The Iron Wind: Difference between revisions
(new) |
(clean up, add banner) |
||
| (6 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{ICE}} |
|||
'''The Iron Wind''' was some unknown manifestation of [[Unlife]] in the [[Shadow World]] history. It was known "only as a power", and "only through its minions." Among these included the Dragonlord Oran Jatar of Mur Fostisyr, who cooperated with it willingly, as well as the [[Ordainers]] from this same island. It would have been immensely powerful to have had Ordainers serving it. Mur Fostisyr would have been located northwest of [[Darkstone Bay]], roughly where [[Ruin Creek]] is in modern [[Elanthia]]. These forces were rarely seen or felt, remaining hidden in the shadows. |
|||
'''The Iron Wind''' is some unknown manifestation of [[Unlife]] in the [[Shadow World]] history. It is known "only as a power", and "only through its minions." Among these include the [[Dragonlord]] Oran Jatar, [[Ordainers]], and the Priests Arnak. The evil priests will pretend to be lovers of knowledge, or even [[Loremasters]], to gain the trust of local populations in order to destroy them. There are six orders of Priests Arnak, each adopting its own thematic region. They each have a branch of dark assassins called Messengers. Language about servants of the Unlife infiltrating and destroying civilizations refers to them or [[Lorgalis]]. |
|||
Most famously, it was known through the least of its minions, the "evil high priests" who infiltrated societies to subvert them. Very little was established about their false religion. They would commune with the Iron Wind to learn their calling, and would thus be assigned to kingdoms marked for destruction. There were six orders of evil priests, split along geographical orientations. They were all thematic with associated symbols, and so distinguished by their signet rings. These were very powerful artifacts which bound them together. The pain of one was the pain of all. |
|||
The Iron Wind is an unusual situation because "The Iron Wind" source book, published in 1980 and 1984, is older than the first edition of the Shadow World Master Atlas (1989). The text from these older books is sometimes carried forward with new context into later books. In the Shadow World setting it is almost a synonym for the Priests Arnak, who are the force of Unlife on the continent of [[Jaiman]]. |
|||
These priests would often impersonate lovers of knowledge, or even [[Loremasters]], to gain the trust of local populations. Their ranking members were usually [[Iylari]], but they were also known to use mortal races when appropriate. In contrast to the priests who were extremely subtle, however nihilistic and sinister, each order had a branch of dark assassins called Messengers. These were used as agents of force, provided it called for something less than an Ordainer. The true servants of the Unlife, they were absolutists, interested only in utter annihilation. |
|||
===Six Orders=== |
===Six Orders=== |
||
The Priests Arnak wear powerful signet rings that bind them to each other. The [[Quellbourne]] region was destroyed by [[Zenon]] under the influence of the High Priest of Athimurl, and the Orders of Gaath and Athimurl control the adjacent forest of Lu'nak and the Black Forest of Dir. This is the Ugus Fost story with the [[Shards]] which was retconned from the earlier "The Iron Wind" source book. The founders of [[Quellburn]] were from Zor, implicitly fleeing the forces of Dansart. This is the source book context, and [[Ditmar's Tale]] refers to their Dragonlord, but it is dubious if this actually mattered in GemStone III. |
|||
The six orders were the cults of the dragon, snow lion, sea drake, desert wolf, greathorse, and hawk. They were oriented strategically in kingdoms whose landscape was associated with their theme. The Cults of the Dragon and the Snow Lion always worked together, assigned to northern coastal regions and forest realms respectively. They were responsible for the destruction of the [[Wehnimer's Landing|Landing]] region in recent millennia. The Cult of the Dragon is controlled outright by the Dragonlord Oran Jatar, who had recently made a [[Ditmar's Tale|truce]] and potential alliance with the [[Krol]]. |
|||
Very few people in Shadow World knew they existed as any kind of organized power. Some highly learned individuals might have seen through them in any local instance, or perhaps knew of more than one, but only an organization such as the Loremasters would have any insight that these were somehow a coordinated whole. |
|||
{| {{Prettytable}} |
{| {{Prettytable}} |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|'''Thematic Symbol''' |
|'''Thematic Symbol''' |
||
|'''Priests Arnak''' |
|||
|'''High Priest''' |
|||
|'''Orientation''' |
|'''Orientation''' |
||
|'''Focus''' |
|'''Focus''' |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|Cult of the Dragon |
|Cult of the Dragon |
||
|Gaath |
|||
|Umro (?) |
|||
|Northern isles and coasts |
|Northern isles and coasts |
||
|Xa'ar, Saralis |
|Xa'ar, [[Kharuugh|Saralis]], Mur Fostisyr |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|Cult of the Snow Lion |
|Cult of the Snow Lion |
||
|Athimurl |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
|Northern forest realms |
|Northern forest realms |
||
|Lu'nak, Wuliris |
|[[Shards|Lu'nak]], Wuliris, [[Elanith|Quellbourne]] |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|Cult of the Sea Drake |
|Cult of the Sea Drake |
||
|Yarthraak |
|||
|Aeryk |
|||
|Coastal regions |
