TEXT:  
   
    
   IRONSMITH: 
  FOES 
  a fan created reference tool 
  for the ironsworn rpg and other systems 
  By Eric Bright 
  © December 2020 
  
   
   
  Copyright ©2020 Play Every Role by Eric Bright 
  LICENSING 
  This work is based on Ironsworn (found at 
  www.ironswornrpg.com), created by Shawn Tomkin, 
  and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons 
  Attribution 4.0 International License 
  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). 
  For details on licenses, the Ironsworn SRD, and the 
  Ironsworn game, please visit 
  http://ironswornrpg.com. 
  WRITING, DESIGN AND EDITING 
  Eric Bright of Play Every Role 
  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
  NOTE: This is NOT OFFICIAL Ironsworn content!  
  It is fan-made content made available through the 
  generous licensing of Shawn Tomkin, creator of 
  Ironsworn.  Please support him by purchasing the 
  original Ironsworn products! 
  IMAGES 
  Photos by from Unsplash.  
   
  CONTENTS 
  FOES 
  Ironlanders 
  Kyngi 
  2 
  Viggor 
  3 
   
  Firstborn 
  Hofudi 
  4 
  Igdan 
  5 
   
  Animals 
  Green Wolf 
  6 
  Ironclaw Bear 
  7 
  Rock Panther 
  8 
  Weaver Fox 
  9 
   
  Beasts 
  Tumulus 
  10 
  Warg 
  11 
   
  Horrors 
  Banshee 
  12 
  Ember 
  13 
   
  Anomalies 
  Glade of Eternal Rest 
  14 
  Insect Swarm 
  15 
   
  Threats 
  Undead Uprising 
  16 
   
   
   
  WHAT IS THIS? 
  Ironsmith: Foes gives you more foes that can 
  be used with the Ironsworn rules.   
  While designed for Ironsworn, these ideas may 
  be used for any dark, gritty fantasy setting or 
  game at least for concepts if not direct 
  application. 
  
  1 
  USING IRONSMITH 
  All products released under the title of Ironsmith are expansions and additional options designed specifically for the 
  Ironsworn RPG system by Shawn Tomkin, but they can be used in any RPG set in a gritty, fantasy world. 
  Using Foes 
  All the foes presented here follow the normal rules for Ironsworn.  However, one of the beautiful things about 
  Ironsworn is the openness and vagueness of descriptions which leaves you room to fill in details.  If I have filled in 
  too many details, feel free to modify the foes to fit the design of the world you are playing in. 
  Beyond the basic description of each foe, a quest starter involving the foe is included.  Additionally, I try to ask at 
  least one "Your Truth" question at the end of each foe to help you further refine how these foes can fit into your 
  world. 
  If you are using these foes for ideas to place into other RPGs, you need only know that the difficulty of foes increases 
  from least to greatest like this: 
  Troublesome → Dangerous → Formidable → Extreme → Epic 
  This should give you some idea of the mechanics you'll need to translate these foes into the RPG of your choice. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  2 
  KYNGI 
  IRONLANDER 
  Rank: 
  Dangerous (2 progress per harm; inflicts 2 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Geared for war 
  • 
  Battle-hardened 
  • 
  Battle concoctions in vials 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Rid the land of true monsters 
  • 
  Make right with might 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Mystical power and black iron blade 
  • 
  Track and trap 
  • 
  Immediate killing blow 
  Those who travel down the path of the kyngi are feared but usually tolerated by Ironlanders because they have taken 
  on the impossible vow of ridding the Ironlands of all monstrous beings.  To complete this impossible task, they 
  undergo strange rituals that mutate their bodies into more powerful killing machines and manifest subtle but distinct 
  physical characteristics such as cat-like eyes, larger nostrils, and tiny protrusions on their eyes that act as sensory 
  organs for movement behind them.  These kyngi find themselves constantly on the move without a home both to hunt 
  more monsters and to avoid the fear and loathing their presence produces in most Ironlanders. 
  Kyngi are not only highly skilled warriors, but they also learn pertinent arcane arts that they can deploy in battle.  
  Their strange ability to meld might with magic makes them uniquely suited to hunting down and ending the darker 
  things of the world.  A horror that may only be temporarily driven away by mere warriors can be exorcised completely 
  by a powerful kyngi. 
  In addition to their battle prowess, they have a knowledge of herbs that they combine with their mystical arts to create 
  powerful elixirs to further enhance their abilities.  However, this knowledge comes with a price.  The same 
  concoctions that give them strength, stamina, and speed also slowly corrupt their minds.  They become more and 
  more nihilistic and have been known to turn towards chaos and preying on innocent people in their later years. 
  When a kyngi shows up at a settlement, it's always a gamble as to whether their aid will be worth the price they exact.  
  We have a saying in the Ironlands for when people consider a course of action with clearly harmful outcomes: it's 
  like a kyngi arriving with a naked blade. 
  Quest Starter: A mad kyngi unleashes iron-wracked beasts and monsters on steadings and operates from a nearby 
  Mystical Stronghold.  Will you try to redeem this kyngi or see them pay the price for forsaking their sacred vow? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  How does kyngi mysticism manifest?  Is it subtle or grand in style? 
  • 
  What temporary powers do the elixirs give the kyngi? 
  • 
  Are the kyngi still true Ironlanders or have they been permanently changed 
  into a different type of being altogether? 
   
