Greetings, O Ironlords!
“Stick to thy last”, says a proverb. Since the dawn of mankind, our society has marched in lockstep with the order that governed it. That rings true for every era and age, even if history would lead one to think otherwise. Once a leader takes their throne, the rest of the flock falls in line.
A civilization teetering on the precipice of survival needs a leader who is ironclad, to keep it from going over the edge. In IRONHIVE, you are this leader, and must lead your people to overcome the trials of this world, or die trying.
A Clockwork Empire
Your city employs four main classes, or castes. There are thus four population card types, each representing a caste. Each caste has its own resources and buildings associated with them. By populating your buildings with certain caste members, you will generate specific resources and upgrade your city, among other things. Each caste will also play its own role during expeditions, key events, and confrontations with external threats. So what are these castes and what do they represent?
The Hive
One ant is easily squashed, but a thousand ants can create marvels of engineering and teamwork. Also known as the Multitude, these are people who survived the harshest winds and braved the dryest wastelands for eons to get where they are. The Hive is not just “the hoi polloi”, but a thousand strong, a backbone upon which rests everything else. This deep-rooted connection to the city’s legacy gives the Hive a sense of ever-burning pride.
Their color — green — represents growth, for they are the force that keeps the city running and expanding.
When someone goes missing outside of an Ironhive, members of the Hive caste gather at dusk and strike resonant pieces of scrap metal, often held as good luck charms. This creates a wave of somber, mechanical noises meant to guide the lost back to the Ironhive, be them survivors or their souls. It is believed that the sound gives strength and courage to those in danger or helps restless spirits return to the White Flame and find peace.
Of the four main city resources, the one associated with the Hive caste is Workforce. Workforce represents the ability of your citizens to perform their tasks, the city’s spirit and energy, and the will to survive. As they are assigned to their posts, they perform all kinds of physical labor and intellectual work, ensuring that the city keeps running no matter what.
Production
If The Hive is the oil of the whole operation, then the Production caste are the gears whose motion brings society forward. The Production are composed of builders and producers, often descendants of carpenters and metalworkers. Strong in arm and mind, they had to adapt to the ever-changing times: the hammer gave way to wrench while the gloves gave way to gauntlets. Ready for the coming age, The Production caste rose from builders to logistical powerhouses, ensuring work never, ever stops.
Their color — orange — represents the fires of invention, for they are the forge that births progress.
The Production caste has periodic gatherings, held at the largest workshops within the Ironhive, that they view as a time for growth, competition, and camaraderie, where ideas spark new creations, and innovations are shared to strengthen the Ironhive. There, inventors and engineers display, evaluate and discuss their latest designs, prototypes, or mechanical concepts. Participants may bring an offering in the form of an invention or piece of machinery that others can freely inspect, analyze, and improve upon. The most promising and original contributions are celebrated and even marked for larger-scale implementation if the Ironlord sees fit.
A superstition holds that during these gatherings, sparks or flames produced unexpectedly on tools or machinery are a sign that the people’s ancestors are present, blessing the work. Some carry “embers” — small bits of molten slag — in their pockets, believing it brings creative inspiration.
If The Hive represents the city’s soul, then Production is surely its body, which is echoed by their associated resource called Supply. In their work in the production sector, they create, maintain and operate machinery and ensure a consistent supply line.
Elite
As within, so outside. There is no caste that captures this saying better than The Elite. The Elite are the mind of the city, its administrative arm that keeps everything under control. They ensure that the Ironhive stays in balance, within the realm of law and regulation, while also being the medium through which other castes can communicate their needs to them and each other. They are the last rock that keeps the city grounded without spilling into chaos, quelling any lost souls and stamping out any dissident voices in the process.
As descendants of ancient champions, they are also the city’s sword and are the first line of defense against any external threats, revered for their leadership and courage. Effective leaders and proud warriors in their own right, they ensure it is all hands on deck when an outside threat closes in on the city’s walls, with every citizen ready to defend their homeland.
Their color — blue — represents loyalty and tranquility, for they are the city’s cool and clear mind that will not yield to external pressure.
The Vigil of the Iron Oath is a ritual held yearly or at times of great crisis. During that time, all able members of the Elite caste recommit themselves to their duty of protecting and keeping the law of the Ironhive. It begins with a march through the Ironhive’s main streets, and silence is strictly observed during this procession, symbolizing their commitment to silent vigilance and the gravity of their duty. The citizens also watch in respectful silence, acknowledging the Elite as their shield and sword.
The march ends at the Heart of the Ironhive, where, one by one, each member of the caste places a hand on the White Flame’s pyre, paying homage to their ancestors whose leadership and courage have kept Ironhive strong. At the same time, they receive a blessing from a priest of the White Flame, that sprinkles the Flame’s ashes upon their shoulders, reminding them of the weight of lives lost, and their duty to protect the living.
The buildings of this caste are often governance-related, and their associated resource is Order, representing their role as the city’s protectors and enforcers of the law. They will manage the city’s resources and ensure there is no conflict or turmoil within.
Belief
However, even a sound mind is but a slave to the heart. The Belief caste are that heart: descendants of great seers and philosophers, they formed the city’s close-knit spiritual elite. Acting as the mediators between the higher forces of fate and the common folk, they provide guidance to both the individual and the collective. They soothe the common man’s worries, and seek to extinguish any ills that might darken the city’s heart, but are also the overseers of the Ironhive’s many spiritual laws and traditions, and guardians of the sacred White Flame. Their rituals not only ensure order, but also a regimented life that leaves no place for doubt, angst, or concern, lest the flock loses its way.
The members of the Belief caste also act as advisors to the Barons and the Ironlord himself, weaving their divine thread from head to toe. To make sure they themselves do not lose their way, they have been appointed guardians of the ancient Book of Ashes that holds the Ironhive’s most sacred records.
Their color — purple — represents wisdom and divinity, as it is their deeper knowledge of the world and the fates that govern it that makes them the true shepherds of this civilization. When all else fails and the Dark Veil closes in, it is their plea and command that motivates every peasant and soldier to rise again in the face of adversity.
Members of the Belief caste are always involved in the important rituals, so while many of these involve the whole Ironhive, as a means of unification, they are led by the Belief caste.
One such ritual is cremation. The deceased citizens of an Ironhive are cremated in the White Flame. The ashes of the people are used to write in the sacred Book of Ashes, where the history of an Ironhive is written, passed on through generations. This strengthens the people’s faith in the White Flame and gives them solace, reminding them that their lives and sacrifices are a brick in the long road to survival. Many believe that the White Flame’s color comes from its consumption of the bodies of the citizens, and that it is a manifestation of these same citizens’ stalwart spirit and will to survive, even after physical death.
The citizens of this caste are involved in various spiritual activities, ensuring continued stability. They will frequently be allocated to temples and spiritual centers, and their associated resource, called Devotion, represents the city’s morale, faith, and spiritual commitment, both to their cause and the powers-that-be.
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This was our first major dive into the history and culture of IRONHIVE. The world of Devastation is harsh, cold, and bloody, so the culture that springs from it is equally harsh, so as to keep what meager remnants of normalcy there are in check. Will you adapt and be swept away by its tide?
The next devlog is coming soon: we will continue our plunge into the society of the Ironhive, this time touching on its upper echelons.
In the meantime, make sure to wishlist the game to stay posted about our latest updates. And if you wish to join the fray in defending this dying world, subscribe to our Twitter or join the CRITICAL REFLEX Discord server.
Let us live to see another day, together.
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