Home - Category: Steel-Realms (Page 46)

Category: Steel-Realms

Frost-Melded Icescapes (patches of dragon breath; Rhyl)

Posted on October 25, 2025 in Steel-Realms

Steel Realms
Frost-Melded Icescapes are a remnant of when the Dragon of Rhyl controlled the area with utter contempt; These patches are sometimes a dozen acres in size! The frost melded spots mark places where it ended the lives and efforts of those who tried to take land or would stand against it. There are several places in the forests, on the table land, on the open lands, especially the shore City of blank, that still show this effect. Most of these are recent, the ones from the time before the Blood of Saemon have long since faded (though a few remain).

Its breath was so powerful as to pull all of the moisture out of every living thing and freeze it in the surface that it touched and freeze it so that the surface materials melded together and appeared seamless. Everything is preserved, though nothing lives. It radiates cold, and the ice never melts, fog constantly rolls off it. It does get opaque in the heat, releasing warmer mist/fog, but restores itself at night and in colder times.

  • No living things venture into its confines
  • No insects or birst can be heard making noise within 50m of it.
  • Clouds of fog roll over the land and low clouds form above it

Rhyl Culture | Territories & Fiefs | Features | North Gate Garrison | Map

Defining Ideal: The Grand Duchy of Rhyl has been "The Shield of the North" in the wars of The Noble East vs. The Broken Lands for thousands of years as well as stradling the crossroads of many powers and maintaining a tense peace. The Chronicle of Rhyl shows it first as many fiefdoms of 'The Lands of Rhylan' (CY 5500's), then a united kingdom (CY 5980), then as a duchy of the High Kings' kingdom of Gladnor (CY 6514). All citizens in the north take the pledge of Rhylan the Living.

Culture: Rhylian ( 'rill', 'rillian') locales have locally flavored experiences, but unless noted, follow general Territories and Fiefdoms properties and all have shared culture - languages used, Character Experience, institutions, Law, etc; Most Settlements includes the basic experience of Characters of the Steel Realms.

No one claims any jurisdiction over the areas they cover. They seem to be draining of power on their own and no one has ever triggered an effect that seeped into the area around them – explore at your own peril!

Removing

Tools used to try and break it become covered in the effect themselves after a few points of contact, as do fingers and hands working or directing them. Magical fire works to destroy it, but the toxic fumes it produces from any organic matter exposed through flames creates problems of its own.

Lifecycle

Despite the thought that it is permanent, it would be present in a lot more places. It is believed by occult and dive scholars to last longer, the older the Dragon. Some in the Great Forest of Rhyl have been observed to melt in the last few thousand years.

Known Frost-Melded Locations in Rhyl

i20™ Effect Details

i20 Text

iCore iCore™ Effect Details

Pages on the web site lean towards i20™ text flavor, discrepancies will be noted in the iCore™ tab.

Chronicle/Facts of the Locale

Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability & Meticulous Record Keeping may improve usability; Any attempt to know more than what's Pervasive will require a reference, source, knowledge, check, or access to someone who can get or provide either of these. Specific Lores may increase the chance of knowing specific elements.

Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty

Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore

For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.

Rhyl General Events

CY 2330’s Fall of East / Rise of the Dark Lands (Orrishai Abandoned); Refugees flee – some cross the Tolkisson Mountain Range into the ‘Lands of Rhylan’ that would become the Kingdoms of old Rhylan and finally The Grand Duchy of Rhyl.

CY 5580 Fall of Dundaria in the North – Frostfang spreads, the Lich Lord power rises. Hordes of the undead, fortunately disorganized (at first), sweep south and west from the heart of old Dundaria.

CY 5980 The Kingdoms of old Rhylan united settled as a single Kingdom of Rhyl to fight the Lich Lords drive south. After centuries of warfare between territories and races, the common cause of the threat to the north secures a lasting peace.

CY 6514 The Grand Duchy of Rhyl is created by the High King. In exchange for the resources and organization that can be brought to bear against the now organized undead armies, the lands become part of the High King‘s domain.

CY 7007 The area of North Gate Garrison freed & The Red March created; Money, supplies, and manpower flow into the north to fight the Lich Lords.

Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty

For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.

Faerie Ring structures are known to grow near these.

