Dark Convergence
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iron mother (or father): The leader of the Convergence, chosen every nine years by the Constellation. The iron mother is responsible for coordinating the actions of the entire Convergence to further the Great Work. The current iron mother is named Directrix.
’jack marshal: A person who has learned how to give precise verbal orders to a steamjack to direct it in conducting labor or battle. This is a highly useful occupational skill, although it lacks the versatility or finesse afforded by the direct mental control of steamjacks exercised by a warcaster.
journeyman: An apprentice Cygnaran warcaster, generally a lieutenant in the Cygnaran Army. All Cygnaran warcasters must serve a journeymen tour under a senior warcaster before being promoted to the rank of captain and recognized as a full warcaster.
Khador: The northernmost of the Iron Kingdoms, once a kingdom and now an empire. The Khadoran Empire is ruled by Empress Ayn Vanar.
Laris: One of the three moons of Caen, larger than Artis and smaller than Calder.
Llael: Once the smallest and easternmost Iron Kingdom but largely conquered during the recent Llaelese War. Llael is presently divided between Khador, the Protectorate of Menoth, and the Llaelese Resistance.
ley lines: Another term for the mystical energy flows beneath the surface of Caen. Referred to as geomantic flows by the Convergence.
long gunners: Cygnar’s premier ranged infantry. Long gunners use a repeating long rifle in battle, giving them exceptional range and rate of fire.
Lucant (planet): Originally thought to be two different celestial bodies but determined to be a single planet closest to Caen’s sun. Named after the astronomer who made this discovery, a priest of Cyriss and one of the Convergence’s foundational visionaries and first leaders. The planet is also referred to as the Dawnbringer and the Harbinger of Darkness.
Maiden of Gears: See Cyriss
mechanika: The fusion of mechanical engineering and arcane science.
Menite: A worshiper of Menoth. The largest number of Menites are found in Khador and the Protectorate of Menoth; most humans consider Menoth their creator but are not necessarily Menites. Menite worship declined with the rise of the faith of Morrow.
Menoth: The primal god credited by Menites with the creation of aspects of the world itself, including the division of the water from the land, the ordering of the seasons, and most importantly the creation of humanity. Menoth’s gifts to humanity included fire, agriculture, masonry, and the written word in the form of the True Law, his divine commandments.
Morrow: One of the Twins, brother to Thamar, and a god who was once mortal but who ascended to divinity by achieving enlightenment. Also known as the Prophet, Morrow is a benevolent god who emphasizes self-sacrifice, good works, and honorable behavior. See also Church of Morrow and Thamar.
necromancy: An ancient arcane art rooted in the study of the transition between life and death and certain energies inherent in both the soul and the bodies of the dead. An art largely reviled across most of western Immoren, necromancy is classified as black magic and deemed illegal but is still practiced most prominently by arcanists of Cryx as well as by some Thamarites. Necromancy is considered profane by both Morrowans and Menites as well as by several other religions.
nescient savant: The Convergence term for those great thinkers and inventors who advance human understanding of science without awareness of Cyriss’ guiding hand behind their actions.
Nine Harmonics, The: A set of broad and simple tenets that form the guiding principles of the Convergence, to be applied to all aspects of a productive life. The Nine Harmonics are studied and meditated upon by all members of the Convergence but are especially important to the priesthood.
obstructors: The bulk of the Convergence’s rank-and-file clockwork soldiers. Obstructors are trained to fight with heavy, interlocking shields and powerful teleflails.
Ord: The kingdom on the western coast between Khador and Cygnar, largely neutral in the recent wars and seen as a haven for mercenary companies.
Order of the Golden Crucible: An organization of alchemists that has branches in Cygnar, Ord, and Llael. The order earns a sizable portion of its money through the sale of commercial blasting powder used for firearm and cannon ordnance.
Order of Illumination: An organization allied to the Church of Morrow and dedicated to investigating, hunting, and arresting or eliminating practitioners of black magic, including those practicing necromancy and infernalism. Its members, referred to as Illuminated Ones, are legally empowered in most of the Iron Kingdoms to pursue these matters.
optifex: The lowest rank of the Convergence priesthood. Optifex serve as engineers, mathematicians, technicians and mechaniks and report to enumerators.
Point Bourne: A prominent northern Cygnaran city on the Dragon’s Tongue River between Corvis and Five Fingers. It is famed for its steam-powered locks by which riverboats can traverse a significant change in the river’s elevation. Recently this city was invaded by Khadoran and then by Cryxian armies.
