Tag: srlm
History of the Magi Order
Posted on January 14, 2025 in Steel-Realms
Pervasive Overview:
Chronicle of the Order
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
History of the Magi Order of the Broken Sun
Posted on January 14, 2025 in Steel-Realms
Pervasive Overview: The Order of the Broken Sun are a formal – though mysterious and closed – recognized order of occult practitioners of the Steel Realms. Membership is by sponsorship of an existing member only. It is a small and obscure order with its only chapter house in Karolak of the Northern Merchant Cities. They are an order of magi that seek to walk between light and dark, good and evil. They are known to seek to understand the Unholy Trio and Church of Darkness in order to fight it better. Rumors about of dark worshippers abound, though nothing has ever been proven of any accusations – there have been many. Their militant ways (unafraid of physical combat) and confrontation of the Orrish and followers of the Unholy Trio also go a long ways to refute such claims. This organization has a documented history. A few times they have been mistaken for or assumed to be Sable Magi and persecuted by mistake.
Chronicle of the Order of the Broken Sun
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
Pervasive Overview: The Order of the Broken Sun are a formal – though mysterious and closed – recognized order of occult practitioners of the Steel Realms. Membership is by sponsorship of an existing member only. It is a small and obscure order with its only chapter house in Karolak of the Northern Merchant Cities. They are an order of magi that seek to walk between light and dark, good and evil. They are known to seek to understand the Unholy Trio and Church of Darkness in order to fight it better. Rumors about of dark worshippers abound, though nothing has ever been proven of any accusations – there have been many. Their militant ways (unafraid of physical combat) and confrontation of the Orrish and followers of the Unholy Trio also go a long ways to refute such claims. This organization has a documented history. A few times they have been mistaken for or assumed to be Sable Magi and persecuted by mistake.
Militancy: The members are well known to not shy away from combat; This stems from their robustness in combat and most commonly wielding a heavy 2 handed weapons that can also be used 1 handed – a staff, rod, or even spear. More powerful members of the order imbue these with mystical powers.
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
Creating the Black Sun Library: The order was famous for a moment in its first few years in Karolak. It ordered a multitude of books from many different religious and occult sources from all over the heartlands. It then bought enough ink and materials to make a copy of each, though it only had less than a dozen members. The library they maintain has no access for those not senior members in good standing – there is no known record of what it may contain, it is kept in great secrecy.
Signifiers: Some are known to wield “Baighent’s Flame”; This manifests as a bolt of the same color flame. Rumors abound of some occult practice wherein they have turned their scrivener ways into empowering their minor occult powers – perhaps its connected to the nature of their Black Books.
Uncommon Knowledge / Average Difficulty
They are thought to be enigmatic and cryptic; Early in their days they refused to answer questions about their order, despite Merchant City ordinances. They went out of their way to publicly fight many Orrish incursions, even on the south side of the Beyne River and areas of north Dunstrand – earning them at least a neutral reputation with House Malor of Dunstrand and the city officials of Karolak. They continue to do this, ensuring at least one member of the order serves with the patrols and soldiers of the Merchant Cities at any given time – though they do not like the open ocean and avoid members of the Wave Watchers Guild of Gwinn. The order avoids necromancers as well, in order to not garner any negative association.
Scarce Knowledge / Hard Difficulty
The books of the Black Sun Library are thought to be magical and with some sort of ink that can’t be read.
River Rovers of the Riverdans
Posted on January 13, 2025 in Steel-Realms
The River Rovers of the Riverdans is not a formal institution in the Riverdans of Dunstrand, but it serves the function of one. Though not official as in heaving recognized hierarchy, a voice of authority or the like, they fulfill something akin to a Ranger order. The majority are not even Rangers. They are registered (within each Riverdan a list is kept and distributed yearly) hunters and woodsmen that spend some of their time keeping the land scouted. They receive a small stipend monthly equal to a goblin ear, and a bonus equal to goblin ear for verified sightings of Orrish and other menaces. Inns, keeps, jails, and general stores in the Riverdans will have bounties like any other – the River Rovers typically track them down and let others do the dirty work for a share of profits. They have been known to work closely with World Watchers – true Rangers of the Realms and Bards, who often teach them rudimentary Wyld Sign to mark dangerous and notable places and encounters.
