The Black Iron - 5th edition Grimdark setting (J Lasarde) (Z-Library)

The Black Iron A Grimdark Fantasy RPG

Credit Written and Designed J Lasarde Additional Writing Richard August Artwork Chris Cold Tan Nguyen Marck James Nahe Doon Satoshi Kamanaka Erick Efata C. Nambiatooran Dean Spencer Art Earl Geier Peter Temesi Bob Greyvenstein Forest Imel Jeffrey Koch Maps Phil Bate Niki Lasarde August Hahn Layout J Lasarde Editing J Lasarde Proof Reading Phil Bate Ian F. White Gareth H. Graham August Hahn Niki Lasarde Special Thanks To all the Backers, to everyone that supported me on this journey, To my wife and my two cats Max and Louie for keeping me sane. To John ‘Mr Mean’ Polack for the reviews, cheers bud. Dedicated to my Mum who always encouraged and will never be forgotten. The Black Iron is copyright FeralGamersInc Ltd, all rights reserved 2020. Some artwork © Grim Press, used with permission. All rights reserved.

8 8 8 9 9 9 10 13 13 15 16 20 29 29 32 34 38 44 45 46 48 55 57 58 61 63 64 67 70 70 71 71 Step into the Dark The Book The World The Players The GM The Rules Combat Basics Survival Horror Abbreviations “The end of us all” The Beginning The Land Above The Last City Crime & Punishment The Black Fort The Pale Lands The Known Cities of the Pale The Land Below Cults Faith Threats Mythic Artifacts The Blood Lords Axas - The Lord of Blood and Vein Barston - Lord of Salt and Rust Kiall - The Lord Chirurgeon Laidon - Lord of Depravity Nicran - Lord of Death and Decay Xertin - Lord of Conflict and Murder The Luck of the Dice Attributes Skills Skill Descriptions Performing Actions 75 Example of Play 78 Creating a Character 82 The Four Steps 83 Chimeer 84 Half Elves 86 Humans 88 Backgrounds 90 Life Experience 92 Roles Martial 95 Exploration 97 Arcana 99 Shadow 101 Derived Stats 102 Group Experience 104 Weapons, Armour & Gear 106 Item Quality 107 Crafting Weapons 108 Armour and Shields 111 Weapon Descriptions 114 Guilds and Cults 120 The Black Fort 122 The Guild of Explorers 124 The Guild of Silence 126 The Fighter’s Guild 128 Sisters of Stone Cult 130 Cult of the Malice 132 The Grey Order 134 Explore and Survive 138 Travel across the Pale 139 Travelling the Below 139 Contents

Survival 140 Corruption 144 Combat and Injury 148 Damage and Healing 153 Fear and Stress 155 The Arcane 156 Using Magic 158 School of Necromancy 162 First Circle 163 Second Circle 164 Third Circle 165 Necromancy Rituals 165 School of Pyromancy 167 First Circle 169 Second Circle 170 Third Circle 171 School of Sorcery 173 First Circle 174 Second Circle 175 Third Circle 177 Spell Creation 179 GMs Guidance 182 The Pale 183 Mapping the Pale 185 The Below 187 Creating Adventures 189 The Feel of the World 190 Experience 192 Optional Rules 192 Threats 196 Threat Abilities 196 Threat Description 197 Ash Nomads 199 Bandits and Villains 201 Corrupted Beasts 203 Blood Lord Knight 205 Corrupted Wardens 207 Cultists 209 Fanatics 211 Ghul 213 Greater & Lesser Abominations 215 Ice Worms 217 Lich 219 Marsh Wraith 220 Pale Ones 223 Rot Golems 225 Ruin Dwellers 227 Shrike 229 Tribals 231 Non-Player Characters 232 Trader 232 Militia 232 Civilians 233 Noble 233 The Anvil 234

The Black Iron 8 Step into the Dark The Black Iron RPG takes you to a land ravished by war and corrupted by evil. A world where you will struggle to survive but survive you must. Where you will pillage great ruined cities, fight foul beasts twisted by sorceries, discover cults worshipping horrifying gods and unveil plots and twists that will bring down kings. The world is a frozen and dark place, and that is only on the surface, those that fled to the ancient dwarven cities below ground have their problems, with dark uncharted mines and caves that unveil dwarven treasures or horrifying beasts with wars between wealthy families that control the cities inhabited by those that fled the surface. Guilds, factions, and corrupt nobles’ rule over the survivors who have already thrown off the yoke of one master just to discover another. The Book This book is made up of eight main chapters; these will guide you through an understanding of the mechanics of the game, onto character creation, understanding the skills, how to deal with combat and running the game as a Gamemaster (GM). A list of monsters and NPCs, along with adventure plots and campaign seeds, these will allow you to play and create adventures for years to come. The World In Chapter 2 – The Pale, we will go into much more detail regarding the people, places, and background to the world of The Black Iron, but to truly understanding the world an important fact must be understood, the world is divided into two parts, the land above and the land below. Above The surface of the Pale Lands is a frozen wasteland, a never-ending volcanic winter. Nothing much survives beyond the lands of the Last City. To the north, in the shadow of the mountain range called the Claws the mages have constructed magical sun spires that have kept the lands around the last city temperate, this is where food is grown, and animals kept, supplying food to the city and those below ground. Keeping this small piece of land free of ice takes a lot of energy, and new solutions will need to be found before the whole world succumbs to the eternal winter.

9 Below It is said that centuries ago dwarves lived in vast cities beneath the ground that their mines and tunnels spread for hundreds of miles. For a long while these ancient tunnels and ruins were considered cursed, haunted places, and to some, they still are. But as the Black Iron fell and the earth was beset by volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters any who could passed through the ancient doors to these dwarven mines and fled below ground for protection. The cities found there were reoccupied, and after 25 years, the cities are now rebuilt and are being defended, against the beasts that prowl the darkness. The Players The Black Iron is a game, and a game needs players, we suggest that a group of 4-5 players make a good number, but any number of players can be involved. Each player must make a character so they can walk the land both above and below. These characters are the avatars; they will often be different from the players, have skills and abilities most players do not possess, wield magic and strange powers. Creating a character is describe in more detail in the Character Creation chapter. The GM Along with players the game also needs a referee an adjudicator, someone that decides the difficulties, responds to the questions, has the answers and has the final say in disputes. This person is often called a Gamemaster, or GM. NPCs The GM controls all the people, monsters and creatures not controlled by the players; these others are called Non-Player Characters or NPCs for short. If you question a blacksmith, threaten a bandit or interact with a monster, the GM will be the one that responds. The Rules In every game, there are rules and The Black Iron is no exception; what follows is a look at the core mechanic and how to play. Combat will have extra rules as will certain other actions like magic and survival etc. And these will be covered in later chapters, but the following is all you need to understand to play. Dice The Black Iron uses dice, and these are mainly sixsided dice, but it will also use four-sided, eightsided and ten-sided. These will be abbreviated as d4, d6. D8. D10, with the d indicating dice and the number indicating the number of sides. Rule Zero The most important rule is to have fun if a rule doesn’t work change it or remove it. Only roll dice when it is really necessary or when failure or success can change the course of the game. The Core Mechanic The Black iron uses a simple system for resolving tasks. You roll the number of D6 that the attribute has and only keep the highest result, you then add to this any modifiers and the skill number, removing any penalties and if the result is equal to or higher than the Target Number you succeed. One of the dice should be of a different colour as this is the Iron Die. All the following rules will be explained in greater detail in the Explore and Survive Chapter. Example Niki is attempting to jump a crevice the GM says that the Target Number is a 7, Niki has 3d6 for her Agility, so she rolls these and gets a 2, 4 and a 6. As the 6 is the highest number Niki keeps this, she adds her Skill number of +2 which gives a total of 8 and a success, Niki reaches the other side safely.

The Black Iron 10 The Law of 6’s For every 6 the you roll beyond an initial 6 you add +1 to the result so if Niki had rolled 2, 6 and 6 then her result would have been a 7 (6 and a +1 for the extra 6) if Niki had rolled three 6’s then the result would have been 8 (6 and +2 for the extra two 6’s). A roll of 6 on the Iron Die would result in a positive consequence The Law of 1’s If at any time the result of your Iron Die roll is a 1 then a negative outcome has happened, the result of this outcome and how to deal with it is covered in the Explore and Survive chapter. Target Numbers (TN) A Target Number will determine how difficult the task is and what you need to roll in order to succeed. Modifiers are never used to adjust a Target Number as often modifiers can change whereas the difficulty of the task will always stay the same. Difficulty TN Easy 3 Average 5 Difficult 7 Hard 9 Very Hard 11 Extremely Hard 13 Near Impossible 15+ Modifiers In the Black Iron the result of your dice rolls can be modified by bonuses and penalties, these can come from the characters skills, the gear they are using, help from others, adverse weather conditions, injuries and other factors like stress. The modifier only affects the roll never the Target Number. More information on Modifiers and the Modifier Table can be found in the Explore and Survive Chapter. Opposed Rolls An opposed roll happens when you are in competition either with another player or an NPC, this is most likely going to happen during combat. Opposed rolls involve both players or the player and GM rolling the dice as they would normally with the highest result winning. In the case of a tie then the win goes to the one with the highest skill or attribute, if it is still a tie then the player wins. Aiding Others Others can aid you as long as their character has the skill you are attempting at the same or a higher level than your own character. By giving aid they will add a +1 to the roll result. Not all tasks can benefit from aid. Corruption The Pale is corrupt, and some places are more corrupt than others. The characters corruption is measured in a pool. This pool starts at 1, what this means is that all characters start the game with their corruption at one, there is no way to avoid it or cure it to zero. Combat Basics As we have stated the Pale is a dangerous place and with danger comes combat, whether this is a bar-room brawl or a fight against a horde of corrupted. Combat involves several actions which the character can choose to make. The Iron Die will expand these options, the Iron Die and how it effects combat will be explained in later chapter. Melee Melee covers both the attack and parry and involves the use of any hand-held weapon such as a sword, axe, sturdy branch or assassins dagger in one hand or even both hands and a shield, second weapon etc, in the other hand. Parrying or blocking an attack acts as an opposed roll, we will go into more detail in the Exploration Chapter.

