The Ash Blanket

The world of Ashrain is entirely blanketed by a thick layer of ash, soot, and volcanic pyroclastic debris, accumulated in the years since the Great Cataclysm. As the ash falls in a perpetual snow from the global ash cloud that encircles the planet, it builds up on the ground below, forming a coating many thousands of feet thick. The upper layer is soft and loose, like a snow bank. Beneath it, gradual accumulation and buildup of weight compresses the ash into a hard pack. As deep as the surface of the former planet Earth, the ash is so compressed that it has formed a new geologic rock layer.