Burrowowl

Things you never thought you’d want to know about the Iron Kingdoms:

• The name of the planet the Iron Kindoms setting takes place on is Caen.
• Caen has three moons, Calder, Laris, and Artis.
• Calder has a lunar month of 28 days, Laris has a lunar month of 91 days, and Artis has a lunar month of 121 days.
• The predominant modern calendar in the Iron Kingdoms is based upon the Rhulic calendar, and has thirteen months of exactly 28 days, each with four seven day weeks.

I suppose we didn’t really expect to get the IKCG in April of this year, though there was talk of it being sent to the printers “for April.” This is now being interpreted as meaning that the printers should have everything by May, will subsequently print it, and it will hit the streets by some time in… 2043. In a continuing effort to keep the decreasingly-rabid fanbase interest piqued, the folks at Privateer Press have released another peek Behind the Iron Curtain. This time we get a rather neato grayscale image (presumably from the book) and some historical information about the tenative peace between Cygnar, Llael, Ord, and Khador (the Iron Kingdoms proper).

This version of the Iron Kingdoms history varies a bit from my previous understanding of things (as it implies that the Protectorate of Menoth, the Scharde Islands, Rhul, and Ios were signatories to the treaty). Older history info implied that the Corvis Treaties were specifically crafted to ensure an end to hostilities between the four human counties on the continent (the Protectorate did not yet exist, and Rhul and Ios simply weren’t involved). Perhaps it’s just some tricky wording in the second sentence throwing me for a loop.

Privateer Press has intensified its keeping-the-customers-tantalized campaign, and appears now to be making good on EIC Joe Martin’s promise to give us glimpses of the upcoming Iron Kingdoms Character Guide and Iron Kingdoms World Guide until such time as they are actually printed and distributed. The most recent installment includes a look at the names and prerequisites of new feats, as well as a chart of class skills for classes unique to the Iron Kingdoms. This is, I must admit, exactly the kind of information that doesn’t terribly interest me, but it is good to see that real progress is actually being made. I look forward to the next installment of the “Behind the Iron Curtain” articles.

File under “be careful what you wish for.”

Matt Wilson from Privateer Press recently announced that the IKCG will likely hit the streets in April of 2004. We’ve heard things like this before, and the IKCG has been notoriously over-delayed by a variety of factors before. Not the least of these factors was the sheer volume of material that the PP crew came up with. They were shooting for a 300-page resource to help players and DMs immerse themselves into the Iron Kingdoms. Instead the project snowballed into 700 pages of art, rules, and flavor, of which they were loathe to drop… anything.

So here’s the mixed blessing: Instead of a single 300-page IKCG with a bunch of savage cuts to flavor and rules, we’re going to be getting two hefty tomes instead, an IKCG in April full of crunchy rules, prestige classes, feats, spells, and equipment, and an IKWG released sometime later full of fluffy historical, religious, cultural, and regional information. I have mixed feelings about this, as I was hoping for more fluff sooner than later, but I suppose this is better than perfectly good setting information ending up on the cutting-room floor, eh?

Vasyr continues his journal on the long, cold road to Falconbridge.

Day broke on 14th day of our journey, we had hunkered down after
circling the wagons and covering the horses with all extra blankets.
The Glacier Wolf (Klar) began to lead us through morning, with the rest
of us riding comfortably in the carriages. This lasted until midday
when the horses started to succumb to the cold. We stopped and set up
camp and did our best to warm the horses. At least we have crested the
pass.

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Another entry from the journal of Vasyr Zietsev, a Kossite Ranger that has recently found gainful employment. Again, the text is Vasyr’s not my own. Perhaps he can shed some light as to what a “liege of Winterguard” consists of? “A bit of frostbite” may be an understatement, as one member of his party was brought to unconciousness by the Khador’s winter on the first day of the blizzard. More entries will be posted as they are made available to me.

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From the diary of Vasyr Zietsev, Khadoran Ranger:

Klar, Alric, and I are hanging out Ohk looking for work, nothing found
- but I did get a letter from Fyodor. I haven’t seen that brainiac
freak since he left our village for Unie. He arrived by train on his
way to Falconbridge to set up some sort of study of fury woodland
creatures’ mating habits, or some such.

Fyodor found a way to piss of some sort of Khard barbarian stepping off
the train. I gave almost as good as got, but dam that vinegar smelling
son of a Caspian hit hard. When I awoke we were on the way to then bar
on Fyodor’s jink.
It turned out that Fyodor was not much better off than us, he was
waiting on a grant for some jink, and he had to get his camp set up and
send back some results to the Unie before he would see a horn of the
grant.

