Steel Realms Setting (planet of Helca)

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Part of the iVerse continuum; set in the Hypeasteron system, planet Helca.
This is a living world setting; Content is updated continuously.

The Steal Realms (or "Realms") is a world in constant turmoil, gods struggle against each other through proxy wars, kingdoms and alliances fight for hegemony and sovereignty, nature against the tide of civilization, and there is a struggle too between those that are native to the place and those that came as a result of cataclysm in the far past. Often times, things are not as they seem – the line between good and evil is blurred in the name of survival and/or conquest. Light battles darkness, death battles life, old struggles with new for the hearts and minds of all. In the midst of all this most just wish to live peacefully. Politics, languages, cultural differences and vast distances and economics drive a wedge between races and nations (mostly on the continent of Ustermaya), despite the common foes they face. It is an age where heroes are made overnight and die in countless battles. Any kind of character can find “adventure” in such a world, as before long it is just as likely to seek them out. The encounters to settle these clashes are mostly unsung, though there are all too many an epic battle for the annals to record. The milieu’s current state and known history is recorded in the Steel Realms Campaign History.

The modern age is heavily defined by the clash of faiths in the “Affray of Darkness and Light” in which many entities and characters play a significant role. “Darkness Waits” – For thousands of years the Unholy Trio of the gods of darkness have and will keep doing so until their time comes. When possible, all their efforts are turned to the Quest of Black Tears. Death and strife stalk the land relentlessly from beyond the Curtain of Night; peace is a fleeting feeling for those doomed to survive in the midst of constant calamity that defines the current state of things.

The Noble East is the lands on the continent of Ustermaya that yet struggle mightily against the darkness and the forces of The Broken Lands all around them. The “Dream of The Noble East” is one day that the creatures of Helca will unite and reclaim these to quell the forces of darkness that continually wrench away progress and peace.

• The world is ancient, including mysterious eras undreamed of and unremembered when god like beings walked the land and the entire world was afire with war.
• The struggle between forces that shape the world directly involve politics, races, magic, faith and gods, and monsters.
• There are multiple Creatures, Races, and Species of the Steel Realms in competition for resources and most do not trust each other.
• Mystical forces abound; Magic is prevalent but aptitude is rare; faith is more readily accessible to characters.Knowledge IS power – Lores, information, and skills are just as critical as fighting ability in combating the forces of disunity!
• PCs are those in The Pattern whose fortune it is to be close to special events as they unfold. Though not exceptional in their nature or circumstances, the world needs these people. They can rise to the heights of heroism – rewarded with accolades and Peerage, Titles, and Honors.

There is a great deal of Travel in the Steel Realms both by individuals from place to place and Parcel Services is accessible to all. This ease of mobility contributes to clashes between species, cultures, and factions. Most inhabitants of the realms do not travel far from their local area, though travel is available to all. Certain cultures and places are an exception to this, as well as higher social classes or those with money in general.

Common Planetary Knowledge: Through lore and knowledge, the peoples of the realms and the world refer to the planet they are on as HELCA, generally understand it is a sphere, that it revolves around a sun, has a native pair of moons and an unnatural, broken moon, called “The Interloper”; All this and that there are others like it in a larger cosmos and in the solar system; At least 2 other planets are visible in the night sky understood to revolve around the same sun, with the ‘solar system’ sometimes referred to as “Ostus”. Beyond this, most PC races (and many NPC) have a basic understanding of tidal and wind currents, navigation, vulcanism, basic helio-centric cosmology, and weather are understood (to a degree), by learned people – though it is couched in mysticism, religion, and myth. The system and planet Helca (system brief) are known to the inhabitants of the The Gohrmliht Imperium, but the system is interdicted and nothing enters or leaves it.

For Game Masters: GM Only Notes for the Steel Realms

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