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The Black Iron 12 Ranged Ranged is the use of Bows, Crossbows, and Slings, these weapons take both hands to use and during their use the character cannot use a shield or parry, but they can dodge. Ranged weapons need ammo which is supplied separately. See the Exploration Chapter for more on ranged combat and using ranged weapons. Magic Casting Magic on the battlefield will take time, and this can often leave the mage open to attack. Mages cannot defend while casting, and rely on their fellow explorers for protection whilst casting complex spells. Spells come in various forms and will be discussed further in the Arcane chapter of the book. Skills You can attempt to use a Skill during combat, often this is healing but can also include unlocking a door to escape, brewing a poison, or even sneaking into a better position on the battlefield. Characters performing a Skill will not be able to block or parry an attack. Special Some characters may have special talents or items they wish to use during combat; they will always fit in one of the above categories, for example talents will be treated as skills and so forth For more on combat, see the Explore and Survive chapter. Aiming and Called Shots You can spend your time aiming a ranged weapon and for each round spent aiming you can add a +1 to your roll, this also allows you to state a particular location, item or body part that you are aiming at. A successful aim will indicate that you have hit the location. Aiming is only used for Ranged or Thrown attacks Called shots are not aimed but are attempts to hit a particular item, location or body part, doing this will give a penalty to the roll based on the size of the target. The range of penalties can be found in the Explore and Survive chapter along with the other Combat Modifiers. Surprise Surprising the enemy gives you a whole round of actions in which to act before the enemy can respond, and even then, the response will be an Initiative roll. Surprise is often achieved through ambush or stealth, both of which is an opposed roll, in regard to ambush the target is rolling against the success of the ambush and with stealth this would be an opposed roll vs. the targets perception. Surprise and its many benefits will be gone into more detail in the Explore and Survive chapter. Damage All weapons inflict damage if the attack is a success. This damage is a combination of weapon damage + Attribute. All damage is modified by the armour worn by the target. Armour Armour protects the wearer against damage inflicted by weapons. When a successful attack happens, the attacker reduces the weapon damage by the armours protection level, someone wearing armour with a protection level of 5 who is attacked by someone who does damage of 8 will reduce the number of damage done to only 3. Wounds All characters begin with a base Wound level of 10 and added to this is your characters Body Attribute and any bonuses from Talents or Advantages. Taking a lot of wounds can affect your attempts to succeed in tasks as the more wounds you take the more penalties you will receive. Hit Locations Your character also has a number of Hit Locations which is where what armour is worn is made a note of including that armours protection level, this is mainly for called shots or aimed shots.

13 Stress Your character has a stress level which is affected by exhaustion, hunger, thirst and extremes of weather. Magic also effects your stress levels and some spells can increase the stress level significantly. Stress us a gauge of how well your character is managing in the current situation and a high stress will affect your characters ability to deal with not only tasks but danger and fear. Survival Horror The Black Iron RPG emphasises survival, and the characters will find themselves in a situation where they are struggling against the elements as much as they are against abominations and cultists. The GM should make this clear to the players before they start, that this is not a game where you go from room to room killing and looting (though there may be elements of that) but a game of hard decisions, desperation, cruelty and of death. Those parties that plan ahead, equip themselves well, do their research and work together will survive the longest. The Black Iron is also a game of horror, of terrible visions, fearful encounters and situations which many may find gross and unnecessary, but this is the world of The Black Iron, those that survived the fall crawled over the bodies of the weak and dying so they could survive and rebuild, this is the way of things, so beware. Abbreviations The Black Iron uses several standard abbreviations found in most Tabletop RPGs. For those new, to the hobby, we explain these below. Abbreviation Meaning GM Games master PC Player Character TN Target Number NPC Non-Player Character RND Round AP Armour Points DMG Damage RNG Range

The Black Iron 14 “The end of us all” I t gets called a lot of things. The great war. The war to end all wars. Some even called it the last war, which should make anyone who has seen the world laugh until they choke. Whatever name you want to give it, it was almost the end of us all. Almost. The Elves fled the suffering and corruption. Used their foul sorceries to damn the world they fled; black-hearted cowards to the end. That was a long time ago, of course. Long enough that people pretend not to remember. Long enough that there are children who don’t remember what the world was like before the black iron fell. Before the eternal winter, before the sun was blinded, before the dust consumed the sky. The lucky ones went below to the abandoned cities of the Dwarves. The Dwarves were the first victims of the elves. Poor bastards. They all burned down there. All of them. Those who were quick enough, or lucky enough, to get to the Last City can scrape something approximating a life upon the earth if you can call being crammed into a crumbling city a life. They cling on, barely, for as long as the walls and the magic hold. Then there is the black fort and its pyromancers…the way you hear the children talk about them. As though they were heroes. Immortals. Not men, tiring and breaking a little each day. The magic was draining just a little more of them — the corruption eating away at muscle, and brain, and skill. And the ice is waiting. The walls won’t hold forever. It’s much safer underground, not that we’ve long left down here either. Oh! You want hope, do you? You want assurance that we’ll find some way out of this…out of the creeping shadows. I have nothing. There are some who’ll tell you the ruins of the past have some way of staving off the end. The Mages send out parties of brave lads and lasses to seek out the things that the elves left behind. Maybe, they say, they left a means of turning back the corruption. Fucking idiots. I’ve seen them drag back the survivors…not that there was much left. Skin shrivelled over bones that were turning to ice. Eyes hardening to crystal. And that was the best of them. Do you think the elves would leave us any means of saving ourselves? They burned the Dwarves. They’ll freeze us to death. The world will consume itself, like ice worms spewing from the guts of a corpse. And then, wherever they are, they’ll laugh; that laugh like a handful of sand sliding through your fingers — a laugh like snakes hissing.

15 The Beginning They say that giants once walked upon the earth, stripping the land of life and turning the oceans into stagnant pools. The Old Gods, the creators of the giants, called the Yazata by those few priests who still keep the old wisdom alive, made war on their children. The Giants lost, though few of the Yazata survived to glory in their triumph. The corpses of the vanquished were left to rot upon the earth, where the blood of a savage conflict gradually seeped into the ground. The blood of the giants, steeped in their corruption, warped the soil itself. The blood ate away at the roots of the trees, and, when finally, spring returned to the land, the roots which formed beneath the earth contained the essence which eventually became the elves. The blood of the Old Gods seeped into the mud and clay of the wilderness. From this, eventually, the rough forms of humanity eventually crawled forth. That is what the legends say. The legends do not say how the Dwarves were created, and the Elves scoured their writings and records from when they wiped the Deep Peoples from the earth. Such is their way. For the Elves looked upon themselves, in the dawning of the new world, and saw that they were better. As man gradually formed thought and learned to use fire and tools, the Elves had built a civilization. As man began to invent the plough and to use the land to sustain himself, Elves had mastered the arcane arts, divined the ways and mysteries of the universe, had become masters of whatever they chose to examine. And, as men aged and died, the Elves remained perfect, unchanging and ageless. Elvish immortality was both boon and bane. Blessed with physical perfection, immunity to disease and old age, the ability to learn without the mind degrading or time dissolving, they were able to make the world into a paradise. But why should a species who were as gods deign to communicate with those who had only just begun to build crude houses from stone? As the ages wore on, the Elves became increasingly distant, increasingly alien, and increasingly unconcerned with anything beyond their own preoccupations. The other species of the world simply became another resource, to be reshaped to suit the aesthetics of the Elves. The flesh-magic, the rituals of the unmaking, the sorceries of the scattered bones…all of these the Elves devised, to make those who lived in their world beautiful, according to their bizarre standards of beauty. Why should they recognise pain or suffering of any kind, they wondered, after all, were they not rendering the world better through their actions? The world existed for their pleasure; all things existed to be refined through their artistry, through their genius. They performed the rites to call ancient gods down to the earth, binding them into service too, carving the hieroglyphics of mastery into divine flesh. After countless experiments, they finally concluded that the Dwarves could not be rendered beautiful. Their bodies stunted in growth but broad and muscular could not be sufficiently reshaped. Their minds were too limited to provide the Elves with any amusement. They were too much like the stone they lived among; their thinking too rigid. And so, the Elves excoriated the halls of the Dwarves with fire and strange creatures built from the vestiges of those species the Elves had determined to make better. Nothing survived in those ancient subterranean halls. Eventually, the dominion of the Elves became too onerous for any to endure and the realms of men, which had grown in strength throughout the long years of Elvish depredation, united to cast them down. Had the Elves cared at all for any species save themselves, they might have noticed the preparations the cities of mankind were undertaking; they might have heard the endless hammering of smithies, tempering swords and arrow heads. They might have seen the gathering of armies and the coruscating magic’s which mankind had learned, while the Elves had simply continued to treat the world as an object to be played with. At last, the armies of men readied themselves and marched upon those who had spent millennia experimenting upon them. They left a wake of blood as they destroyed their

The Black Iron 16 elven torturers, masters and enslavers; city after gleaming city was butchered as the elven forces, who for centuries had merely sought to ensure their armour was beautiful and their skin flawless, fought the downtrodden they had tortured and toyed with. Cruel, the Elves may have been, lacking in any qualities which made them human, but never stupid. They had long studied those worlds which existed beyond their own and long contemplated the destruction of the world entire — conceiving new worlds they might make in the aftermath. Seeing that mankind intended their obliteration, the Elves opened a gate to a new world. Then, in a final act, a combining of sorceries and ancient words, the elven witches fractured the moon before departing this realm forever. The moon, as it split apart, disgorged a core of Black Iron which plummeted to the earth splitting into a thousand pieces, immolating entire civilisations and splitting the crust apart. Dust and debris filled the atmosphere, choking out the light of the sun, and the contents of the earth spewed to the surface through the rent, sending forth tidal waves of magma. Once this had finally settled, as the ash began to rain from the sky, the ice moved in to claim the world for its own. The Land Above The blasted land, this world of ice, was once abundant in life. Now it is a barren, frozen waste. From the vast poisoned forests in the west to the ash plains in the south, and the frozen sea in the east, all compass points harbour death. As for the north, the north is an endless mass of creeping snow and ice and cold death. A hardy few seek to survive in the endless tundra, forging uncertain paths through the snow used by those traders, slavers and bandits who travel between the small communities that attempt to endure in the ice. A scant few of the human cities still stand, though they are shrouded in white now, and most are abandoned. Those that do, house those few Ice Tribes which remember the old ways, and what cities were built for. Others provide shelter for bandits or worse — the abominations crafted by the Elves, or by cults dedicated to things best left unnamed. Some of the tribes are willing to trade with outsiders, exchanging the results of their hunts for barter. Others don’t bother trading with those travelling the ever-shifting pathways of snow; instead, they trade for them. Selling them to the fighting pits or simply as food. The tundra is an unremitting place and cannibalism is often the only way to survive. Scattered along the way, old signs stand crooked and point towards what once existed, these signs now are mostly rotted or broken, but some are decorated with dead animals nailed to the frozen wood to warn those that travel the roads that danger lies nearby and they best beware. The Western Lands To the west lie the Dragon Tail mountains, and in their shadow, the forest once called Arbren or the Great Wood. Now the forest is a poisoned, decayed thing and partly marshland, populated by abominations and marsh wraiths who worship the God of Rot. The Dragon Tail Mountains themselves are home to a series of degenerate tribes, constantly warring for control of whatever fertile land is left amongst those crags and outcrops. Some of the tribes opted to move north, now living upon the claw itself, at a greater distance from the Rot God and his suppurating corruption. These tribes are more civilised and will trade with the last city that stands at the base of the mountains, their minds untainted by the sinister oozing song of the rot which seethes in the heart of the forest. The majority of the Dragon Tail tribes, however, have lost themselves to the joy of war and savagery. Others have given themselves utterly to the service of the Rot God, their limbs becoming studded with buboes and their flesh sloughing away from the bone.

