Welcome to the Ironlands
Long before anyone living can remember, a magical storm blanketed the Ironlands. Anyone who dares enter or be caught in the storm quickly transforms into iron. The only habitable place is found in the eye of the storm. This is where the remaining Ironlanders call home. The eye of the storm is constantly on the move, and so too, is the tribe. They must survive the changing terrain, dangers revealed by the storm, and surprises they have yet to discover. Welcome to the Eye of the Storm!
Life in the Eye
A section for lore to illuminate the terms, positions, locations, etc. we have created for Ironsworn: Eye of the Storm.
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A group of literate scholars led by Mai the Stoic. They hope to map the Ironlands by leaving Ironsworn behind in the storm. Their ultimate goal is to find the coastline and use the ship they have built to sail away from the ironlands. Their advisor is known only as “The Iron Prophet”, an elf who has almost completely turned to iron save for his head. He saw the coast and returned to warn the others. The cartographers also teach Ironlanders to read and write.
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A quasi-religious group who work to understand the past and the tribe’s place in this world. They are less concerned with escape and focus on understanding the storm and its origins. The Historians command rangers and forecasters to help survey the land that is revealed to the tribe. Their goal is to ultimately learn how to stop the storm and save the Ironlands.
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The warriors, blacksmiths and laborers of the tribe. Their leaders are dedicated to amassing power for the tribe and honoring their place within the storm. They see no reason to ever leave, as the storm is God’s wrath, and they are safe from it so long as they are within the eye. Tend to be militaristic and are mainly concerned with forging iron weapons, and armor, and collecting powerful artifacts that may help them in battle. Can forge black iron into a weapon.
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Small bands of tribesfolk who live near the wall of the storm. Their purpose is to track the storm and send word back to the tribe as to the direction the storm is moving. They use small / medium sized birds that drop colored stones into a basket in the center of the village. There are four bands of Forecasters, one at each cardinal direction. Due to their proximity to the storm, most forecasters have gone deaf and rely on Ironspeak to communicate.
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A delegation of three tribal leaders selected, in their own unique ways, by the major factions of the tribe: the Cartographers, Historians, and Ironmongers. The Triumvirate must always maintain at least one mystic but no more than two. The Triumvirate deliberates on all major decisions, including penalties, zoning, and the jobs Ironlanders must take. If the Triumvirate makes a decision that is contested by the tribe, a community vote will decide.
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The storm is loud, but Ironlanders acclimate to its noise in different ways. Some no longer hear its constant roiling because their brains have simply adapted to it. Many of the tribe suffer from tinnitus and hearing loss. Anyone who spends an extended amount of time near the storm’s walls, such as the Forecasters, tends to go deaf entirely. For this reason, Ironspeak has been adopted, and most know how to communicate using it. It is a form of simple hand gestures that stand for words or phrases. Like any language, Ironspeak is always evolving and changing.
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When a member of the tribe dies for good, their body is left for the storm. Should the tribe ever come across them again, they will have transformed into a magical iron known as Black iron. This Black Iron belongs to any of the descendants of the person whose body turned. If forged, the Black Iron can create a powerful weapon or armor for the descendant, but beware…the spirits of the deceased often linger and influence those who wield or wear the Black Iron.
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Anything that enters the storm will eventually turn to iron, except Stormbirds. These large flightless birds that resemble ostriches have some kind of immunity to the storm and actually seem to thrive by eating iron. They glow after eating iron and are used to navigate the storm. Though the tribe currently has no Stormbirds, it is said they will appear when the time grows closer to escape the storm.
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Haf is an Ironlander who feels out of place, stuck between two worlds. On one hand, they are large and powerful, like an Ironmonger, but deep down have a passion to hunt and be a ranger. They have befriended Mona, a member of the Historians, and hopes to gain a position of power within the tribe to right an injustice they see within the tribe. Their grandma Avella wishes Haf chose the obvious path and become an Ironmonger. Haf has a hawk companion named Char, uses a large hammer as a weapon, and follows the path of a trickster.
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The newest protagonist of our story. Eala is an honor-bound, ward-casting, rock-slinging outsider to the tribe. She was born to parents outside of the permission of the tribe, and for that reason, her parents were made Ironsworn and forced to go into the storm. Since then, she has been an orphan. She was raised by a Cartographer named Aeddon, who wasn’t the best parent. Aeddon and Eala are no longer on good terms. Eala wishes to help her friends Servan and Vesna, and her long-term vow is to find and reunite with her parents.
