철의 땅 사람들

Ironlanders are the human inhabitants of these lands. Unless your story emphasizes adventures well outside of the settled regions, the majority of your interactions will be with fellow Ironlanders.

This section covers a few broad categories of Ironlanders. They are not representative of the variety of people and cultures in these lands. When you are forced to fight an Ironlander and need to determine their rank, you can Ask the Oracle, or follow these guidelines:

• A common citizen or brute is troublesome.
• A trained warrior is dangerous.
• A powerful or veteran warrior is formidable.

• Rank: Troublesome (3 progress per harm; inflicts 1 harm)
• Features: • Crazed eyes • Painted skin • Feral screams • Scavenged clothing and weapons
• Drives: • Show my power • Share my pain
• Tactics: • Spring from hiding • Ferocious attacks

Another people sailed to the Ironlands from the Old World long before our kin settled here. Something happened. Something changed them. Whether it was the long struggle in a harsh land, the ravages of war, or the corruption of some dark force, they left their humanity behind and became what we call the broken. Now, they exist only to kill, to destroy.

We fear the broken for their savagery. But, more than this, we fear them as a dark portent of what we might one day become.

Quest Starter: Years ago, an Ironlander child was taken by a broken tribe. Now they are seen living among them. What is your connection to this person? Can they be brought home, or are they forever lost?

• Rank: Troublesome (3 progress per harm; inflicts 1 harm)
• Traits: • Diverse looks • Weary and worried • Suspicious of strangers
• Drives: • Prepare for the winter • Protect family
• Tactics: • Desperate defense • Stand together

Most of us in the Ironlands are common folk. We are farmers, laborers, crafters, sailors, and traders. When trouble comes, we know which way the pointy end goes, and we stand together to protect our homes and kin.

Quest Starter: Two prominent families are at odds. What is the source of the conflict? What is your relationship to them? What danger threatens to destroy their community if they can’t put aside their petty squabble?

• Rank: Dangerous (2 progress per harm; inflicts 2 harm)
• Traits: • Wearing hides and furs to ward away the cold • Steely gaze • At home in the woodlands
• Drives: • A clean kill • Survive the hunt
• Tactics: • Set traps • Keep to the shadows • Deadly shot

Hunters face brutal weather, difficult terrain, dangerous animals, and worse. Many never return from their hunts. Others return, but are forever changed.

Quest Starter: A hunter returns to her village, panic-stricken and pleading for help. The rest of her party is still out there. What happened to them?

• Rank: Dangerous (2 progress per harm; inflicts 2 harm)
• Features: • Knowing eyes • Tattooed skin
• Drives: • Respect the old ways • Seek the paths of power
• Tactics: • Foresee the intent of my enemies • Prepare rituals • Use trickery

Some say you can tell a mystic by looking them in the eye. They walk in two worlds, and their eyes shimmer with that dark reflection of realms beyond our own. We call it the sight. Some hold that darkness in check. Others are consumed by it.

Quest Starter: A mystic returns to their home after a years-long journey. They are changed. What new power or knowledge do now they wield? What do they seek to do with it? Why do you oppose them?

• Rank: Dangerous (2 progress per harm; inflicts 2 harm)
• Features: • Geared for war • Battle fervor
• Drives: • What is theirs will be ours • Stand with my kin • Die a glorious death
• Tactics: • Intimidate • Shield wall • Burn it down

Raiders survive by seizing what they need from others. Our grain. Our meat. Our animals. Our iron. They’ll take it all, and leave us facing the long winter with nothing to sustain us but prayers to indifferent gods.

Quest Starter: You were raised as a raider, born to battle, but long ago left that life. Troubled by your past, you vow to wipe this powerful clan from the Ironlands. How can you defeat them? What will happen when you must face your former shield-kin?

• Rank: Dangerous (2 progress per harm; inflicts 2 harm)
• Traits: • Battle-hardened • Scarred
• Drives: • The thrill of the fight • Protect those in my charge • Survive another day
• Tactics: • Maneuver for advantage • Find an opening

Some Ironlanders, through strength of arms, set themselves apart from the common rabble. They are trained to fight, or simply born to it. For them, a sword, spear, or axe is as natural a tool as any hammer or spade.

Quest Starter: A legendary warrior, now well past their prime, swears to face a daunting foe in one final battle. What help do they ask of you and why? Who is their enemy?