Darkland Scout Background of the Steel Realms
Posted on January 10, 2025 in Steel-Realms
The Darkland Scout is a specialist at survival in the brutal and cold Dark Lands of the Steel Realms. They are not an official World Watcher order, but do serve some of the functions, just specializing in the Dark Lands or any Orrish presence from there really. The are trained from an early age to endure the terrible conditions of the sunless world of the lands under the rule of the gods of darkness under the Curtain of Night. They are a dour, pessimistic lot usually after exposure to the harsh, drab environment and its inhabitants. Unlike the full Darkland Rangers, they only stay at the fringes of the blighted lands in and west of the Tolkisson mountain range and report in frequently using means established for their region to specific authorities (Rangers, Druids, local authorities, etc.). It is not taken lightly, as it has serious potential negative effects. Many times those worst affected are sent deep into the lands of light and away from the Dark Lands and Orrish encounters. It is said the the White Sisters have been able to help a few recover.
The Darkland Scout Background is a character Background; It follows their common conventions. It is only available as a Background Option for the Steel Realms. It is a form of Time of Service and adds +4 years (equivalent for character species) to the starting character age @Character Inception.
Signifying Element: Darkland Scouts have the druids mark upon them – a Wyldsign symbol that minor mystic powers can trigger if the character lets it. This is placed upon the palm of a hand of the character’s choosing. This can work to give a character additional Prestige in some situations.
- Typically all characters with Trade/Vocational (Craft/Artisan) Practices will have an appropriate Vocational/Trade/Craft Toolkit or station + setting appropriate sturdy work clothes and safety gear.
- While Backgrounds don’t generally grant a full Trekking Kit, they do grant rudimentary items for traveling: a few days common clothes, shelter, transportation of gear, bedroll/bag, & sitting materials (toiletry, cleaning, utensils, lighting)…
i20™ Background Details
It is assumed you are familiar with the 2014 Background List. Check with your GM to see what is supported in your Setting.
There is no Background vocational ASI option for this.
Revealing the Signifying Mark: Thaumaturgy or Druidcraft.
Time in Service:
- Health Hampered > DC 10 Constitution check, failure imposes -1 HP loss & -1 Healing Rate underearth or in the Dark Lands; Cannot possess the Accelerated Healing trait.
- Broken Linkage > DC 10 Sanity check, failure imposes the Flaw “I Still Hear the Whisperings”: When darker than dim light, has Disadvantage on Initiative. Starting Sanity is 1 less.
i20 Skills REPLACE d20 skill proficiency: Add the skill level + modifiers to the check ( Proficiency Bonus not used).
A single Result Check to assess Success or Failure AND quality which may be impacted by conditions which indicate a Lack of Capability (Unfamiliar, Unproficient, etc.). The GM can { } Narrate it, and players may request an appropriate impact when anything other than a basic outcome is indicated. Character Points are Rewarded by the GM to improve Skills (and other Features).
- Grants proficiency in and/or adds the indicated level(s) to…
Survival +1 (Favored Habitat: the Dark Lands), Stealth +1 (+1 in Dark Lands), Speak Orrrisha +1, Lore: {Species} Orrish +1, Lore: {Subject} Dark Lands Botany +1 (the character can make a dose of Mydrinate per Short Rest outside the Dark Lands), Lore: {Subject} Dark Lands Zoology +1; The character is treated as if they had Iron Gut for food foraged in the Dark Lands; The character gains Advantage on checks to resist Intimidate by inhabitants of the Dark Lands; Negate the 1 Measure of Movement penalty from the Oppressive quality of the Curtain of Night.
Equipment: Stalker’s Kit but its fully weatherproof; 5 doses of Mydrinate.
iCore™ Background Details
Background Options for the Steel Realms
Posted on January 10, 2025 in Steel-Realms
Background Options for the Steel Realms adds new or alters existing fantasy type Backgrounds for Characters of the Steel Realms.
- Acololyte (fantasy background)
- Athlete (fantasy background)
- Charlatan (fantasy background)
- Criminal / Spy (fantasy background)
- Darkland Scout Background of the Steel Realms
- Entertainer (fantasy background)
- Folk Hero (fantasy background)
- Gladiator (fantasy background)
- Guild & Vocation Crafter/Artisan/Artist (fantasy background)
- Hermit (fantasy background)
- Knight (fantasy background)
- Noble (fantasy background)
- Order of the Broken Sun
- Outlander (fantasy background)
- Pirate (fantasy background)
- Sage (fantasy background)
- Sailor (fantasy background)
- Soldier (fantasy background)
- Urchin (fantasy background)