Fantasy Ashes & Iron (OOC)

[Elenion Aura]

Ashes & Iron - OOC
Here is a decidedly less fancy intro to the OOC page. Feel free to ask questions and post ideas here

I’ve also added a link to the discord in the spoiler below. Feel free to join. It is sparse and full of tumbleweeds now, but it’ll get more fleshed out with time

Spoiler: Discord

Join the Ashes & Iron Discord Server!

Check out the Ashes & Iron community on Discord - hang out with 2 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

discord.gg

 

[CHUUYAS_HAT]

Here

 

[SavannahSmiles]

Ashes & Iron - OOC
Here is a decidedly less fancy intro to the OOC page. Feel free to ask questions and post ideas here

I’ve also added a link to the discord in the spoiler below. Feel free to join. It is sparse and full of tumbleweeds now, but it’ll get more fleshed out with time

Spoiler: Discord

Join the Ashes & Iron Discord Server!

Check out the Ashes & Iron community on Discord - hang out with 2 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

discord.gg

So is there a list of species we can pick from that our characters can be? or will we all be playing as humans?

 

[Elenion Aura]

So is there a list of species we can pick from that our characters can be? or will we all be playing as humans?

There are going to be a few options, though humans are by far the majority of sentient life on the continent

In no particular order, and not necessarily exhaustive:

Infernal-Touched: humans who, by some means, have been corrupted by hellish influences

Clockwork Automata: man-made creations with human forms

Gunpowder Witches: humans (?) who often live in secluded covens across the frontier

Beastmen: before Heaven fell, before humanity came from the east, the Beastmen existed as anthropomorphic humanoids

Each one of these has significant lore implications so if anyone is interested in building one I can provide additional details

 

[SavannahSmiles]

There are going to be a few options, though humans are by far the majority of sentient life on the continent

In no particular order, and not necessarily exhaustive:

Infernal-Touched: humans who, by some means, have been corrupted by hellish influences

Clockwork Automata: man-made creations with human forms

Gunpowder Witches: humans (?) who often live in secluded covens across the frontier

Beastmen: before Heaven fell, before humanity came from the east, the Beastmen existed as anthropomorphic humanoids

Each one of these has significant lore implications so if anyone is interested in building one I can provide additional details

I would love some more lore on the Beastmen and Infernal-Touched

 

[RikuXIII]

Starting point:

 

[Elenion Aura]

I would love some more lore on the Beastmen and Infernal-Touched

Beastmen is the term used by the human settlers to describe the species of humanoid endemic to the land they arrived upon, comprising many tribes and bloodlines. Some appear closer to men, others closer to something else. They were the first people, children of the land. As human territory expanded, Beastmen tribes dissolved, taking many of their old ways with them. Nowadays one is most likely to run into a solitary Beastman living among human settlements on the frontier. There may be some out there who still keep to the Old Ways, but seeing them is probably less common, and more fatal

Spoiler: Beastmen Examples (integrated into frontier lifestyle)

Infernal-Touched (Devil-Marked, Red-Eyes, Brimstone Men) are mortals marked by Hell’s influence, souls caught in the long shadow of damnation. Many (but not all) of them are mortals who struck deals with devils, whether for power, survival, or vengeance

Some are bound tight to their hellish masters, shackled by their soul-debt, acting as Hell’s enforcers. Others may attempt to use their infernal gifts to seize power for themselves out in the wasteland. Others still, swindled out of their soul by a bad deal, may seek to rebel against their cursed nature, some even seeking redemption. Either way, Infernal-Touched are feared and reviled, unwelcome in most civilized lands. They are seen chiefly as devil-marked, omens of ill fortune

Spoiler: Edgelord Examples

Intrigued by the possibilities of a "gunpowder witch".

The Gunpowder Witches are an ancient and enigmatic Sisterhood, whose true origins are not widely known. Most live within isolated enclaves—Covenfolds, hidden communes where tradition, spellcraft, and lore are passed from witch to witch. Lone Gunpowder Witches (Exiles, Wanderers, Cursed Women of the West) may sell their services to those who can afford them, or offer their gifts as charity to the doomed and the damned denizens of the High Frontier

Spoiler: Witchy Women

 

[RikuXIII]

Beastmen is the term used by the human settlers to describe the species of humanoid endemic to the land they arrived upon, comprising many tribes and bloodlines. Some appear closer to men, others closer to something else. They were the first people, children of the land. As human territory expanded, Beastmen tribes dissolved, taking many of their old ways with them. Nowadays one is most likely to run into a solitary Beastman living among human settlements on the frontier. There may be some out there who still keep to the Old Ways, but seeing them is probably less common, and more fatal

Spoiler: Beastmen Examples (integrated into frontier lifestyle)

Infernal-Touched (Devil-Marked, Red-Eyes, Brimstone Men) are mortals marked by Hell’s influence, souls caught in the long shadow of damnation. Many (but not all) of them are mortals who struck deals with devils, whether for power, survival, or vengeance

Some are bound tight to their hellish masters, shackled by their soul-debt, acting as Hell’s enforcers. Others may attempt to use their infernal gifts to seize power for themselves out in the wasteland. Others still, swindled out of their soul by a bad deal, may seek to rebel against their cursed nature, some even seeking redemption. Either way, Infernal-Touched are feared and reviled, unwelcome in most civilized lands. They are seen chiefly as devil-marked, omens of ill fortune

Spoiler: Edgelord Examples

The Gunpowder Witches are an ancient and enigmatic Sisterhood, whose true origins are not widely known. Most live within isolated enclaves—Covenfolds, hidden communes where tradition, spellcraft, and lore are passed from witch to witch. Lone Gunpowder Witches (Exiles, Wanderers, Cursed Women of the West) may sell their services to those who can afford them, or offer their gifts as charity to the doomed and the damned denizens of the High Frontier

Spoiler: Witchy Women

I dig it. Might I inquire as to style of spell casting? Is this more direct, like casting hellfire and imbuing my bullets with eldritch energies? Or is this a more subtle charms/curses style to magic?

 

[Elenion Aura]

I dig it. Might I inquire as to style of spell casting? Is this more direct, like casting hellfire and imbuing my bullets with eldritch energies? Or is this a more subtle charms/curses style to magic?

This one's a bit open to interpretation (I am open to suggestion / cocreation for my part of it!). With that said though, here's a baseline brain-dump to mull over:

How does magic work in this setting?



Magic in the setting isn't really represented in a traditional fantasy way, with a Gandalf-type wizard throwing fireballs or what have you

There's a few sources of 'magic' that, if certain criteria are met, can be called on depending on who is doing the calling

Grace

If you're particularly devout, you might still be able call in some Divine Intervention. Though, more commonly, if you're not a Chaplain or a particularly zealous man of Faith, there are weapons which can carry enduring Blessings of power. Furthermore, Angelic Remains can also be used to tap into the Old Laws of Heaven, and have in fact been one of the chief ingredients in the forgings of the Mechanical Angels

Inferno

For a deal with the Devil, there has to be some perks... Right? Hellfire in one's blood lets one do certain things that non-Hellbound humans can't. There are similarly a plethora of Helltouched weapons and artifacts to be found, though they have a tendency to cut both ways

The Old Ways

Before men, devils, and angels, the Land had its own power. It still does, for those who can listen. Beastmen who still hold The Old Ways know this best of all

Guncraft

Witches are weird. They can do, probably, the most Magick-y stuff. But a lot of it is subtle, tactile magic, like enchanting hexed bullets to imbue them with certain effects or another, or brewing a potion that similarly has various effects, or performing rituals to both bless and curse

and lastly, Science!

Scholars and Frontier Engineers can wield the 'magic' of superior technology!

In general though, a regular old bullet will kill a man faster than any spell

 

[dikdik]