After a tip or two good fortune found us, “M” be praised. Volden a
local alchemist found himself needing some day labor to get his goods
ready for an over land to Falconbridge, and found himself also needing
some caravan guards and the use of a good scout.

We loaded up a cart and a couple makeshift coaches with all of
Volden’s goods for the trip. Good thing we got his goods out of that
warehouse, the rats were huge and had built a small city in the stored
crates there. They weren’t much of an issue for a bunch o’ lads just
out of the Winterguard though.

After getting the carts loaded we waited for Volden Mirsk to show and
lead us to a place to stay in town, before taking off at dawn. I
caught a Caspian swine lifting Fyodor’s purse. That joker had a bundle
of jink in that purse - idiot savant I guess. I tracked down the rogue
and gave him a bit of what for, after Klar slowed him down with a bit
of a long-range bowshot. The dirty Caspian gave me back the purse
after he realized the beating that was about to be finished off on him
- Fyodor had come to help, but managed to fall down a hole before
combat.

We spent the night at Volden’s old flat with his delightful daughter
Tatyana. We look forward to leaving in the morning.

All misspellings are Vasyr’s, not my own. I will be posting future entries as they are made available to me. Everything here is completely player-knowledge, and does not necessarily reflect what is really going on. The pickpocke, for example, was a Midlunder. But what’s the difference to a backwoods Kossite like Vasyr, eh?

File under “Khadoran National Board of Tourism”

During your stay is the lovely but harsh lands of Khador, whether touring the scenic steppelands of our Khardic forefathers, riding the sleek, modern railroad system connecting our proud capital city Korsk to other hubs of industry, or visitng the ancient shrines and temples of both Morrow and Menoth, there are some things you will often be called upon to know.

Our land is a proud Monarchy, headed by Queen Ayn Vanar XI. Her bloodline draws back to the ancient pre-Orgoth horse-lords, and she is a fine example of Khadoran strength and austerity. Her house and army are strong, and she is admired and beloved by her people.

The weather in Khador has always been described as “harsh,” as our long winters freeze this part of Immoren for five months out of the year. Our farmers and craftsmen are known for their efficiency and strength, making due with relatively short growing seasons and the threats of the northern wilderness. Against these dangers the Winter Guard is ever-vigilant, patrolling our major settlements constantly.

By the law of our queen, all Khadoran men must serve no less than three years in the military, defending our motherland as need be. No woman who volunteers for such service is refused entry, and many of our most capable and fearsome officers are of the female persuasion. In times of need, every male that is of age may be called upon to assist the Winter Guard to keep the peace and defeat our enemies. Khadorans have always been a strong people, and visitors are advised to avoid arousing the locals’ tempers.

The Sword Faith of Morrow has found Khador to be quite receptive, and the Old Faith of Menoth remains strongly anchored amongst our culture. Ever respectful of our ancient tradtions, we honor Menoth the Lawgiver and Creator, all the while seeking self-betterment as Morrow would have us. In Khador moreso than anywhere else, the faiths of Menoth and Morrow cohabitate most harmoniously, each held firmly in the hearts of our people. Please note that the church heirarchy of Menoth here in the North do not recognize the Heirarch in Southern Cygnar, instead relying upon the older tradition of leadership by a number of Visgoths. The Church of Morrow in Khador, as with everywhere else, respects the authority of the Primarch and the Exordeum.

Our money is accepted throughout the Iron Kingdoms and is well known for its reliable purity, the artisanship of its design, and its economical proportions. Unlike the chincy Cygnaran Shields and Crowns, Khadoran currency has a reassuring heft to it that clatters nicely in the hand when making a purchase or trade.

The Horn is made of copper, and roughly equivalent to the Cygnaran Farthing.
The Hoof is cast in silver, and roughly equivalent to the Shield.
The Talon is of gold, worth the same as a Cygnaran Crown.
The Fang, ten times the weight of a Talon and also made from gold, is the rough equivalent of a Cygnaran Tower.

When visting Khador, you are advised to trade in foreign jink at the nearest tax collector’s office to ensure favorable exchange rates. Many loyal Khadoran shopkeepers and professionals will not accept inferior foreign moneys, or charge an exhorbitant fee for dirtying their hands with the stuff.

