Tag: srlm
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. They 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. There were never priests among these groups – the elite champions would often be competing with command for the group, so they were eventually removed from the raiding bands. They were never used against the Lich Lords. The goblin contingent was anywhere from 20 to 40.
Every now and then, these appear in the south heartlands and Dark Lands, but they are rarely seen any more.
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)
- @3rd aura of strength (finesse weapons 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’ as a bonus action
- Smite is a darkness smite + force damage (-2 strength)
- Any killed with it rise as Shadow in his service
- Shadow can sacrifice itself for protection from daylight!
- NEW: Sword Burst @ char level when they die, +5’ per dice damage
= Proficiency Bonus War run: as bonus action – double move, reckless attacks, opportunity attacks get Disadvantage
iCore™ Character Details
The Guards of Maithen Plateau
Posted on March 5, 2025
Part of/Prelude to Disturbance at Spakaya – The Dog Fort of the Riverdans – an Incarna adventure.
GM Setup: Background/Current State
THIS IS ORIGINALLY PART OF THE ANCIENT BLOOD CAMPAIGN CYCLE OF ADVENTURES.
A force of Orrish have been sent by Ushtay (attendant of a Black Herald of Everdark) to The Maithen Plateau to secure the passage to Spakaya – The Dog Fort of the Riverdans against potential threats and ensure that the ancient evil standard can be recovered. They got sidetracked from scouting and securing and have been seeking loot in the earthquake-opened Watch Vault; Going through the rubble and finding bodies of defenders and Orrish swept into the back chamber during flood and crushed/drowned. The way was sealed and warded and these left to rot. The Orrish have been going through and stacking up loot for weeks!
These will follow the typical Steel Realms Orrish Fighting Forces and Tactics.
They are led by Ar-etey; Unholy trio Orc – Paladin 5th >
STR 18, CON 17, PER 15 > Health: 35+15 = 50
Champions of Strength and Darkness > w/3 Shadows
Hide Armor (2 Resilience/min 17 STR) and a Maul (2d6; 13/18/28 + 2 resilience)
Current State: A rare bred formorian giant Colossi of Nihilism, Twistings, and Piercing Depths came with them – protected from the sun-bane by its chaos aura. Drawn to the residual anima energy in White Lake, it climbed to the heights and sunk within the sunless depths of the lake – it sends its fog banks and storms out and senses through them. It leaves the rest of the party sent alone, and they leave it alone – not knowing what else to do at this point. Neither will come to the aid of the other.
The Plateau of Mists
The anima forces the druids unleashed still ripple in the depths of White Lake. The forces led by the champion of the Unholy Trio witnessed the off-spawn giant crawl into White Lake and have since learned how it communicates via elemental messenger and leave it alone. They have grown confident to leave off their mission to it, and have begun looking to loot the area, having found the recent earthquakes have reopened the entrance to the Watch Vault of Kayul.
Normal visions chance % +
1d12
- 1-6 normal
- 7 = cloudy, fog banks roll out of hills onto the plateau intermittently
- 8 = overcast, foggy, and rainy (50% thunderous)
- 9 = overcast, rainy, and sharp wind gusts of 50kmph (75% thunderous)
- 10 = Substantial downdrafts, buffeting winds, rain off and on, spontaneous mists, thunder and lighting.
> Movement halved; large fog banks roll out of hills enveloping travelers until wind lashes it away - 11 = Dark storm clouds, rainy, thunderous, wind gusts of 90kmph
> Movement halved; freezing mists that form intermittently – encrusting ground and whatever it touches in frost - 12 = Lightning storms, cloud river deluge can sweep characters away in wash outs,
> Movement halved; freezing mists that form intermittently – encrusting ground and whatever it touches in frost, thunder causes a vacuum after – sucking the wind out of characters and living things
= Chance to understand its all coming from the high lake!
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 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).
The entrance to “The Vault” is a typical Orrish tunnel of about 5m high and 7m wide. It is rough hewn and craggy – though its 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 in the lands of light. Few of these were made. Located inside the exit points for the breaches, they were super fortified and those who manned them were paid well to essentially be bait.
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 in the lands of light. Few of these were made. 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.
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
These employed Ducateon of dwarven traps and shifting passages and floors. The buttresses were warded to provide protection against sappers and miners trying to tunnel under.
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.
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.