Bruce Meets Ironsworn, part 1: the world.

Originally shared by Bruce Baugh

Bruce Meets Ironsworn, part 1: the world. Ironsworn's game setup process has character creation before world creation, but I find it easier to do the other way around. The world generally draws out characters for me. So here goes. You get a bunch of questions about the setting as it'll be for this series, each with three suggested answers, each with a quest hook, and space to insert your own. I'm going to go with a mix of the provided options, to see what comes out.

1. The Old World. Ironsworn is set in a harsh land to which characters' ancestors fled a couple generations ago. Why'd that happen? Lessee...yeah, I'm good with a plague.

"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.
Quest Starter: A settlement is stricken by disease. Though this sickness bears some similarities to the Old World plague, it doesn’t kill its victims. Instead, it changes them. How does this disease manifest? Why do you swear to seek out a cure?"

I knew I'd like a character traveling across different regions of the Ironlands, and this'll play to that. Dark Age Damnation Alley! Except not that much wasteland.

2. Iron. So, why're the Ironlands called that?

"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, worship them and swear vows upon them. Most 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.
Quest Starter: Your dreams are haunted by visions of a pillar which stands in an unfamiliar landscape. What do you see? Why are you sworn to seek it out?"

I am always up for mysterious ancient relics, and this reminds me a bit of one of Harlan Ellison & Ken Steacy's Earth-Kyba war stories.

3. Legacies. Who else lives in the Ironlands, before the character's people showed up?

"Before the Ironlanders, before even the firstborn, another people lived here. Their ancient ruins are found throughout the Ironlands.
Quest starter: Miners uncovered an underground ruin. Thereafter, the people of the settlement are haunted by strange dreams. The ruins call to them, they say. Several have disappeared in that dark, ancient place— including someone important to you."

There's a great opening act emerging here.

4. Communities. How do people live in the Ironlands?

"We live in communities called circles. These are settlements ranging in size from a steading with a few families to a village of several hundred. Some circles belong to nomadic folk. Some powerful circles might include a cluster of settlements. We trade (and sometimes feud) with other circles.
Quest Starter: A decades-long feud between two circles has flared into open conflict. What is the cause of this dispute? Do you join in the fight, or swear to put a stop to it?"

Might be part of that opening act, or the focus of an episode later on.

4. Leaders. How are those communities governed?

"Each of our communities has its own leader, called an overseer. Every seventh spring, the people affirm their current overseer or choose a new one. Some overseers wear the iron circlet reluctantly, while others thirst for power and gain it through schemes or threats.
Quest Starter: An overseer has fallen ill. She is sure to die without help, and the illness is unknown to the village healer. Poison, or perhaps even foul magic, is suspected. The families in the community are now at each other’s throats as they position their preferred candidates to take up the iron circlet. Will you discover the truth of the overseer’s illness and restore her to health?"

That's another part of the opening act, I do believe.

5. Defense. How do communities protect themselves?

"The wardens are our soldiers, guards, and militia. They serve their communities by standing sentry, patrolling surrounding lands, and organizing defenses in times of crisis. Most have strong ties to their community. Others, called free wardens, are wandering mercenaries who hire on to serve a community or protect caravans.
Quest Starter: You come upon a dying warden. She tells you of an important mission, and charges you with its completion. “Swear to me,” she says, reaching out with a bloodied hand to give you an object crucial to the quest. What is it?"

If I didn't have the plague opening in mind, this'd make a great start. As it is, I believe it'll probably be a later complication.

6. Mysticism. What sort of weirdness is abroad in the Ironlands?

"Some still find comfort in the old ways. They call on mystics to divine the fortune of their newborn, or ask them to perform rituals to invoke a bountiful harvest. Others act out of fear against those who they suspect of having power. However, most folk believe true magic—if it ever existed— is lost to us now.
Quest Starter: Someone close to you is accused of cursing a settlement, causing fields to go fallow and cattle to become sick. What is the evidence of this? Will you defend this person and uncover the true cause of the settlement’s troubles?"

I almost invariably favor high-magic options. Therefore, just to liven things up, and because I've already got the mystery of a vanished human society and the mysteriouser iron pillars, I'm going with a low-magic one here.

7. Religion.

"The people honor old gods and new. In this harsh land, a prayer is a simple but powerful comfort.
Quest Starter: An Ironlander is determined to make a pilgrimage into dangerous lands. What holy place do they seek? Why do you swear to aid them on this journey? Who seeks to stop them and why?"

This seems a good complement to the Mysticism choice, and both these quest starters seem very promising.

8. Firstborn.

"The firstborn have passed into legend. Some say the remnants of the old tribes still dwell in deep forests or high mountains. Most believe they were never anything more than myth.
Quest Starter: Someone obsessed with the firstborn wants to find evidence of their existence. This will require an expedition into the far reaches of the Ironlands. What is your role in this mission?"

I've got enough going on here; this is another fine one to keep simple.

9. Beasts.

"Monstrous beasts stalk the wild areas of the Ironlands.
Quest Starter: A prominent Ironlander is consumed with the need to bring vengeance upon a specific beast. What makes this creature distinctive? How did it earn the wrath of this Ironlander? Do you aid this person in their quest, or act to prevent their blind hate from destroying more than just the beast?"

Something for the free wardens from the Defense question to deal with, I'm thinking.

10. Horrors.

"We are wary of dark forests and deep waterways, for monsters lurk in those places. In the depths of the long-night, when all is wreathed in darkness, only fools venture beyond their homes.
Quest Starter: You bear the scars of an attack by a horror. What was it? Are those scars physical, emotional, or both? How do you seek to make yourself whole again?"

Oh, I like this option a lot.

And that's a setup!

You can download the World Workbook from the page below to see what other kinds of stock answers there are, and how different the outcomes can be.

https://www.ironswornrpg.com/downloads
https://www.ironswornrpg.com/downloads