in the Iron Kingdoms is primarily concerned with the soul. In the Iron Kingdoms, the soul is a resource that can be captured and used, although it is hard to destroy. Each god uses the souls of its faithful in the never-ending "War of Souls" that is fought in the spiritual realm of Urcaen--the place of afterlife. When an adherent of a particular god dies, their soul is transferred to Urcaen, where it joins that god.

Exceptions to that procedure exist, such as the Earth Mother, Dhunia. She is beloved of many of the more civilized humanoids, such as Trollkin and Gobbers (civilized cousins to trolls and goblins). Her faith is a peaceful and passive one, considered somewhat rustic by most humans, but her followers believe that their souls do not pass on to the afterlife. Instead, they believe that she reincarnates them upon the earth in life after life.

The experience of souls that worhips the Devourer Wurm, embodiment of natural chaos, is debatable. Some do not grace this entity with the title of 'god,' rather believing it to be a legendary monster. Said to be tied to Dhunia (worshippers of Menoth believe them to be a single entity), humanoids of less gentle bent pay homage to this force. Its worship is feared, as followers of the Wurm tend to be as capricious and savage as their deity. Druids, whether they revere the Wurm or not, believe that they draw strength from this being.

Lawful Menoth, on the other hand, certainly watches over the souls of his faithful. His followers teach that he is the creator of mankind, and possibly the world, and indeed, his faith predates any other human worship. His faith is a stern and unbending one, demanding obedience to his laws and reverence from his children. Menoth hunts the Devourer Wurm, destroying its chaotic influence wherever it is found, and he teaches his followers to do likewise. The Protectorate of Menoth contains the greatest number of practicing Menites, but promotes a particularly harsh and unforgiving form of worship.

Menite worship has faded from human society over the two millennia since the rise of the Twins, Morrow and Thamar. These two, the first humans to ascend to divinity, are rivals--the patrons of goodness and evil, respectively--but share the same core beliefs. Their faiths teach that one's destiny is not fixed, that humans can improve themselves nearly without end, even ascending to divinity as the Twins did. Indeed, each has a number of servants who have done just that--the Ascendants of Morrow and the Scions of Thamar. Morrow's faith is the most popular in the Iron Kingdoms, featuring a warm, light-focused style of worship that emphasizes good works. Thamar, his twin, is the patroness of evil and self-sufficiency. Her worship is secretive and her followers are feared, but Thamar must be recognized for certain contributions. She is the one who gifted humans with the ability to use arcane magic, aiding them in the struggle against the Orgoth occupation centuries ago. These two are said to come to every person at some time in their lives to offer that person a test: will they follow Morrow's example or Thamar's?

The faith of Cyriss, the Maiden of Gears, is the newest to come to Caen. She is an abstract goddess of technology and science. Her worship is mysterious, involving secret rites, but her followers have access to technology beyond that of any other humans.

Elves and Dwarves have their own deities, little spoken of among humans. The Elves keep their worship as secret as their homeland. Though few know it, the truth is that most of their gods are missing. Only one of the Iosan deities remains on Caen, and she fades with a mysterious wasting illness. There is a second sub-race of elves known as the Nyss, but these are even more clannish and xenophobic than the Iosans. They, too, are missing most of their gods, save one who froze himself in ice in order to endure in his weakness.

The Dwarves worship a pantheon of thirteen demigods, known as the Stonefathers. These beings are paragons of the dwarven race, founders of the Dwarven houses. Though they are recognized as individuals, they are worshipped as a unity. Dwarves share little of their

Finally, there is Toruk, the Dragonfather, who is only arguably a deity. Legend has it that Toruk was the first dragon, the creator of his kind, and perhaps the oldest living being in Caen. Where he came from and what he wants, no one knows. Dragons do not revere him, but fear him. Only his subjects in the nightmare realm of Cryx worship him as a deity, and he, somehow, rewards their faith with power.

Friday, December 15, 2006

The races of the Iron Kingdoms

Humans are the most populous race in Western Immoren. Coming of many different ethnicities, they are the engine driving the doings of the Iron Kingdoms.

The tall, swarthy Khards found in the north are known for their horsemanship and warfare. They have been tempered by the harsh lands they hail from. Unbending and patriotic, they are stubborn and slow to change, but tough and unyielding.

Kossites are even more wild and favor the deepest reaches of the north. The tallest humans in Western Immoren, they are strong-limbed and at home in the cold, thick forests of their homeland. Known for isolationist tendencies, these are a stoic, unfriendly people.

Skirov, found also in the furthest north, are a stocky, brutal, straightforward people, little more than half-civilized barbarians. They make a practice of tattooing their pale skin, and are tainted by old ties they once held to the Orgoth.

Dark, hirsute Umbreans hail from the borderland of Llael and Khador. They take inordinate pride in their ancestry and are known as fine warriors and horsemen. But while they once held a kingdom of their own, it has long since faded along with much of their heritage.

The tidy, sleek Rynnish settle mainly in Llael. Fair and attractive, they are known as a charming and witty people who tend to arrogance. They value courteous manners and savvy.

Colored pale to ruddy, Midlunders are infamous as the most stubborn breed in Western Immoren. While normally pragmatic, they are characterized by a near-inability to ever admit defeat, which lends itself well to soldiering and to craftsmanship. They settle on the eastern plains.

Descendants of outlaws, the Morridane are a short, wiry, and reclusive people living in a haunted, swampy region of the central plains. They make for excellent bandits or rangers, but not all are cold-hearted brigands. Some display a surprising sense of honor and wit.

Hailing from the western marches of the midlands, Thurians are an intelligent, fair-colored people known for glib tongues and steel-trap minds. Excellent tacticians, they are also known as gifted magicians. Unlike some other races, Thurians cherish spellcasters.

Tordorans are exceptional sailors hailing from the region north of the marshlands. They take great pride in their ancestry, for their ancient kingdom was a shining example to humanity, and they led humanity in the rise against the Orgoth. Pale-skinned and dark-haired, they are an elegant people who take pains to keep their bloodlines pure, but while some tend toward arrogance, others show a remarkably relaxed attitude toward life.

The Caspians and Sulese are one and the same people, though they hate to admit it, divided as they are by the rivalry between their homelands of Cygnar and the Protectorate. Caspians form the most numerous population of humans in Western Immoren. They feature dark hair and eyes, and trim builds, especially among the Sulese, who endure a harder landscape. Caspians demonstrate a progressive attitude and enthusiastic engagement in the arts and sciences, while Sulese are more devout and modest.

Idrians live in the extreme southeast, a race of barbarians now dominated by the Sulese. Exotic and beautiful, they are marked by almond eyes and dark to olive skin. In the main, this ethnicity has adopted Sulese ways, but they remain a passionate, dedicated people who excel at hand-to-hand combat and retain some vestiges of their old traditions.

The piratical Scharde live in the southwestern archipelago where Cryx is located. A mongrel race born of mixed blood of many ethnicities, their looks differ widely. They practice scarification, body piercing, and tattooing, but what marks them as a race is the taint of Dragonblight. Lord Toruk's evil presence saturates all the region, twisting most of the Scharde both inside and out. Those who live nearer Toruk's lair bear strange disfigurements such as sharp teeth, strange eyes, or oddly colored skin. The Scharde are a depraved and vicious lot that respect little besides strength.

Dwarves are the people of the Rhul, the first civilization and longest unbroken culture of the west. Short and powerfully built, they exhibit strong convictions and a great lust for life. They abide by rich codes of honor and law, but preserve the adaptability that has allowed them to retain stability for so long. Dwarves are masters of engineering and craftsmanship. More than anything, they want to leave a legacy for their descendants.

Goblins, or Gobbers, are a small greenish-skinned race of humanoids possessing chameleon-like skin, wide-set eyes, large pointed ears, huge feet, and a protruding face featuring a wide mouth full of teeth. Goblins split into two groups: the nomadic savages known as bogrin, and the civilized wayfarers known as gobbers. Bogrin respect little besides strength and fight incessantly. Gobbers resemble humans in outlook, with their own villages, culture and caste system, who display a technical knack that has won them a place in human society.

Elves hail from their nation of Ios. Beautiful and exotic creatures, they nonetheless are haughty and withdrawn, even threatening to those who approach their lands without express permission. Their society is strange and held secret from other races, but they are a people in upheaval. Most of their gods have gone missing, and the lone one who remains with them is failing in strength. Frightened and reactionary, the Elves argue over what must be done to preserve her, and who, if anyone, might be to blame. An exceedingly few Elves leave their home to venture among other lands. These are usually exiles, more seldom curious individuals who wish to satisfy their travel lust. None who leave Ios are welcomed by their kin.

The Nyss are a less civilized, apparently almost barbaric subgroup known as Winter Elves, who dwell in the deepest mountains. Dark where their kin are fair, taller and tattooed with traditional marks, the Nyss make the Iosans seem tolerant. In fact, if forced, the Nyss prefer interaction with humans or other races to contact with the Iosans, who are strictly forbidden from Nyss lands.