Our Truths
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1. Long ago, before anyone living can remember, a planet wide storm blanketed the earth and killed all life as we know it. Any living thing caught in the storm quickly rots and dies.
2. Some speculate that the storm was a magical weapon that destroyed mankind or maybe it is simply nature's wrath turned against us.The truth of the storm's origin has been lost to myth and legend amongst the remaining survivors who band together in the only habitable place left on earth; the eye of the storm.
3. The eye is massive, over 20 miles in diameter, and the storm's walls can always be seen in the distance.
4. The eye is always moving and will change direction, albeit slowly, for unknown reasons. it takes the storm about 5 days to reveal an area and then leave it. The storm never strays from the shores of the Ironlands leading some to speculate that there is something within these lands that may hold the key to controlling and maybe even stopping the storm.
5. While no living thing can survive the storm, if the eye passes over dead things they spring back to life as if they had been held in a magical torpor. This is how our tribe survives. By foraging, hunting, and exploring the ruins that are revealed to us by the storm.
- Everything that is in the storm turns to iron. If a deceased person is left in the storm they become permanent iron aka black iron.
6. What do we call the "front and back" of the storm? Just as a boat has a bow and a stern the storm should have "parts". Lid side = front of the storm or the direction its moving, anvil side is the back of the storm.
7. Could one survive if they entered the storm but returned to the eye before dying? What are the lasting effects of interacting with the storm? You might grow iron on your body the longer you are.
8. Is there weather in the eye? The weather of the area is locked, frozen in place, until the eye moves over it.
9. Storm Force. Iron age space suit. Buys you an extra 12 hours. Made of Black Iron that seems to repel
10. Old people walk out into the storm and become iron. They remain almost as beacons of knowledge.
11. People collect left over iron. Fishing with magnets.
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1. The ironlands cotnain inscrutable metal pillars are found throughout the land. We leave our elders our chosen generational beacons. They etch the date into the metal pillars.
2. What does "swearing an iron vow" mean? Who is "Ironsworn"? Ironsworn are the beacons.
3. Do we cultivate iron for weapons or defenses? If so, how do we smelt iron if we're always on the move. Mobile Forge. We find old weapons and reforge.
4. If you find black iron, and it is an ancestor of yours, you can forge it and make a powerful weapon.
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1. How much of our past have we forgotten? How much have we held onto despite all odds?
2. What arts have survived in the eye of the storm? Music and storytelling. weaving, sewing, and textiles. Sports. Catch the chicken.
3. The noise of the storm is constant. What ways have people devised to drown out the constant rumble of the storm? Many people have tinnitus or hearing loss.
4. What myths, legends or prophecies exist amongst us? There was a world without a storm. When the storm ends; judgement day. Finding an end to the storm. Different factions have different beliefs. Perhaps if the storm reaches the shore you could escape the storm. Souls can take your body (superstition).
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1. What values do we hold dear? Trade economy. Our skills are most valuable. Rotational service. Rites of passage. Tradition and doing the same thing is important. Population control is very important. Homosexual / asexual lifestyles are encouraged. Your usefuleness might determine
2. How do we handle the recently deceased? We leave them for the storm to turn them into black iron.
3. What does the tribe call itself? Are WE the eye of the storm? The counsel = triumvirate. The continent of the ironlands = the eye. Cyclone. Rods and cones = birds and bees
4. What jobs or functions can members of the tribe serve? Hunters, Forecasters, Cartographers(tell us what to expect), Historians, Ironmongers, scavengers, builders (carpenters, blacksmiths), midwives (to watch the children), animal trainers. Repairmen to fix the carts, cooks. Sheep herders
5. What unique laws exist? You don't leave the tribe or enter the tribe. Zoning laws rigid. Trebuchet into the storm. Cast out into the storm or worse, depending on the leaders. Crimes against the tribe are brought before the counsel.
6. What do we do for entertainment? Play music, tell stories, play sports.
7. How many people live in our tribe? about 100
8. Everyone knows sign language.
9. Mapmakers who keep records of where these ironsworn are.
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1. We are governed by the counsel which is made of one leader from each major faction. Majority veto. Only 2 out of 3 can perform magic/rituals. Must have 1 but not more than 2. The major factions are the cartographers led by the iron prophet. The Historians led by and the iron mongers who are led by.
