Shardworld/Icons
Never before has the balance of power between the icons been so unstable. After decades of war following the High King's death, four Low Kings have divided his realm between them. The Great Khan has joined the iconic ranks, and his arrival seems to have galvanized other malevolent icons to new action. The Locus, Divine Synod, and Wildspeaker strive to maintain their own forms of equilibrium. And something or someone calling itself the Codex of Whispers has been pulling strings from behind the scenes... The Continent spins on the needle-point of Fate, and the balance can't hold for long. That's where you come in.
Icon relationships with Low Kings: As always, an icon relationship almost always represents a bond with the icon's faction-subordinates, messengers, henchmen, and cults of personality, rather than the icon itself. The icon certainly may know of your existence, but the icon isn't showing up in person to deliver a magic item because of a 6 result. In the case of icon relationships with the Low Kings(Golden Emperor, Kraken Tamer, Storm Rider, Lord Artificer), this represents allies, contacts or enemies in the leadership of that nation, such as a general, prominent merchant with political ties, or attendant in the icon's court. Individual suggestions can be found in the individual entries.
Icon Relationship Points: Icons of Order and Icons Between can be given up to 2 points in positive, conflicted, or negative relationships. Icons of Chaos can be given up to one point in positive relationships, and up to 2 points in conflicted or negative relationships. Yes, this does mean you can't spend all 3 points on one icon relationship, unlike the default 13th Age rules. This is to encourage characters to have varied backstories and serves as a source of dramatic conflict.
Contents
Icons of Order[edit]
The Divine Synod[edit]
One mind, many bodies; envoys for the gods.
The Golden Emperor[edit]
He longs for all the world under his wings.
Usual Location: In human form in his palace in Verdrise, the capital city of the Shining Empire.
Common Knowledge: The Golden Emperor is an ancient dragon, said to have been born in the Wyrm's first clutch with the Slumbering Ones. The Gold slept with his brothers and sisters until the beginning of the 6th Age, when the man who would become High King awoke him. He tied his fortune to humanity as the Wyrm had done many ages ago, and his might and intellect proved instrumental in the High King's great campaign of unison. Allegedly, it was the Gold's counsel behind many of the more brutal or pragmatic decisions made during the High King's rule. After the King's assassination and the collapse of the Kingdom of Avindras, the dragon claimed the former heartland of the kingdom around the Diamond Sea and named himself the head of a new Shining Empire, claiming he was the only being fit to continue the High King's ambition and rule humanity. After securing his borders to the south and east, the Golden Emperor set about expanding north and west, into the Ørindi and the Veshki Peninsula. The Empire generally begins expanding into a region with attempts at peaceful cohabitation leading into trade and political alliance, with the aim of gradually assimilating a new region; the Shining Empire is the only nation in history to give as much acclaim to diplomats as to generals. However, the Emperor is uncompromising in his goal of regaining unity, and he doesn't hesitate to order sudden and precise military action when negotiation fails. It is said that when faced with the Shining Empire, the only choices are wine or blood. So far, the strategy has worked-the Shining Empire is the largest and wealthiest nation in the Continent, with the Gold Prince at its helm looking onwards.
Characters and the Gold Prince: The Empire always needs capable heroes to do what soldiers and negotiators can't. While the Emperor looks less than favorably at adventurers who help thwart his ambitions. he's usually willing to give them a second chance if it helps the Empire.
Allies: The Synod's seat of Hightemple is in the Shining Empire, and they swear fealty to the Empire and are given respect in return. The Emperor and the Lord Artificer's truce holds stable.
Enemies: The Emperor and the Storm Rider clash over their border and their role in the Wyrm's legacy. The Slumbering Ones and their cults seem to favor working against the Emperor over all other icons.
History: Before he was the Emperor, the sleeping Gold was worshiped by an order of knights, clerics and paladins calling themselves the Order Gilded. The order still serves their Emperor faithfully today.
The True Danger: Some say the Emperor's final goal is the entire Continent and the other icons submitting to his ultimate authority.
The Locus[edit]
The power of the elements, anchored.
The Lord Artificer[edit]
Victory through progress.
Icons Between[edit]
The Codex of Whispers[edit]
The stuff of whispers - nothing is known.
The Kraken Tamer[edit]
Ruler of the seas and scourge of his enemies.
The Cataclysm Herald[edit]
The fury of the elements made manifest.
The Wildspeaker[edit]
Defender of the wild places, red in tooth and claw.
Icons of Chaos[edit]
The Great Khan[edit]
The doom from the south.
Usual Location: The Khan's base is a black iron fortress deep in the Southern Scar, and he splits his time between there and the front lines.
Common Knowledge: The Great Khan marched out of the Southern Range at the beginning of the age, at the front of a horde of orcs- a monstrous race never seen before on the Continent. His initial assault was beaten back only by the hasty alliance of Athon and the Kraken Dominion, but the Khan had already managed to carve out a domain for himself in the arid and inhospitable Southern Scar. The rest of the world took note-who were these orcs, to force two nations to unite merely to stall their assault, and to be able to survive and prosper in such a desolate region? The Khan gave answer-they were the conquerors of the realm here to put an end to the fragile peace of civilization. The other nations assembled the Orcwatch in response, an army made up of soldiers from every Low King. The Khan launched three great offensives during the following decades, and all ended in defeat for the Khan. Furious at his lack of progress, the Khan changed tactics. While he continues to fight small battles with the Orcwatch, his main focus is on mustering forces and attempting to unite the monstrous races of the realm under his banner. At the moment, he has gathered many bugbear tribes and ogre warbands to his side, some twist clans, and an eclectic mix of other monsters, including at least one elder dragon. In addition, the Khan's shamans have found a way to dramatically extend the range at which they can create orcpits, the festering sinkholes orcs are spawned from. Orcpits have been observed as far north in Egrond and more continue to spawn, as the Khan prepares to war on the nations of the Continent from within and without.
Characters and The Great Khan: Many people have been hurt by the orc plague, from families to empires. Skilled adventurers who can fight back against orcish incursions are in high demand across the Continent. Given the growing frequency of orc-pit emergence, there is no shortage of jobs and prestige available for those willing to fight. Favor with the other icons is likely to be gained by those who strike especially notable blows against the monstrous hordes. Those who aid the Khan's endeavor to end non-monstrous life are either insane or don't know they're helping him.
Allies: Considering his stated goal to annihilate civilization and leave only orcs behind, none of the other icons proclaim allegiance with him. Some worrying rumors claim that orcs are appearing that exhibit the demonic influence of the Hellmote.
Enemies: The Wildspeaker burns with fury at the Great Khan's perversion of nature, and he has vowed to utterly annihilate him and his forces to the last orc. The Lord Artificer and the Kraken Tamer, being the closest Low Kings to the Scar, have lost the most during the Orc Wars.
History: The Great Khan and the orcs arose in the 7th Age, although some scholars claim there's evidence orcs have walked the Continent before.
The True Danger: If The Great Khan forges enough allegiances with the monstrous species and creates enough orcs, he will march forth with his horde and the earth itself will tremble.
The Hellmote[edit]
It births corruption from its maw.
The Revenant[edit]
It loathes the living for what it can never have.
The Slumbering Ones[edit]
Their mere dreams shake the world.
