the source or birth of this dragon is unknown, his power comes from a stone known as an athanc. This stone, virtually indestructible, will revive him regardless of what happens to his body. In the event of absolute annihilation of every fiber of his being, the athanc will revive him. They also radiate a mutagenic effect known as the Blight that gradually transforms the creatures and world around them into their servants, although only Everblight, one of the most cunning and intelligent dragons, has truly gained conscious control of his. This said, Toruk was, at the time, the only of his kind. Desiring company or perhaps lieutenants, he split off pieces of his own athanc to form others, and in doing so gave rise to his sons. Dragons—being as proud, stubborn, and unruly as their creator—are not content to be ruled, even by their own father. This led the sons to rebel against their father. Despite his power, Toruk was still vastly outnumbered, but managed to scatter his kin to the winds. The sons took to the sky, and hid themselves across Immoren. These dragons cannot die, and are not alive by any normal expression or understanding of the word. Hence, any attempt by the Human, Iosan, or any other race to destroy a dragon has met with failure—and a great loss of numbers among that race. Toruk, the Dragonfather, is the only one capable of reclaiming his sons' souls. This is done by him ingesting the athanc of the dragon-son. The closest mortals have ever come is entombing the athanc of Everblight in the far north, but even then his Blight remains active and he controls an army from within his prison. System In 2021, Privateer Press released an updated version of the setting for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. Reception Shannon Appelcline calls The Iron Kingdoms "a unique and innovative background [...] a 'steampunk' setting, mixing dark fantasy with steam-based technology and gun powder. It was original, innovative and unlike anything else on the market" at the time. The initial adventures published in the setting won Ennies for "Best World" and "Best Art". The new edition of Iron Kingdoms received gold ENnie Awards in 2013 for Best Game and Best Cover Art, and silver ENnies for Best Rules and Best Production Values. Reviews Casus Belli (v4, Issue 16 - Sep/Oct 2015) Books All books from Privateer Press through