17 The Roadsigns As you travel the roads of the Pale you will often find roadsigns that have small animals attached to them with shards of bone or splinters of iron hard wood. The signs are warnings and should be heeded as they could save your lives. Each of the animals indicate a different threat: Blackbirds indicate a cult ahead Rats indicate cannibal tribes Rabbits indicate Bandits Bones indicate fanatics of a Blood Lord Tree Bark indicates wild animals Grey or white birds mean safety or a Rangers hut. Others have become strangely decadent, their consumption of human flesh leading them into ever darker and stranger behaviours. It is considered fortunate by many that the constant warfare stops them from ever becoming a threat; but should the Rot God ever gain sway over all the tribes in the west, the world would surely tremble at their coming. The Eastern Shore Once home to the twin cities of Chain & Sail, along with several smaller villages and towns, who grew fat with the wealth from fishing, the Eastern Shore now lies entirely abandoned. The sea, from which these empty places once feasted has now frozen over entirely. Pack ice swarms the streets of the coastal conurbations, a thickening hide which conceals everything it covers. Those few continuing to live upon the shores worship strange beings, the things they say they have found as they plumb the ice for anything to help them survive. Beneath the ice, things lurk waiting and watching. Frozen wrecks poke frost-buckled mastheads through the ice, fuelling rumours of treasures lost to the depths. It takes the bravest or most foolish of souls to risk the cold and whatever horrors lurk beneath the ice. Amongst the wrecks the Raiders thrive, once fishermen and whalers now driven mad by the corruption from deep beneath the sea ice, these raiding bands seek out any that stray too close with net and spear, so they can harvest the fat and oils. The Shackles A small, insignificant set of islands off the eastern coast, considered haunted in the past due to its abandoned castles and deserted villages. It soon became a haven for pirates, who use its coves and caves to hide their ships. The elves quickly took the island wiping out the pirate threat in a welter of bloody violence. It soon became apparent that the Elves had chosen to occupy the island, precisely because of its isolation.

The Black Iron 18 As the uprising against the Elves reached its bloody climax, the forces of mankind launched an invasion of the Shackles, what was discovered on the islands drove several soldiers to fling themselves from the cliff-tops. The Shackles had been used by the Elves as an artist might use their studio — to experiment, to attempt that which might yet yield new, beautiful results. The melding of beast and humans was attempted, rituals of dark blood magic and terrible torture in the name of healing took place within the walls of the various island’s citadels. In the end, the place was scourged with fire and steel, though the survivors of the process would say only that the islands themselves should have been buried beneath the ice. Only then could the stains upon existence be truly cleansed. The fires did not cleanse everything as many thought, and the citadels and towers often went as deep below as they stood tall above. Deep dungeons held the prized possessions of the Elves, the Chimeer, those successes of the melding. As the fires ravaged and weakened the stone, and the ice came making the gates of iron that held them brittle, many of these Chimeer crawled from the ruins and their human memories drove some to seek out others, caring little or not mindful of the reaction they would receive. The Claws The northern mountains are called the claws; they are home to the more civilised barbarian tribes, who maintain some of the traditions of the world as it used to be. This does not stop them, however, regularly carrying out the Wild Hunt, plunging across the mountains on their horses, stalking the wild beasts and monsters which call the jagged passes of the Claws their home. It is also here, nestled in the shadow of the claws, that the Last City can be found. Trade has been established between the city and the tribes, mainly the tribes bring skins and ores, and in return, the city provides corn and steel. Though tribal members are seen within the Last city, they are still eyed with suspicion, their strange appearances and beliefs can make them

The Southern Ash Plains 19 stand out amongst the more ‘civilised’ people. It has been known for tribal members to be accused of crimes often unfounded and the result of fear or mistrust of the mountain people. The Southern Ash Plains Home to the Ash Nomads who serve the albino god, the ash plains have managed to keep the ice at bay and replace it with the ash from the twin volcanoes that smoke and spew forth their venom in the form of lava flows. An endless stretch of the grey desert, the Ash Plains are punctuated only by the faint, umber gleam of the cinder forests and ash encrusted ruins of cities. The cities are fossils, petrified remains of the places that once offered shelter to thousands. The streets are now populated by the still-screaming shadows of those that once called the city home. Few venture into the morgue-cities as they have become known; those few that do report that strange things, now call the places home; flickering shapes shift between the once-living statues, lurking, always just unseen. Out in the grey desert, some form of civilisation is beginning to establish itself. Small towns, many built on the rubble of places which did not survive the volcanic eruptions, have been rebuilt, communities grow, some even prosper, and trade has been attempted. Contact with the Last City is impossible except by magic or by Raven, though it is rare that the messenger survives the journey. Those that have attempted the journey south in the hope that it would offer an opportunity or a better way of life must first navigate the ice of the northern lands and then the heat of the grey desert. It remains uncertain whether any have survived the journey. The Ash Nomads hunt the cinders for sacrifices to their god, daubed in the dust from the dunes they are known to ambush caravans and travellers by leaping from within the very ash itself. Other dangers are the Pirates who sail the dunes in their land ships, powered by the heated air that fill their ship sails or the slaves that work to turn the wheels, they bear down on victims swiftly and without mercy.

The Black Iron 20 The Last City ‘The Last City is held between two claws’ goes the saying. In the northern mountains, lies the final surface redoubt of mankind. The final place where human beings live, dwell and flourish above ground. Home to over half a million people, the Last City, is unique. The city is a hub of trade providing food and other resources, both to the cities below ground and the barbarian tribes inhabiting the nearby mountains. Those hired by the Black Fort or the City’s many Guilds are often found within the constantly defended walls. Sell-swords seeking fame and wealth, hunters who track down both man and abomination and Relic Knights looking to redeem the fallen of the past, all congregate here, waiting to pass beyond the Final Gate and reclaim the world. It is said that many even believe that this is actually possible. Such is the vanity of the Last City’s populace. People As is to be expected in a city so vastly overpopulated, it’s inhabitants are extremely diverse. Though mainly human, it is not uncommon to see VriDael (Half Elves) stalking through the streets or catch the smell of a Chimeer in the dank avenues. The city is always awake, and the streets are constantly busy, with everything in short supply — most of the citizenry is unemployed, and food and other basic necessities are never available in abundance. This results in regular bouts of significant unrest, with the City Watch and the Council constantly struggling to keep control and the people fed. As refugees continue to arrive from the frozen wastes, the city has been forced to expand in order to accommodate them. Bit by bit, buildings growing out of other buildings, walkways now criss-cross the streets metres above the ground, rope bridges extending from towers to platforms, hundreds of feet above the streets below. The city swells and splits, metastasising like a tumour. Brothels, taverns, gambling dens and fighting pits have all sprung up in the city, and with them a thriving criminal underground. The underworld doesn’t simply consist of thugs and gangsters. Hidden cults use the chaos of the City, and particularly its slums and refugee camps, as a cover for their activities, performing the most hideous of rituals to the Blood Lords. These, it is considered, pose the greatest threat to the integrity and longevity of the City itself. 1. Refugee Camps As the world turned to ice thousands flooded to the Last City, the city quickly became overwhelmed and the gates were finally shut, those that failed to make it inside built shelter under the protection of the city walls and the refugee camps were formed. The camps now expand outward and have become a thriving, living organism, many live within the camps peacefully and some have even created a trade offering food, basic crafting services and goods to barter or exchange, but deep in the heart of the camps crime has taken a hold and gangs rule with fear, running taverns and brothels, gambling shacks and even fencing goods and food stolen from the city itself. The Silent Guild holds sway and keeps many of the criminal activity to a minimum, but murders happen nightly, people are forced from their homes on a daily basis and many are forced into prostitution or become dependent on drugs. The City watch have designated men to watch the roads leading through the camps in order to protect traders from the outlying farms or from below and the mountains, but few of the watch travel into the camp proper as those that have in the past often never returned. 2. Merchant District A walled city within a walled city and unlike the rest of the city the merchant district has kept itself similar to how it was before the fall. To enter through the gates, you would not be remiss to forget the world outside as life seems to go on as usual, but underneath this charade of normality is a dark heart.

21 Key 1. Refugee Camps 2. Merchant District 3. Administrative District 4. Temple District 5. Slums 6. Market District 1 2 3 6 4 5

The Black Iron 22 All goods from the outlying farms and the below are transported here to be catalogued and stored in order to make sure the people of the city are fed, but sometimes this system falls down and there is not enough to go around and thousands will go hungry for days while new supplies are delivered and checked, but is this always the case? The council and even the Malice have been investigating corruption for years amongst the merchant class and their ties to the criminal underground, often supplies are stockpiled and then ‘lost’ only to appear on the tables of the wealthy or the storerooms of the Silent Guild. Though criminal activity is almost definitely going on, the merchant district is the safest part of the city with Guild militia and the City Watch patrolling the streets and guarding the warehouses and homes of those that control the food. Commerce Coin is rare but is used still, in forms which existed before the fall. No new coins have been minted in a long time and those returning from exploring the wastes having uncovered an old cache of coins hand it over to the Merchant’s treasury in return for a promissory note of the same value they can use with traders, rather than having to establish the relative worth of the obscure coinage they find. Most of the coins in circulation are of so ancient a style that none truly know what they are worth, judging chiefly by size and weight, and the metal they are cast in. Copper coins are the most common, with silver being much rarer. There is, however, no consistency in availability or exact value, with coins of bronze, brass and gold being used. Barter is often the more efficient form of commerce, especially for small or travelling traders, as those still trying to survive outside of the City do not have access to the continual oversight of the Merchants Guild. The value of barter is often based upon their rarity, with the more sought-after items able to command higher prices. The Guilds The guilds are the most powerful organisations within the Last City, behind only the Council in terms of direct power, though most believe that it is the Guilds who truly control things. The most prominent of the guilds are the Guild of Merchants, the Guild of Expeditions and the Guild of Armourers. There are also a number of smaller guilds, usually linked to their larger brethren. Rumours, at least amongst those who study the strange and arcane past of the Last City claim that there are a number of other, more secretive guilds whose very existence is still to be determined. Guild of Merchants By some distance the largest and most prosperous of the guilds, the Merchants hold considerable political and public power within the City. The guild of Merchants deals with the trade and distribution of food and other goods as their name indicates. This includes exerting tight control over the growth of grains, fruit and vegetables, the keeping of livestock and the manufacture of bread, beer and wine. The Merchants also control the influx of goods into the City; while they may not have the power to prevent an individual’s entry to the City, they can rightfully claim everything that an individual possesses. Unsurprisingly, this right has ensured that they are both loathed and so wealthy that being loathed doesn’t really concern the Guild at all. This wealth is further supplemented by the fact that all the trade stores within the precinct of the City are managed by guild members, who pay extortionate taxes from the sale of goods. This has led to a flourishing black market which the Merchants expend a great deal of effort tracking and destroying. The punishments for being caught trading without Guild Sanction are…brutal, to say the least. It is said that the great ledgers of the Guild are bound in human flesh, taken from the backs of those who attempted to avoid paying their tithes. The Guild’s activities are not limited to the Last City, though their power is less inviolate elsewhere. Merchants representatives also operate in the subterranean Dwarven tomb-cities, and there are even a few who travel to the barbarian citadels. Most travelling traders at least pretend to belong

