[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
1
Bloodwood
An
Iron Heroes
Setting Guide
Table of Contents
Bloodwood Legacy Map
2
Credits
Design:
Adam Windsor
Editing:
Scott Holden
Production:
Jason Kempton
Cover:
Claudio Pozas
Interior Illustration:
Claudio Pozas
Cartography:
Ed Bourelle
Welcome to Lakeshore
3
Religion
4
Law and Government
5
Places of Note
6
The Seven Scholars
10
Lakeshore Heroes
11
Mastering The Lakeshore
14
Lakeshore Campaign Hooks
16
www.fierydragon.com
This product is protected under the copyright laws of Canada and the United States of America. All
textual contents of this book, regardless of designation, are ©2008 Adam Windsor. All rights
reserved. Reproduction or use without the written permission of Adam Windsor is expressly
forbidden, except for the purpose of review or use of OGC consistent with the OGL. All artwork is
copyright Fiery Dragon Productions, Inc. The Fiery Dragon logo is a trademark of Fiery Dragon
Productions, Inc. Iron Heroes ©2007 Adam Windsor. Used under license. All rights reserved.
Printed in Canada.
3
Bloodwood
Welcome to Lakeshore
From the first day they saw Ocean Lake, the refugees
dubbed their new homeland Lakeshore. The vast body
of water is integral to life in the region, not just
because it provides both food and a livelihood for
many of its human inhabitants, but for a host of other
reasons as well. The comparatively warm waters of the
lake make the local climate less severe (though rather
more prone to rain) than it would otherwise be. The
lake also provides reliable, but not too ready, access to
outside cultures and goods ― “Close enough for
trade, but too far for trouble,“ as the local saying goes.
The lake also figures strongly in local craftwork,
poetry, and philosophy.
An Iron Heroes Setting Guide
Generations ago, a group of refugees fled a disaster. Exactly
what that disaster was is no longer known, the details lost
or deliberately forgotten by its survivors. The refugees
traveled many difficult miles, across barren and broken
terrain, until they found their way to fertile and
uninhabited land on the shores of a vast lake. Having found
good land, with further passage barred by the impenetrable
tangle of an ancient forest, the refugees settled in the
shadow of the trees.
They named both their new town and the nearby forest
“Thornwood“ for the many brambles and thickets within the
densely packed trees. For some time, all seemed well, though
some of the more nervous refugees claimed to have seen
movement in the shadows under the trees.
Overview
The Lakeshore is an alluvial plain some 50 miles
across from north to south and roughly 70 miles from
east to west. Most of the plain consists of fertile black
earth, well irrigated by the streams and tributaries of
two fast-flowing rivers of clear, cold water. The region
is bounded to the north and east by broken, rocky
terrain, to the west by the tangled expanse of the
Bloodwood, and to the south by the vastness of Ocean
Lake.
Such early misgivings were forgotten as seasons and then
years went by. The small band of refugees put down roots,
and their numbers grew. As time passed, the need for
materials also grew and, as other sources dwindled, the folk
eventually decided to clear some land from the Thornwood.
The nights of terror and death that followed earned the
forest its current name: Bloodwood. There were indeed
things in the shadows under the trees ― terrible, misshapen
things that considered the forest their domain and would
brook no invasion of its boundary. Dozens of people died,
some torn literally limb from limb, as the creatures exacted
their revenge.
Agriculture, particularly dairy or pig farming and fruit
and grain crops, is common throughout most of the
Lakeshore region. The land is less fertile in the
extreme north: hunting and foraging play a much
greater role in the diet in these regions. Coastal and
riverside communities make extensive use of
freshwater fish in their diet, of course, as well as
shellfish and certain edible sea plants. The fertility of
the land, coupled with intensive agricultural practices
and the bountiful supply of fish in the rivers and lake,
sustains a population of some 40,000 people.
A second wave of refugees left the village, fanning out
across the region to establish new settlements. Some became
farmers; some, fisherfolk; some even turned to piracy.
Nearly one hundred years later, the events of this time are
almost as much a thing of legend as the cataclysm that
brought their forebears to this land. Yet even today, few
people venture near the Bloodwood… and of the few who do,
none return.
The People
Although it has been settled for several generations,
most of Lakeshore still has something of a frontier
attitude, with the peculiar blend of independence and
interdependence that entails. A common local adage is
“The only crop you can sow on your neighbor’s field is
trouble“; folk don’t like interference from outsiders,
and expect to be left alone to live their lives how they
want. On the other hand, if a family runs into
difficulties, there is a strong sense of community as
well: Gifts of food, assistance with work, and any
other aid possible will flood in for the afflicted folk.
