The Truths (World Building)

 In creating my Ironsworn world, I prefer to begin by building the world and then building my character around the world.

THE OLD WORLD: In the old world there was a group of people known as the Skulde who were a more aggressive part of the population and one faction had begun attacking those that opposed them, including other Skulde.  Over time the aggressive Skulde were able to gain a significant amount of power and began driving the rest of the population off the land.  In the end many retreated from the land but still consider all Skulde to be evil and violent.

IRON: Star-Forged black iron is the most prized and iron is found in quantities in the Veiled Mountains.  However it’s difficult to mine and get out due to the tough terrain and the Horrors which reside in these mines.  Old mines have been found but many Horrors exist here and our people will not work in these mines.  Very little is gathered each year and what is gathered is taken to the city of Ravenfall.  There it is separated and distributed among the major circles.

LEGACIES: Before the Ironlanders came, there was another group which lived here with the firstborn.  Some tragedy befell these first ones and they have become what we know as The Broken.  The firstborn have since gone into hiding, and while we know they are here they are here, we have very little interaction with them.  They have communities spread throughout the Ironlands, but their populations are rarely more than 10.  The keep to themselves and rarely venture outside of their settlements.

COMMUNITIES: We live in communities called circles.  Typically in an area one circle is considered the driving circle and it’s Overseer will speak for the other circles in the area.  Each circle though has it’s own Overseer.  A large community is over 100 people with the majority of communities being around 50.  We have been living in the Ironlands for just over 100 years and it was our great grandparents who first settled this land.

LEADERS: Each Circle is run by an Overseer who is elected every 7 Springs.  All Overseers are voted for the same Spring.  Those Circles who vote outside of this 7 year period are considered outcasts.  When a circle decides to break from the whole, they are no longer considered part of the Ironlands and are seen as a Skulde camp.  No other Circle will trade with them and efforts will be made to eliminate the Circle.

DEFENSE: Wardens are the defenders of the Circles.  Typically there is a Chief Warden who may have one or two other wardens working under him.  However it is more likely that the Warden will recruit other Circle members to take part in the defense of the circle.

MYSTICISM: Magic is real in the world, but Ironlanders are fearful of it. People are open to its use behind closed doors but used in public causes fear and anxiety in people.  Unknown to the Ironlanders, the Firstborn and the First Ones are rich magical creatures who have the ability to harness their power through Runes and Rituals.

RELIGION: The gods are dead and few if any pay them any attention.  The greater the violence became in the Old World the more people began turning their backs to the gods.  The gods are still out there, watching over the world, but they play almost no roll in the lives of it’s people.  This has resulted in other supernatural creatures (such as the Dream Walker) to gain power and a foothold into the world.

FIRSTBORN: Live in isolation and protective of their own lands.  Only a few have met a Firstborn and the number is so few that most don’t believe they exist.  They are protective of their lands and secrets and due to the actions of the First Ones, the Firstborn are wary of these people from another land.

BEASTS: We know these beasts exist, but we see them rarely and those that stay within their circles can go their entire lives not seeing one.  Over the past several months, due to the actions of the Dream Masters, the beasts have been disturbed and have been wandering the lands trying to bring balance back to their land.

HORRORS: Horrors can be seen from time to time, but they are seen regularly in The Broken’s Ruins and the old mines.  What these horrors are and what they want no Ironlanders has taken the time to learn and they will do whatever they can to avoid lands in which horrors have been seen.