Generally speaking, they are known for their passionate worship of
Rukhmar the Firebird, and are thought of as some of her most devout followers; in some cases being perceived as even zealot-like in their fervor. The fact that they make up the majority population of the
Vestaltir, arguably the most powerful political entity in Pretheya, has also made them unpopular with some groups like the Landamaeri.
Culture
Prior to the formation of the Blazing Empire, the Ashborn had lived in a number of separate, loosely federated civilisations spread all throughout the Holy Ridge. These societies employed a mixture of settled agriculture and pastoralism, as well as still employing traditional hunter-gathererer tactics to catch game. The latter was particularly common; with the majority of their population still existing as roaming tribes that moved around the region in search of herds of boar and other prey. At this point in time, the only large urban settlement in the region was the city of Flame's Providence; which served as the capital of a small city-state.
In the years following the Ashborn's conquest of the city of
Whitefort in south-east Zemet, they gained control over the only source of salt production on the continent, and were able to wrest control of the monopoly away from the
Grannrormrlen. Their newfound control of the salt trade caused an unimaginable amount of wealth to begin flowing into their home city of Flame's Providence, and allowed them to begin developing society in ways that had never before been possible. The funds from the salt allowed them to begin clearing the jungles that filled Holy Ridge, and start creating networks of roads between the various settlements scattered all around Mount Varosok. Over the course of the next century, Flame's Providence would come to control the entirety of Holy Ridge and come to be the leader of a true Ashborn nation.
Present Day
In the present day, the Ashborn's culture is largely defined by their relationship with the Shahru religion. Many among the Ashborn see themselves as Rukhmar's chosen people, and their role in spreading the Rukhmarite faith to mainland Pretheya has greatly shaped their self-perception in the present day; leading them to see themselves as the guardians and conveyors of the faith. Daily life within Ashborn communities is lived in accordance with the Tome of Flames' ordinances; with prayer and worship being integral parts of everyday life. Many Ashborn also seek work as missionaries, believing that it is their calling to spread the word of the Shahru faith to other parts of the continent where it has not yet taken hold. As a result of this, despite the remoteness of Zemet, the Ashborn are a common sight in many parts of the continent.
History
The Ashborn's history traces all the way back to the time of the First Country. There, at the beginning of human history, they served alongside the rest of humankind as the gardeners of the Wyrms; tending to their many living artworks in exchange for food, shelter, and protection. For the thousand years that this arrangement lasted, the Ashborn were among the most privileged of those living in the First Country; for they resided next to the capital of Varosok Hold, where the majority of the Wyrms dwelled. They were tasked with maintaining their most prized gardens, and were rewarded by being allowed to live within the great hold itself.
When the War broke out, however, this period of prosperity came to an abrupt and calamitous end. The red mist swept across the region of Zeryth, cursing everything that it touched to be transfigured into salt, and transforming the region into present day Zemet. Those who lived in the region outside of the capital all suffered the same fate; being transformed into salt statues that would persist in the wastes until they were eventually eroded away over the centuries.
Those who lived inside and around the capital, however, survived. They were protected by the erection of the Holy Ridge; which diverted the red mist and saved them from being turned into salt. The area inside of the ridge, too, was spared; but it came at a cost. The Leskeln soon arrived and laid siege to the ridge, and after a short but fierce battle, the Wyrms fled; leaving the humans of the former capital on their own.
Post-Collapse Period
After humanity in and around Varosok was abandoned by the Wyrms, society promptly broke down. The human race had no experience fending for itself, and so was forced to struggle to adapt to the sudden and complete loss of all help from the Wyrms. This resulted in the near-immediate death of more than 90% of the population from starvation, as the extant farmland in Varosok was not enough sustain its population, and there was simply no way to gather enough food to feed everyone.
In the following decades, settled agriculture was able to persist in certain parts of the Holy Ridge; primarily those where there had been the most farmland prior to the collapse. These farming villages would soon become a minority, however; as most eventually fell apart as their populations returned to traditional hunter-gatherer ways of life. The most prominent of these was a small settlement that had formed around the location of the main stockpile of gardening implements for Varosok Hold. Located in a stone shed near the only lake in the region, its inhabitants would come to name it Rastilo; meaning 'rake' in Saltiltomeyin. The supply of tools kept there was sufficient to allow civilisation to hold on in Rastilo until smithing could be re-developed, and is thought by modern historians to have been why this particular settlement was able to survive when every other would eventually fall.
Within the next hundred years, every settlement other than Rastilo would collapse, and the remaining population of Holy Ridge would return to life as hunter-gatherers. This state of affairs would persist largely unchanged for the next several centuries, as the people living in Rastilo would struggle to survive and maintain the civilisation they had now created; slowly building themselves up over the years as they attempted to re-invent technology.
At the same time, the plants left in the former gardens had not all simply died out. Though many had required constant maintenance to survive and had thus perished without their caretakers, others had needed gardeners not to care for them; but to keep them in check. Now without anyone to stifle their growth, these plants had begun to spread like weeds throughout the Ridge; colonising every available patch of land. Many of them grew to enormous heights and great widths, blotting out the sun in large patches underneath them. But they would soon find that other plants, too, had survived; and that these provided fierce competition. So it was that as humans struggled to survive, the land inside of the Holy Ridge was becoming a jungle.
Development of Civilisation
As time passed, Rastilo expanded, and eventually its inhabitants began to migrate outwards; starting new settlements along the banks of the lake and the rivers that had formed since the creation of the Holy Ridge. In this way, Rastilo came to evolve into a fully-fledged city-state, and so became the first true civilisation in the region since the War. Yet technological development was not unique to the Rastilans. The nomadic tribes, too, had adapted to life within the Holy Ridge and begun to make advancements. They had discovered how to make tools from the materials available around them, and become far more proficient at hunting and surviving in the environment of the Ridge. Some of them had even re-discovered agriculture, and made the decision to give up their nomadic traditions in favour of a settled lifestyle.
Eventually, these villages came to the awareness of the Rastilans. At first, they set out to trade with one-another; exchanging goods procured in different parts of the jungle for mutual benefit. Eventually, however, the Rastilans realised the immense difference in power between them and their neighbours, and it occurred to them that there was no need to pay for these villages' goods if they could simply take them by force. So it was that Rastilo entered an expansionistic phase, and began conquering settlement after settlement in order to expand its territory and wealth. This continued until the city-state controlled the south-western third of the jungle, where they were forced to stop; as the tribes to both the east and north had proven too difficult to conquer.