About this Guide
This guide is intended for players and GMs of the
Iron
Heroes
roleplaying game. It details a specific region for
use as a setting in
Iron Heroes
campaigns and provides
advice on creating characters from the region; also
included are a map of the area, descriptions of the
major communities and landmarks, and a brief outline
of notable organizations and individuals who can be
found there.
A series of adventures to be based in this setting ― the
Bloodwood Legacy
― are planned for publication, but
this guide can be used as a standalone product.
Outsiders are generally treated hospitably, though
armed travelers will usually be asked to set aside their
4
weapons, especially if they are looking for a meal or
shelter. In areas prone to pirate attack, the welcome is
generally much more cautious, and armed travelers
will be required to hand over their weapons if they do
not intend to move on immediately.
The Harvest Mother
Usually depicted as a matronly figure with hands full
of bundled corn, the Harvest Mother of today is
actually an amalgamation of several fertility and
agricultural deities once worshipped by some of the
original refugees. Her faith is common in farming
communities across the region (except around Chosen
Bay). The faith is closely associated in many people’s
minds with the wild festivals held in her honor on the
solstices and equinoxes of each year.
Attitudes in certain of the larger settlements, where
the communities are not so close-knit, may vary. Any
specific variances for these locations are covered in the
“Places of Note“ section below.
Religion
The original refugees who entered Lakeshore did not
have a single, strongly held faith, and there are many
different religious beliefs in the area. Dedication to
most such faiths is casual rather than fanatical; outside
of attending certain annual festivals and making an
offering or two for a good harvest or success for their
business, most folk prefer not to bother the gods and
hope the favor is returned.
Most of the religious ordinances of this faith relate
specifically to offerings, ceremonies, and practices
required to curry the Harvest Mother’s favor. These
rituals are numerous, even though the Mother is
generally seen as a beneficent figure. Injunctions on
moral or ethical behavior are minimal, though most of
the clergy encourage honesty, integrity, and industry
in their followers, believing quite practically that a
busy and contented community is vital to a good
harvest.
The most widespread or widely known religions of
the Lakeshore include the following:
Organization:
Highly localized. Most villages and
towns in the Lakeshore area have their own unique
interpretation of this faith, with minor dogmatic
variations. Lay followers rarely concern themselves
with such details. Clergy from different areas consider
themselves part of the same faith, but enjoy spirited
discussions on dogma. No formal hierarchy exists
within the clergy, with only the position of Pastor
being recognized, but particularly wise or well-known
pastors are generally accorded informal seniority by
their compatriots. Members of both genders may
become clergy, though significantly more are female
than male.
Church of the Chosen
One of the few evangelical faiths in the Lakeshore
region, the Church of the Chosen was founded in the
terrible nights leading to the exodus from Thornwood.
The Chosen believe that the original refugees were
guided to Lakeshore for some divine purpose, but that
this task was forgotten or ignored when the settlement
at Thornwood was founded. They see what happened
at Thornwood as a divine punishment for this failure.
The original adherents of this belief founded a new
settlement at Chosen Bay, which remains to this day a
highly religious (and some would say “superstitious”)
settlement. They regularly send out the brightest and
bravest to spread the message of their faith to the rest
of humanity. Those who remain in Chosen Bay
dedicate themselves to study and prayer in hopes of
rediscovering the forgotten purpose for which the
refugees were originally brought to the Lakeshore.
The Lake God
References to the “God in the Lake” appear in records
almost as soon as the refugees arrived in Lakeshore.
Whether this was an existing faith that was
transplanted to the area or a wholly new phenomenon
is not known, but there are many testaments to eerie
lights beneath the waves, waters that abruptly boil
with steam before cooling once more, and strange
music heard by fisherfolk as they ply their trade.
Organization:
Centralized and hierarchical. Adherents
(layfolk) make up the majority of the followers, with
priests and archpriests above them and a council of
four cardinals as the final authority. All ecumenical
decisions are made by the cardinals, who must agree
unanimously for a ruling to be final. Members of both
genders may become clergy, though the ratio of men
to women is currently about three to one.
The Lake God remains popular with anyone who
earns a living from the waters of Ocean Lake,
including fisherfolk and pirates alike. A wild and
capricious force, the Lake God must be appeased with
regular offerings in exchange for the bounty he
provides from the lake and rivers. All offerings must
come from the land (precious metals are favored), for
to make an offering that originated in the water would
be merely to return what was already the God’s to
begin with ― a terrible insult to the God of the Lake.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]