Shadow of the Iron Tyrant

Game Description

War is Brewing Nearby

Ironhold is a blight on Greyfang Mountain — a fortress-city of Bane worshipers, slavers, and ruthless Dragonborn as cold and unyielding as the stone they cling to. For years, they kept to their high perch, content to prey on each other and leave the lowlands alone.

No longer.

Rumors spread like plague: an Ironhold army has reached the far shore of the Blithewater River, directly across from Fortune's Crossing. The river is all that separates the peaceful folk from the horde. Fortune's Crossing is a town of luck followers, Tymora's faithful, who've never known war.

You begin in LaurendaleLaurendale, a quiet farming village just a day's ride south of the Crossing. It's humble — a small shrine to Tymora, a single lively inn called The Lucky Ewe, and fields that stretch toward an uncertain horizon.

The quiet won't last.

This campaign is brutal, relentless, and desperate. Expect non-stop defense, harrowing rescues, sabotage behind enemy lines, and the grim work of finding any way to stop the invaders before everything burns.

Campaign Enhancement

This campaign includes a special ongoing feature: you will discover five unique weapons, magic relics or followers over the first five sessions.

• Each must be won or earned in some way
• Each one offers a meaningful benefit (power, information, special abilities, etc.)
• Each also comes with a cost, flaw, or weakness

Expect one new special follower, weapon items or follower per session until all five are in play.

You as a party will need to decide who receives each. You can distribute these among the party however you like, and you may trade them when you find new ones. Be warned: some will strongly resist being discarded or traded, and will require persuasion and role-play to coerce.

These items and followers are meant to:

• Gift your characters an extra advantage if you’re capable of managing the pros and cons of it
• Give you tempting choices to decide what is more important to you and what costs are worth it
• Create role-play opportunities as I’ll be role-playing most of the followers/items

This is a world shaped by its players. If you’re looking for a campaign with depth, consequence, and a community of fellow role-players, you’ve found your home.

Character Creation

This is a Homebrew campaign and persistent world. What happens in your campaign affects the world for all other campaigns in Alderra.

Rules: D&D 5e (2014 rule set)

Your characters all begin at 1st level in Laurendale. You don’t have to be from Laurendale, however. You may instead hail from:

• Fortune’s Crossing
• Hardford
• Ironhold
• One of the nearby villages (Wayrest, Stonebridge, Lakbova, Goodfalls, Fulloon Township)
• A more remote place of your own invention (especially if you’re using backgrounds like Hermit or Outlander)

If you choose a remote origin, pick a general spot on the map where you’re from (mountains, deep forest, etc.).

For generating your character, use the Point-Buy method
Alignment: No chaotic evil characters. Party cohesion is essential for long-term play.
Progression: Tiered milestone leveling (see below). Missing sessions will slow your character’s advancement compared to consistent players.

When you send me your character, include:

• Your background
• Your hometown or region
• Any ties (family, mentor, faction, deity) you’d like to matter in the story

Game Style

Rich storytelling: Detailed NPCs with deep backgrounds, divine intrigue, war, and opportunity.

Tone and focus: Roughly 60% combat and 40% role-play and intrigue. Expect social encounters, moral choices, and tactical strategizing alongside dungeon crawls and battles.
Consequences: Your decisions matter. Characters can die—choose your risks wisely.
Unique mechanics: Custom followers and weapons with meaningful benefits and flaws.

Inspiration Points

Two types of Inspiration Points are used in this campaign.

Regular Inspiration Points

• Must be declared before rolling the die
• Grants Advantage on an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check

Super Inspiration Points

• Much rarer than regular inspiration
• Grants Advantage on an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check
• May be declared after rolling the die

Earning Inspiration

The Game Master will award both regular and super inspiration points throughout each session based on exceptional role-play, creative problem-solving, or memorable moments.

At the end of each session, the party will vote to award one regular inspiration point to the player they feel most deserved it during that session.

Equipment Required

Dice rolling will be in-person or using RPG-Tracker

Safety Methods help_outline

Session 0, Lines and Veils, and X and N cards

Last Session:

Current Adventurers

Non-Player Characters