   
  
  3 
  VIGGOR 
  IRONLANDER 
  Rank: 
  Dangerous (2 progress per harm; inflicts 2 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Clothing adorned with animal feathers, teeth, scales, and claws 
  • 
  Soul inhabits animals 
  • 
  Unkempt and gaunt 
  • 
  Hold a mystic focus 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Protect animals 
  • 
  Live as an animal 
  • 
  Protect their empty body 
  • 
  Stay isolated 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Attack as an animal 
  • 
  Switch quickly between animal bodies 
  • 
  Retreat back to their own body 
  A viggor is an Ironlander born with beast magic.  When their power first manifests, they gain an odd affinity for 
  communicating with animals.  As their power matures, they can "push" themselves onto an animal and control the 
  animal directly.  They roam the woods as a wolf on the hunt or spy on the neighbors as a rat in the wall.  Some 
  animals are easier to push into, but most viggor never push into an unwilling host unless absolutely necessary.  The 
  more they push, the more they see themselves as the very creatures they inhabit.  The animals themselves will often 
  stay near and guard a viggor's empty body as they become bonded through the pushing process. 
  When viggor "push" themselves into an animal, they lose all senses and control of their own human body which lies 
  cold and unmoving while their spirit roams.  It is like their life essence completely leaves their body to live inside the 
  animal.  In this way, their body is vulnerable during a push.  If someone were to find their body in this state, they 
  could be killed without ever knowing an attacker was there.  This is why viggor tend to isolate themselves in lost 
  caves or hidden huts deep in a forest. 
  While this type of magic sounds like a fairy tale come true, we ultimately learned to fear the viggor because the more 
  they push into animal minds, the more animal-like they become themselves.  They obsess over being inside an animal 
  to the point that their human bodies are often frail and abused.  It's an addiction for them that slowly drives them mad.  
  It is best that we excommunicate viggor when they are found and leave them to their own slow death. 
  Quest Starter: A woman on her deathbed has requested that you find her lost husband, a viggor who was exiled years 
  ago.  She believes that she has discovered the key to breaking her husband free from the beast magic that binds him.  
  Why would you take on this quest for her?  Who is she to you?  Can her husband be brought to his senses long enough 
  to say goodbye to his wife, or is he lost forever to his beasts? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  What happens when a viggor is killed while still pushed into an animal? 
  • 
  Can a viggor push into multiple animals at once?  At what price? 
   
  Variant: The viggor's spirit coalesces into an ethereal animal rather than inhabiting a living creature. 
  
