Iron Kingdoms Excursions: Season One Collection
Page 9
“Two minutes!” he shouted to Remi.
Remi ducked a clumsy axe swing, drove forward into his overextended adversary, and used his momentum to throw the man over his shoulder and down the stairs. Before the man could get up Colm put a bullet in his brain.
“That one counts as mine!” Remi shouted as he ran his blade through the belly of another opponent.
“Thamar’s teats it does!” Colm shouted back. “You want the point, you finish the target. My bullet, my kill.”
“So much for the nobility and honor of the swans,” Remi said as he parried a strike from the Khadoran officer’s saber and fired his magelock point-blank into the man’s chest. “125 to 130. You have the package?”
A commotion from one of the rooms to Colm’s left barely gave him enough time to dive forward and take cover behind the side of the adjutant’s desk before blunderbuss fire ripped through the wooden wall right where he had been standing. Colm waited until he heard the sound of the Khadorans pushing through the door and into the foyer. He then popped out from cover and snapped off a quick shot, using the same lighting bolt rune shot he had used earlier. He had found that particular Arcane Tempest trick to be well suited to tight urban firefights, where opponents often clustered together. The shot took down two of the attackers, but before Colm could fire again he was forced to take cover as a hail of blunderbuss shots tore apart the area around him.
He heard a shout and the distinct report of Remi’s magelock. The blunderbuss fire slackened as the Winter Guard turned toward the new threat. Taking advantage of the reprieve Colm leaned carefully around the corner and saw Remi leap from the stairs into the group of remaining Khadorans. Blade and pistol flashed until the Llaelese gun mage stood alone.
“130 to 132. Your lead is slipping,” Remi said as Colm stood and brushed splinters from his coat.
“And yet it’s still there.” Colm lifted the explosive satchel from over his shoulder. “Shall we?”
“Yes, let’s give that patrol something to liven up their night. Then it seems the drinks are, once again, on me.”
GLOSSARY
Aeryth Dawnguard: One of the major fortifications of Ios, home to House Nyarr and their Dawnguard. Located in the farthest northeastern point of Ios, the forces here coordinate the defense of northern Ios. One of the first buildings erected in Ios after the arrival of the refugees from the Empire of Lyoss.
Agha, Zevanna: Also known as the Old Witch of Khador, Zevanna Agha is a legendary being said to have roamed the north for centuries beyond number, existing even in the ancient days when Menoth walked Caen and gave rise to humanity.
Amethyst Rose, Loyal Order of the: A storied martial organization in Llael whose members are gun mages originally sworn to that nation’s crown. Many of its members served as royal protectors, but the organization was officially disbanded after the death of Llael’s last king. Its members persisted and met in secret, still devoted to their original oaths. After the Fall of Llael, most of the order’s surviving members became part of the Llaelese Resistance, working from the shadows against Khadoran interests.
ancestral guardian: An exalted ancestor whose sacral stone is placed in an armed statue that it can animate to enter battle alongside skorne warriors. It employs empty sacral stones to recover those slain in battle, who will become revered companions, an honored but lesser caste of exalted.
Anvil of Conquest: A Khadoran medal awarded to a soldier who has played a key role in a major victory in recognition of the brutal casualties inflicted upon an enemy. Each recipient must have accounted for more confirmed kills than any other soldier in his unit.
Arcane Tempest, Militant Order of the: A branch of specialized and highly trained gun mages who serve in the Cygnaran Army after being trained at the Tempest Academy.
arcanist: Any of a variety of skilled practitioners of magic in western Immoren, particularly those who make the study of magic their life’s work, such as the Greylords Covenant of Khador.
archdomina/archdominar: The rank reserved for the skorne leader controlling multiple houses among the pre-Empire skorne, or one of the tors (territories) in the Skorne Empire. Archdomina is female; archdominar is male.
Army of the Western Reaches: The Skorne Empire’s invading arm and the largest and most effective armed force ever raised by the skorne. All houses are required to contribute forces to the army, which is led directly by Supreme Archdomina Makeda. In the west, the army has established itself in the Bloodstone Marches with a number of garrisons and forts.