|Coastal regions |
||
|U-Lyshak |
|U-Lyshak |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|Cult of the Desert Wolf |
|Cult of the Desert Wolf |
||
|Dansart |
|||
|Osaran |
|||
|Deserts |
|Deserts |
||
|Zor, N. [[Rhakhaan]] |
|Zor, N. [[Rhakhaan]] |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|Cult of the |
|Cult of the Great Horse |
||
|Thargondaak |
|||
|"The Pale Man" |
|||
|Plains |
|Plains |
||
|S. Rhakhaan |
|S. Rhakhaan, Meluria |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|Cult of the Hawk |
|Cult of the Hawk |
||
|Lyak |
|||
|"Priestess" |
|||
|Riverine cultures |
|Riverine cultures |
||
|Tanara |
|Tanara, Urulan |
||
|} |
|} |
||
''(Note: Aeryk is defined in 1989 in the Jaiman book, but the other high priests are named later. The stats for the high priests Gaath and Athimurl are in The Iron Wind books.)'' |
|||
The Cult of the Sea Drake has obeyed [[Lorgalis]] for most of its existence. [[Kestrel Etrevion]] may have served within its fleet during the [[Wars of Dominion]] |
The Cult of the Sea Drake has obeyed [[Lorgalis]] for most of its existence. [[Kestrel Etrevion]] may have served within its fleet during the [[Wars of Dominion]], but only if "[[The Legend of the Necropolis of Etrevion]]" was leaning enough into the Shadow World internal logic for this to matter, since Lorgalis is the one who controlled access to this region in the [[Wars of Dominion]]. In the [[Third Era]] at present the Order of Gaath is undermining Lorgalis in his holdings to the west of the [[Kelfour's Landing]] region (Xa'ar), and Athimurl is undermining the Dragonlord Sulthon Ni'shaang to the east (Lu'nak). This is a considerable source of friction between the two dragon lords, who are actually brothers, but who go about conquest in very different ways. These factions all want to claim the region immediately south of the Landing (Saralis). |
||
===The Iron Wind=== |
|||
The evil priests first formed and forged their rings around 4000 [[Second Era]]. What happened to form their secret orders has been lost to time, but it was most likely the result of a self-aware manifestation of the Unlife. These would sometimes happen in strange forms, and cults would end up forming around them. "The Silver Dawn" cult of [[Empaths|lay healers]], for example, would feed souls to a mist. The Iron Wind could be channeled by the priests in the form of a crushing icy wind that they blasted out from themselves. They could also transform targets into iron. |
|||
While a few of the high priests are over 8,000 years old, most of the founders are dead, perhaps all of them. It was not unusual for proteges to eventually murder the high priests, and replace them, provided they were able to survive putting on the high priest ring. Most of their history is in the form of the things they destroyed. One of the more famous cases was the [[Shards]] being awakened to destroy what we call [[Danjirland]], which were once huntable creatures in the forest leading up to the [[Spider Temple]]. They would eventually destroy [[High Plateau|Quellburn]] as well. |
|||
These were the surrounding conditions of 6050 Third Era when GemStone III was initially set. Some of this is mentioned in the Kelfour Edition newsletters in pieces written by players, but there is nothing to indicate that this was functionally relevant. The Shadow World timeline diverges from this trend in later books. Within a few years later Sulthon Ni'shaang, for instance, instead invades south into Zor. |
|||
==Behind The Scenes== |
|||
The Iron Wind is actually almost ten years older than the [[Shadow World]] setting. Some of its backstory is a little weird for this reason, because parts do not seem to have anything to do with everything else. When the phrase is used in its later context, it mostly refers to the evil priests and their dark assassins. These were the most iconic agents of Unlife on the continent of [[Jontara|Jaiman]]. The specific name that is used to refer to the priests alone has been omitted here, since it never appeared once in the Kelfour Editions, possibly being treated as a game secret. |
|||
== |
==Behind the Scenes== |
||
The [[Council of Light]] has a superficial resemblance to the Iron Wind, with its two branches of dark assassins and secret infiltrators impersonating knowledge lovers. Beyond this there is nothing to suggest the Shadow World materials actually matter to the design of the Council of Light. The Grand Poohbah's rhetoric about his adversary could refer to the Lord High Cleric of the temple or even later stuff that never happened. The Iron Wind is present in this region in the source books. The Order of Gaath is the one that handles northern coastal realms, and they always work with the Order of Athimurl regardless. |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
*[[Council of Light]] |
|||
[[Category:ICE Age]] |
[[Category:ICE Age]] |
||
Latest revision as of 18:34, 22 May 2020
The Iron Wind is some unknown manifestation of Unlife in the Shadow World history. It is known "only as a power", and "only through its minions." Among these include the Dragonlord Oran Jatar, Ordainers, and the Priests Arnak. The evil priests will pretend to be lovers of knowledge, or even Loremasters, to gain the trust of local populations in order to destroy them. There are six orders of Priests Arnak, each adopting its own thematic region. They each have a branch of dark assassins called Messengers. Language about servants of the Unlife infiltrating and destroying civilizations refers to them or Lorgalis.