Precursor Knights: A Cygnaran order of Morrowan knights who fight both to defend Cygnar and to uphold the values of their faith. They consider it their duty to attend to those slain in battle, lest the bodies of the dead be desecrated and animated through unholy rites.
Protectorate of Menoth, or Protectorate: A southeastern theocracy dedicated to the god Menoth. Though it did not exist at the time of the Corvis Treaties, the Protectorate is considered the fifth Iron Kingdom.
polynomial staff: The signature weapon of the Convergence warcaster Aurora, Numen of Aerogenesis. The polynomial staff concentrates voltaic energy into focused beams of destructive energy.
prime enumerator: A rank within the Convergence for a particularly senior enumerator given oversight of a major project or tasked to supervise other enumerators.
rip lung: A pernicious disease of the respiratory system that resulted in a terrible plague during the Orgoth Occupation. While largely eliminated through alchemical cures, individual cases of this disease persist, and it can prove deadly if not swiftly treated.
realignment node: A massive Convergence machine complex erected to bring about a change in the geomantic energy flows beneath Caen.
reciprocators: Heavy clockwork soldiers who fight with interlocking shields and protean halberds that are capable of switching between defensive spear and powerful axe modes. Reciprocators, eradicators, and perforators share the same basic clockwork vessel design and are the elite of Convergence fighting forces.
reductors: Rank-and-file Convergence clockwork soldiers who utilize swarm projectors in battle. Though short ranged, the reductors represent the Convergence’s primary infantry fire support.
Rhul: A northeastern dwarven nation bordering Khador, Llael, and Ios. Natives of Rhul are called Rhulfolk.
servitors: Small, specialized clockwork machines employed by the Convergence. Servitors move by floating, employing a displacement drive, and their behavior is determined by specifically encoded instructions given to their calculating engines.
servipod mortar: A weapon capable of firing several different payloads of miniaturized servitors.
soul: In the cosmology of Caen, every member of any sentient race possesses an immortal soul composed of spiritual essence that encapsulates their identity, free will, and potential. Souls can be interacted with and manipulated by occult practices, an aspect of necromancy. Usually souls eventually cross to Urcaen after death, although Dhunians are instead reincarnated.
skorne: A race originating from eastern Immoren that crossed the Bloodstone Desert and Marches to make war on the west. The product of a harsh and brutally strict culture, they seem bent on the conquest of the Iron Kingdoms. The Skorne Empire boasts a highly disciplined and versatile army that employs a variety of enslaved beasts to fight alongside their soldiers.
Steam & Iron Worker’s Union: An organization of Cygnaran arcane mechaniks, engineers, and non-arcane mechaniks.
steamjack: A steam-powered mechanikal construct designe
d in a variety of configurations and sizes, used for both labor and warfare throughout the Iron Kingdoms, Cryx, and Rhul.
storm glaive: A mechanikal sword designed to generate and harness the power of lightning both at range and in melee. The storm glaive is the signature weapon of Cygnar’s Stormblades.
stormsmiths: Individuals who have mastered the ability to generate localized storms and call down targeted lighting strikes upon their foes. The stormsmith’s signature gear relies on technology originally invented by Sebastian Nemo and is unique to Cygnar.
Strategic Academy: The leading military training academy in Cygnar, with campuses located in both Caspia and Point Bourne.
Stryker, Lord Commander Coleman: One of the highest-ranking and most esteemed battlefield commanders and warcasters in the Cygnaran Army. He leads the Storm Division.
Syntherion, Forge Master: A clockwork warcaster in the service of the Convergence who is noted for his particular skill and his capability in innovating new technologies and the fabrication of the large and complex machines required for the Great Work. He is credited with improving vector displacement drives to facilitate floating machines of war.
Thamar: One of the Twins, sister to Morrow and a goddess who was once mortal but who ascended to divinity through occult study. Also known as the Dark Sister, Thamar is a widely despised god who emphasizes self-interest, self-empowerment, subversive acts, and freedom from the restraints of conventional morality.
