Setting: Old Iron's War

It is easy to laugh at Old Iron.

This nation, nearly as venerable as Outer World itself, that has spent its entire existence oscillating between isolation and attempted conquest, that pontificates endlessly on relics adorned with vague statements written in Creator's Script, that manages so often to destroy but rarely maintain, has become something of a joke on the surface. To those distant from them, Old Iron generals and officials come off as temperamental would-be despots, stuffed into starchy uniforms while taking themselves much too seriously.

It is easy to laugh at Old Iron, when you are a world away from them.

Their army is absurdly outfitted with heavily armored soldiers and dangerous war machines. Their latest push outwards began at the start of the 4th Aeon and has persisted for centuries. This campaign has resulted in numerous Pyrrhic victories and has made the tunnels even more dangerous to live in than ever before.

Old Iron's ambitions have always been countered by New Ore, the underland's other most prominent nation. The venerable army is stuck in a constant stalemate with its rival's terrain savvy guerillas. Borders swing to and fro like a pendulum as the two sides trade crushing defeats back and forth. This has not deterred Old Iron's leaders - if anything, it has convinced them they need to redouble their efforts. 

The rotting foundations of their nation buckle and crack under their militaristic ambitions and draconian decrees, but if any of them are even aware of this it only spurs them on further. They must march forward, as the ground behind them crumbles away. 

Some even wonder: if victory cannot be found in the Buried Kingdoms, perhaps the soft folk of the surface will yield?

Detachments from the bulk of Old Iron's forces have already made their way to many corners of Outer World, armed with delusions of grandeur and whatever experimental technology their leaders can hobble together. These efforts have thus far been foiled by the surprising pluck of the very surface folk they underestimate, but one can only shudder to think what might happen if any of these vagrant conquerors manages to get a foothold.

It is easy to laugh at Old Iron, 

But you really shouldn't.