A Tumultuous New Era: Legend of the Witchfire, Iron Kingdoms 5e

About the adventure

This game is an Iron Kingdoms 5e campaign that starts off with the Legend of the Witchfire module. After that we will transition into a player driven homebrew campaign. Iron Kingdoms is a steampunk fantasy setting where magic, technology, and ancient, otherworldly forces intermix. It is played using standard D&D 5e rules, with some additional classes/archetypes, alternate monsters and races, and a totally overhauled magic item system. The Iron Kingdoms constitute the five major human nations, plus the dwarven nation of Rhul, the fallen elven nation of Ios, and the Nightmare Empire of Cryx. After the liberation 600 years ago of humanity from their cruel oppressors, the Orgoth, a great industrial revolution took hold. Though brutal wars were fought again and again, humanity prospered and grew in wealth and might. That is, until the Culling, when the Infernals came to collect the debt incurred to buy humanity's freedom. Ultimately, the Infernals were driven back when their leader, Omodamos, was slain by Alexia Ciannor, wielder of the Witchfire, sealing his soul within the legendary blade. It has been ten years now since that great victory, yet naught has been heard of Alexia or the Witchfire. Well, that is the official story anyway. It was in the great Cygnaran city of Corvis that the Witchfire was first found. Corvis sits at the joining of the continent's two greatest rivers on the edge of a vast and wild swampland known as the Blindwater. Though now it is a bustling center of commerce and culture, during the reign of the brutal Orgoth, it served as a major administrative and religious site for the tyrants. There they constructed a great temple to channel the souls of innumerable sacrifices to their dark gods and the Witchfire played a critical role in these vile ceremonies. When the Orgoth were driven out, the temple and blade were abandoned, left to sink into the marshy landscape, forgotten to the mists of time. Atop the ruins would eventually be built a new city, for the location was too perfectly situated to be remain unclaimed forever by the burgeoning human nations. Twenty years past, the young witch Alexia would stumble upon those dark ruins hidden in the Undercity of Corvis. The blade called to her, seeking to feast upon the souls of the living once more. She took it up, but instead of falling to its power, her will proved stronger. Alexia mastered the living weapon and used it to summon an army of undead. With this army she saved the city by driving out foreign invaders, led by the old deposed king Vinter Raelthorne IV, that had taken it over in a bid to restore him to his throne. Now, decades later, the dead have begun to rise, and many whisper in the inns and alleyways of the city, the Witchfire has been found again!