Ironwall

Ironwall is a small kingdom north of the Heartlands, bordered to the west by the Kingdom of Oster, to the south by the Forest of Veils, and to the east by the Giantshield Mountains. Life here is difficult; the land is constantly threatened by the hobgoblin armies of the Borderlands.
Lay of the Land

Rocky Highlands: There was a good reason Ironwall was one of the last places to be settled in the Free Kingdoms.

Centralized: The City of Ironwall holds most of the kingdom’s population of men, dwarfs, and halflings. Most of the others live in tiny mining villages nearby.

Isolated and Impoverished: Most agriculture is unsustainable in Ironwall. And while merchants are eager to sell their wares to the folk here, travel is difficult and imports are expensive.

Dangers to Dare

War: Ironwall is constantly threatened by the hobgoblin armies of the Borderlands, and while small skirmishes are fairly constant, a larger war seems almost inevitable.

Surrounded on all Sides: The Giantshield Mountains, the Sword Hills, and the Forest of Veils all provide hiding places for brigands, raiders, and worse.

Folk & Friendship

War-King Varig: A discontented family from the House of Ungar broke away from Oster shortly after the Elveswar, and has ruled Ironwall since. Varig currently reigns, but some fear the War-King is losing his mind in his old age.

The Stoutmead Dwarfs: An industrious clan from the Dwarfholds has established a successful company of miners and mercenaries in the city, who are always looking for heroes to aid in their numerous expeditions and business ventures.

The Fell Brotherhood: In the days when Ironwall was being settled, individual tieflings first banded together to form the Fell Brotherhood, which is now a collection of mixed human and tiefling clans who travel the Sword Hills, eking out a living as peddlers and entertainers. They are scarcely trusted and have a reputation as thieves, liars, and wielders of dark magic.

Dungeons to Delve

Under-Mountain: Located somewhere in the Sword Hills, a twisting mountain holds the infinite labyrinths, crypts, and caverns that make up the lair of the Mad Mage, a wizard of unrivaled power and insanity.

Details to Discover

A platoon of several dozen hobgoblin warriors – all slain. But by who? Or what?

An abandoned mine, with a boarded-up entrance, with protective magical symbols surrounding the cave mouth.

Legends & Lore: The Mad Mage: In life, the Mad Mage was a scholar and adviser to a mighty human general during the Elveswar. But, he quickly became obsessed with learning the secrets of elven magic. In time, the Mad Mage (his real name lost to time) had become not just the first human wizard, but the first arch-mage of his kind. Unfortunately, he was driven to madness and paranoia in his studies, and holed himself up in the dwarven halls that would soon expand into his impenetrable lair.

Type

Highlands

Included Locations