Our Ironsworn World- The Iron Plague

Don't know what Ironsworn is? It is a free roleplaying game that is built to play solo, or at the least without a GM. That is our plan as we start out on a duo adventure through the Ironlands. This is our Ironlands. We kept many of the basic premises of the game and the lands, but made small tweaks as we went, making connections between many of the points so that they all had importance.

General

1. Two generations ago, your people were driven to the Ironlands from their former homes in the Old World. The weather here is harsh. Winters are brutal. The rugged terrain makes travel and trade difficult and dangerous.

2. There are no thriving cities. Instead, Ironlanders live in isolated villages or steadings. Their homes are modest buildings of wood, stone, and thatch.

3. Many areas of the Ironlands are unexplored and uninhabited except by the firstborn—beings such as elves, giants, and the wolf-like varou. (Humans don't trust the firstborn and think they are possessed.)

4. Coins have little value here. Most commerce is made through barter and favors.

5. Some communities remain isolated and independent, while others trade in basic goods such as iron, grain, wood, livestock, wool, and coal.

6. There is a diverse mix of peoples and cultures within the Ironlands, even within a single community. You can envision your character and those you interact with however you like, unbound by considerations of geography, lineage, sexual orientation, and gender.

7. Communities sometimes band together under a powerful leader, but there are no kingdoms. Territorial lines are sketchily drawn, if at all.

8. Large-scale warfare is unheard of, but raiding parties and skirmishes between communities are a constant menace. Some communities subsist entirely on raiding.

9. Spear, axe, shield, and bow are the dominant weapons. Swords are rare and highly prized. Some warriors choose to wade into battle clad in iron, while others trust in their prowess or in the strength of their shields.

10. Magic is subtle and mysterious. Mystics seek to ward away the darkness through the practice of magic, but often succumb to it. Rituals are performed as blessings and to gain insight. (super rare, not done in public, most people who have magic are the firstborn).

11. Supernatural creatures and beasts are rare, frightening, and dangerous

Our Workbook

1. The Old World: The sickness moved like a horrible wave across the Old World, killing all in its path. Thousands fled aboard ships. However, the plague could not be outrun. On many ships, the disease was contained through ruthless measures—tossing overboard any who exhibited the slightest symptom. Other ships were forever lost. In the end, those who survived found the Ironlands and made it their new home. Some say we will forever be cursed by those we left behind.

2. Iron: Inscrutable metal pillars are found throughout the land. They are iron gray, and smooth as river stone. No one knows their purpose. Some say they are as old as the world. Some, such as the Iron Priests which are common among firstborns, worship them and swear vows upon them. Most humans, however, make the warding sign and hurry along their way when they happen across one. The pillars do not tarnish, and even the sharpest blade cannot mark them.

3. Legacies: Other humans sailed here from the Old World untold years ago, but all that is left of them is a savage, feral people we call the broken. Is their fate to become our own? These people are survivors from the plague and have adapted but are changed. Now the disease is spreading.

4. Communities: We are few in number in this accursed land. Most rarely have contact with anyone outside our own small steading or village, and strangers are viewed with deep suspicion because there is a risk that they might have the plague.

5. Leaders: Leadership is as varied as the people. Some communities are governed by the head of a powerful family. Or, they have a council of elders who make decisions and settle disputes. In others, the priests hold sway. For some, it is duels in the circle that decide.

6. Defense: Here in the Ironlands, supplies are too precious, and the lands are too sparsely populated, to support organized fighting forces. When a community is threatened, the people stand together to protect their own.

7. Mysticism: Magic is rare and dangerous, but those few who wield the power are truly gifted.

8. Religion: A few Ironlanders still make signs or mumble prayers out of habit or tradition, but most believe the gods long ago abandoned us.

9. Firstborn: The firstborn live in isolation and are fiercely protective of their own lands. We don't trust them, and so they don't trust us.

10. Beasts: Monstrous beasts stalk the wild areas of the Ironlands.

11. Horrors: The dead do not rest in the Ironlands. At night we light torches, scatter salt, and post sentries at the gate. It is not enough. They are coming. This new disease being spread by the broken kills the infected and then they awake as zombies.

Head on over to ironswornrpg.com if you want more information on the game, or check us out on twitch or youtube to follow our adventures!

Up next: Ironsworn: Our Characters for the Iron Plague