  4 
  HOFUDI 
  FIRSTBORN 
  Rank: 
  Dangerous (2 progress per harm; inflicts 2 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Snake people with arms and a tail instead of legs 
  • 
  Thick scaled skin can change colors 
  • 
  Tails covered in metal for use in battle 
  • 
  Wield spears tipped with their own fangs 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Respect the Old Ways 
  • 
  Protect the wilds 
  • 
  Drive out the interlopers 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Drop from treetops 
  • 
  Poisoned bites 
  • 
  Squeeze and suffocate 
  Hofudi are thought to be under the protection of the elves living in the Deep Wilds, but contact with the snake people 
  is even more rare than that with the elves.  As such, the descriptions vary of the hofudi.  Some say they have deep 
  green and black skin, and others claim to have seen yellow and brown scales.  Some say the hofudi are all hooded 
  cobras while others say they have sharp diamond-shaped heads.  What is common among all the descriptions is how 
  without legs they glide about using only the S-shaped motion of their tail while keeping their humanoid torso upright. 
  It is believed that the hofudi have a strict class system with shaman or mystics at the top of the authority structure.  
  They have been spotted in the Deep Wilds holding strange rituals of unknown purpose.  The few contacts we've had 
  with them have not gone well as they fiercely guard their secrets and way of life.  What we do know for sure is that 
  they have no compunction about killing an Ironlander, and we therefore give them a wide berth. 
  Quest Starter: A hofudi warrior has announced itself outside the settlement and is asking for escort to a secret 
  location in the Hinterlands and protection the igdan hunting it.  It says that if its task is left undone, it will have grave 
  consequences even for the Ironlanders.  The hofudi holds a large, smooth gray stone tucked under one arm.  What 
  task must it complete, and what role does the stone play?  Additionally, something strange happened to you previously 
  while you were in the area of the Hinterlands that the hofudi wants to travel to.  What was it, and does it relate to the 
  hofudi's current quest? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  What is the nature of the relationship between the elves and hofudi? 
  • 
  There is one thing or behavior that is so taboo in hofudi culture as to border 
  on sacrilegious.  What is it? 
   
   
   
  
  5 
  IGDAN 
  FIRSTBORN 
  Rank: 
  Dangerous (2 progress per harm; inflicts 2 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Humanoid with feathered wings 
  • 
  Head of a raptor and clawed feet 
  • 
  Chirps and clicks in their speech 
  • 
  Bamboo-like armor and bows held with their feet 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Protect their eyries 
  • 
  Hunt worthy prey 
  • 
  Harass Hofudi 
  • 
  Gather treasures and trophies 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Attack from above 
  • 
  Draw out the hunt and toy with prey 
  • 
  Use vertical terrain against prey 
  The igdan people prefer the rocky heights at the border between the Tempest Hills and the Veiled Mountains, but 
  their hunting parties range far afield.  How their wings are able to sustain them in flight is unknown, but they are 
  experts at gliding and firing their large bows with pinpoint precision.  Settlements near igdan eyries tend to have 
  underground shelters for protection when a pack of igdan hunters are spotted. 
  In mannerism, the igdan are generally haughty towards "earthers" and enjoy demonstrating their superiority.  They 
  have a limited concept of ownership and believe they have the right to anything they have the might to take.  We fear 
  that may soon lead them to think they own us as well.  Our only advantage is that their people seem limited in number, 
  but still we must prepare for the eventual conflict. 
  Quest Starter: A settlement close to an igdan eyries was given an ultimatum: "Choose one from among you to act as 
  our prey.  If they make it back to the settlement before dawn on the third day, we will not accost your settlement."  
  The settlement has until dusk to produce their token prey.  How will this conflict be settled?  You have something to 
  gain from an interaction with the igdan.  What is it? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  Igdan hunters have varied numbers of feathers dyed on one side or the other 
  of their necks.  What do the color and number of dyed feathers signify? 
  • 
  An igdan legend speaks of a Sky Lord.  Who or what is this?  Why do the 
  Ironlanders fear the legend may be true? 
   