Thornwood: A large forest that was originally part of the northern territories of Cygnar. It was recently occupied by Khador before being beset by a large number of Cryxian forces. It remains a contested territory and the site of many recent battles.
titan: A bipedal and four-armed pachyderm used by the skorne in warfare.
troll: A large, brutish species possessed of limited language and inclined toward violence motivated by hunger. They are widely considered by humanity to be monsters, since trolls eat humans without hesitation. They are sometimes referred to as “full-blood trolls” to differentiate them from their trollkin cousins.
trollkin: A hardy and intelligent race that live both in their own communities in the wilderness and within cities of man. They possess a complex and rich culture, including their own written language. Most trollkin worship the goddess Dhunia.
Urcaen: A mysterious cosmological realm that is the spiritual counterpart of Caen. Most of the gods reside here, and this is also where most souls spend the afterlife. Urcaen is divided between protected divine domains and the hellish wilds stalked by the Devourer Wurm.
vector: A battle construct utilized by Convergence warcasters. Though they share similarities with warjacks, vectors do not utilize a cortex, as the Convergence considers artificial consciousness a blasphemy. Instead, vectors contain an interface node that allows a warcaster to directly control all of its actions. A vector cannot operate without the direct control of a warcaster.
warcaster: An arcanist born with the ability to control steamjacks with the power of the mind. With proper training warcasters become singular military assets and are among the greatest soldiers of western Immoren, entrusted to command scores of troops and their own battlegroups of warjacks in the field. Acquiring and training warcasters is a high priority for any military force that employs warjacks.
warjack: A highly advanced and well-armed steamjack created or modified for war. Some warjacks use power sources other than steam and are not technically steamjacks but are still referred to as such as a matter of custom.
Witchfire Affair: An incident in 603 AR in which a hidden temple of Cyriss near Corvis was discovered and intruded upon by outsiders, including Alexia Ciannor, who bore the Witchfire, a legendary and nefarious sword. Cygnaran authorities investigating the site discovered unusual Cyriss-related technology, including some thought to harness necromancy.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Great thanks to R. Scott Taylor for shepherding the launch of Skull Island eXpeditions, Matt Wilson for keen story suggestions, Douglas Seacat for sharing the secret lore, Zachary Selman Palmer and the Warp One gang for WARMACHINE tutorials, and Simon Berman, Will Burke, Aeryn Rudel, Jason Soles, and everyone else at Privateer Press who helped guide this stranger through the wilds of the Iron Kingdoms.
Special thanks to Lindy Smith for her endless patience in my writing exiles. I promise to come back upstairs now.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dave Gross is the author of about ten fantasy novels, including Prince of Wolves, Master of Devils, Queen of Thorns, and the upcoming King of Chaos. He has occasionally taught English, written for video games, and edited magazines ranging from Dragon to Star Wars Insider to Amazing Stories. His first contribution to the world of the Iron Kingdoms was “The Devil’s Pay,” a novella featuring the Devil Dogs mercenary company and their first contact with Convergence forces. You can connect with him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Frabjousdave or on Twitter @frabjousdave.
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Dark Convergence
Copyright © 2013 Privateer Press
This book is printed under the copyright laws of the United States of America and retains all of the protections thereof. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks herein including Privateer Press®, Iron Kingdoms, Full Metal Fantasy, Immoren, WARMACHINE®, Steam-Powered Miniatures Combat, Convergence of Cyriss, Convergence, Cygnar, Cryx, Khador, Protectorate of Menoth, Protectorate, Retribution of Scyrah, Retribution, warjack, warcaster, HORDES, Monstrous Miniatures Combat, Circle Orboros, Circle, Legion of Everblight, Legion, Skorne, Trollbloods, Trollblood, warbeast, Skull Island eXpeditions, SiX, Dogs of War, Exiles in Arms, The Warcaster Chronicles, The Warlock Sagas, and all associated logos and slogans are property of Privateer Press, Inc. This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is purely coincidental. No part of this publication may be stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form without written permission from Privateer Press. Duplicating any portion of the materials herein, unless specifically addressed within the work or by written permission from Privateer Press, is strictly prohibited. In the event that permissions are granted, such duplications shall be intended solely for personal, noncommercial use and must maintain all copyrights, trademarks, or other notices contained therein or preserve all marks associated thereof.
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First printing: May 21, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-939480-98-9
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Table of Contents
MAP
THE FIRST HARMONIC
THE SECOND HARMONIC
THE THIRD HARMONIC
THE FOURTH HARMONIC
THE FIFTH HARMONIC
THE SIXTH HARMONIC
THE SEVENTH HARMONIC
THE EIGHTH HARMONIC
THE NINTH HARMONIC
GLOSSARY