Truths

It's not an Ironsworn campaign without establishing some truths about the world, is it?  Let's get into it.

The Sundering: Looking at any map or globe it’s clear that the Isles were at least two continents in ages past, but nobody knows for sure when, why, or how they shattered into the thousands of islands that exist today.  Some suspect that the most ancient ruins and relics found in the Isles date back to the time of the Sundering, but the people living in these lands back then have long since faded into history if they ever existed in the first place.  All that’s known is what remains today; a patchwork of islands of various sizes separated by various straits, channels, and gulfs, all surrounded by a shallow sea. The Isles cover a huge area that stretches from the northern polar region right down almost to the southern, so naturally there is a huge diversity of climate.  What can be said is that overall this world tends to be relatively warm and wet, so while some areas do fall into the rain shadows of mountainous regions, true deserts are rare and small.  Strong storms are frequent even in the myriads, and they get stronger and more frequent the further out you get onto the open ocean.  And that’s just the natural weather, to say nothing of the supernatural (see Horrors, below)

 

Relics: The long history of the isles is marked by disaster, war, migration and exodus. Abandoned and ruined sites are grim monuments to these events.  Former communities—even entire islands—are sometimes forsaken by their people. Tamoanchan has the greatest claim to being the oldest civilization in the region at perhaps 800 years, but they are far from the first and will almost assuredly not be the last.  The Isles have been inhabited for millennia, though for how many is anybody’s guess.

 

The Modern Era: It is mostly an age of sail, but many harness magic in various ways.  Magic also fuels some industrial tech, although that is still very rare and experimental.  Stiil, automatons, flying machines, diving bells, and floating fortresses do exist.

 

Iron Vows: People swear on iron because of its association with lodestones and the steadiness of the Polestar to which they point.  It’s an old superstition, but everyone still pays it heed.

 

Navigation: We are scattered to the winds, but our connections persist. The people of the isles are often isolated. Trade and communication must overcome distance and the fickle nature of the surrounding waterways. Known passages are undone by tumultuous weather, capricious seas, or unforeseen conflicts. In spite of those challenges, skilled voyagers and their indomitable vessels are a tether that binds the people and places of remote seas into a greater community.  

 

Empires: Imperial forces vie for dominion over the Sundered Isles. Imperial colonization and exploitation is a creeping tide which threatens to engulf the isles. Colonial governors oversee ever-expanding settlements, while powerful trade companies control key trade routes and resources. Imperial agents conduct missions of subterfuge and assassination. Treaties between the empires are forged and broken on a whim, and mariners can never be certain of what flag will fly over a port from one day to the next.  The balance of power between the various empires is constantly shifting, and while no one empire ever has dominion over more than a small percentage of the Isles at any given time, an eventual war of all against all seems all but inevitable, and sooner or later someone will have to come out on top.

 

Piracy: There are a few independent pirate “nations” formed by renegades and freebooters from the empires, and some would tell you that the only Estavalian who isn’t a pirate is one without a ship.  Most pirates, however, claim no allegiance to any beyond their own crew and ship.  Some have a rogue’s sense of honor, while others are simple cutthroats, and you’re unlikely to know which one you’re dealing with until the smoke has cleared.

 

Religion: Diverse.  Miracles and divine manifestations are an accepted part of life, but whether they’re just another form of magic is debatable.  It’s probably academic anyway.  Most religions among the Isles are tied to ethnic/cultural groups, tolerant of other practices, polytheistic or henotheistic, and generally unconcerned with the practices of others.  

On the other hand, the religions of the empires (which you'll get to know in the history/culture section) vary:

1. Cuzão’s Church Undying is an aggressively expansionist sect of sun and fire worshippers, constantly on the search for new souls to convert and heretics to burn at the stake.  

2. The Avonians follow their own version of the Church that is more tolerant and much less likely to burn heretics at the stake.  That’s not to say it still doesn't happen from time to time, just not as much.  

3. The religion of Tamoanchan involves a huge and complex pantheon of gods of war, the sea, agriculture, the sun and moons, volcanoes, and various natural phenomena.  The most important of these gods demand frequent sacrifice, which keeps Tamoanchan’s galleys constantly on the prowl for potential offerings.

4. Kagayakuan religion is a mix of ancestor worship, veneration of the Emperor and his predecessors, mountain asceticism, and the veneration of nature spirits.  Converts are accepted but not actively sought out.

5. Wehatan religion is not all that different from that of the Isles, being polytheistic and communal.  It involves a complex system of taboos - what might be prohibited to whom may depend on any combination of social rank, age, gender, initiation into the cult of a particular god, time of day, configuration of the moons, etc.  Most outsiders find it completely baffling.

    

Magic: Magic is an ever-present, elemental force. Magic is as constant as the winds and tides. Talented mystics exploit these energies to shape natural forces, divine the past and the future, and cast boons and curses. A few can even breathe unnatural life into the dead.  Most people do not have what it takes to master raw magic themselves, but fortunately magical devices are relatively common and can (usually) be used by anyone who knows how.  Most common aboard ships are artificial wind generators, magical cannons, harpoon throwers, and weapons of all types, weather gauges, compasses, scrying equipment, and long range communication equipment (nothing like radio, but if you can see your target you can communicate)

Beasts: Beasts lurk in watery depths and within the reaches of remote islands. All manner of creatures dwell among the isles—including rare and incredible beasts of legend. Among them are colossal great whales and elder rays, larger than our greatest ship, and blade-winged sea dragons. Some foolish souls hunt these creatures for riches or sport. Others revere and protect them. A few are beast-bonded, forming an enduring friendship with their beast-kin.

Horrors: The undead are real, and demons and other, stranger things make their way into our world from time to time.  The Isles abound with strange spirits that aren’t native to our reality, and they are not all friendly.  Supernatural weather is also a concern, especially in certain regions of the world.  Theories abound on what causes it, but any sailor who’s been out there long enough knows that it’s real.  Black Rains wash away men’s memories, while Demon Winds drive them to madness, and everyone fears the Crimson Mist, which waits just offshore (and occasionally snakes its way inland) to turn whatever it captures into mindless monstrosities.  Those are just a few of the better known examples.