The Iron Wind is an unusual situation because "The Iron Wind" source book, published in 1980 and 1984, is older than the first edition of the Shadow World Master Atlas (1989). The text from these older books is sometimes carried forward with new context into later books. In the Shadow World setting it is almost a synonym for the Priests Arnak, who are the force of Unlife on the continent of Jaiman.
Six Orders
The Priests Arnak wear powerful signet rings that bind them to each other. The Quellbourne region was destroyed by Zenon under the influence of the High Priest of Athimurl, and the Orders of Gaath and Athimurl control the adjacent forest of Lu'nak and the Black Forest of Dir. This is the Ugus Fost story with the Shards which was retconned from the earlier "The Iron Wind" source book. The founders of Quellburn were from Zor, implicitly fleeing the forces of Dansart. This is the source book context, and Ditmar's Tale refers to their Dragonlord, but it is dubious if this actually mattered in GemStone III.
| Thematic Symbol | Priests Arnak | High Priest | Orientation | Focus |
| Cult of the Dragon | Gaath | Umro (?) | Northern isles and coasts | Xa'ar, Saralis, Mur Fostisyr |
| Cult of the Snow Lion | Athimurl | Dagoth (?) | Northern forest realms | Lu'nak, Wuliris, Quellbourne |
| Cult of the Sea Drake | Yarthraak | Aeryk | Coastal regions | U-Lyshak |
| Cult of the Desert Wolf | Dansart | Osaran | Deserts | Zor, N. Rhakhaan |
| Cult of the Great Horse | Thargondaak | "The Pale Man" | Plains | S. Rhakhaan, Meluria |
| Cult of the Hawk | Lyak | "Priestess" | Riverine cultures | Tanara, Urulan |
(Note: Aeryk is defined in 1989 in the Jaiman book, but the other high priests are named later. The stats for the high priests Gaath and Athimurl are in The Iron Wind books.)
The Cult of the Sea Drake has obeyed Lorgalis for most of its existence. Kestrel Etrevion may have served within its fleet during the Wars of Dominion, but only if "The Legend of the Necropolis of Etrevion" was leaning enough into the Shadow World internal logic for this to matter, since Lorgalis is the one who controlled access to this region in the Wars of Dominion. In the Third Era at present the Order of Gaath is undermining Lorgalis in his holdings to the west of the Kelfour's Landing region (Xa'ar), and Athimurl is undermining the Dragonlord Sulthon Ni'shaang to the east (Lu'nak). This is a considerable source of friction between the two dragon lords, who are actually brothers, but who go about conquest in very different ways. These factions all want to claim the region immediately south of the Landing (Saralis).
These were the surrounding conditions of 6050 Third Era when GemStone III was initially set. Some of this is mentioned in the Kelfour Edition newsletters in pieces written by players, but there is nothing to indicate that this was functionally relevant. The Shadow World timeline diverges from this trend in later books. Within a few years later Sulthon Ni'shaang, for instance, instead invades south into Zor.
Behind the Scenes
The Council of Light has a superficial resemblance to the Iron Wind, with its two branches of dark assassins and secret infiltrators impersonating knowledge lovers. Beyond this there is nothing to suggest the Shadow World materials actually matter to the design of the Council of Light. The Grand Poohbah's rhetoric about his adversary could refer to the Lord High Cleric of the temple or even later stuff that never happened. The Iron Wind is present in this region in the source books. The Order of Gaath is the one that handles northern coastal realms, and they always work with the Order of Athimurl regardless.