23 to the Guild, banking on the slim measure of protection which such a membership conveys. The Merchants protect their own. Those, however, who would seek to stand on their own, without the interference of the Guild, are rarely so fortunate. There have been many sudden and unexplained fires in the houses of those who refused to pledge their loyalty and money to the Merchants. Family members are known to disappear, leaving behind only traces of blood and the odd severed ear. The Guild of Merchants is a powerful friend. And a deadly enemy. Guild of Expeditions Begun as a way of finally extorting some money back from the Merchants, the Guild of Expeditions supervises all travel from the Last City which seeks to explore and exploit the wastes. Initially, the Finders (as members are often called) was a group of mercenaries who offered protection to the Merchants who left the city regularly. This proved sufficiently lucrative that the Guild soon established itself as a permanent organisation, determining the safest routes through the tundra, establishing a few outposts where travellers could rest and restore. During this gradual emergence, the Finders soon noticed something else — that all goods brought into the city as the possession of an individual came under the purview of the Merchants. But this did not count if the individual left the City with nothing and returned having found something. This arcane loophole provided the Finders with a new way to procure money and power, and it soon seized on it, petitioning the Council to provide them with full sovereignty over anything salvaged from the waste. While the Merchants were initially incensed, the additional protective services which the Finders provided meant that there was little opposition (though a few assassinations on both sides indicated the general feeling). Since then, the Finders have become the second guild in the city, forming one half of the bloc which ultimately rules the Last City. Where the Merchants control the politics of the City, the Finders have much of the manpower. The Finders offer regular and well-paid employment to many of the mercenaries and soldiers who live within the City or pass through. The Finders are less punitive about those operating outside of their influence…anything they find can be seized at the gates, goes the reasoning, and the Guild has not had to pay anything for armour or resources…a perfect arrangement. Guild of Armourers The fall of the world made it difficult to find the ores needed to create new weapons and armour, so the armourer’s guild now concentrate on repairing and reforging what gear is available or can be found. The Black Iron which now lies scattered across the land has become a much sought-after commodity, capable of containing potent magic while retaining its strength and sharpness far surpasses that of even the finest and carefully wrought steel. The Armourers have spent decades carefully studying the substance, defining its properties and uses. The Guild trains and supports smiths and armourers in the City, and those who operate beneath the earth’s surface. The demand for Black Iron goods has ensured that the Armourers have a continual and impressive income, more than enough to secure their ongoing survival and influence. The Armourers are a far more insular guild than either the Merchants or the Finders, but they are only marginally less influential. As they often remind those who would deny them their requests — who will you turn to when the hordes of abominations reach our gates? The Merchants? Other Guilds Mages Guild – A small, unassuming building close to the gate of the City houses the Mages’ Guild. While the building is opulent and carefully attended, it does not truly house a Guild. Instead, those Mages who make it to the City are tended to here, before they begin their next journey to the Black Fort. The Guild also acts as an embassy for the Black Fort, ensuring communication remains swift and effective. Silent Guild – The Silent Guild (or the Thieves Guild, as it is referred to, in whispers) does not exist officially, but there is no denying that there is a certain level of organisation amongst some of the criminal classes in the city. Those thieves entering the city must follow the marks that grace

The Black Iron 24 door frames, hitching posts and other places to one of the many locations the guild control, before announcing their arrival and intent. Thieves operating within the city without the say-so of the Affiliation are usually deprived of their hands. The unluckiest are deprived of other appendages as well. Assassins Guild –More a network than a guild, each assassin (and there is no agreement on how many actually reside within the City) acts as a private enterprise, earning contracts based on their reputation or on their particular specialties. This system keeps the Assassins protected, as none are known to another, and so no one can betray or influence the whole. Assassins receive their contracts at hidden drops across the cities both above and below. No one knows who places the contracts within the drops. Those who wish to place a contract leave the name of the target and their intended price at an empty table in a tavern — The Iron Hand. The commission disappears and reappears in the assassin’s drop points. Any assassin may accept a contract, placing their sigil on the contract to indicate acceptance. Multiple assassins might accept the same contract, with the first to succeed receiving the payment. It is not unknown for small scale assassin wars to break out in the gantries and suspended walkways of the City, as killers seek to claim an especially profitable reward. Warriors Guild – More a mercenary guild for sellswords, pit fighters and bodyguards than anything as reputable as the name guild implies. Its quarters are, in essence, barracks — training halls and sleeping quarters, along with a rough space in which business can be conducted. There is no training facility here; those who join the Guild must be sufficiently competent with the blade to justify their position. Or else, they are likely to be quickly killed. There is a forge and armoury, where those who are able to pay can have their gear repaired or upgraded. Members of the guild are expected to act (relatively) honourably, fulfilling any contract they Mages Guild Silent Guid Assassins Guild Warriors Guild

25 take on and ensuring the safety of their clients. Guild membership is revoked if the masters feel that someone has brought dishonour to the guild. 3. Administrative District The beating heart of the city, home to the council and the voiceless King. The militia barracks and Grey Ranger headquarters can also be found here along with the jails and gallows park. Though one of the more secure areas of the city it is still a place where crimes are committed openly, beggars can be seen, crippled and diseased praying and crying out to now dead gods and those that would try to bring the city to its knees attempt to destroy the council and the Remnants that called the district home. Those that wish to leave the city on ‘official business congregate here at the militia barracks for council warrants allowing them access to and from the city and beyond the sun spires or through the dwarven gates to the below. The warrants have a seal and allow the bearer various legal rights within and beyond the city walls, these warrants are valuable and much sought after and the council do not hand them out easily. The Grand Library Once a cathedral to now-dead gods (whose names have been carefully removed from all statues, books and works of art that once bore them), the grand library is now a vast archive. Here, all that survives of human writing, poetry, science and magic is kept and endlessly copied, in the hope that the memory of what once was will never be lost. It is also a repository of any and all written works found beyond the walls; anything retrieved from the Pale lands which might contain knowledge of the past is brought here. Books, scrolls, notes, maps all find a home within the walls of the library. Many of these works are in tongues ancient and lost, alien or esoteric. The untranslatable tongue of the long dead Dwarves, the secret language of Elves and the guttural words of the Giants, all await to be deciphered and studied. this duty: the librarians. The librarians are known for the strange, trance-like state in which they wait to be approached; none can say how such a fugue is achieved, though many whisper of strange drugs or incantations learned from the books all around them. Others claim that simply

The Black Iron 26 being able to read at all induce such reveries. Those who would know the answer to a question must present a librarian with a suitable offering (usually food). The librarian will then wander to one of the hundreds of shelves and select, apparently at random, a tome, before reading the answer to the supplicant. Other visitors to the library extract a book from the shelves and bring it to a librarian, simply to hear language read aloud. Each librarian is fluent in all of the languages contained within the various books under their charge. This is achieved through the Remnant — one of the most mysterious and obscure beings in creation. A series of tentacles extend from the bizarre contrivance which is connected to the mosaic ceiling of the Library. The central element of the creature is a mass of scaly flesh and bone. From this central point extend a series of sinuous tentacles, spread throughout the building and plugged into a librarian’s cranium, through a single hole at the base of the skull. Through this strange creature, the librarians are able to share ancient knowledge, communing with the past, so that others can unravel its various mysteries. Strangely, it is not the connection with the Remnant that grants the librarians the dreamlike lack of focus. The Council The city is ‘ruled’ by a council which decides upon laws and the day-to-day issues that the city faces. The council is made up of twelve members, one of which is always a representative of the Black Fort. Five are merchants, two are from the city guard and the military arm of the city, and the final remaining members represent the three largest guilds. The Council is often accused of corruption, with various decisions being challenged or railed against by the masses, as laws are passed that only benefit a handful, or ration cuts are enforced for all but the wealthy few. Despite this, in the 45 years that the council has existed, there have only been two successfully completed assassinations. Many roles in the city carry much higher mortality rates. 4. Temple District Established religion crumbled after the fall when those that had fled to the Last City or the below began to place their faith in the Mages (in particular the Pyromancers) of the Black Fort to hold back the encroaching ice, which they did and continue to do with the Sun spires. The Temples at first called this faith in magic blasphemous, but as time went on and the gods did not return or even seem to care the temples became quiet. Many priests were killed after the fall mainly for their willingness to allow the elves to perform their atrocities, people began to ask difficult questions when the temples opened their doors for the refugees, why had the priests and the gods not intervened against the elves, where was their help when it was needed? It was believed that greed had silenced the temples that and a lack of faith in their own teachings. The Temple district is now mostly free of the original religious beliefs, but the area is still considered a holy place and many new religions and cults can be seen there. Doom-sayers hawk their prophecies and warnings from atop the temple steps, seers blind and chained still beg for food and pity on the street corners and refugees still fill the temples. At night strange rituals take place and it is not unknown to see a Relic Knight entering the district after the midnight bell to hunt heretics, abominations and disciples of the Blood Lords. Faith With the death of the gods — or at least their disappearance — faith and worship is either non-existent or has been warped, distorted. Besides the cults, performing their sinister work in the shadows, the city is home to a number of religious orders of varying sizes and influence. The following are the more prominent orders, but the variation and number of different religious beliefs are extensive. Children of the Old Gods A small order, made up of mostly scholars who believe that the gods never died. Instead, they

