Iron and Shackles: Tales of an Empire

Image by Lumbear

Iron and Shackles: Tales of an Empire

A new ban on all magic and faith casts Nordia into fear. Guided by ancient artifacts, your party stands as its last hope to break the Empires tyranny.

TYPE

Campaign

LANGUAGE

English

EXPERIENCE

Open to all

AGE

18+
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Send a request to join this game. The Game Master will review your application and reach out with follow up questions to see if you are a good fit for the table.
6 SEATS LEFT
$20.00

/ Session

Details

Weekly / Tuesday - 12:00 AM UTC

Mar 10 / Session 120

Session Duration / 3–4 hours

0 / 6 Seats Filled

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Schedule

Tue, Mar 10 | 12:00 AM – Session 120

Tue, Mar 17 | 12:00 AM – Session 121

Tue, Mar 24 | 12:00 AM – Session 122

Tue, Mar 31 | 12:00 AM – Session 123

Tue, Apr 07 | 12:00 AM – Session 124

Tue, Apr 14 | 12:00 AM – Session 125

Tue, Apr 21 | 12:00 AM – Session 126

This game will begin once 5 players have joined
About the adventure

The Empire of Dundoria has gripped the land of Nordia for centuries but recently the Empire has changed its laws, and all magic and religious practice has been banned. Under these harsh laws, commoners struggle, and any magical humanoids live in fear of discovery. Some have fled the Empire's continually growing borders while others find a sense of peace living in the shadows, but some dream for more and push back. In this harsh dystopia, the party has been set on the path of removing the tyranny of the Empire and establishing a system that embraces the diversity of Nordia and celebrates the unique gifts of all peoples. This task would be seen as impossible if not for the guidance of artifacts of great power that allow the party to move with strength beyond their natural grasp. Do you have the strength to be the arbiter of change, or will you watch the world fall into shadow?

Game style

Combat Heavy

Roleplay Heavy

Sandbox / Open World

Meet the Game Master

5.0

(9)

Artist

3 years on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Storytelling, World Builder, Visual Aid

About me

Professional Dungeon Master | 6+ Years Experience | 8 Active Campaigns Weekly Hey there! I’m Matt (Lumbear), welcome to my roll20 page! At this point in my early 30s I have collected a variety of subclasses; Canadian, Husband, Father of 2, and Dungeon master for 30+ For the past six years, I’ve been running professional D&D games on Roll20, currently managing eight weekly campaigns set in my dark fantasy homebrew world: Iron and Shackles. If you’re looking for a game that values story, immersion, and consistency, you’ve come to the right place. What You Can Expect from My Games A Deep, Original Setting: Iron and Shackles offers a brutal and grounded reimagining of D&D’s classic tropes; a world where humanity’s rise to power has left scars on the land and its people. Every session builds on that legacy, exploring both heroism and consequence. A Reliable, Invested DM: Each game is fully prepped, on schedule, and focused on making sure every player gets their moment to shine. I treat my sessions like events; not just game nights. Professional Production Quality: Every encounter features custom maps, dynamic lighting, animated assets, and immersive soundscapes. You’ll feel like you’re stepping into a living world. Streamlined Play: My games run dozens of API scripts that keep combat fast, intuitive, and fun; less bookkeeping, more adventuring. Heroic, Flexible Homebrew: Custom rules empower you to fight and act like true heroes, offering tactical depth and narrative flair without slowing down play. A Welcoming Community: Join a network of players who share your passion for story-driven, cooperative roleplay. We grow, laugh, and suffer together; all in the name of adventure. If this sounds like the kind of game you’ve been searching for, add me on Discord: lumbear or send me a PM here on Roll20. Looking forward to rolling some dice with you in Iron and Shackles!

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Character creation

Creating your character

Race and Class: The Human Empire has organized the races that populate Nordia into a caste system; this corrupt social structure leaves many races in poverty and in slavery with many more hunted to near extinction. Players should consider how their character will be treated in this setting; most official races and classes will be available to play but will be treated differently in-game. Characters are completely allowed to pursue all classes with the knowledge of increased difficulty and these players should play wisely or at the very least have a plan to hide their race or magical abilities. Stats: Using the 27 point-buy (PB) method, you also start at level 1 with a +2 ASI or a feat (variant human must select the +2 ASI). You may dump one stat from 8 to 6 and add those points to another stat obeying the Point Buy calculator rule, however, Players must provide a backstory reason for this dump (ie. burned heavily as a child for Str dump). You can choose to use the racial custom stats for any race as introduced in Tasha’s Starting Equipment: Players can choose starting equipment or Roll for Gold and purchase what they want from the PHB. Banned content: Classes: no Warlock multi-classing, no Mystics, no UA and HB Banned Spells: Silvery Barbs Banned Races: Vedalken, Genasi, Fairy, Triton; any UA or HB (Yuan-Ti, Warforged, Kobold, and Dragonborn need specific DM permission for lore reasons) Feats: Some feats and fighting styles have been balanced and added -Characters may not take an evil alignment unless specifically approved by the DM -In light of past situations where players have played the opposite gender specifically to gain perceived benefits in seduction or overtly sexualizing their characters in an uncomfortable and disrespectful way, characters should be made to the gender you identify with. Any questions concerning this suggestion can be discussed with the DM.

The current party

The game is played every week and is 120(ish) sessions in. The party is 4 players out of 6 and a great group, currently level 9.

What to expect

Preparing for the session

Games will be run on Roll20 for visuals and rolling, discord will be used for voice; players should have both accounts (free!) and a basic understanding of how both operate. A webcam is not necessary at all but a decent mic and clean audio environment should be set up for the comfort of the other players. Character creation will be done with the DM and a basic understanding of the rules will go a long way in this process.

What Lumbear brings to the table

I bring an exceptional level of attention and detail to the assets on the VTT; including professionally made battle maps and tokens, music, and detailed maps/handouts. API scripts and dynamic lighting provide a more interactive and accessible experience on Roll20.

Equipment needed to play

Computer

Safety

How Lumbear creates a safe table

In Iron and Shackles, the players will be set in a dystopian world where a tyrannical human empire has enforced a racial-based caste system; the bottom of which includes death and slavery. These same laws persecute magic and religious practice, creating a dark and oppressive setting. As a DM these are only story and setting tools and are not reflective of my views in any way but players should be prepared to interact and deal with these issues in-game; preferably in a positive and inclusive way. All sexual content will be fade-to-black and consent will always be required; both for PCs and NPCs.

Content warnings

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions