Heroes' Epoch Campaign: Background - City of Ironbridge (Patreon)

I'm continuing work on maps and locations for the Heroes' Epoch campaign, a Pathfinder 1st-ed game using my Start-11 rules.

Today we're taking a quick look at Ironbridge, the town of Ironbridge, which is where the PCs will be headed when we first encounter them in Session 1.

It's worth noting the name "Ironbridge" is from my friend Carl's PF2 campaign, though it was a very different location in his game. I didn't mean to steal it, and though the name seemed familiar when I didn't find any fantasy gaming version in an online search, I decided I was just thinking of the real-world location. But, no. I stole it from a friend's game. He's been cool abut it, though. :)

Ironbridge

Ironbridge is an ancient fortress town built during the Titan’s Epoch to guard a massive bridge of metal plates that crosses Dragonclaw Chasm. While the reason for the walled town and bridge to be built are lost in the mists of time, the bridge makes an easy path from the Wainward Headlands into the heart of the Ebonspire Peaks and the vast maze of Blackmist Valleys within them. Because of the adamantine, gold, iron, and silver mines in the depths of the Ebonspires, significant trade flows through Ironbridge keeping it well populated, and it serves as an ally for numerous mines, towns, villages, and camps within several of the Blackmist Valleys.

Ironbridge has for the past century been under the control of Gainthyr Spireborn, a half-dragon dwarf sorcerer and warrior who ruled as Thane of Ironbridge after defeating the Iron Tax Syndicate, a thieves-guild turned-tyrannical-oligarchy. Gainthyr was known for having little to no sense of humor, always keeping his word, and mostly just wanting people to take reasonable precautions before doing anything dangerous and to not cause trouble.

As Thane, Gaintyr was the closest major authority figure to the settlements in the Blackmist Valleys, and was an official protector of many of those closest to Ironbridge. When mines deep in the Ebonspires stopped sending ore shipments nearly a year ago, scouts were sent, but no one was overly concerned. When the scouts did not return and settlements in the furthest of the Blackmist Valleys stopped sending reports a month later, minor heroes were sent to find the problem, and stop it. When they failed to return within a couple more months, and magic scrying just showed towns, villages, and farms destroyed with no signs of survivors, Gaintyr took his three closest allies and went to deal with the issue himself.

Weeks later, only a single of Gaintyr’s allies returned, apparently infected with some cursed disease that no one in Ironbridge could cure. Barely able to talk and clearly mad with fever, the ally managed to choke out that Gaintyr and the others were dead, and that “The Longest Night is Awake. They are coming. We must…” and then died. Efforts to raise him, or contact any of the dead heroes, failed.

Ironbridge is now controlled by its Castellan, the oracle Lady Myrmiselle Allivane, who was left in charge by Gaintyr Spireborn when he headed into the Blackmist Valleys. She has sent out calls for aid, and those requests have been boosted by the Stakeholder’s Council in the City of Hoard. No one knows what is coming, but it’s destroying entire towns, killed off a major hero and his three not-inconsiderable cohorts, and appears to be headed towards Ironbridge… and after that who knows?

The PCs are coming from all across the continent to answer that call, 11th level heroes who are exceptional even among such rarified ranks and each of whom has more than one noteworthy success to their name. A few know each other, but mostly this is a gathering of exceptional heroes to answer a regional call for aid, all of them used to being more than a match for anything they face.

 But they've never faced The Longest Night... whatever that is.

And Now For Something Completely Different!

Those of who pay attention to the comments in my posts will have seen the name David Chart fairly often. David is an award-winning, veteran game designer and producer, and I am thrilled to have him as a paying patron and sponsor.

David is part of a team currently working on a Backerkit campaign for a "Definitive Edition" of the iconic RPG, Ars Magica. I'm excited to see what they do with this, and I bet many of you will be too!

The campaign is already fully funded (by a HUGE margin!), and there are 22 days left at time of writing. YI encourage you to check it out at https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/atlas-games/ars-magica-5th-edition-definitive