   
   
  
  6 
  GREEN WOLF 
  ANIMAL 
  Rank: 
  Dangerous (2 progress per harm; inflicts 2 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Keen senses 
  • 
  Leaf-like fur 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Protect territory 
  • 
  Never leave an injured wolf behind 
  • 
  Revel in the day 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Pack acts as one 
  • 
  Camouflaged stalking 
  • 
  Pin to trees 
  Less aggressive than most breeds of wolves, the green wolves are known for the strong bonds of loyalty between 
  their pack mates.  When they attack large or dangerous prey, each wolf moves in for a single strike and then rotates 
  out to recover so that no single wolf takes the brunt of damage.  Another oddity about green wolves is that they tend 
  to attack in the day despite having superb night vision.  They seem stronger and more confident when in direct 
  sunlight among low underbrush or grassy plains for camouflage. 
  Green wolves are also known to be more active near elven steadings or trails and are commonly thought to be servants 
  of the elves.  When we are outnumbered in a battle, we often say we're facing "a pack and their pack" in reference to 
  elves who watch over a pack of green wolves.  For this reason, we have often taken pains to not hunt too many prey 
  in areas where the green wolves roam. 
  Quest Starter: An isolated hermit was known to have befriended a pack of green wolves.  Now those wolves have 
  shown up at a nearby steading with howls and whines.  They constantly head toward the forest edge and stop to see 
  if any Ironlander follows.  If none do, they start the routine again.  What fate has befallen this hermit that the pack 
  would be forced to leave them behind? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  Legend says that the leafy fur of some green wolves will flower under certain 
  circumstances.  If this is true, what properties does this flower have and what 
  can it be used for? 
   
   
   
  
  7 
  IRONCLAW BEAR 
  ANIMAL 
  Rank: 
  Formidable (1 progress per harm; inflicts 3 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Stone-like skin with occasional gems 
  • 
  Rock-shattering claws 
  • 
  Larger than any Ironlander 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Delve ever deeper 
  • 
  Hibernate 
  • 
  Find food 
  • 
  Protect cubs 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Overrun 
  • 
  Overpower 
  • 
  Claw and bite 
  Ironclaw bears live in the Hinterlands, Tempest Hills and even the Veiled Mountains.  They make their homes in 
  stone caves that they carve themselves with their iron-like claws and can sleep for years at a time.  As they hibernate, 
  tiny stalagmites form on their skin giving them a protective coating of armor.  Rarely, an ironclaw bear will have the 
  beginnings of a gem form on its skin if it’s a particularly long hibernation period.  Among some Ironlander 
  subcultures, these gems are sought after as the prize of a true warrior. 
  When they are not hunting for food, ironclaws are often found inside their caves digging deeper and deeper.  We 
  know not what they are digging for, but stories abound of evil things coming out of particularly old ironclaw caves.  
  We fear they seek to uncover things that are best left lost to time. 
  Quest Starter: A party of warriors went out with the intent of prying a gem from the body of an ironclaw bear and 
  succeeded at their task.  Now, that bear is tracking them and killing them one by one, and their party of ten is down 
  to three.  What will it take to make it home safely? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  What is it that ironclaw bears instinctively seek underground? 
   
   
   