*update 04-14-2005: after the release of the IKWG, a revised version of this article was posted, at which time many of the horrible typos in this version were fixed, and some other information was corrected or expanded upon.

Due to the “sinking” effect that is ever-so-common in Corvis, most construction projects on “bare ground” (often the rooftops of sunken structures) begins with the introduction of large steel posts, driven into the soft earth with the assistance of industrial steamjacks (the local masons have a longstanding relationship with the Steamworker’s Union).

Once the piledriving is completed, a two-foot layer of impermeable clay is laid down to seal off the future basement of the new structure. This basement is typically built above “ground level” and thoroughly sealed against water intrusion (even the Cygnaran Public Works Department’s massive pumps are no guarantee against flood damage, after all). Older structures used pitch for this purpose, but some of the high-end construction projects over the past 100 years or so have taken advantages of certain alchemical compounds developed originally for sealing water leaks in steamworks.

Over the centuries, this has resulted in an irregular pattern of impermeable strata at various depths throughout the city, and structures have sunk despite the best efforts of Cygnar’s best and brightest architects and engineers. As the canal system has been built, rebuilt, redirected, and repaired, there have been no less than twenty serviceable tunnels discovered that actually pass beneath the canals, with only minor leakage from above. Criminal elements such as the Gertens Family have made use of such tunnels for years now for use in evading the Watch for smuggling and kidnapping operations.

Entrances to known tunnels of this nature are under observation at all times by a group of operatives for the Crown for use by King Leto’s intelligence network. The Town Watch is officially unaware of their presence, though Captain Helstrom has made beneficial use of them on a number of occasions.

Healing potions are a cornerstone of D&D and have been since the 1970s when the game was first produced. They allow a battered party to refresh themselves and press on during an adventure when the Cleric is pressed for spells. In parties lacking the healing prowess of a Cleric (or even a Druid, Bard, or Paladin, for that matter), healing potions are an essential safety-net that makes the inherent risks of dungeon-crawling, treasure-seeking, swash-buckling, and evil-vanquishing more feasible.

The Iron Kingdoms campaign world is rich in Clerical tradition, and its priests and Paladins are afforded great respect everywhere you go in Western Immoren. However, the responsibilities of a Cleric of Morrow or Menoth are many and varied, and an adventuring party cannot always avail of one to accompany them in their travels (or perhaps their quest is contrary to the goals of the local church). Traditionally any magic potion in D&D is effectively a spell-effect in liquid form (this doesn’t hold true with a handful of special-use potions, but is generally the case). Healing potions traditionally act as a Cure Light Wounds, Cure Serious Wounds, or directly analogous spell taken orally. A potion is made by somebody with adequate class levels to cast the given spell.

But since when did a Morrowan Chaplain have time to brew up magical soft-drinks for sale from behind the pulpit? The demand for anything greater than a Potion of Cure Light Wounds is likely extremely small, and would likely be the only ones available without custom-ordering them for a hefty “donation” to the church in question. So where does an intrepid adventurer go to get his over-the-counter meds?

The alchemist. That’s right, I propose the introduction of alchemical healing potions. As with other health-influencing alchemical substances (namely poisons), these will be available for purchase in any major city wealthy enough to support a well-trained apothecary. Unlike magical healing potions, which literally contain a divine spell effect, alchemical healing potions are slow-acting and inexpensive. But they have side effects. In my upcoming Iron Kingdoms campaign (in which I will finally act as DM in this setting), alchemical healing potions will be available and have the following characteristics:

1. Upon consumption, roughly 1/3rd of the potion’s benefit will kick in
2. As with a poison, one minute (10 rounds) after consumption, the imbiber of the potion will wil subject to a Fortitude save against poison. Difficulty varies with the potency of the item.
3. If the Fortitude save is unsuccessful, a negative side effect will kick in (as a poison effect) affecting Constitution, Intelligence, and/or Wisdom. Which attribute is affected, and the amount of ability damage done will vary depending upon the strength of the item. Ability damage from multiple potions is cumulative.
4. Regardless of the outcome of the Fortitude save, the remaining 2/3rds of the potion benefit kicks in immediately after the saving throw.

An example would be a Alchemical Healing Potion, which cures for 1d4+1 / DC12(Wis 1) 2d4+2, market price 50 Crowns. This potion is, in the long-haul, more valuable than a Potion of Cure Light Wounds (which heals for 1d8+1 hit points as opposed to 3d4+3) but takes 10 rounds for full effect, with the possibility of 1 wisdom damage.