Scarce Knowledge / Hard Difficulty

Though it is not well known and mostly forgotten, the Mushrooms of Rhyl in the Great Forest of Rhyl have a higher tendency to grow in the areas once Frost Melded; The Wylden of Rhyl somehow influences the areas of the Dragon of Rhyl’s breath was used – sites for hunting or fighting.

Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty

Warning
Obscure/Hidden Knowledge is not generally available in known references; It is not necessarily Forbidden.
DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT unless a character has the capability to gain such knowledge [through association, organization, or relation] if they do not possess it themselves or the reader intends to participate in scenarios using this material as a PLAYER! GM Narration will typically provide relevant information by check or story.

Realm's Aptitude Powers: Divine, Occult, and Psychic

Tags: ,

The Weather in the Grand Duchy of Rhyl

Posted on October 17, 2025 in Steel-Realms

Steel Realms

The Weather in the Grand Duchy of Rhyl is often cooler and wetter than the rest of the heartlands of The Noble East of the Steel Realms. The seasons in The Grand Duchy of Rhyl: summer is only about 2 and 1/2 months. Spring and winter are drawn out and fall is cold with slow winds.

The cold winds coming through North Gate Pass are fortunately broken up by the Bronze-Edge Tableland. All of the forests on the west side of the tablelands are super dense, filled with fog and very wet. The eastern forest are a little sparser and broken up by many small meadows and diverse wildlife.

Mountain Shadow in the East: The Tolkisson Mountains cast a shadow early in the day on the Eastern lands but they warm up And the Vinewood Forest there absorbs heat more and keeps the meadowlands east of it more dry. It snows regularly in the east and north areas bordering the mountains and winds move swiftly blowing mists on top of the tableland where weather systems gather and change.

The weather over North pines is different than the rest of The Weather in the Grand Duchy of Rhyl, obviously some mystical effect keeps North Pines warmer than the rest of the forest. It has less cloud cover.

Weather on the Autumn Wall: Along The Autumn Wall it is always Autumn unlike the rest of The Weather in the Grand Duchy of Rhyl. The snow doesn’t stick but it gets wet and slushy. It is never very warm but warm enough. Constant blasts of winter storms come raging through the North Gate pass, harbingers of assault by undead.

Chronicle/Facts of the Event

Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability & Meticulous Record Keeping may improve usability; Any attempt to know more than what's Pervasive will require a reference, source, knowledge, check, or access to someone who can get or provide either of these. Specific Lores may increase the chance of knowing specific elements.

Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty

Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore

For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.

Rumors About the Event

See the Herald's Quarterly for world updates.

Rhyl Formative Events

CY 7007 The area of North Gate Garrison freed & The Red March created; Money, supplies, armaments, and manpower flow into the north to fight the Lich Lords.

CY 6514 The Grand Duchy of Rhyl is created by the High King. In exchange for the resources and organization that can be brought to bear against the now organized undead armies, the lands become part of the High King's domain.

CY 5980 The Kingdoms of old Rhylan united settled as a single Kingdom of Rhyl to fight the Lich Lords drive south. After centuries of warfare between territories and races, the common cause of the threat to the north secures a lasting peace.

CY 5580 Fall of Dundaria in the North - Frostfang spreads, the Lich Lord power rises. Hordes of the undead, fortunately disorganized (at first), sweep south and west from the heart of old Dundaria.

CY 2330's Fall of East / Rise of the Dark Lands (Orrishai Abandoned); Refugees flee - some cross the Tolkisson Mountain Range into the 'Lands of Rhylan' that would become the Kingdoms of old Rhylan and finally.

CY 1000 (Approximately) The Dragon of Rhyl is killed and its influence ends in the area around the Great Forest of Rhyl and the surrounding territories.

Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty

For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.

Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty

Warning
Obscure/Hidden Knowledge is not generally available in known references; It is not necessarily Forbidden.
DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT unless a character has the capability to gain such knowledge [through association, organization, or relation] if they do not possess it themselves or the reader intends to participate in scenarios using this material as a PLAYER! GM Narration will typically provide relevant information by check or story.