Artificers, Sul-Menite: Comprised of thousands of individual workers, from unskilled laborers to exceptionally talented and specialized craftsmen, the Sul-Menite Artificers see to the Protectorate’s war industry. Creating and arming warjacks stand among this organization’s highest priorities.
Balaash, House: One of the greatest skorne houses before the Skorne Empire was unified, which subsequently ruled the empire under Supreme Archdomina Makeda.
bane thrall: A cunning and versatile variety of thrall found among the undead armies of Cryx. Banes are tormented spirits drawn from an enigmatic realm of the afterlife called the Void that are then placed within the rune-inscribed corpse of a soldier. They are perpetually shrouded in a cold, preternatural darkness that siphons away light and is inimical to living flesh.
Blackwater: A port city on Scharde, the main island of Cryx, that both facilitates trade with the criminal element of the Iron Kingdoms and serves as a safe haven and resupply point for raiding pirates.
blighted: A state of supernatural corruption and transformation, both physical and mental, that results from prolonged proximity to a dragon. Each dragon’s blight is unique and may manifest in its own way.
blood witches: Among the most vicious of all Satyxis, blood witches are masters of a primal magic fueled by slaughter. These female warriors wield curved swords known as blood razors, which serve as a focus for the witches’ vile and powerful magic, enabling them to turn turn their victims’ blood against their own allies.
bloodgorgers: Blighted trollkin of the Scharde Island kriels with a reputation for brutality that is extreme even among the Nightmare Empire. Bloodgorgers are often employed as shock troops in Cryxian landing parties.
Bloodstone Marches: A large, barren geographical region between the Bloodstone Desert and western Immoren that is occupied by tribal Idrians, farrow, and the Skorne Army of the Western Reaches.
bog trogs: Fish-like humanoid amphibians native to any of the vast bogs and swamps of western Immoren. Bog trogs often must compete with gatormen for food and other resources. In many areas these primitive creatures have been subjugated and forced to fight alongside the physically superior gatormen.
bokor: Fearsome gatorman necromancers and shamans who use potent fetishes and occult trinkets to wield power over the forces of life and death.
Bottomton: An island town and smuggler’s refuge in the Meredius founded by an exiled Rhulic pirate named Joln Rockbottom, after whom it is named. While the town lacks a formal government, Rockbottom is considered its defacto mayor.
Brisbane, Markus “Siege”: A major and warcaster in the Cygnaran Army with a long and highly decorated service record. Nicknamed “Siege” after earning a reputation for demolishing enemy fortifications.
bushwhacker: Term sometimes applied to pyg allies of the trollkin who are outfitted with modified rifles and employed as advance scouts of the united kriels.
caber: A pillar of heavy wood or stone that can still be lifted and thrown by a single individual, employed either for sport or as a weapon. Cabers are thrown as a show of strength in contests employed by some Thurians in Ord or northwestern Cygnar as well as by many trollkin kriels. Massive stone cabers have been adopted as weapons of war by trollkin kriels, where they are hurled to crush enemies.
Caen: The physical world containing the continents of Immoren, Zu, and so on. Sometimes contraste
d as the material world as opposed to the spiritual world of Urcaen.
Calder: The largest and brightest of Caen’s three moons. Its cycle is used as the basis for the duration of months for the calendars used in western Immoren. When people refer to the phases of the moon they are generally speaking about Calder. See also Artis and Laris.
Captain’s Island: The largest and most populous island of Five Fingers, holding the center of government as well as the office of the Lord Governor and the headquarters of the Fingers Watch.
Cataphract: A respected upper warrior caste in skorne society, comprised of a skilled and physically capable minority which learns to master heavy armor and special fighting formations. Several traditions of Cataphracts exist, each utilizing different weapons and fighting formations.
chain blade: One of the signature weapons of mage hunter assassins of the Retribution of Scyrah, composed of a long chain with weighted blades on either end, one of which is larger than the other.
