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[color=black][b][h3]Of Iron[/h3][/b][/color][indent][indent][indent][indent][h3][sup][sup][color=a9a9a9]Inscrutable metal pillars are found throughout the land. They are iron gray, and smooth as river stone. No one knows their purpose. Some say they are as old as the world. Some, such as the Iron Priests, worship them and swear vows upon them. Most make the warding sign and hurry along their way when they happen across one. The pillars do not tarnish, and even the sharpest blade cannot mark them.

The imposing hills and mountains of the Ironlands are rich in iron ore. Most prized of all is the star-forged black iron.[/color][/sup][/sup][/h3][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][color=black][b][h3]Of Legacies[/h3][/b][/color][indent][indent][indent][indent][h3][sup][sup][color=a9a9a9]Other humans sailed here from the Old World untold years ago, but all that is left of them is a savage, feral people we call the broken. Is their fate to become our own?[/color][/sup][/sup][/h3][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][color=black][b][h3]Of Communities[/h3][/b][/color][indent][indent][indent][indent][h3][sup][sup][color=a9a9a9]We live in communities called circles. These are settlements ranging in size from a steading with a few families to a village of several hundred. Some circles belong to nomadic folk. Some powerful circles might include a cluster of settlements. We trade (and sometimes feud) with other circles.[/color][/sup][/sup][/h3][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][color=black][b][h3]Of Leadership[/h3][/b][/color][indent][indent][indent][indent][h3][sup][sup][color=a9a9a9] Leadership is as varied as the people. Some communities are governed by the head of a powerful family. Or, they have a council of elders who make decisions and settle disputes. In others, the priests hold sway. For some, it is duels in the circle that decide.[/color][/sup][/sup][/h3][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][color=black][b][h3]Of Defense[/h3][/b][/color][indent][indent][indent][indent][h3][sup][sup][color=a9a9a9] Here in the Ironlands, supplies are too precious, and the lands are too sparsely populated, to support organized fighting forces. When a community is threatened, the people stand together to protect their own. Perhaps in time, Wardens may emerge to defend the land.[/color][/sup][/sup][/h3][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][color=black][b][h3]Of Mysticism[/h3][/b][/color][indent][indent][indent][indent][h3][sup][sup][color=a9a9a9] Some still find comfort in the old ways. They call on mystics to divine the fortune of their newborn, or ask them to perform rituals to invoke a bountiful harvest. Others act out of fear against those who they suspect of having power. However, most folk believe true magic—if it ever existed—is lost to us now...[/color][/sup][/sup][/h3][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][color=black][b][h3]Of Deities[/h3][/b][/color][indent][indent][indent][indent][h3][sup][sup][color=a9a9a9]{ Our gods are many. They make themselves known through manifestations and miracles. Some say they even secretly walk among us. The priests convey the will of the gods and hold sway over many communities.[/color][/sup][/sup][/h3][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]
[color=black][b][h3]Of Firstborn[/h3][/b][/color][indent][indent][indent][indent][h3][sup][sup][color=a9a9a9]The firstborn, creatures who came before us such as elves and giants, live in isolation and are fiercely protective of their own lands. They often have strange alien customs that mesh poorly with our mortal understandings.[/color][/sup][/sup][/h3][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]
[color=black][b][h3]Of Beasts[/h3][/b][/color][indent][indent][indent][indent][h3][sup][sup][color=a9a9a9] Beasts of all sorts roam the Ironlands. They dwell primarily in the reaches, but range into the settled lands to hunt. There, they often prey on cattle, but attacks on travelers, caravans, or even settlements are not uncommon.[/color][/sup][/sup][/h3][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]
[color=black][b][h3]Of Horrors[/h3][/b][/color][indent][indent][indent][indent][h3][sup][sup][color=a9a9a9] We are wary of dark forests and deep waterways, for monsters lurk in those places. In the depths of the long-night, when all is wreathed in darkness, only fools venture beyond their homes.

The dead do not rest in the Ironlands. At night we light torches, scatter salt, and post sentries at the gate. [color=black][b][h3]Of Horrors[/h3][/b][/color][indent][indent][indent][indent][h3][sup][sup][color=a9a9a9] We are wary of dark forests and deep waterways, for monsters lurk in those places. In the depths of the long-night, when all is wreathed in darkness, only fools venture beyond their homes.

The dead do not rest in the Ironlands. At night we light torches, scatter salt, and post sentries at the gate.[/color][/sup][/sup][/h3][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/color][/sup][/sup][/h3][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]