  
  8 
  ROCK PANTHER 
  ANIMAL 
  Rank: 
  Dangerous (2 progress per harm; inflicts 2 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Fur that blends in with stone 
  • 
  Larger back legs for jumping 
  • 
  Eyes the color of amethyst 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Hunt 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Lie in wait on a boulder 
  • 
  Pin and rend 
  • 
  Jump and bite 
  Rock panthers are famous for their ability to hunt birds in the mountain regions.  They sit atop rocky peaks for hours 
  without moving and then lunge across chasms catching a low-flying bird mid-jump.  While stealth is a powerful 
  weapon for these creatures, it is their speed that is particularly dangerous.  When they tire of birds or seek larger prey, 
  they will chase deer, mountain goats, or other animals up a slope where they use their large hind legs to outpace the 
  prey less adapted to uphill movements. 
  At first, we thought to simply kill or drive off any rock panthers found in the mountain passages we needed to use, 
  but we quickly saw this as futile.  Any arrow shot or spear thrown at them is easily avoided by a powerful and well-
  timed jump.  We now carry deer haunches with us to throw out as a distraction when we need to traverse an area in 
  rock panther territory.  Every time, we hope that the panther is more in the mood to eat our meat than hunt us, and 
  unfortunately, sometimes we find that hope untrue. 
  Quest Starter: A particularly large rock panther has been seen taking down igdan warriors, yet they do not retaliate.  
  They instead have led the animal down to an Ironlander steading where it is harassing livestock and people alike.  
  Can the animal be stopped?  What stake do the igdan have in this dangerous game? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  Rock panthers have an uncanny ability to maintain balance and climb near 
  vertical rock faces.  What physical adaptations do these animals have to live 
  in the mountains? 
   
   
   
  
  9 
  WEAVER FOX 
  ANIMAL 
  Rank: 
  Troublesome (3 progress per harm; inflicts 1 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Gray and white fur 
  • 
  Tail overflowing with gossamer threads 
  • 
  Create large webs in undergrowth 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Trap food 
  • 
  Protect the den 
  • 
  Drive out the interlopers 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Throw their voice to confuse 
  • 
  Stay hidden, stay safe 
  • 
  Charge from hiding to push prey into webs 
  Weaver foxes are not inherently aggressive but are superstitiously viewed that way because of their spider-like nature.  
  Each hair on their long tails is actually a tiny strand of webbing like that of a spider which they rub on the trees and 
  bushes near their dens as a defense and hunting mechanism.  Smaller animals, such as a young fawn or squirrel, will 
  get caught in the webbing and wrap themselves up tighter as they thrash to escape.  After these poor victims die, the 
  weaver fox will eat them at their leisure so that the closer you get to a den, the more webbing and remains of prey 
  you find. 
  Due to the fact that their hair is the webbing, the weaver foxes do not get caught in their own webs.  They have been 
  known to leave open paths through their webbing in hopes of leading other animals to their demise in a dead end of 
  sticky webbing.  If need be, the foxes leap out of hiding and throw their body into a creature to try to push them into 
  their webs.  Because it is nearly impossible to see a weaver fox in its own webbing, we have learned to give these 
  dens a wide berth. 
  Quest Starter: A child wandered alone into the woods and is thought to have gone in the direction of three large 
  weaver fox dens.  The settlement needs help to save this child, but many say disturbing the foxes will bring a curse 
  and refuse to help.  What other dangers lurk here that saving a child is considered too risky? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  What creature has a symbiotic relationship with weaver foxes? 
   
   
   
  
  10 
  TUMULUS 
  BEAST 
  Rank: 
  Extreme (2 ticks per harm; inflicts 4 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Creature of pure stone 
  • 
  Moss growing on skin 
  • 
  Mistaken for boulders 
  • 
  Giant sized when awake and standing 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Unknown 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Accidentally trample 
  • 
  Inadvertently crush 
  • 
  Double armed smash 
  The tumulus, or living rocks, are largely an unknown entity.  They appear to be made entirely of stone and spend 
  most of their time rolled up into a ball sleeping where they are mistaken as giant boulders.  Perhaps the tumulus are 
  responding to tremors in the earth for their awakening and ensuing destructive behavior usually herald an earthquake. 
  While seemingly not malevolent, tumulus are huge and possess incredible strength.  When awakened, they appear to 
  be headed to a specific location and let nothing stand in their way.  They destroy trees, rocks, settlement, beasts, and 
  people who are in their way.  Fending off various roaming tumulus, we've discovered that a tumulus can be harmed 
  at its joints in the arm or leg.  Even though they typically do not attack unless provoked, tumulus are nonetheless 
  dangerous particularly when pointed towards a settlement.  This makes violence the only option for our protection. 
  Quest Starter: The settlement of Jarlsford was recently beset by a group of five tumulus that all approached from 
  different directions and set themselves down in the ford.  Shortly after, the earth began to shake tremendously.  
  Between these two events, the course of the river now flows around the settlement rather than on the edge of it where 
  the ford was.  There is no longer an easy passage across the river, and the overseer of Jarlsford has put out a call 
  for anyone who can help put the river back in its rightful position. 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  Are tumulus sentient? 
  • 
  What is the driving force behind the actions of tumulus? 
   