Realm's Aptitude Powers: Divine, Occult, and Psychic

Tags: , ,

Errha, ‘The Fever That Walks’

Posted on October 17, 2025 in Steel-Realms

Steel Realms
Errha, also called “The Fever that Walks” is a lesser being of the Entourage of Shadow. His breath is a curse. He is the burner. Plagues and disease follow in his wake. Errha is a powerful demonic fiend in the service of Sun Stealer. He commands armies and thralls and priests at The Night’s Fist, on the edge of valley of sighs. Errha secures it against its incursions and monitors for people trying The Heroes Ride.

He also is a “special forces” general – sending small, random, and particularly skilled bands of true believer tortured Orrish to terrorize the lands of light – especially the rape squads and capture taking. He terrorizes nurthlings as well, finding the few pure of blood near orrish that will breed true with orcs. Errha searches four candidates and manages the corruption and missions of the Nightgaunts.

He controls a band of harpies that are constantly circling. These creatures are notoriously violent, evil, and chaff under any authority yet he is able to keep them cowed.

He Hunts darland rangers to turn them into nightgaunts.

Realm's Aptitude Powers: Divine, Occult, and Psychic

Tags:

Top

The Night’s Fist (fortress of Sun Stealer)

Posted on October 17, 2025 in Steel-Realms

Steel Realms
The Night’s Fist is one of the Locales and Settlements of the Dark Lands. The powerful fiend Errha secures it against its incursions from the Valley of Sighs and monitors for people trying to make The Heroes Ride.

Realm's Aptitude Powers: Divine, Occult, and Psychic

Tags:

Top

Hartwoods (Briarwood/Beast wood) of Rhyl

Posted on October 17, 2025 in Steel-Realms

Steel Realms

The Hartwoods of Rhyl (Briarwood & Beastwoods) here follows the later Rhylian design of form over function as opposed to the majesty of the normal Steel Realms version, They are less visually impressive than their Central Heartland counterparts. These use heavy trees over briars and thorns. These are capable of forming a fire-resistant quasi-palisade wall, and being used as emergency fire materials or shelter for the winter storms and Lich Lord fangfrost blasts. Fallen trees are preserved and merged with the living to form arched halls where at least a Shrine where the Altar is located. In places near forests in Rhyl, some smaller faerie races hide in their boughs and trunks still; Each of them has an attendant of either human, elf, or half elf. Each has a faithful watcher – a natural creature that always follows them. In an emergency related to undead incursions, it follows the usual defenses for followers and non-followers alike as a refuge.

Seeking one of the Hartwoods: The common Rhylian Hartwoods can be arrived easily. They are never at the center of town, and their entrance will face away from the busiest street around them. An arched entryway, usually with wild flowers growing just inside marks it as an open invitation. If run by the Green Church, it will have a stable pathway in and out during normal times. They are a constant presence marking a deep connection to Faith in Rhyl.

  • Unlike normal hartwoods that divide between the Green Church in civilized places and Druids in wild places, the Rhylian Briarwoods have both Priest and Druid.

Enemies of the Lich Lords: The Vexation of Nature is enacted vs undead in the Hartwoods of rhyl, providing refuge from any Hoarplagues sent from the cold north. The small animals and plants attack any animations on entry, en masse. To have this constantly running requires a greater amount of sacrifice. To this end, the inhabitants of Briarwoods in the north are generally poorer and live more simply (though with greater cause) than their counterparts in the central heartlands.

Refuge for some Outcastes: Half elves who don’t want to stay in Ten Stacks often find adventure or seek belonging closer to cities in the Hartwoods of Rhyl.

Briarwoods of Rhyl

To Briarwoods of Rhyl is warm and inviting, with all natural motifs and architecture that tries to complement the civilized world around it in places where it sits amidst a large settlement. In Rhyl, the hartwood traditions have less beauty, and are less inviting of the natural wonder. The provide more a sense of quiet power and a resoluteness.

Beastwoods of Rhyl

The Beastwoods of Rhyl follow the general conventions of the Briarwoods of Rhyl – simpler and less formal when it exists in the midst of civilized places. Sacred to Darupet and the Numinous Spirits of the Wild, the Altars are bone and pelt. The bones and pelts serve as source material that manifests sacred creatures of normal and giant size to defend the sacred ground and followers.

i20™ Effect Details

i20 Text

iCore iCore™ Effect Details

Pages on the web site lean towards i20™ text flavor, discrepancies will be noted in the iCore™ tab.

Realm's Aptitude Powers: Divine, Occult, and Psychic

Tags: ,

Top