27 merely went into solitude until such times the people of the land can prove themselves worthy of their return. The order is rarely seen on the streets of the city preaching. They prefer to sequester themselves in the library, composing eloquent homilies, which attest to the need for man to curb their sinful ways, in order to entice the gods to return. Few bother to read these verbose texts, though the closeness of the Children to the Remnant is enough to convince many that they are keepers of some form of truth. Order of Bones Even more rarely seen in the City, the Order of Bones only make the perilous journey to the Last City when in desperate need of supplies. Part of their doctrine, and faith, requires the order to make their home within the bones of the dead giants, still scattered across the land. As to what the Order of Bones actually believes, few are able to say. Paranoid about the importance of preserving the secrecy of their beliefs. At some point in the last two centuries, the order developed their own language. The language is indecipherable to any without access to the order’s inner mysteries. The order claims it has access to the most ancient and insightful of all religious texts — those that are etched into the bones of the giants themselves. Whether this is true or not is really unknown; what is known is that the Order of Bones is split into two sects. One, the Unfallen, believe that the texts were written onto the skeletons of the giants at the moment of their creation. The other, the Remainders, believe that the words were engraved after the giant’s death. While the sects are theologically opposed, they tend to work together without a great deal of animosity. Or at least, this appears to be the case when they visit the City; in their homes, within the temples of nude bone, brutal conflicts are routinely fought. Disciples of the Daer The Disciples of the Daer are outlawed within the City limits, as they worship the Elves that fractured the moon. What their actual beliefs are, none have, as yet, troubled to find out. Their religious practices, however, are horrifyingly easy to discern. They perform strange, crude surgeries on themselves, scarring their flesh and making clumsy attempts to graft the limbs of wild animals onto themselves and others. The Disciples were discovered after a number of people had gone missing in the slums, and witnesses told stories of strange creatures stalking the alleys. The order had established itself in a temple of the Old Gods, long since abandoned, where they had been experimenting on themselves and others. The explanation for these peculiar experiments, extracted under torture, was a twisted attempt to learn the secrets of Elvish science. The order officially no longer exists in the City but sightings and the number of missing people, stolen from the slums, suggest otherwise. 5. The Slums As with all great cities, there are those that have and those that have not. In the Last City, such a divide is impossible to miss and, there are very few who have anything. When the moon fractured and the world responded with devastating volcanic upheaval, earthquakes and tidal waves, thousands fled north to the Last City and the gateways to the land below. As the gates to the forsaken Dwarven burrows were shut, thousands still clamoured for safety. There was little within the City to sustain them, but there was, at least, space. Within the open areas of the Last City — those places which had once been the pleasure gardens and plazas for the wealthy — crude houses and streets began to grow, built from whatever could be scrounged or stolen. Over time, the slums continued to expand, becoming a sprawling morass of crumbling tenements and swaying, toppling edifices, in which thousands live and die. Ramshackle houses piled one upon another, narrow streets like open sewers and a population which has given up on being anything other than tired and oppressed. Murder, rape and theft are the only real currency in the slums. These quickly extended to the refugee camps outside the city walls, a vast field of tents, huts and ramshackle hovels. Those that cannot get through the city gates end up here at the mercy of criminals, disease, cold and hunger.

The Black Iron 28 The Beggar Lords The slums have many beggars and these unfortunates are often not what they seem. Spies and what are referred to as Mockers are on every street corners, often disguised as beggars. These mockers watch the city streets for anyone breaking the rules of the Silent Guild or for any information they feel is pertinent to the guild and its interests. These beggars and along with them many others are almost a guild of their own, with heirachy and rules. Earning the favour and trust of the Beggar Lords can be extremely helpful in a city slums where life is cheap and danger lurks on every corner. The Rot Within The overflow to the refugee camps from the slums has created issues with security and the integrity of the walls of the city, with sewers running beneath the streets and into the rivers, many that now have dried up these tunnels now provide a way into the city from the outside. This has led to many threats entering the city via the slums. Many of these threats come in the form of cults and spies for the Blood Lords, other threats are corrupted individuals seeking shelter or to satisfy some need or desire. These infiltrations have made the slums even more dangerous and it is not unheard of for hired swords to enter the slums on guild sanctioned ‘purges hunting down those that are deemed a danger to the people and safety of the city. 6. Market District The central market centre of the city, this was once a thriving square catering to the needs of many but now is a mere shadow of its former self. Hunters trade their skins, bottles of fat and carved bone gewgaws to whomever shows an interest, crafters sell weapons and armours of an often-low grade beside tools for farming or re-purposed objects of interest. The odd enterprising scavenger may offer items from below or found out beyond the spires. The more popular traders are those selling ingredients or potions they claim can cure corruption, keep away horrors or magically makes one wealthy, but often guards from the Black Fort either shut these down or strong-arm the trader to the Mages never to be seen again. It is also not unheard of to find people selling their skills, scouts, smiths, navigators and even novice mages have been known to sell their particular expertise to those planning on entering the Pale or exploring the lost roads below.

29 Crime & Punishment Crime is rampant in the City, and as more and more refugees arrive, the more overcrowded the City becomes. Desperation, hunger and dwindling resources has led to an increase in murder, rape and theft. A City so overcrowded has no space for cells and so other punishments had to be decided upon. Petty crimes typically lead to banishment from the city or being sent to the Gray Order. More serious crime leads to death or dismemberment — murder or rape results in hanging or beheading. Lesser crimes like theft lead to the removal of a hand or ear. The slums deal with crime in their own way, not bothering with the city watch or the guilds. Trials and legality take much too long a time to provide a resolution to crime. It is not unheard of for mobs to burn or impale criminals on the streets as a warning to others. The only exception to this are members of the Silent Guild who, if hunted, are protected by the guild. The thief council simply steps in and ‘pays’ their respects to the family of the victim, making it all go away. With all things, the larger guilds seem to be above the law, avoiding the consequences of their crimes whatever they may be. This has caused significant disputes and a number of active calls to restrict the power of the guilds. The guilds, however, have managed to suppress many of these claims. Such are the advantages of wealth and influence. The Gray Order An order of criminals given the task of patrolling the border of the ice and to maintaining the sun spires, the Gray Order are those unfortunates press-ganged into protecting the City they are excluded from. They are often seen marching along the few roads leading to the city, protecting travellers and refugees from the depredations of bandits…and much darker things. The Gray Order is composed of two parts the first being the Militia — those condemned to walk the ice border. The second are the Rangers who search the forests and fields for criminals and bandits whilst keeping the roads safe. The rangers are often not criminals at all but Hunters who have offered their particular skills to keep the city safe. Very few prisoners have the skills needed to survive the pale or even be called a ranger. Even though the rangers are still part of the Gray Order there has been calls to separate the two so that rangers are given the respect they deserve. City Militia The militia are often no better than common thugs with only the most desperate joining the militia, which is a dangerous profession that pays badly (three square meals and a roof in the form of a barracks) and garners little respect. Of course like all things there are some good amongst the bad and certain members of the militia wish to see the city prosper and for it not to fall into anarchy and corruption which would surely happen if they were not there to keep a balance. The militia are seen much more often and in a much better state in the administration areas of the city, with infrequent patrols of brutish militia patrolling the slums. The Black Fort Two leagues west of the last city stands the Black Fort, true home to the Mages. Home to those who hold the ice back, for as long as they can. The Fort itself is, as the name suggests, a dark and brooding place; a fortress-built centuries before to protect the north from barbarian tribes. The Black Fort teaches those with the innate ability to wield magic, inculcating those talented few who survive long enough to receive tutelage of the arts of Pyromancy, Necromancy and Sorcery. With the coming of the ice, Pyromancy becomes the most vital of the Arts. Without it, the Last City would cease to exist, and the surface would be surrendered to the ice and to the Blood Lords. Pyromancy is also what lights the roads Below, preserving that civilisation and ensuring that it does not tumble into anarchy, and it has been wielded as a weapon against corruption for decades. Those that study the flame do so in

The Black Iron 30 full knowledge of their fate; they will eventually become flame themselves. The fire gradually consumes those who wield it, but it is a future many are willing to accept. Necromancy’s place within the Black Fort remains controversial. For an age, the study of the art of death was forbidden. When the prohibition was eventually relaxed, those who practiced the art did so under strict guidelines, demanding that the art only be used for the healing of others. This led to extraordinary advancements in medicine, with Necromancers able to perform miraculous surgical operations, including the reattachment of severed limbs and the resurrection of the dead. These activities fell within the areas of permitted study, but the experimental processes used to achieve the ideal magical method were far less salubrious. Many Necromancers within the Black Fort kept corpses which they continually killed and reanimated, trying each time to restore the dead to full life, rather than to a state of shambling movement. Other experiments were conducted on those whose brains had deteriorated to the point that they were mindless slaves to the Necromancer. When discovered, such practices were violently repressed, though rumours insist that such practices continue today. These same rumours make claims about other directions the Necromancers explored, and there are tales recounted by refugees who reach the City of golems, prowling the night attacking livestock and person alike. There are even accusations of the use of recovered Elvish texts to guide magical

The Black Fort 31 research, though the Mages angrily refute such insinuations. Novices Every year dozens of men and women, boys and girls attempt to earn the rank of novice in order to join the Mages and enter the walls of the Black Fort to study the various forms of magic taught there. Some of these do indeed become novices, some are sent away, and others are never heard from again. The role of a novice is hard and can take many years before they become recognised as a fully-fledged mage of the particular art they are instructed in. Study within the Black Fort covers a multitude of skills including the healing arts, alchemy, academia and history. Novices are encouraged to see the world and experience the threats it offers, this is a dangerous instruction to enforce as many novices have died in the wastes, but many mages in the Black Fort believe that it is necessary to understand the dangers of magic. The Sun Spires Created by the Pyromancers of the Black Fort these spires keep the ice at bay and allow the Last city to grow food and the many refugees to build shelters outside the city walls. It is said that twelve pyromancers gave up their lives to build the spires and that their burning hearts lie at the centre of each one.