   
   
  
  11 
  WARG 
  BEAST 
  Rank: 
  Extreme (2 ticks per harm; inflicts 4 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Wolf-like head that swivels further than it should 
  • 
  Hump above shoulders 
  • 
  Tusks of a boar 
  • 
  Fangs of a saber tooth tiger 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Protect territory 
  • 
  Dominate others 
  • 
  Hunt 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Charge and gore 
  • 
  Pin and bite 
  • 
  Jump and rend 
  When we first saw the giant wargs of the north, we thought it a wolf warped by mystic energies.  This may be its true 
  origin, but regardless, it stands a full head taller or more than the largest Ironlander.  Their mouths are wider than 
  they should be and open almost all the way back to their ears.  Between the tusks on the side of the jaw, the sword-
  sized fangs on the front, and the razor-like daggers for teeth, anyone caught near the mouth of a warg is in grave 
  danger.  Wargs are vicious hunters who aggressively defend their territory and actively seek out competitors to 
  challenge and bully.  No Ironlander is safe from a warg who has caught their scent. 
  Strangely enough, some clans of giants have been able to domesticate a few wargs and increase their size to the point 
  that the giants can use the wargs as mounts.  While giants usually try to avoid violence, knowing that their steeds are 
  swift killers is a further deterrent to combat.  Since the Vargr clan giants utterly annihilated a group of raiders by 
  charging out of their steading astride huge wargs, no one has dared cross them. 
  Quest Starter: Trying to follow the Vargr giant example, a local hunter stole some warg cubs in an attempt to raise 
  them as faithful companions and steeds.  If the messages are to be believed, the warg mother has been spotted headed 
  toward the settlement.  Worse yet, the young cubs have escaped their pen and are beginning to ravage the settlement 
  from the inside.  Can more needless bloodshed be avoided? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  Do wargs have thick fur or the hide of a rhino? 
   
   
   
  
  12 
  BANSHEE 
  HORROR 
  Rank: 
  Dangerous (2 progress per harm; inflicts 2 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Ethereal and vaguely humanoid body 
  • 
  Screams of torment 
  • 
  Floating off the ground 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Torment the living 
  • 
  Find escape through thin places 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Ear-piercing screams 
  • 
  Touch of madness 
  Banshees are spirits of those killed unjustly who also suffered traumatically before death usually at the hands of an 
  oppressor.  Their scream is just as powerful as any blade and has been known to shatter teeth and bone of those who 
  attempt to fight them.  Not only that, if touched on the head by one of these spirits, a person goes mad for a time 
  sharing in the grief and torment of the banshee. 
  Banshees usually stay in the location of their death and take out their grief and rage on the living who happen by, but 
  they can leave the location if they are following and harassing a living target.  While a banshee cannot truly be 
  defeated in this world, only driven away temporarily, they can be lured towards the thin places between worlds where 
  they may pass through and never return. 
  Quest Starter: The overseer of Lowbrook had refused to give in to the demands of the raiders and was forced to watch 
  the slaughter of his people before experiencing a slow death of his own.  It took months to stop the raiders, and now 
  the few survivors of the Lowbrook attack want to rebuild but found the overseer returned as a banshee in the ruins 
  of the settlement.  They seek help to put down this evil remnant of their overseer and end the legacy of pain and 
  suffering the raiders caused. 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  Some claim that banshees can be invisible to all but the one person they haunt 
  and never cause physical damage but psychological trauma as they constantly 
  harass the person in their mind.  Is this true?  If so, how are these banshees 
  forced to physically manifest so that they can be driven away? 
   
