Spellbound
An Ironsworn Gameplay Record
Content Warning:
Language, Violence, Disease.
Spellbound takes place in the same Ironsworn World as Currentbound.
What does this mean? Well, for the most part, these are separate stories. They begin in different regions and timelines are nebulous and only really locally defined. The characters are from different walks of life and, despite both being travelers, it is entirely possible that they will never actually interact with one another. That all said, the World Truths and Setting Details will remain persistent through both. While Izo may never end up in Thornhill, it remains that Thornhill is a village located near the Deep Wilds borderland, that it is a place watched over by a Forest Spirit, and that Izo could come across it if he were to venture through the area.
In terms of Truths, as I've played Currentbound, some of those initial choices have expanded. With the addition of the narratives just now being created for Spellbound, they expand still further. And finally, I have tweaked or changed some of them more directly away from their original intention. Playing the game, interacting with the narratives, I've found that there are certain details that seem incongruous now. There are even some that I don't care for and have no idea what the heck I was even thinking originally. On the one hand, I think it's good to challenge yourself by experimenting with things outside your comfort zone. On the other, sometimes things just don't fit and I think it's okay to change them around to suit your fun. Ultimately, I didn't change anything so drastically as to require a retcon of the actual narrative to date. The biggest changes, as is the usual case when you explore a setting more fully, have to do with softening the edges of the absolute statements we started with. Lots of little exceptions and mitigations start to stack up. Ironlanders, for example, are deeply suspicious of outsiders. Except they're less suspicious of folks they expect to be traveling through, like the Iron Priests or Ironsworn (when they discover that a person is, in fact, Ironsworn). And except that suspicion melts away in the warmth of their shared histories. And except that some folks, familiar with being outcasts or travelers themselves, are far more accepting of like souls. And except that when a person serves a community, they are much more openly (or even fully) accepted within it. So on and so forth. Keeps things varied and interesting. Stories can't happen without the opportunity to tell them.
Spellbound follows Izo, an Iron Priest who travels the Ironlands using the complex magical network of Iron Pillars to guide him in search of strange new magics to acquire and terrible beasties to put down.
World Truths
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.
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, 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.
The pillars aren't in any physical or geographical arrangement an everyday person can discern. Some form clusters like henges while others are completely solitary. The form they take varies wildly from a mimicry of crystalline growth to something like a standing stone to vertical columns. They range in size also. Most are as big as an adult human but some are the size of Giants.
Folks bring their sick and dying to the pillars as a last resort in hopes the Iron Priests can heal them. This is not always effective but it has been known to work in the past.
Those in the know are aware that the pillars act like magic siphons. If one is afflicted with dark magic, then the Iron can heal them. But the loss of other magic is risked as well.
Legacies
We are the first humans to walk these lands.
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.
There are certain folk who can travel between these villages without facing surprise and suspicion. Instead, they are often treated with a distant, polite formality. Iron Priests are the most common among these. Ironsworn, once their nature is known, are treated similarly but are never invited to linger unless they have done a service to the community. Being few in number may breed suspicion of outsiders but it also mandates respect and appreciation for those who provide aid.
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.
Defense
Our warbands are rallied to strike at our enemies or defend our holdings. Though not nearly as impressive as the armies that once marched across the Old World, these forces are as well - trained and equipped as their communities can manage. The banners of the warbands are adorned with depictions of their Old World history and Ironland victories.
These Warbands are the tattered shadows of their former selves but their shared histories can forge tenuous bonds that assuage the natural suspicion Ironlanders hold against outsiders to their communities. Even old enemies can be greeted warmly and given shelter against the long, cold dark.
Mysticism
Magic courses through this land as the rivers flow through the hills. The power is there for those who choose to harness it, and even the common folk often know a helpful ritual or two.
Magic flows most strongly through the Waters of the world.
The Iron Priests maintain the Iron Archive, the body of Iron Pillars that form the nodes of a complex magical network. The Pillars are magical siphons which store and protect magic in all its forms. The Priests are the only ones with the training and experience to tap into that network. For all others, magic goes in but never comes out.
Religion
A few Ironlanders still make signs or mumble prayers out of habit or tradition, but most believe the gods long ago abandoned us.