The Black Iron 32 The Spires also have sorceries etched into their structure which repels abnormalities from crossing the border of ice, these dark powers are ancient and are said to be the words created by the giants, others claim that the Mages twisted Elven sorcery to act against itself which is how those created by the elves cannot cross. The Black Order checks on the spires during their patrols as often they have been attacked in order to push them over and quench the flames in ice or have been daubed with blasphemous text in an attempt to nullify the magic’s within. But the magic’s are woven tight, with threads like a web criss-crossing each one, and nothing will extinguish the flame of a Pyromancers heart. The Pale Lands Between the border of the lands surrounding the Last City and the Ash Lands in the south lies hundreds of miles of ice and snow, dead forests and ruined cities. These lands are hazardous in so many ways it is hard to pinpoint one above the other, but if the cold, starvation, or dehydration doesn’t kill you the bandits, corrupted wild beasts, cultists and abominations to name a few surely will. Cults and Threats The frozen world beyond the Last City is a land of danger; wild beasts hunt the forests and snow plains, abominations hide in the dark places, bandits and slavers make life hard for travellers and those trying to survive in the wastes. When the Blood Lords rose, many saw them as new gods, created in the image of those deities long dead. The power and ferocity with which the Blood Lords forged themselves, fiefdoms quickly drew believers, who saw, in their new masters, salvation. And, where there is a belief, there is someone to take advantage of it. Cults dedicated to the Blood Lords quickly sprang to ugly life. The cults themselves are brutal things, predicated on a ruthless commitment to their respective Blood Lord and the infliction of punishment on any who do not believe. The Relic Knights As the Black Iron fell, in screaming shreds from the sky, the armies of man died in their thousands. These killing fields are all now covered by snow. Those who rode forth against the Elves are commemorated in endless songs, poems, and paintings. The little joy left to those who inhabit the slums of the Last City, or congregate in the Land Below, are the stories of the Knightly Orders. The greatest and most terrible of mankind’s warriors. Always in the vanguard when battle was joined, none survived the Elves’ final trick. There were only corpses to attest to their valour and, soon after, these two vanished beneath the endlessly falling snow. And so, they wait, encased in ice. The order of the Relic Knights began with the belief that the return of the Orders was the only means by which mankind could be saved. Those who wish to become a Relic Knight must search the battlefields of the past, digging through the snow to find the bodies of their forebears and take from them their armour. Once a complete suit of knight’s armour has been assembled, the owner is ready to be inducted into the Order. Though small in number, the Relic Knights are widely loved and supported; few of them pay for food or struggle to find accommodation, so long as they are seen to conduct themselves as Knights should. Such behaviour — protecting the weak, warring against tyranny, offering mercy — is unconducive to a long life, after all, and those who follow such codes are to be rewarded. There are many that believe the knights have long gone and should be left in peace beneath the snow, that those that seek out to revive the order are deluded or in some way corrupted. That these so-called Relic Knights are mere shadows of what was and that those that rummage in the ice seeking the armour of the dead are not only stealing but committing sacrilege. But to enter a battlefield and risk the danger of the carrion eaters and the abominations that wander those dark places in order to revive a once honourable order is seen by many as bravery itself tempered with a sense of justice and conviction that should be respected.

33 The Remnant The Remnant are an anomaly, totally alien and able to speak and exert powerful control, via telepathy. They have never explained their sudden appearance or their motivation, yet without the knowledge and guidance they provide, mankind would almost certainly be extinct. Were the Remnant disturbed by the Elvish madness, awoken from some aeons long slumber by the falling Black Iron? Those few who have confronted the Remnant with sword and flame scream that the Remnant are memories of mankind’s sins incarnated to punish us. Others, those who have spent long hours studying the surviving ancient tomes have a radically different thesis. The Remnant are watchers, guardians, placed in the earth by the long dead gods, to preserve humanity and keep the darkness at bay. They are said to be ancient and all-knowing, guardians of those that came from the fall. It is unknown how the Remnant sustain themselves, but many have claimed it is from the dreams and thoughts of men, but access to their power offers so much, even this is acceptable. It is said that there are six Remnant. The one that resides within the grand library is unique, living on the thoughts and dreams of the librarians. The librarians claim it is for this reason, they are able to commune with it, their energy does not infuse and sustain it but instead act as a catalyst, awakening some other form of being within the Remnant itself. It is also said that another Remnant resides within the chambers of the council, although this has never been proven; the fact that almost no successful assassinations have ever been carried out against any member of the council does, however, indicate some measure of protection for its members. A third is placed in the city below. A fourth is said to have been aboard a ship when the ice arrived, consuming the sea and that both the Remnant and the ship that bore it, lie lost on the ocean of tears, trapped in frozen waters. The fifth and sixth are lost, but alive their life force is felt by the known Remnant, within the Library. The Library, with the assistance of the Council, has sent a number of expeditions to recover these lost creatures who may prove pivotal to man’s survival, but without success. The Fallen Gods There are some that believe that when the Black Iron fell that it passed through the realm of the gods and destroyed their home, many gods perished but some fell to the earth below and these are the Remnant. This belief like so many is unproven, but what has made many consider it as fact is that the belief continues to also include the Blood Lords and the theory held that in all things there must be balance. The fall of the Remnant summoned the Blood Lords from deep within the earth where the purest strain of the giant’s blood seeped.

The Black Iron 34 The Remnant are presumed to have their own agents, who act on their behalf directly. While few truly know this to be the case, most assume it must be. And they are right. Called the Malice, the Remnant select their pawns from among the Chimeer and those corrupted by darkness. Why they choose such broken and degenerate beings to pursue the their goals is unknown; speculation amongst those few sufficiently well-informed to recognise the Remnant’s plans presume it is dictated by some strange, alien sense of pity or they are simply easier to control. The Remnant never speaks of the Malice, but continue to send their agents on deadly missions, to find tokens and talisman of the world before, or to spy on cities under the sway of the Blood Lords. The Malice allows the Remnant to stretch forth across the land, pursuing their increasingly obscure goals. The Known Cities of the Pale With the Black Iron came destruction and the loss of knowledge. Some of this knowledge included the maps that were held in noble houses of the known lands and the cities that could be found there. For many, these maps were invaluable, but to others, they were a fancy, an indulgence of the wealthy, and all they knew were the roads and the direction to travel in. Now with the ice and snow, even these are not reliable. Those that choose to travel beyond the protection of the city and the Sun Spires enter a wasteland without form; the snow has covered most roads and landmarks less than the size of a town or city have become buried. Road markers are lost, and roadside taverns deserted or torn down. Travellers are asked to keep records of their travels and to mark locations of cities or even features of the landscape that can aid other travellers to navigate their way, and maps of this kind are highly prized by the Grand Library and others. What follows is a list of cities that are known and a rough location of where they can be found along with any landmarks that will be seen nearby. Varsara – City of Sails The city had the largest harbour on the Eastern coast and was a bustling merchant city before the fall, now it stands desolate and ice bound. The harbour is a graveyard of rotted hulls and broken masts, caught in the frozen waters. Inhabited by the ice tribes who guard the city against the Reavers further out who worship the Blood Lord Barston. Location – Eastern Shore Distance from the Last City – 40 Leagues Old Lighthouse The lighthouse juts from an outreach of rock a few miles off the eastern coast. The lower levels encrusted in ice and the light that once guided ships to the harbour of Varsara now dark. Some say the lighthouse is occupied, that strange lights and sounds have been heard by the tribes as they hunt the frozen sea, many of whom see the old lighthouse as haunted. Lortumia – City of Chains The twin city to Varsara and itself a bustling trade port, Lortumia became famous for its trade in slaves. The city was the scene of a major battle before the fall and the fields outside its gates are said to be littered with the dead. The elves trade in humans was a major factor behind the war that led to the long winter. The city is now home to the Blood Lord Laidon, and the trade in flesh continues. Location – Eastern Shore Distance from the Last City – 90 Leagues The Forest of Wrecks The forest of wrecks stretches across the eastern shore, 10 leagues from the coastline, it moves up the coast and encompasses the Shackles and ends 10 leagues beyond the city of Lortumia. This is the home to pirates and Reavers, killers and worshippers of Barston. When the war began, and the Black iron fell, many tried to flee via ship, and these met their fate facing tsunamis and ice.

35 Barche – City of Arenas The city that held the grand arena that entertained the elves with gladiatorial battles, beast slaughter and various other cruelties. The city is now home to Xertin and his pallid; the arena’s still function as Xertin’s Worshippers scour the land for victims to be flung in the pits for the blood lord’s entertainment. Location – Eastern Lands Distance from Last City - 120 Leagues The Great Wood In the west close to the mountains of the Dragons Tail is the Great Wood, once a vibrant forest used for hunting and the gathering of herbs. It is now poisoned and rotted, home to abominations and bandits. Antria – City of Gems For those that brave the Ash Plains, the first city they find will be Antria, built on trade from gem mining, Antria was once the wealthiest city in the land. Now the city is home to bandits and slavers who describe Antria as a free city, but it is far from free, gripped in the thrall of crime and corruption. Travellers can stay in the city, but they do so at their own risk, the city has laws, but these are very flexible and often ignored depending on the circumstances. There is trade in the cities, but this comes with a tax that must be paid and often prices items outside the reach or beyond that of other trade cities. To travel the Ash Plains, a visit to the city is a must if it is only for supplies to get you to your final destination. Location – Southern Lands Distance from the Last City – 230 Leagues Crimson Citadel Called the Crimson Citadel for the amount of dead and dying that grace its walls, and can be found crucified along its many roads, the citadel is home to Axas, greatest of the Blood Lords. The Dead Marsh Where the ice begins to melt stands the dead marsh, 30 leagues of bog and swamp that stretches the boarder of the ash fields and acts as a natural border (warning) to all those travelling to the desert of dust beyond. The marsh is the domain of Nicran, lord of the Wights that infest this marsh. The Holy City The largest city and the second to fall during the war, the holy city was the hub of elven science and belief, and it was here that the black iron was summoned. Outside the walls is the league of the dead, a mass battlefield of corpses buried beneath the snow and ice. The area is filled with carrion, scavengers, corpse eaters and those that wish to take up the mantle of the Relic Knights. The city itself is said to be cursed, home to dark magic’s left unchecked, ghosts of the vile elves and huge sentries said to be formed by sorcery and the bones of those that died on the chirgeon slabs. Distance from the Last City – 50 League The Bone Field South East of the last city can be found the field of bones, a vast graveyard of giants, now just bone. These granite-like protrusions have become the temples and bastions of strange cults and bandits. Deep within where the corruption is at it’s strongest is the cathedral to the flesh and home to the Blood Lord Kial. The abominations that serve the Blood Lord search amongst the bones for victims and ancient devices to aid the blood lord in his experiments. Distance from the Last City – 90 Leagues

