[center][h2][b]Bironne[/b][/h2][/center]
[center][b]An age of darkness in a post-roman pseudo britain[/b][/center]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/K9x55Tzb.jpg[/img][/center]

[i]...and then came the men in Iron Ships and scattered before them the armies of the Kingdoms of Brythwin , Angoland, Kareth and Ivarend. In dark and ancient places the old gods slumber beneath the watchful eye of mystics and monsters. Sorcerers and warriors wander the land battling horrors from beyond the reach of the mortal realm. Here are the dark ages in the Land of Bironne...[/i]

[b]The Kingdoms of Bironne[/b]
Bironne is a large mass of islands just to the West of a primordial continent. Ancient civilizations have risen and fallen here. It is a mystical land, a mixture of Arthurian legend (although decidedly darker) post-roman Britain and celtic culture. 
The eastern shore is barren and rocky, once fertile and dotted with hamlets and farms, now mostly abandoned and destroyed. The iron men have built forts here, just before crossing major rivers towards the inland. A few small towns can still be found here, but in time they too will be plundered.

Inland Bironne. Dark primordial forests cover the land with a few small ranges of mountains and hills. There are many lakes and rivers. Places untouched by mortals. A few major roads connect the larger towns and castles, but the kingdoms do not have the resources to protect the trade routes any longer. Bandits and monster alike haunt these roads looking for prey. 

Outside of the civilized lands can be found the ruins of an ancient civilization. Megaliths and fallen temples are scattered all across Bironne. These places are touched by magic and the mist.

The Mist
The 'thinning' places where the mortal realm meets the magical. Sort of like the Fae Kingdoms but definitely dark.(A mirror world?) Monsters stumble through these places. A mortal can enter the Mist, but it is extremely dangerous.  


Before the Iron Ships came, the kingdoms were at constant war with intermittent eras of peace. Powerful warriors were most often claimed king, with their sons inheriting the thrones. Several decades of poor harvests, colder winters and the arrival of Iron Ships and the plundering warriors they brought have ushered in an era of darkness for Bironne. The kings of Bironne are now forced to unite against the invaders. 

People have continued to worship the old gods, but their influence in the world is diminished. Sorcerers still exist, but they are rare, and more often feared among the average Bironnian. Kings still search them out for advice, guidance, or to put them to the sword. Cults have begun forming around the new domains of the old gods. Rebellion among the lesser nobility. And the endless waves of Iron men continue to raid further and further inland. 

So What Stories?
The setting describes a 'dark age' and that should be put to full effect. Darkness gathers in the land. Monsters and ghosts. But they should be unique, and frightening, almost gothic. They come from places where the boundary between the mortal world and the 'nothingness' occur. Thinning places...

[hider=notes]Baba Yaga, Grimlok, the thing from Beuowulf, The monster Gilgamesh slayed. Trolls, goblins, dark dwarves and elves exist, but should be used sparingly and in themselves be unique (unique names, motives and powers). If you need a hoard of baddies consider the Iron Men. Fierce pirates (Vikings) from the west that seek only to raid and plunder. They take slaves, kill indiscriminately and are motivated only by riches and honor (among themselves)
[/hider]

[b]Gods & Magic[/b]
Arcane and divine power are one and the same. In the age of the Iron Ships, the old gods are weak and cruel. The deities powers are much weakened, some even losing control of their former domains. Magic-users must make a pact with one of the deities and invite that power into themselves. The more they advance their chosen deities ambitions, the more powerful they become. 

Two types: The [i]Vaena[/i] are true sorcerers, and communicate directly with their god even if they do not realize it. Vaena are randomly born. The other type is called a [i]Svat[/i] and they have survived an encounter with the Mist. They are capable of casting spells from any domain, but cannot become as powerful as a Vaena. Svat are like village mystics or shamans. Vaena are more akin to Vainemoinen or Merlin. 

The Siblings: 
Where [b]VIRD[/b] was once the god of fire, strength and kings is now reduced to the Lord of Embers. 

[b]HETTA[/b] once the goddess of water, change and prosperity is no frozen. She rules only ice, preservation and the cold.

The Elders:
The god of the underworld, [b]Gogan[/b] is now a lord of undeath. Mortals no longer stay dead.

[b]Preka[/b] whose domain was healing and life has gone mad and disappeared into the mists. 

The Primordials:
[b]Atla[/b] the world mother. She is the land and waters. The sky. All of Bironne.

[b]Bvurd[/b] the watcher. She is the stars and seasons. (everything else)