Know Your Enemy
The Iron Conclave
A militarized alliance of Duergar and Orc War-Clans, united under a single, merciless doctrine. This is not a raiding force — this is an occupation.
Supreme Commander
High Forgemaster Tharûm Blackmantle
Duergar Warlord / Artificer / Warlock
Tharûm Blackmantle rose from the brutal politics of the Underdark, where survival depended not on strength, but on calculation. His clan was abandoned by its allies during a territorial collapse, teaching him a lesson he never forgot: morality is irrelevant without leverage.
From that moment on, Tharûm devoted himself not to conquest, but to inevitability—learning siegecraft, logistics, and the economics of war until domination became a matter of planning rather than chance.
Amn was chosen not out of hatred, but efficiency. Its wealth, guilds, and trade networks make it the perfect engine for continental conquest. Through enslaved elementals, bound fiends, and shadow-forged engines, Tharûm wages war as an industry, believing resistance only prolongs suffering.
He does not seek glory or loyalty—only stability enforced by overwhelming advantage.
Keeper of the Coastal Keep
The Warmagus
Conclave Archmage / Strategic Commander
Once a respected Amnian arcane scholar, the Warmagus specialized in long-range communication and battlefield coordination. When Athkatla fell, they chose not to flee, believing resistance would only fracture the realm further.
Instead, they offered their expertise to the Iron Conclave, convinced that a swift, orderly conquest would spare the greatest number of lives.
From the Coastal Keep, the Warmagus maintains the arcane relay linking Athkatla to the eastern armies—synchronizing ground, air, and siege forces with ruthless precision.
Knowing they are a single point of failure, they developed a forbidden contingency: fracturing their consciousness into multiple autonomous arcane aspects. To the Warmagus, this is not madness, but responsibility—command divided so it cannot be destroyed in a single blow.
Faction
The Blackmantle Duergar
Architects of the War Machine
Elite duergar clans bound directly to Tharûm Blackmantle by oath, contract, or pact. They serve as engineers, logisticians, overseers, and commanders.
They view war as an industrial process to be optimized, not a struggle to be glorified. Waste is considered failure. They enslave conquered populations for labor, not cruelty.
They believe surface realms are decadent, inefficient, and unworthy of autonomy. They speak openly of Amn as a "resource basin," not a kingdom.
Duergar Tactics
- ⚙️ Siege engines powered by enslaved fire elementals
- ⚙️ Shadow-forged weapons and armor
- ⚙️ Rigid formations and overlapping fields of fire
Common Roles
Faction
The Orc War-Clans
The Hammer Behind the Anvil
A coalition of orc clans shattered by years of internecine warfare, united under Tharûm through conquest, coercion, and promised plunder.
They serve as shock troops, vanguard forces, and occupation enforcers. Given freedom to fight as they wish—so long as objectives are met.
Conditioned to believe that service to the Conclave leads to endless war and spoils. Many are unaware they are considered expendable by duergar leadership.
Orc Tactics
- ⚔️ Brutal frontal assaults
- ⚔️ Boarding actions and beach charges
- ⚔️ Overwhelming numbers and relentless pressure
Common Roles
The Balance of Power
Duergar Bonds
Bound by contracts, doctrine, and ideology. They serve because the system profits them.
Orc Bonds
Bound by fear, momentum, and reward. They serve because they know nothing else.
Neither faction trusts the other—but both fear Tharûm's reprisal. The Coastal Keep exists primarily to ensure orc aggression is properly directed, duergar command is never isolated, and neither side can rebel without being crushed by the other.
"The clans fight because they must. The forges burn because they profit.
I rule because the system functions."
— Tharûm Blackmantle
Ready to Face Them?
Now that you know your enemy, choose your theater and join the fight to break the Iron Conclave's grip.