The Black Iron 38 Vorne – City of Spires The city began as a single tower, a construction of vanity by a wealthy elf, and it soon became a thousand. Also called the city without walls the people of Vorne lived in the clouds, or as close as they could. The spires connected by glass and steel that lit up with alchemical globes at night which could be seen for hundreds of leagues in all directions. Access was from glass boxes lifted by chains operated by slaves. The spires still stand, some of the bridges that connected one to another are broken or buckled, the glass boxes that once ascended the spire powered by the sweat of the oppressed now stand dormant and unusable. It is said that much wealth and knowledge lies unreachable far above, and that the towers were held together with magic still active, but as yet no one has managed to gain entry even though the Black Fort and many of the guilds have offered rewards for many of the objects said to be held there. Distance from Last City – 30 Leagues Landmarks & Places The Pale is littered with old temples, ruined roadside Inns and villages and even small towns. Those exploring the Pale may also find Ranger huts, Bandit camps or even cultist covens. Travelling along the roads will bring its own dangers with slaver caravans, ambushes and even soldiers of the Blood Lords. Small forests, marshes and other natural dangers will be encountered, and as you travel closer to the sea, thin ice can often drop the unwary into an estuary or river bringing about death very quickly in the icy waters. Travelling the mountains is often safer in regards to some environmental threats, but there are many other dangers that will replace them, barbarian tribes, cannibals, wild animals and corrupted horrors stalk the cliffs and falling is a serious hazard. The Land Below As the moon fractured and the land tore itself apart, many fled the surface for the ancient world below, home of the long dead dwarves. This was a perilous choice none had ventured into the Dwarf holds for a long time. No one knew what lurked in the darkness, and whether the potential death which awaited them in the Land Below was any better than the certain death which would come to them on the surface. Many were consumed by fell things in the unexplored passages beneath. More, however, survived and found the dwarven cities intact and magnificently built. The dwarves may have died thousands of years ago, but their cities remained, along with many of the unusual technologies created to secure them. The social order which had existed on the surface quickly imported itself to the Land Below; the first to establish themselves in the dwarven cities were the wealthy families, able to hire guards and workers, to create well defended and protected estates, cannibalising the existing architecture and using these positions of power to assert authority over those who elected to live nearby. Despite the decades spent by man in the Land Below, there are many dark places and tunnels still unexplored. Fear over the strange things which wait and fester in the hidden regions of the Land Below has rendered the population increasingly insular and reserved. In the early years, regular expeditions through the tunnels were carried out. Now, almost no new ground is examined or explored. Instead, the defences of the cities are reinforced and perfected, with the dwarven technologies augmented. Tunnel spanning doors, moats and collapsible bridges prevent the unwanted from entering, and many are content to stay in the cities or to only walk the protected and illuminated routes, desperate to believe that nothing exists beyond the light.

39 Roads in the Darkness The cities are linked by roadways, many of the cities have had these roads patrolled and lit with help from the Black Fort. The roads are still dangerous and travel from one city to the next can take days. Often, shorter routes are available but require the use of roads leading through crumbling passages, or places which the dwarves walled off. The roads are also home to the vagrant camps; even in the Land Below, there is not enough space for all to live in comfort. Those who fled the world above and were not part of a noble family or had nothing to offer their new rulers have been forced to subsist, as they can, within the labyrinth beneath the earth. These camps are typically set up in old dwarven mining complexes or way-stations. Many are off the roads and are at constant threat from the creatures that live deep in the caves and mines. These vagrants offer themselves as guides for those wishing to risk the quicker routes to the cities, exchanging their hard-won expertise for food. With little edible in the Land Below, food is always scarce for those who have no place in the cities. Such guides are however, rarely entirely reliable. Sometimes, their charge reaches their destination safely; sometimes, they enter the dark never to be seen again. A vagrant family often eats well on such days. As a road gets closer to a city patrols will appear, gates and doors barring the way and requests must be made for the way to be opened. Each city has its different laws, and tolls for entry. Traders are usually known and possess a Merchants Guild license, allowing swift access. Messengers and explorers are usually hirelings, retained by a family, carrying their seal to show they have permission to pass. Obviously, depending on the city, possession of such a seal may be a hindrance as much as a boon. Most roads are well made and easy to travel on and in some areas taverns and inns have been set up; these are still rare but have begun to be more widespread as families do not want to seem less benevolent than others. Such rivalries run deep as the dwarven mines, dating back to the first years after the fall. The Lost Cities There are currently five occupied cities in the Land Below, each with a population in the hundreds of thousands. The cities, being of dwarven build are strong but built for smaller people, which means that many of the doorways force people to duck in order to enter, that windows are lower than normal, and ceilings often have to be raised for comfort. A dwarven city is built like a fortress and utilises the stone around it, meaning that many are built into the very earth, with corridors, halls and whole areas going deep into the rock. Thermals from lava deep underground keep the cities temperate, and the little food which can be grown in the Land Below (or food suitable for humans, at least) is as a result of the climate which this heat enables. Most cities have farms dedicated to the production of edible fungi and moss, a few have even begun to experiment with the keeping of some livestock. Rivers can also be found stemming from natural mineral springs, and some of those are home to pale, blind fish which are, at least, edible. Trade exists between cities, but this remains subject to the whims of the ruling families; a careless word in a letter can result in all mercantile activity between two cities stopping immediately. A trader may carry their wares for days to only discover that there is now an embargo and they must return to where they came from. Trade with the Last City flows more freely between all the cities — in part because all the Cities Below rely on this trade equally, and in part, because incurring the wrath of the Merchants Guild by denying their representative’s entrance and care would effectively constitute suicide for the city. Even the Merchants Guild has lost goods in the Land Below, to vagrants and to the shapeless things which hunker in the abyssal darkness. The Ruling Families Each city is controlled by a family and the laws within each location are determined by and passed down by that family. This system is frowned upon by the Council in the Last City, who dislike it for its inherent instability. For some on the council, the

The Black Iron 40 Land Below might as well be ruled by crime gangs — fitting, some might say, for the underworld. Each city is named for the family who controls it, and any who bear that name are treated as effective royalty — which in many ways, they are. The true dwarven names of the Dwarven cities have either become lost or indecipherable. Dresen – The City of Gods Dresen was once a city of Dwarven gods, a place of knowledge and harmony. Its fountains were arranged to create exquisite melodies, in the sacred musical language of the Dwarves; its temples stretched everywhere in perfect alignment, honeycomb structures of sacred geometric infallibility. Now it is overcrowded, noisy and home to the Sisters of Stone nunnery. Dresen is the northern most city and was discovered by Taris Dresen, a trader and merchant. Paxtim – The City of Coals. Once the hub of the dwarven forges, its soot blackened walls are now home to 40,000 survivors. The city is considered the capital of the crime families as it was discovered and first occupied by the Paxtimian clan, founders of the Grey Rat Thieves Guild. Claims by the descendants that the family now only deal in legitimate business is considered, by most, to be a joke and recounting it, with a straight face, is the most certain way of getting a laugh in Paxtim. Paxtim lies to the east and was the most recent city to be discovered and claimed. Some rumours insist that it was first discovered by vagrants, who attempted to render the conurbation a haven for the dispossessed and broken. Instead, they were forced to divulge its location. Karalk – The Great Gate Less of a city and more a fortress built to hold back something now entirely forgotten, this dwarven bastion was the first of the cities to be discovered. Its vast towers and gate lead downwards, down to the deepest of the dwarven territories and all must pass beneath its walls in order to reach the other cities. This places the city of Karalk in a position of power as it controls the flow of trade into the below. Carefully suppressed whispers state that something still lurks in the tunnels near Karalk, waiting to return to the surface. Kazadim – City of Iron The ancient dwarven city of kings can be found to the west of the great road; its iron towers reach up to touch the roof of an enormous cavern, bridges link together vast stalactites hanging from the ceiling, leading to curving staircases and walkways eventually leading back to the city below. The city is home to the grand palace of the last dwarven king, a building that has managed to thwart all attempts to enter it. Huge iron doors locked by mechanisms, entirely unfathomable to the new occupants of the city, bar the way into the palace, but speculation of what wonders and treasures must lie within keep the workers and the Thieves guild occupied with attempts to unlock the secrets. Beremholme – City of Bridges To the southeast stands Beremholme — once a great mining city. Beyond its southern borders lie the gateways to dozens of mines, through which metal tracks snake their way deep underground. Many of these gateways have been barred or locked up, some by the original occupants and others by the recent occupiers. The city itself is criss-crossed with underground rivers created by a number of natural springs. It is said that the rivers eventually end at a vast underground lake but as of yet no one has found it. Elaborate iron bridges cross the rivers connecting the different wards of the city, many with the iron tracks found at the mines. It is believed that the tracks once led to all the cities and may lead to many more if only they could follow the tracks for long enough.

The Black Iron 44 Cults Though not as numerous as on the surface, there are a number of hidden cults conducting their pernicious work in the Land Below. These are relatively small and hold little power within the cities themselves, where the ruling families deal with them quickly and viciously. Beyond the gates, on the roads and in the dark, however, the cults thrive. The wretched state in which many vagabonds are forced to live makes them an ideal breeding ground for the Cults, who use their desperation to secure loyalty. Many believe the Cults infiltrate the Land Below in search of old sorcery or clues to replicating the technology of the Dwarfs. Others assert that the elves crawled up to the surface from the Below and that the Cults seek to breed new elves or to make themselves in the elves image. Whatever the truth, the threat from the cults continues to grow, as they traverse the darkness and head deeper into the Below, who knows what they will find? Seekers of the Long Dead As the cities settled and life ‘normalised’ deep underground many became curious of who built these cities and many academics and students began to examine the murals, the writings and architecture of the old dwarves. This led to discovery of secret doors that there were no obvious ways to open, strange mechanisms that seemed to have no purpose and the discovery of paintings that told of an advanced race of builders and inventors who had developed new life from the iron and stone they mined. These discoveries created a movement of scholars determined to find out everything they could, but the risks were high and very soon after a number of deaths the families outlawed the pursuit of knowledge outside the gates of the city, for safety reasons. This law pushed the movement into the shadows and soon it was branded a cult by many as the members were fanatical. Hiring dubious Vagrants that often ended in robbery or in some cases injury and death the members would travel deep into the old mines or dark roads as yet unexplored, in the hope to find marvels, artefacts and documents of this presumed dead race. Many expeditions never returned but those that did spoke of the noises of metal upon metal, forges still burning and more cities full of wonders, of course this could all be lies to justify their beliefs, but who knows. The Seed Many have heard the tales that the Elves were born of the ancient giants and that the roots of the trees fed on the magic and blood of fallen giants and from this spawned the elves, though many believe these were just lies told by elves in order to power some fantasy of dominance the tales persist and some who prospered or loved their elven masters no matter the cruelty they endured believe them fully and hope to bring about the time of the elves again. The seed are a cult of worshippers that hope to bring about the elves return to the world mainly through finding the very roots that birthed them and reigniting that spark. The Seed search the