   
   
  
  13 
  EMBER 
  HORROR 
  Rank: 
  Formidable (1 progress per harm; inflicts 3 harm) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Smoldering flesh 
  • 
  Blazing eyes 
  • 
  Smoke slowly curling upwards 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Burn the living 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Embrace of flames 
  • 
  Rake with claws 
  An ember is created when someone dies in a fire or occasionally when someone unjustly killed has their corpse 
  burned in a pyre.  They normally appear in settlements ravaged by forest fires or torched by raiders.  Their grief and 
  rage compel them to consign others to the flames.  Embers have the appearance of a blackened body burnt down to 
  the bone in some places and continuously smoke and smolder.   
  Because they are still literally on fire, embers have been known to spawn whole outbreaks by creating other embers.  
  If a home burns down and a single ember is created from that tragedy, that ember can spread fires to more homes and 
  create even more embers.  Yet in other cases, an ember will not rise from the ashes until days later. 
  Sometimes once an ember emerges, it will follow the one responsible for their death and leave a trail of singed 
  destruction in their wake.  While the ice and snow ever threatening the Ironlands can limit the damage a roving ember 
  like this can do, many a town's fields have been set ablaze by a fresh ember only compounding that place's loss. 
  Quest Starter: Lightning started a forest fire on the edges of the Deep Wild near the settlement of Grimhall.  The 
  main hunter for the settlement was in a small hunting hut at the time and quickly arose as an ember.  The forest fire 
  is now raging in one direction while the ember burns in another threatening to surround Grimhall in flames.  One of 
  the fires will need to be stopped to have the time necessary to evacuate the settlement.  The hunter who is now an 
  ember was known to you.  In what way did your paths intersect? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  Are the embers of your world smoldering corpses or are they instead ghostly 
  spirits of flame?  If the latter, increase the rank of embers to Extreme. 
   
   
   
  
  14 
  GLADE OF ETERNAL REST 
  ANOMALY 
  Rank: 
  Dangerous (scene challenge; mark 2 progress) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Lush fruit trees 
  • 
  Otherworldly, musical sounds 
  • 
  Visions of peace and plenty 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Drain the life energy of the living 
  • 
  Enforce peace 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Lure with illusion and compulsion 
  • 
  Darken the outside world 
  • 
  Overcome with weariness and content 
  Long before we arrived on these shores, glades of eternal rest were possibly created by some species of firstborn as 
  a safe space that they could sign treaties and conduct business with each other.  They imbued these areas with mystic 
  power that sent out overwhelming waves of peace to wash over those in the glade.  Perhaps this led to more mutually 
  beneficial pacts and less bloodshed, or perhaps they were just waypoints for the firstborn to find rest and relaxation. 
  At some point in history, the mystic energies began to deplete or perhaps a more malevolent force twisted their initial 
  purposes.  No matter how it happened, these places now lure in travelers with the promise of rest only to slowly them 
  drain them of life.  People will enter the glades, lay on the lush grasses, and contentedly stay there until death.  They 
  say that if you are far enough away to see inside a glade without being under its influence, you would see the bones 
  of animals and people alike that have happily entered fully into the glade and surrendered themselves to the false 
  comfort found there.  As things go, it is not a bad way to die, but you will still be dead. 
  Quest Starter: A group of zealots who worship the firstborn stumbled upon the location of a glade of eternal rest.  
  Now they offer the glade as a humane end to the toil of life in the Ironlands and say it's the only way that the land 
  will be restored to its rightful owners: the firstborn.  The zealots view themselves as righteous warriors on a sacred 
  mission to rid the land of the cancerous existence of humans and travel to settlements offering the people a choice of 
  purification by the glade or purification by the blade.  What power do they wield that has caused whole settlements 
  including strong warriors to volunteer to enter the glade? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  What corrupted these once peaceful places? 
   
