Iron Kingdoms Unleashed: Skorne Empire is an in-depth guide to the awesomely brutal eastern realm of the skorne race—deadly desert warriors whose lives revolve around honor, glory, and pain on a massive scale. This strange but formidable nation has been introduced to the west through the actions of the former king of Cygnar, Vinter Raelthorne IV. From the Kajaras Mountains in the east to the breathtaking spires of the Abyssal Fortress, Skorne Empire delivers everything an intrepid adventurer needs to know to battle alongside, or against, these inscrutable people.

A focus on strength and survival pervades this comprehensive book, as the skorne and their empire thrive despite constant danger in an unforgiving land. Massive beasts are used both for labor and as rage-fueled weapons of war, and warriors rule the uppermost rung of a strictly stratified culture of honor and discipline. War is a way of life, leading to either honorable death or exalted immortality.

Though not without a certain savage beauty, the lands clenched in the fist of the skorne are the ultimate test of a warrior’s skills. Adventuring parties can explore caves teeming with terrifying creatures, trek across arid plains dodging wild cyclopes, or even traverse the seemingly bottomless Abyss that cracks the very continent in two. Games set within the Skorne Empire pose the essential question: Will you survive and earn glory, or will your failure and death consign you to the eternal torments of the Void?

Only the bravest and most skilled warriors can hope to sidestep the Void upon death by achieving exaltation, a privilege afforded to only the highest caste of skorne society. Next week we’ll look at the caste system in more depth and explore what drives every member of skorne society.