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History of the Mathien Plateau
Posted on March 11, 2025 in Steel-Realms
The History of the Mathien Plateau is well documented, but little remembered. The once settled area of The Maithen Plateau is now abandoned, most of its inhabitants died in a cataclysm, and so few remember its chronicle these days.
Chronicle of the Maithen Plateau
Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability; 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.
Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty
Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore
The History of the Mathien Plateau is well documented, but little remembered. The once settled area of The Maithen Plateau is now abandoned, most of its inhabitants died in a cataclysm, and so few remember its chronicle these days. The Maithen Plateau is in Hopalen Mountains – a spur of the Hawktail Hills – in the Riverdan of Tuflim.
After the battle with the Orrish that tore the area apart, a few attempts were made to reclaim it and rebuild. However, the terror of the Fall of The Dog Fort permeated the ground over which the Orrish spilled so much blood. People had visions and dreams that infected them with the memories of the dying – and so it was abandoned.
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
The area was rich in resources – multiple mines and settlements and even some agriculture. Orrish came many times, and the Watch Vault of Kunlay was built to hold in their incursions.
Uncommon Knowledge / Average Difficulty
“Calamity of White Lake“: When the forces of the Orrish overran The Maithen Plateau settlements in CY 8802 and The Watch Vault of Kunlay, the druids summoned a powerful anima spirit like they did at Spakaya (The Dog Fort), that drew forth all the water in the underground area and White Lake to sweep everything aside. A raging, frothing water steed led the front of a massive wave, drawing it along, and grinding the retreating forces that had overwhelmed Kunlay back into its breach, cracking rocks and sweeping them back into The Underlands.
Those that were left in hiding were rooted out by a combined host of Riverdan soldiers, a platoon of the earl’s archers and mercenaries hired by the Earl of Bar-Innis and knights of County Faer swept through the entire Maithen Plateau area and butchered them, sparing none then went on to do the same at Spakaya.
Scarce Knowledge / Hard Difficulty
There is residual power left in the anima fount the druids opened to scour the plateau.
Champion of Strength and Darkness
Posted on March 7, 2025 in Steel-Realms
The Champions of Strength and Darkness were a normal part of Orrish Fighting Forces and Tactics, these were feared throughout the new heartlands from about CY 7300 to 7600. They were also a core of the massive Orrish army that sweep into the Fallen East, claiming it as The Dark Lands. For a while, these terrorized the central and southern heartlands mainly. Led by “knights” of the Unholy Trio, these long range raiders were composed of the best warriors of the goblins and led by a single Ork of surpassing viciousness and strength. Every now and then, these appear in the south heartlands and Dark Lands, but they are rarely seen any more.
Organized: The thing that differentiated these raiders was that they were highly organized and could easily stand up 1:1 to most soldiers of the realms, and even better as long as the champion was alive and with them. There were attendants to the champion – goblin champions in their own right, and fueled with the fervor of the dark gods favored champion. They often had a rank of goblins that wore the banners upon their backs on poles – as was the custom in the fallen east. These ‘bannerlings’, while common in their physical attributes, were often overcome with frenzy in their service. Their banners provided morale to the entire group, and they often ignored the first blow that may take them down – so strong was their belief in the champion’s favor by the dark gods. There was also often a couple of goblins who had made minor pacts with the dark gods, to aid in countering mystical threats and assist in making proper sacrifices of victims the group caught.
Favored: The champions were known to attract some of the more unique individuals in the dark lands – their favor providing a safe haven for those powerful humans cursed and shunned due to corruption. These would fight with them.
Sun-Bane Protections: The champions wielded magic that could protect them from the sun bane for a few brief moments. They raided remote settlements deep in the lands of light in the daytime, spreading terror and violence. It is believed that these elite units simply were not feasible to keep up for the Orrish, they took training and time. The violent competition to be part of their composition is also thought to be a detriment.
Single Authority: There were never priests among these groups – the elite champions would be competing with command for the group, so they were eventually removed from the raiding bands. These bands were never used against the Lich Lords. The main goblin contingent was anywhere from 20 to 40, rarely above 50 for the most powerful champions.
Evil’s Aid: Sacrificing one of their anointed minions, they could call forth infernal servants for a short time. The hounds of hell were most common.
i20™ Character Details
Although venerating the whole Church of Darkness, their primary focus is as a Paladin of Sunstealer. These are typically orks.