   
   
  
  15 
  INSECT SWARM 
  ANOMALY 
  Rank: 
  Dangerous (scene challenge; mark 2 progress) 
  Features: 
  • 
  Thunderous sound of millions of wings 
  • 
  Undulating sea of earth-toned insects 
  Drives: 
  • 
  Consume all 
  • 
  Migrate 
  Tactics: 
  • 
  Envelop and feed 
  • 
  Blot out the sun 
  • 
  Death by a thousand cuts 
  Even here in the frozen Ironlands, there is enough vegetation and animal life to feed a swarm of insects.  There are 
  some swarms that we have learned their cycle and can predict their coming.  But it seems every handful of years that 
  a new type of insect is discovered that was lying dormant in the frozen earth until their pre-ordained time. 
  We have found little that we can do to dissuade a swarm from their feast.  While stone and iron are unpalatable to a 
  swarm, we cannot cover every surface in stone.  Sometimes the best that we can do is survive with what meager 
  supplies we can and try to rebuild after their passing. 
  Quest Starter: This winter a swarm was due to pass near the settlement of Stormfield.  While the people have prepared 
  as best they can, they were not prepared to hear news of a second swarm headed towards them from the opposite 
  direction.  This new swarm is of a type of insect never before seen and is particularly aggressive.  Stormfield citizens 
  are fighting between the options of evacuating or riding out the swarms. Time is limited to bring the settlement safely 
  through this disaster. 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  Are all swarms natural, or does another power control their seasons? 
   
   
   
  
  16 
  UNDEAD UPRISING 
  THREAT 
  TENS Advance the Threat 
  ONES Accompanying Signs or Portents 
  00 
  Unleash a horror not seen before 
  0 
  Cold fog that won't disperse 
  10 
  Expand territory lost to undeath 
  1 
  Chants on the wind 
  20 
  Curse a place through magic 
  2 
  Blood red moon 
  30 
  Force a horrible decision 
  3 
  Sun blotted out for days 
  40 
  Create mystic wards or protection 
  4 
  Water sources spoil 
  50 
  Obtain a powerful artifact 
  5 
  Prophetic shared nightmares 
  60 
  Attack in overwhelming numbers 
  6 
  Shadows move independent of bodies 
  70 
  Isolate an important person or community 
  7 
  Feeling of suffocation and anxiety attacks 
  80 
  Corrupt the environment 
  8 
  Animals flee and stampede 
  90 
  Reveal the true nature or source of power 
  9 
  Trees ooze black bile 
  There are few unwise enough to explore the Shattered Wastes and simultaneously lucky enough to return from such 
  an expedition.  Those who did brought back terrible stories of horrors lurking below the ice and making their way 
  toward the surface.  We scoffed at their tales and relegated them to fiction useful for scaring children into good 
  behavior.  Unfortunately, we were wrong. 
  Those who keep watch from the Veiled Mountains report large hordes of undead and other horrors making their way 
  south to the Ironlands.  At first, we thought the mountains would hold them back, but again we were wrong.  Their 
  unrelenting nature has allowed them to find tunnels and passages through the mountains to continue their never-
  ending march south. 
  As more and more settlements fall, signs and portents point to the growing influence these creatures have over the 
  remaining life in the Ironlands.  They will not rest until the living are no more. 
  Quest Starter: The undead are making their way through the Veiled Mountains and into the Tempest Hills attacking 
  the living wherever they go.  Can they be stopped? 
  YOUR TRUTH 
  • 
  Does undeath affect animals and beasts as well? 
   
  NOTE: When you Advance a Threat for the Undead Uprising, treat your percentile dice (2d10) as two separate rolls 
  using the tens digit as threat advancement and the ones digit as signs that accompany this advancement. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Ironsworn - PbtA - Shawn Tomkin/Homebrew/Ironsmith - Foes.pdf