Icons

Introduction to Our Story
One of the great things about 13th Age is the ability to make the entire setting your own. The books provide players with great starter material, and we have taken given icons and run with their stories. Most of these icons' backgrounds and story have been created by the players and DM to provide detailed backstory for the PCs' connections with the icons. Our icons portrayals will be very different from other 13th Age campaigns and we get to continue to develop the Icons' stories as well as our own. We feel that this is one of the things that makes 13th Age stand out from other pen-and-paper RPGs.

Icons List
The Archmage has preserved the Empire for centuries and created astonishing new lands. He has also threatened the fabric of reality with experiments you’d have to be brilliant or hugely arrogant to attempt. The Archmage is the right hand man of the Dragon Emperor, the two combined brought about the success of the Dragon Empire which began the 13th Age. The Archmage is responsible for keeping tabs on all magic in the Empire and for controlling what magic the empire's military employs. It has been discovered by our heroes that the Archmage draws much of his power from a magical prison below the capital city of the Empire, Axis, called the City of Chains. Powerful and dangerous creatures, rogue mages, and ancient gods long forgotten are seized by the Archmage and chained far below Axis to serve as a power source for the Archmage. This is how the mage is able to teleport whole armies of empire forces to strategic locations and many other military maneuvers. The power of the empire rests largely with the Archmage. Our heroes are bent on discovering a new source of power for the Empire, as Kydar seeks to free his god Azavar from the City of Chains.

The Crusader is the armored fist of the Dark Gods. So long as followers of the Gods of Light stay the hell out of his way, the Crusader turns his wrath against the demons that would destroy the world his own gods want to rule. Follow the Crusader if you must win at any cost.

The Diabolist controls fiends and tampers with forces even the Archmage avoids. She likes her victims screaming and her chaos pure while claiming that the demons she summons would otherwise overwhelm the Great Gold Wyrm who seals the Abyss. There are two differences between her and her demons: First, she likes keeping destruction personal rather than universal. Second, she’s capable of kindness, so long as it comes as a great surprise. Our heroes have a personal interest in her demise.

The Dwarf King is lord of Forge, the dwarves’ new homeland beneath the mountains. He’d love to reclaim the dwarven Underhome lost to war against the dark elves and the creatures of the deeps. But now that the Empire is stumbling, the dwarves find themselves manning the mountain walls that shield the Empire from the orcs and monsters of the north.

The Elf Queen rules the Court of Stars, the one place where wood elves and high elves come together as peers and allies instead of as rivals or enemies. Honed by centuries of experience, the Queen’s innate magic rivals that of  the Archmage himself. The Queen has yet to enter the scene, but waits in the wings for the right time to reveal her plans for the United Elven Nations.

The Dragon Emperor rules the world’s greatest human empire, known as the Dragon Empire for the fame of its ruler's rise to power. His climb to power was secured over 300 years ago, when the Dragon Emperor slayed a dragon of the Four, the draconic enemy of all moral races. No one had ever conquered such a powerful immortal beast. With his new power, the Dragon Emperor united the races of man, elf, and halfling, to create the greatest empire since the first age of man. Unknown to the general public, the Dragon Emperor's famous slaying of the fabled White Dragon was a hoax, which was uncovered by one of our Heroes long ago. The dragon which was "slain" by the dragon emperor was never slain at all, only made to dissapear through a mutual agreement between the Lonely Dragon (a former member of the Four), the Dragon Emperor, and the Archmage. With the agreement, the Dragon Emperor and Archmage were made immortal by Dragon magic and live to rule the powerhouse metropolis of Axis.

The Great Gold Wyrm is the world’s protector and the inspiration for holy orders of paladins and independent heroes. Unknown to most, the Great Gold Wyrm is not a true Dragon, but a former God and head of the pantheon of Light whose mortal form resembles that of a drake. The 12th Age ended when the Gold Wyrm sacrificed his own godhood to thwart the then-Diabolist, killing him and sealing the hell-rift that he opened. Although the Gold Wyrm’s physical form seals the gap that prevents the Abyss from erupting into the world, his dreams and the agents he employs still move through the world, helping those who will fight and even die for what’s right.

The High Druid is the champion of the resurgent Wild, and the spiritual and magical leader of spirits of nature and the elements that were chained by the Empire but are now working themselves free. She might be the great force that shakes the Empire to pieces or the hero who destroys the destroyers and points to a new way to live. She has not been seen in over a hundred years.

The Lich King is the lord of the undead, a fallen tyrant who intends to conquer the Dragon Empire and restore his own ancient kingdom. The story of the Lich King dates back to the first age of man, which ended in the fall of his kingodm. His kingdom was mighty, the liks of which the world had never known. His power grew and grew well into the age, until the Lich King had conquered more than his rule could contain. His expansions became too vast, and his reign was in decline. With this knowledge, the first ruler of man would not accept this fate. With magic, the king cast a ritual to turn his entire kingdom and hosts into what today is the race of the undead. Liches, skeletons, specters, and phantoms were spread throughout the world causing terror wherever they were. Only one troop, the Kanovarian Legion, survived this turning. Their survial was due to luck; they were across the sea, passifying a newly-conquered continent for the First Empire. However, the Lich King's terror is not random and unorganized; he understands that ruling a kingdom is not the same as destroying it. He does not wish to destroy the Empire, but to seize control of it through another mysterious ritual. Our Heroes are dedicated to his destruction at nearly any cost.

The Orc Lord is a figure of legend. The last time he walked the land the Lich King's empire fell, in part because of the Orc Lord’s constant attacks. Who will fall before his hordes this time? Who won’t? He has made open moves to seize Empire resources for his own failing nation, as it was not meant to sustain as large a population as it has amassed. Our heroes seek to thwart his rule.

The Priestess hears all the Gods of Light and speaks for those who please her. She is part oracle, part mystic, and part metaphysical engineer. Since she created the Cathedral, an ever-expanding temple with rooms or entire wings for each of the faiths she favors, she has maintained massive political and religious influence within the Empire. She is the pseudo-rival of the Archmage, though their goal is the same: the preservation and power of the Empire. Our heroes seek to aid her and use her influence to further their own agendas.

The Prince of Shadows is part thief, part trickster, and part assassin. To some he is a hero; to others a villain. He has squandered the riches of the dwarves, murdered the hopes of a dragon, and plundered the dreams of a god. His exploits have changed the world, but none can tell you his ultimate goals or motives.

The Three were among the first dragons to walk the world. The Red is a living engine of destruction. The Blue is a sorceress, perhaps even the original mother of all sorcery. The Black is queen of shadows and assassins. The Three formally exsited as The Four until the White Drake was slain by the Dragon Emperor. Only 10 years ago a confrontation caused the beginings of the first Dragon War. Now terror reigns over the entire world as these majestic beasts fight amongst one another, the Red and Black battle against the Blue. Collateral damage from the dragon battles plagues the empire's outer regions and beyond. The north is a warzone, scorched earth that looks nothing like its white snowy past. Who is to blame for this war? Only our heroes know, and they hope to keep the truth from the world.

Heinsoo, Rob, and Jonathan Tweet. 13th Age. Escalation Edition. 6. Fire Opal Media, 2012. 15-16. Print.