The Iron Priests are the only vaguely religious institution left, if you can call them that. Ironlanders often revere them but remain distant. Those for whom a healing at the Pillars went horribly wrong tend to view them with suspicion and even outright dislike. All recognize the service they perform, however, so even those attitudes are often tempered.
Firstborn
Firstborn and Ironlanders hold a tenuous peace based on mutual respect and cultural curiosity. Firstborn wield considerably more raw power but Ironlanders possess a far larger population. Neither group wants to tip that precarious balance.
Beasts
Beasts of all sorts roam the Ironlands. They dwell primarily in the reaches and wild places but the Iron-Blighted are a particular problem. Driven mad by the disease, they will sometimes strike livestock or even range deep into inhabited villages.
Horrors
In the dark of night, the depths of seas, the hearts of woods, and wombs of the earth, there are beings of unknowable age with strange ideas and an alarming interest in sapient peoples. These sinister things quail at the sight of Iron and shy away from the sick but watch us, seek us out, and peer into both our waking minds and our dreams. They give gifts and grant boons in return for strange and grim services.
Izo, the Iron Priest
I envision Izo as a toughened, middle aged man. A worker and a brawler, balls to bones. The scars on his knuckles, his calloused hands, and his weathered hide display a no nonsense person with the fortitude to travel these harsh lands and courageously face down its many dangers. His steely eyed gaze carries the weight of a man who has fought and bled to protect you from your nightmares but there is a gentleness and mindfulness in his bearing that tells you he doesn't hold it against you or think less of you for not wading out into the dark beside him.
Despite his rugged appearance, Izo's stongest asset is his wit. He thinks faster than he acts but, more importantly, he is able to maintain a kind of mental clarity that serves him well in rooting out the secrets of the world, dark or no. His mind is a busy fortress, ready to defend itself in deep places but never standing idle. He may often serve as a blunt instrument but the work he does, he does for and at the behest of his Priesthood and, by extension, the whole of the Ironlands. Gnarled, calcified knuckles and all, he is an Iron Priest first and foremost.
Stats
We'll set all the starting values to their appropriate positions and give Izo the following statline: Edge 1, Heart 2, Iron 2, Shadow 1, and Wits 3.
Bonds
Bond: Iron Priesthood
Izo serves as a member of the Iron Priesthood, a faction in the Ironlands. They oversee the Iron Archive, which is the total body of Iron Pillars that each form the nodes of a complex magical network. In another world, the lines that connect the various Pillars would be akin to Ley Lines. The Pillars act as natural magical siphons. For the everyday Ironlander, being in contact with one drains away both natural magical talent within oneself and magical effects on one's person. Once gone, such an Ironlander is helpless to retrieve it. Iron Priests, on the other hand, have the training and experience to see the Archive as a massive, global, magical library and some varied ability to borrow magic from it. The Priests see it as their duty to maintain this library and, as such, collect magics from the world to place within it. Magic runs wild in these Ironlands, causing all sorts of magical mutation and granting weird elder beings strange and arcane powers. Whether the Priests are doing a service to the world depends on perspective. Locking evil magics away in the Archive prevents their use but the canny might note how more positive magic is similarly hoarded by the Priesthood. Within the Priesthood itself, there is some debate and contention concerning its health and balance as dark and light magics are added to the collection. The Priests are nomadic, decentralized, so rank among them is determined by proficiency and missions are determined by need. There are often secret bases of operations located at each Pillar or cluster of Pillars. When a Priest cannot find a friendly village in which to take refuge or if their work needs done in secret or isolation, they utilize these hidden locations.
I think it makes sense that another of these bonds would be another Iron Priest. I'm not envisioning a master/apprentice relationship between these people. Rather, Priests travel and learn from each other when and where they can. They work together to solve problems when they are together in one place. So this bond is more likely a friend in the Priesthood. Let's see who they are.
Name, 51: Sarria. Goal, 41: Create an Item. Character Descriptors, 84, 58, 68: Determined, Athletic, Confused.
Bond: Sarria, Iron Priest
Izo's closest connection within the Priesthood has got to be Sarria. They tend to travel in similar circles and have shared many hideaways and missions together. Sarria is also a natural fighter, though she prefers an axe and seems bemused by Izo's choice to go barehanded. Where Izo is rugged and ready to work, Sarria is headstrong and persistent. Physically, they match each other's talents well. Unfortunately, Sarria appears to be infected with some mutation of Iron Blight. She becomes more mentally confused the farther away she gets from the strict lines and nodes that make up the Archive. To combat this, absent a cure, her intention is to find or unlock the magic that will allow her to create a mobile golem out of an Iron Pillar so that she can travel more freely.