Clockers Cove: A port city at the mouth of the Murkham Riveron on the Gulf of Cygnar reputed to be a haven of scoundrels and privateers. It is also a center of legitimate commerce and includes several notable machine shops, shipwrights, and gunwerks.
cortex: The highly arcane mechanikal device that gives a steamjack its limited intelligence. Over time cortexes can learn from experience and develop personality quirks. Cortexes are usually installed inside the central torso of a steamjack where their delicate inner workings are well protected.
Crag Tower: A defensive fortress along the Iosan border with Rhul, between the Gate of Storms and the Aeryth Dawnguard, garrisoned by the houseguard of House Dryseth.
Creator, the: See Menoth.
Cryx: An island kingdom of necromancers, undead, and pirates off the southwest coast of Immoren; also known as the Nightmare Empire. Cryx and its ruler, Toruk the Dragonfather, have no problem sacrificing their soldiers in one battle to set up a greater victory elsewhere.
Cygnar: A southern kingdom ruled by King Leto Raelthorne and bearing the Cygnus on its flag. Generally considered the most prosperous and technologically advanced of the Iron Kingdoms.
Dawnguard: A martial order of heavily armored warriors in Ios headquartered in Aeryth Dawnguard and commanded by House Nyarr, with roots stretching back to the ancient Lyoss Empire.
Destroyer: A Khadoran heavy warjack built on a Juggernaut chassis and armed with an executioner axe and an arm-mounted bombard cannon. Entered service in 537 AR.
Devourer Wurm: An ancient and terrifying primal god of natural chaos, hunger, and predation described as the great ancient enemy of Menoth. Also called the Beast of Many Shapes, the Devourer is said to exist in every beast that hunts other living things as well as natural destructive phenomena such as lightning, earthquakes, floods, and wildfires. In some myths, the Wurm is seen as the male embodiment of nature, while Dhunia is the female embodiment. Viewed by Dhunian races as their divine father.
Dhunia: The primal goddess of fertility, the seasons, and nature and thought by her adherents to be embodied by Caen itself. Her worshipers are primarily gobbers, ogrun, and trollkin but also include some wilderness races like the farrow. In some myths, Dhunia is seen as the female embodiment of nature, while the Devourer Wurm is the male embodiment. Viewed by Dhunian races as their divine mother.
Doleth Island: The Five Fingers island where Scion Bolis achieved his dark ascension. Considerable funds were later spent to sanctify the island, and the Church of Morrow in Five Fingers was subsequently built there by royal decree. Despite these efforts the island is more commonly known as Dicer’s Isle or Bolis Isle.
Doloven: The eleventh month of the standard calendar of the Iron Kingdoms. This month is called Martus in the Protectorate calendar and Sigmon in the Rhulic calendar.
dracodile: A vicious and powerful reptilian ambush predator that dwells in swamps and marshes.
drake: A family of large reptilian predators comprised of various sub-species, drakes are superficially resemblant yet unrelated to dragons.
exalted: Honored skorne ancestors who are deceased but preserved on Caen in sacral stones. This is a state every skorne aspires to achieve by acts of valor. Very few skorne become exalted, primarily only renowned members of the warrior caste. Extollers can occasionally communicate with the exalted.
extoller: A highly respected skorne spiritual caste responsible for burial rites, including preserving the most honored skorne in sacral stones after death. Extollers are skilled in mortitheurgy but practice this art to preserve, honor, and communicate with exalted ancestors. Extollers replace an eye with a crystal oculus so they can see spiritual essence.
farrow: A boar-like race inhabiting the wild areas of Immoren, notable for their intelligence and sophisticated tool use as well as the capacity to learn the languages of other races. Scavenging and raiding are vital aspects of farrow culture, which has provoked frequent conflict with their neighbors.