2. Who is currently our leader(s)? The iron prophet, 90% iron. Old but still alive. Leads a church of cartographers. They worship science and teach children. Historians are trying to keep records to map the ironlands/find a way out. Ironmongers are the militiristic type who act as defense. They have their own cavalry and weapons.
3. Is there a secret the leadership knows that most members of the tribe do not? There is a prophecy that is propagated by the leaders that escape is possible but in their hearts they know this is false and just a lie kept up to help morale. They DO know that there are horrors within the storm that most folks don't know about. The eye of the storm might be growing smaller.
4. What is the political climate? Cartographers want to escape. The Historians want to preserve records. The ironmongers want to survive. The tribe feels mostly neutral about their leaders. The counsel keeps us safe but there are some things they don't tell us.
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1. The eye of the storm is always on the move and changes directions without warning. What sort of "weathermen" might develop to track the storm's path? Weather family. Forecasters.
- Weatherman use storm birds (songbirds) to inform the tribe what direction they believe the storm is moving. They drop stones into a middle area. Hunters use ravens and hawks, bigger birds to hunt.
2. What instruments do we use to calculate the storm's movements?
3. What defenses can be employed by a nomadic tribe? Forecasters. Cavalry guard. Ironsworn are main offense.
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1. Are our views on religion; A.) Ironlanders mumble prayers out of habit but most believe the gods abandoned us. B.) Prayer is comforting and religions are practiced. C.) The gods are present, plentiful, and powerful. 3 religions (cartographers, historians, ironmongers) Cartographers worship science. Historians worship our ancestors. Ironmongers worship the earth and the storm.
2. Is there any religion surrounding the storm? The storm is a consequence or punishment.
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1. Do we A.) Call upon mystics to divine fortune or perform rituals? B.) Magic is rare and dangerous or C.) Magic courses through this land and even common folks know a ritual or two. Consent has its own power, anyone can make a family or connection with someone.
2. Do Mystical forces exist? Those exposed to iron and the storm gain mystical powers.
3. Mystics are accepted and revered? Wouldn't want to be you.
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1. The firstborn passed into legend. Most believe they were always a myth. Elven people came before the storm. Strain of human or variance. The elves made a binding vow that brought the storm.
2. Did Ancient Civilizations Leave Behind Ruins and Relics?
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1. We hunt in seasons. When things are lean we hunt towards the lid. When things are plentiful we hunt towards the anvil.
2. Animal husbandry revolves around controlling animal populations.
3. What beasts are cultivated to serve a function in our society?
4. Storm birds. Types of birds that can survive the storm. Ostrich?????
Time = distance. Storm cycle is the time it takes to pass.
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1. The horrors are only found in the dark forests and lurking in deep depths. The leaders of the tribe don't tell us how bad it really is.
2. Can anything survive/resist the storm's magic? Elves are resistant and stormbirds can survive.
3. Restless spirits wander the storm. The bigger the ghost the stronger the soul. Past counsel members or leaders might resemble a giant.
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1. A new character can only be generated once a pre-existing character has made it safely back to the tribe. If that pre-existing character is still undergoing a quest away from the tribe, the story must be continued until it reaches a conclusion.
2. The ONLY type of character whose storyline can be abandoned between sessions is the weatherman as they will rarely see the tribe.
3. Every 2 in-game days the player must roll a d8. With the 8 standing as true North and 4 as true South (7 NE, 6 E, 5 SE, 3 SW 2 W, 1 NW) players roll the d8 to determine what direction the storm travels for the following two days. If a result on the die is rolled twice in a row (4 in-game days pass) The cardinal direction becomes locked in. The direction can only change if the direct opposite on the die is rolled.
For ex: In session 1 Zakiya rolls a d8 to determine the direction of the storm. She rolls an 8. The storm travels north and the story continues. Another 2 in-game days have passed but this session it's Aaron's turn. He rolls a d8 and again its an 8! The storm moves North and will only stop when the opposite number(4) is rolled. Another two in-game days and it's Eli's turn. Eli rolls a 3 (SW) which means the storm will move NORTHWEST. Allegra rolls next session and she rolls a 5 (SE). The storm moves NORTHEAST. During Caleb's session he rolls for the storm and rolls a 4. Finally, the cardinal opposite direction. The storm stays put for 2 days and the cycle is reset. Finally, in Amanda's session she rolls a 6 and the storm begins heading east. If someone else rolls a 6 next session then EAST becomes locked in.