45 dark places for arcane magic’s and secrets left by the elves. This is often a fruitless endeavour and many of the cult have now gone missing or were found dead. The cults number have diminished so now only the true believers continue the search and these are often insane and rambling shells of humanity, denied entry into city or camp alike. The Banished The Black Fort is not free of troubles and many mages, mainly from the Necromancy school have strayed from the path and the laws of the Last City and the Mages guild itself. Experiments outlawed by common decency, the study of ancient magic’s that are declared banned or the inflicting of corruptions upon the innocent however low on societies ladder they stand are all illegal and those that are caught are often banished to the land beyond the spires, but some come back and travel the below. These Banished Mages seek out scrolls and knowledge of the past deep below, in the hopes to find where the elves first formed their arcane lore’s. It is believed that enclaves and covens have been formed, dark places in ancient underground ruins where the nefarious and heinous experiments and studies of the elves can continue, a place of torture and the forming of abominations from flesh and iron that send the echoes of screams even to the cities above. Both the Black Fort and the Families have vowed to seek out and destroy these sanctuaries of death and the Mages that form them, but this has been met with little success. Faith Some below have adopted the religion of the Dwarves, worshipping the stone and marvelling in the architecture that inspired the worship. These

The Black Iron 46 people are considered harmless, and some cities have even allowed the order places to hold their ceremonies and religious teachings, ultimately resulting in the creation of the Deep Church. Many suspect that the families have learnt a lot about dwarf skills from the Church, whose dedicates spend much of their time studying the ancient books of the dead race, supporting their faith through the wealth earned from the family’s patronage. The Church has recently begun to hire explorers, sending those brave enough out to tackle the dark pathways leading deeper into the earth, all in the hunt for more knowledge and other dwarven artefacts. Sisters of Stone When the city of Dresen was discovered, it was evident it had been a holy place of the dwarves. The centre of the city consisted solely of an enormous stone temple. Surrounding it were hundreds of intricately carved statues of dwarven heroes or gods, standing watch around the temple perimeter. Within, the walls were adorned with paintings and mosaics of battles and holy ceremonies. Many scholars believe the whole history of the dwarves is etched upon the walls, though dwarven script remains indecipherable. The temple was soon occupied by a holy order declaring itself the Sisters of Stone; the sisters converted the temple into a kind of nunnery. Young girls are taught to read and write, schooled in the history of mankind and given the skills they need to serve as healers and teachers. The sisters also learn other skills, and, it is for these alternative teachings that the temple has now become famous. Most of the temple has been converted into vast training halls and alchemical laboratories. Here the sisters are schooled in the way of the blade and the explosion, the bow and the use of poison, deception and shadow, warfare and butchery. The Sisters of Stone are reckoned the most potent fighting force in the Land Below and many from the Last City and beyond send their daughters to be taught at the temple. It is said that there are other branches of the sisterhood, spread throughout the world, though they remain entirely secret. Only those few who have become true initiates are taught their locations and how to enter them. Threats Many things scurry in the dark in the tunnels and roads uncharted by those that now live below. Secret paths into cities are often utilised by smugglers and assassins, but these paths are fraught with danger, and many rely on the knowledge and guild trust of the Vagrants that live in the dark places. When the elves destroyed the dwarves and looted what cities they could, it is said that they sent expeditions into the deeper mines to discover if any dwarves had survived. The expeditions mostly failed, but those that did survive spoke of cities and wonders not seen before, of vast libraries of knowledge and treasures that filled vaults the size of small towns. Forges were seen fuelled by dragons which could form items of pure magic and bend the mightiest of ores to the smith’s will. Why the elves never explored these wonders are anyone’s guess, but many presume it is what they do not tell us that scared the elves and why so many expeditions failed. An aspect of the below that is not spoken of or even acknowledged by some are the deep rumblings heard by many emanating from deep within the earth. Also, the bizarre lights seen by vagrants and scavengers or the strange writings scrawled on walls, often in blood and always in the common tongue. These rumours are frowned upon and even dismissed by many, especially those that are at risk of losing the most if these rumours ever began to be taken seriously. The Dispossessed Living along the roads, within the old mining camps and outside the gates are those that have been denied access, the unwanted, the useless and the corrupted. The families have been harsh upon those they see as burdens or undesirable,

47 removing them from the cities and any protection offered. Many would ask why these Vagrants don’t just return to the Last City above, and many do but those that have discovered that the situation was not much better. Some went off into the Pale to meet their doom from the cold or by other means. As time passed, these unwanted created their own laws, designed positions for themselves as guides or thieves, killers and smugglers, anything that would allow them to survive. Also, some had families who needed shelter and food, and these were provided often from some feckless traveller or gullible trader. Life on the outside is harsh and many of those pushed to the edge have found ways to survive, ways often seen as criminal or against nature. The Silent Guild has attempted to monopolise on these unwanted vagrants recruiting many in a guild within a guild, a house of beggars if you will, this is denied by the masters of the Silent Guild and no evidence has proven it to be so, but the Guild is known to commit very little to paper and those that tell tales are often found hanging from bridges or dead in alleys. This recruitment has changed things and travel on the roads between the cities has become marginally safer, payments for guides has increased but this is a small price to pay for safety. The Guilds The Families hold most of the power below but the guilds do have some sway, the merchant guild organises food and other materials to be delivered to and from the cities and in the past disagreements have halted this until a amicable outcome was achieved, to many this showed that the merchant guild had power over the families but this belief was quickly crushed when many of the merchant guild top members were arrested by the city militias and ceasing deliveries were outlawed for the good of the people. There is currently no power struggle between the families and the guilds but it is only a matter of time before it could happen, all it would take would be a discovery of something that disrupts the status quo or a shortage of food and materials that would place the control in either one or the others hands.

The Black Iron 48 Mythic Artifacts Throughout the ancient books studied by the mages and the librarians in the Last City, there has been mention of artefacts wielded by gods and ancient heroes, or elven sorcerers and Dwarven artisans. These treasures have become lost in time, but with the help of the Remnant, many may have been located, or a place found marking the artefact’s last known location. Too many, including the Remnant, the finding of these ancient relics, could be the key to turning back the fall or the discovery of secrets buried centuries ago. Unbeknown to these scholars is the fact that the Blood Lords also seek these items and have sent their own agents to scour the ruins for clues to where they may be hidden, but for what purpose is unclear, also what is strange are reports of ghosts seen near the deserted cities and towers of the elves. The remnant stir and warn caution but when pressed, say no more. Discovering an Artefact Artefacts are rare and to be honest the only reason anyone knows they exist is from a few pages in old books, in fact there could be hundreds of these relics out there being overlooked or shoved in some box and no one knows. Mythic Artefacts are said to be once used by gods or heroes of renown, but like all thing’s history is not always accurate and relies on the perspective of the author, a hero or god to one person is often a villain or demon to another. The mythic artefacts listed here are those that are known of but there are many more and you should use the guidelines offered here when creating your own artefacts. They should not be easy to find, not easy to wield by mere mortals and should often have a cost to owning. They may be found broken or lacking any real power, what appears as a mighty sword in the books may be but a mere butter knife in reality, and of course these could just be works of fiction, children’s tales of adventure and mystery Artefact Locations The locations mentioned in the text is the last location the artefact was seen and so that does not mean they will be there still, but maybe a clue to where they were moved to or maybe hearsay of such an item being seen elsewhere could be a clue to another location. This will make finally getting to find one of these relics a challenge and be part of a more extensive campaign. The creator and wielders of these artefacts were cunning and creative so secret doors, traps, magic and other challenges can be included, dark ancient arcane sorceries can be woven around a location in order to protect or hide the relic. Using Artefacts The use of an artefact should be both unknown and dangerous; these items do not come with instructions, and any related nearby text will be in an unknown language. Attempting to use the item could result in injury or some other disaster or an actual success. It is suggested that you apply a target number of at least 10 to the use of the item without knowledge with fumbles leading to serious negative results. Characters will need to use Arcane or Lore to attempt to use the item. To gain instruction in the use of an item will involve a journey to the Black Fort or to a Remnant or some other scholar of the ancient world. 2d6 Artefact State 2-5 Artefact is dusty but seems to emanate power, which appears to twist and simmer the air around it 6-11 Artefact seems dormant and shows no sign of being in any way powerful. 12 Artefact is broken in some way.

49 The Blade of the Archmage Forged from steel and tempered with the blood of the dwarves, this elven blade was created as a gift for the Archmage Daelias for his work conquering the dwarven capital of Fenkos and halting the defence of the lower tiers. The sword is said to be just over 3ft in length, the hilt made of dragon bone and wrapped in the cured skin of the king of Fenkos. At the centre of the cross guard sits the holy jewel taken from the king’s crown and said to be formed from the blood of the first of the dwarves. The sword itself is highly magical and absorbs energy from the blood of those that it cuts and transfers some of that to the wielder. The blade can slice through any material and the energy it absorbs adds to the blade’s strength and sharpness, making this a devastating weapon in the right hands. Also called Dwarf Bane as it is rumoured to be able to kill a dwarf in a single strike. Last known location: Vorne: Home of an Elf noble Iron Crown of the Crow God Krawn the God of Crows was gifted the crown from the master of the god forge Towat Yagin to reward the god for his destruction of the twin giants Vog and Xerta, it is said that the crown is forged from the iron derived from the twin giants blood, and that within the crown the hearts of Vog and Xerta still beat. The crown is said to make the wearer immune to mind attacks and to bless them with mental powers beyond that of mortal and god alike. It is claimed that the crown has regeneration powers and that Krawn still lives but is asleep being kept sustained by the power of the crown. Last known location: The Holy City

The Black Iron 50 Crowders Axe The axe of Crowder Elf slayer last hero of the Dwarves, crafted by Kaerdin Gato and blessed by the rune smiths of the last dwarven city. Crowder held the gates of Fenkos for 30 days and nights and is said to have killed so many elves the pile of corpses he stood upon lifted the dwarf above the walls of the city. The axe called Elf Bane and Earth Shaker is known to send a wave of pure energy that would strike those 100ft from the wielder of the axe, it can cut through multiple foes and heal the wounds of the user. It is also claimed that the axe was melted down and used to forge the Blade gifted to the Archmage Daelias, but these rumours are unfounded. Last known location: Lortumia: Grand Cathedral Bow of the Sun Formed from the rays of the sun by the god Herrick to kill the giant champion Bandoro during the battle of the Dragons, it is said that the velocity of the arrow caused earthquakes that formed the Dragon Tail mountains. The Bow is of simple wood but is endowed with the power to create magical arrows as hot as the sun that will burn through any substance they pierce, and that the bows range is infinite. The stories claim that Herrick need only whisper the name of his foe to the bow and the arrow it launched would seek them out no matter where they hid. Last known location: Unknown