Five Fingers: An Ordic port city known for its gambling, criminal gangs, and smuggling trade, also known as the “Port of Deceit.” The city occupies the mouth of the Dragon’s Tongue River in the Bay of Stone where the river is split into five channels, or fingers, by the islands.
forest mauler: A large and fierce predator commonly referred to as the Thornwood mauler, though it is also found in a number of other wooded areas, including the Scarsfell Forest. Maulers are quadripeds with a thick, rough hide and an unusual snout and are known for their incredible sense of smell.
Gate of Storms: A massive fortress of House Issyen that exists to defend the Iosan border from Rhul or any other threats from the north and garrisoned with a large contingent of troops since the foundation of Ios.
gatormen: A bipedal, intelligent reptilian race resembling their namesake. They are among the most formidable warriors in western Immoren, as few can rival their raw killing power; even unarmed gatormen are fearsome due to their strong jaws and flesh-ripping teeth. They dwell in a variety of remote swamps, marshes, and riverbanks.
gobbers: A diminutive race of inquisitive, nimble, and entrepreneurial individuals that has adapted well to human cities. Most gobbers stand around three feet tall. Gobbers are known to have undeniable aptitude for mechanikal devices and alchemy.
gorax: Hulking, primitive creatures with long arms ending in oversized claws. Their faces are distinguished by protruding jaws filled with fangs suited to tearing through flesh and bone alike. Gorax are known to appreciate the taste of human flesh, and some prefer it over all other fare.
Great Fathers: The divine pantheon of the Rhulic people who are regarded by Rhulfolk as their actual and literal progenitors. Each of the ruling Stone Clans of Rhul is named after one of the thirteen Great Fathers.
Grenadier: A Cygnaran light warjack that is armed with a mattock and an integrated grenade launcher and is frequently deployed to accompany units of trenchers. The Grenadier entered service in 605 AR.
Greylords Covenant: An exclusively Khadoran arcane order whose members engage in a wide variety of occult research and mechanikal fabrication to advance Khadoran interests, including work on military weaponry, cortex production, and national security. Members of this organization are referred to as Greylords and are versed in ice-based magic.
gun mage: An arcanist capable of channeling arcane energy into rune shots fired from magelock pistols.
High Shield Gun Corps: A corps of highly disciplined and well-trained Rhulic soldiers notable for their heavy armor, broad shields, and carbine rifles and headquartered at the Rhulic fortress of Hammerfall. In order to provide its members with combat experience, and to provide their sponsoring clans with foreign coin, the High Shields are regularly rotated into mercenary service.
hoksune: The Hoksune Code is the most important philosophical credo of the skorne warrior caste, originally set down by Vuxoris the First Exalted. It emphasizes how one is only truly alive in battle. Honor is
found in fighting perfectly and fearlessly in the face of certain death, an inevitability one must simultaneously accept and defy.
Homeguard Coalition: The sizable fixed army of Ios tasked with defending that nation’s borders. The Homeguard Coalition is led by the Five Great Military Houses but also includes soldiers drawn from hundreds of lesser houses. These forces have seen their numbers diminished in recent years as many houses have opted to commit some or all of their military resources to the Retribution of Scyrah.
houseguard: Sworn to one of the noble houses, houseguard soldiers are rank-and-file soldiers making up the majority of the armed forces in Ios. In recent years increasing numbers of houseguard have been committed to the Retribution of Scyrah as a sign of support from ruling nobles. Most of the houseguard serve as halberdiers or riflemen and are trained to employ combined arms tactics.
immortals: A skorne statue containing the soul of an exceptional soldier who died in battle, preserved in a sacral stone by ancestral guardians. Immortals are themselves armed for battle and fight in units alongside a house’s living soldiers.
incissar: A title denoting the leader of a noble house within Ios. Incissars are also the ranking military leaders of their house armies, regardless of whether they actually direct their soldiers personally.
Ios: An isolationist nation east of Llael and north of the Bloodstone Marches founded long before the nations of men by survivors of a destroyed empire called Lyoss. Ios is inhabited by a long-lived elven race that has suffered a gradual decline and now faces an imminent cosmological catastrophe.