02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

332 Iron Kingdoms
108.1.141.197
houses called fyllyntyr, the ways of the high houses
dominate everyday life. Representatives of the fifteen
most powerful hallyntyr constitute the Consulate
Court, which ruled Ios for many centuries (see “The
Consulate Court” below).
The aforementioned sickness that plagues Ios is
due to the departure of their deities. They refer to
the doomed pantheon as the Divine Court, but more
often than not they simply call them the Vanished.
Their gods, eight in number, have not been seen or
heard in generations save for one: Scyrah, who gets
closer to death each day. Since her return in 34 BR,
nothing more has been heard from the rest of the
Vanished. Without their gods, no source provides for
the manifestation of elven souls.
the vanished gods oF ios
beLow are the naMes oF the gods oF the divine Court
and their assoCiated titLes. though she is not aMong the
vanished, sCyrah is Listed. the iosans Count nyssor aMong
the vanished though he is aCtuaLLy enCased in iCe in the Far
north (see nyss entry).
ayisla: nis-asyr oF night; suzerain oF the FaLLen; watCher
oF the gates
laCyR: sovereign oF the divine Court; narCissar oF ages;
potentate oF the Living
luRynsaR: issyr oF suMMer; Lord oF the east Forest;
arMsMaster oF Lyoss
lyliss: nis-sCyir oF autuMn; Mistress oF poisons; Court
assassin
nyRRo: arsyr oF day; senesChaL oF Lyoss; Lorekeeper
nyssoR: sCyir oF winter; grand CraFter; Frozen sage
ossyRis: inCissar oF hours; sovereign oF ConFLiCt; generaL
oF Lyoss
sCyRah: nis-issyr oF spring; divine heaLer
More and more elves are born soulless as
demonstrated by former narcissar of House Vyre,
the High Consul Ghyrrshyld of the Consulate Court,
when he slew an elven child before its members in 579
AR and began a crusade responsible for the demise of
over 2,000 infants. This led to the War of the Houses
(581–584 AR), a bitter civil conflict that spiralled Ios
into chaos when Ghyrrshyld’s forces warred against
an alliance of the high houses. After three years of
brutal bloodshed, the High Consul’s armies fell to
the alliance, Ghyrrshyld disappeared without a trace
and the Iosans felt ashamed and fell further into
despair. They feared the other kingdoms would seek
an advantage over them in this time of chaos, so they
shut their borders completely. Ironically, however,
the very practice that began this conflict, the slaying
of soulless newborns, has become an unspoken ritual
in Ios. These eerily emotionless babes are taken from
their families and euthanized in a secret ceremony by
fane priests.
ruMor has it…
though virtuaLLy aLL newborns LaCking a souL are exeCuted
soon aFter birth, ruMor has it that soMe souLLess newborns
are seCretLy taken under the wing oF agents oF the
retribution oF sCyrah, an outLaw organization bLaMing
huMan praCtitioners oF MagiC For the sLow deMise oF their
goddess. this organization trains the utterLy FearLess
ChiLdren to beCoMe assassins and Mage hunters. iF this
operation were to be unCovered, it is LikeLy the ConsuLate
Court wouLd take aCtion against the retribution to put a
stop to these praCtiCes, as diFFiCuLt as that Might be.
Ios is comprised of a people divided. Despite
the fact their gods have been missing for over 1,500
years, they have reached no consensus on how best
to resolve their problems mainly because they have
long lived in a state of denial. Not only does the
threat of annihilation weigh heavily on them, but
each high house also has its own agenda. Most Iosans
seem resigned to their fate, solemnly accepting that
their time has come to fade into the chronicles of
history. Others, however, believe the Vanished may
yet be found, but the optimism of these Seekers (see
IKCG pp. 250-251) has done little to convince the
majority. Mostly view them as deluded fools.
Another active organization is called the
Retribution of Scyrah (see IKCG pg. 250). It is a
criminal organization according to the edicts of
the Consulate, but members of the Retribution
have infiltrated much of Iosan society. Its adherents
are convinced of a relationship between Scyrah’s
decline and the proliferation of wizards among
humans, and they advocate the killing of human
practitioners of the arcane arts for their misuse of
the magical energy their goddess needs to survive.
Thus far, the Consulate Court has been unable to
reach a consensus on how to proceed. They are torn
between the cost of inaction and the potential threat