I think I'll set up a community, a village as my third bond. Someplace I stop often as I crisscross the Archive.
Name, 45, 40: Stormfall. It's a village but to add interest, Location, 41: Rapids. Location Descriptor, 33, 93, 86: Hidden, Dense, Peaceful. What did I help with, Settlement Trouble, 89: Dangerous Tradition. Details? Action/Theme, 69 (nice), 84: Advance Spirit
Bond: Stormfall, Mountain Village
Stormfall is a large village situated atop a high bluff clustered with pines and overlooking a downward plunging, horseshoe shaped series of rapids. The roar of the waters can create a peaceful din, a constant sort of white noise, if you're into that sort of thing, but the village sits high enough above it and is insulated enough by the trees that surround it that the roar is reduced to soft background noise. A little chilly, perhaps, but Stormfall usually still falls within a pleasant temperature range and is well situated to accommodate travelers venturing into the Tempest Hills region. The inhabitants are aware of the benefits of such a position as far as trade is concerned and, while they do not typically invite strangers to stay, they are some of the more welcoming Ironlanders. The village used to be ruled over by a small family of ghosts. The benefit of immortal leadership and experience are obvious but, unfortunately, the ghosts succumbed to their worser natures and had begun implementing some truly awful practices. Some time back, on my way through, I discovered this and put the spirits to rest. Having freed the village from spectral tyranny, the inhabitants now look kindly on my stayovers when I pass through the area.
Assets
My bond with the Iron Priesthood qualifies me for Banner-Sworn, so I'll take that as a means of guiding my quests. There are a number of other options but I think I want to solidify a base for what it means to be an Iron Priest. I'll take Lorekeeper, to represent the Iron Archive and my stewardship over it. And then Slayer to represent my role in both protecting people from Horrors and Beasts but also my role in collecting their magics for insertion into the Archive. The second of each of these latter abilities will really drive home the notion of providing direction.
That's all for now but I definitely have my eye on Brawler since that's the way I fight, Herbalist since Iron Priests are regularly called on to do healing at Pillars, a handful of cool rituals I could recover for the Archive or unlock from within it, and maybe Awaken (if I can manage to learn how to make golems from Sarria).
Equipment
I'll carry Iron Knuckles for fighting and I'll wear twin iron beaded bracelets which are attuned to the Pillar network and help me gain access to it. I'll also carry a supply satchel.
Background Vow (Epic)
Somewhere along the lines, the intersection of magic and iron has spawned the potential for an innumerable amount of impossible mutations. Some are beneficial, some are not. I even have friends affected by the Iron Blight. Therefore, I take it upon myself, as Iron Priest of these lands and friend to its peoples, to solve this benighted and harrowing problem once and for all. This is my Vow.
Inciting Incident (Troublesome)
Given the context of what I've created so far, I'm going to roll on a couple random oracles to gen up a first quest here. Action/Theme, 57, 94: Await Path. Let's get some Mystic Backlash in there, make it magical, 54: You suffer the loss of a sense for several hours. Where is this at, Location, 69 (nice): the foothills. So definitely just outside of Stormfall heading into the Hinterlands. Descriptor, 10: broken. How about a Trouble for extra context, 16: Mysterious Phenomenon. I think I have what I need.
The main road (such as it is) leading up from the Hinterlands into the Tempest Hills and passing through Stormfall is haunted, the people say. Not many travelers pass through in a northerly direction and those in the village aren't too terribly concerned with it seeing as how they tend to stick close to home. But travelers through the area have complained of the path vanishing at night and not reappearing for several hours. During this time when the traveler is stranded, it is said that whispers can be heard among the rocks and crevices and trees of the foothills. No one has been hurt. Yet. Still, a damned inconvenient thing if true. It might also hold the mystery of new magic to be discovered. It's nearly time for me to set out from Stormfall again anyway, so I'll go and see if this is some magical trickery or if wild rumors have overblown what elder eyes have seen in the dark.
That's it, I'm ready to swear my first vow and get underway.
Next: Issue One: Mystery of the Missing Path
Comments