Ogrun are enormous humanoids standing typically over seven feet tall. They have jutting jaws whose lower teeth protrude like small tusks, are heavily muscled with long arms. While they look brutish and feral, they are in fact a deeply spiritual race remarkable for their loyalty. Their strength makes them sought after for labor and combat, but Ogrun can become highly skilled craftsman, especially in metal and stone.

Trollkin are a subrace of trolls who have established a culture and organization of their own. Though they share the insatiable appetite of their wild kin, Trollkin avoid eating other sentient races. They are big creatures, standing as tall or taller than the biggest man, with grey skin touched with blue and green, white eyes, big, three-fingered hands and three-toed feet, and spines on their heads and necks. They have distinctive, beautiful resonant voices, and cherish music. Their way of life involves tightly-knit tribes and a deep, passionately held spirituality that involves the belief that all things are born of Dhunia and have souls which must be respected. Trollkin love food, music, dance, and color, and are lavish in their celebration of all of these. They believe that being a Trollkin is the best thing to be, but try not to be too arrogant around 'lesser' races that simply weren't fortunate enough to be born Trollkin.

History of the Iron Kingdoms

More than a thousand years ago, Western Immoren, the land that is now called the Iron Kingdoms, was a mire of warring human city-states. Strong leaders came and went, but in the chaotic realm then known as the Thousand Cities, no one could carve out a kingdom for long. Then came the Orgoth, an evil imperial race from beyond the sea that would change the face of Western Immoren forever, and pave the way for the Iron Kingdoms to arise.

The Orgoth sailed in with their black ships to conquer Western Immoren. They spent 200 bloody years in the endeavor, then ruled for 400 more uncontested, with only a handful of free human lands left to Immoren's natives. Caspia, City of Walls, never fell, and the northern reaches of Khador remained independent, for none but the native Khardic people could thrive there. The lands of Rhul and Ios stood untouched, for the trying of them claimed too many of the Orgoth's resources, while Cryx's twisted shores were warded by Toruk and his lich lords.

The Orgoth rule was brutal and cruel. They practiced rites of blood sacrifice to their enigmatic gods, and worked magic so dark that many claim it was infernal in origin. The war witches of the Orgoth were devastating weapons in their own right. Indeed, they were the first human workers of arcane magic, for the Men of Western Immoren at this time had access only to the divine power granted by their gods.

But humanity would rebel, though it was long and harsh in the forging. Eventually humans gained arcane power in their own right, and the dwarves taught them some part of the magic that race could work with technology. The rebels used this knowledge to forge titanic war machines: the semi-sentient Colossals, powered with coal and towering as high as buildings. With these weapons, humanity went forth to engage the Orgoth once more.

And though this conflict was savage and long, the struggle of another 200 years, the natives of Immoren finally triumphed. As they fled the continent, the Orgoth engaged in one final barbaric act: the Scourging. They poisoned wells and salted fields, and destroyed every creation of theirs they could lay hands on, determined that nothing of theirs would remain past their departure.

In the ashes left by the Orgoth, the Iron Kingdoms were forged. Though petty warlords sought to take power in the wake of the Orgoth retreat, the leaders of the rebellion refused to waste this chance at peace. They met in Corvis, still smoldering from the Scourge, and spent weeks hammering out a treaty that would give rise to the Iron Kingdoms as we know them today.

The consequences of the long occupation still unfold. Thanks to the Scourge, little is known of the Orgoth today, though some few traces remain to intrigue and plague the region's modern inhabitants. The Gift of sorcery was granted by the dark goddess Thamar who, legend holds it, forged a pact to bring sorcery to people in order to help them oppose the Orgoth. If this is true, then a dire price may yet be owing. What and to whom are questions that remain unanswered.

Since the rise of the Iron Kingdoms, use of arcane magic has grown. For a long time, sorcery was persecuted, as people believed it to originate from dark sources. Today, a more enlightened attitude is fostered, at least in civilized areas, though sorcery is still viewed with suspicion and some fear. Indeed, arcane magic can be dangerous. Use of necromancy or truck with Infernals taints the soul and risks accusations of witchcraft. Both the faiths of Morrow and Menoth support organizations that hunt down such evil magic-users.

Meanwhile, the technology garnered from the dwarves benefits human society. Trains connect the widespread cities, firearms defend their owners, and steam engines support trade by sea. Spellcasters have learned more about melding technology and magic, creating mechanika--technology enhanced by spellcraft. Thanks to this, magical items become easier to create, and the great coal-powered robots known as steamjacks aid in both industry and warfare.

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.