- @2nd typically Great Weapon Style w/Maul (2d6; 9/14/24 base) – blessed by Sun Stealer at higher levels
- @3rd aura of strength (finesse weapon adjustments negated – must use strength) 20′ radius
- +2 shield of shadows (faith)
- 1/2 any light source in 10′; Ma href=”https://dnd5e.wikidot.com/spell:control-flames”>control flames 120′ (douse only) as a bonus action
- Smite is a darkness smite + force damage (save or -2 strength)
- Any killed with it rise as Shadow in his service
- Shadow can sacrifice itself for protection from daylight!
= Proficiency Bonus in uses – “War Run”: as bonus action – double move, reckless attacks, opportunity attacks get Disadvantage
iCore™ Character Details
The Ruins of the Watch Vault of Kunlay
Posted on March 4, 2025 in Steel-Realms
The The Ruins of the Watch Vault of Kunlay are known to lay somewhere on The Maithen Plateau. This Watch Vault of the Underlands was flooded and sealed up long ago in CY 8802 (see the history of the plateau for more details) by the druids. It has been shut since, and the plateau itself was abandoned soon after. The plateau was scoured and flooded, and the breach the Orrish used was completely choked with the debris and bodies of the war on the plateau. Rumors of the dead spirits still prowling its environs persist.
The north fork of the High Mathien Road runs from Angan Rock, through Treste, and on to the Watch Vault of Kunlay, Blaekpit Mine and finally to Tunnlin Hamlet.
This location has a World Watcher Edifice, though it is smashed and somewhat broken – but is still functional.
Encounters: It has the encounters common to all Places on the Maithean Plateau.
History: Riverdans (History of Dovender Valley and The Dog Fort)
The Sealed Entrance of Kunlay
The entrance to “The Vault” is a typical Orrish tunnel of about 5m high and 7m wide. It is rough-hewn and craggy – though it’s been smoothed by the flooding that sealed up the vault. Above it is a huge crack that collapsed the entrance. A stone slab leans up, engraved in the languages of Gladnorian, Dundarian, Feyloise and Orrish: “Nature’s wrath has sealed the way. Only nature can break the seal without the wrath of a thousand storms.”
Watch Vaults of the Underlands
Posted on March 4, 2025 in Steel-Realms
The Watch Vaults of the Underlands were a one-time solution to guarding Underland breaches from the Orrish into the lands of light. Few of these were made, they were expensive and dangerous. Located inside the exit points for the breaches, they were super fortified and those who manned them were paid well to essentially be bait.
These locations have a World Watcher Edifice as a standard part of their functioning.
Vault Effects
- Confusing Echoes
- Traps
- Shifting Floor
- Shifting Wall
- Mirror Beam
- Shadowed Edges
List of Known Watch Vault Ruins
Facts/Chronicle of Watch Vaults
Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability; 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.
Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty
Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore
The Watch Vaults of the Underlands were a one-time solution to guarding Underland breaches from the Orrish into the lands of light. Few of these were made, they were expensive and dangerous. Located inside the exit points for the breaches, they were super fortified and those who manned them were paid well to essentially be bait.
Expensive to make, Druids had to be used to find water sources, and engineers build walls and buttresses inside the large exit points for the breaches. Advanced stone working and summoned elementals were put to work making these.
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
Trapped Stonework: These employed Ducateon and dwarven traps and shifting passages and floors. Even drop and swing stones with return cranks were employed to stop and isolate broken access point or squash scouts as they moved through the area. The buttresses were warded to provide protection against sappers and miners trying to tunnel under. Single individuals would not trigger them, but they were meant to slow down or trap large numbers.
When they worked, they were able to contain thousands of raiders with only a couple hundred soldiers for weeks at a time. Some even suffered multi-month sieges, creating time for a large defense force to be brought up.
Uncommon Knowledge / Average Difficulty
These employed Light traps to bring daylight in. Polished mirrors on swivels channeled and amplified daylight from the outside into entry points to prevent easy overruns through the entry portals to the defenses. Sometimes they had mechanisms to even bounce it into the caverns where the Orrish were.
Trapped Stonework: The ledges holding ranged combatants behind the interior walls were often bobby-trapped to collapse if overrun. The stairs up to them were also known to be warded and trapped.
Scarce Knowledge / Hard Difficulty
Trapped Stonework: Escape holes into the celing were said to lead to stones that could be dropped on masses moving below. These were concealed to look like a rough part of the celling and operated from holdout positions.
Night Lantern
Posted on February 25, 2025 in Steel-Realms
The Night Lantern is a device used by advance groups of Orrish raiders traveling overland. They are way-marker points for traveling at night. These are consecrated items of the Unholy Trio. They can be seen from 5 miles away. Their light is only visible to those dark-spawn with Dark vision.
These are not technically weapons, but they can be broken, releasing a sickening ring in a 30m radius that does not affect anything that can normally see its light.