The Ashen Lands - A Brief History and Introduction

The Ashen Lands

The Ashen Lands are filled with violence, bloodshed, and a people that have seen hope die in front of their very eyes. Small villages and towns dot the vast map of the Ashen Lands, with only caravans and trading posts to connect them. Men are used to waking up to the air of death. Monsters and nightmares lurk just outside the torchlight, waiting for it to inevitably dim.

   

Relevant Lore to Character Creation

Because of the calamities and horrors this land has seen, some aspects are different from traditional DnD setting.   First, the The Rupture and arrival of Starrite has dramatically changed the world's view of magic. The rare, valuable mineral allows even the most novie of spellcasters to amplify their magic a hundred fold. Events such as The Annihilation of Tratore have driven peasants and commoners to despise magic, seeing it as evil and a danger to everyone around it. Yet, on the other hand, nobles such as those of House Tulip wield magic with pompous gloat. Depending on one's lot in life, the use of magic may lead to a knife at one's throat, or the adoration of one's skills.   Second, this world has seen dangers and invasions throughout its history. In this world, Gnomes are a race of evil, raiding hordes that began to appear in the Grand Age during the Invasion of the Gnomes. They are silent, quick, deadly creatures of the night who are gone before the town has time to sound the alarm leaving only death in their wake. To make matters worse, the Grand Age also saw The Rise of the Nighthumans, human-terror hybrids whose hunger for killing is only matched by their cunning intellect. It is often said that it is better to lay down and accept one's fate than to run from a nighthuman. The two enemies of the Ashen Lands would eventually cause the The Cracking of Hope, plunging the world into the The Broken Age. The Dragonborn and Tieflings keep largely to themselves, residing in the Dragonborn Duchies and Remnant Crater Island respectfully. Although with the advent of caravans, the Ashen Lands have begun to see more and more of them travelling the mainland. The The Dwarves have a long history of slavery under Humans, Elves, and Orcs alike, and reside primarily in the Mountains of the north. The Elves, few and far between, saw the majority of their race migrate to the Glacier Archipelagos sometime during The Broken Age, only to dissapear. Finally, The Orcs of this universe are largely a peaceful, resourceful folk known for their ability to scout and traverse the Ashen Lands with or without a caravan. Humans have lived in the Ashen Lands since bfore The Forgotten Age, and have a long history with each of the other races presiding in this land.   Third, the primary pantheon of this world, comprised of the twin brothers Thios and Malice, along with minor deities Krewsa and Dassar, has continuously shifted and fell largely silent in this Barren Age. It is said Thios consumed himself in holy rage before the siege of Polare, and his following has dwindled into whispers and dusk-covered attics. The Paladins of the Ashen Order, followers of Krewsa, are the only guiding light in the darkness, although the purity of their light is up to debate. Providing stability and order, commoners both admire and fear them. Under their motto "do what one must, protect what one must", they follow a personal, sometimes subjective inviolable code of laws and virtues. Stability, they provide yes - but that does not mean that they do not shed blood of their own.   Finally, this land is primarily connected to one another through caravans, led by the four houses - House Beret, House Juren, House Tulip, and House Wacha. Any means of traversing through the Ashen Lands is through them or, if one dare risk it, a minor regional caravan house. There are three known cities in this land - City of the Icy Mist, Jade CIty, and Rock City. Housing the paladins or the great houses, these fledgling cities, if they can be called that, struggle to keep their citizens fed while staving off the enemies of the night.  

Mysteries to Explore

The Ashen Lands are filled with tales of legends of the Grand Age, deities manifesting as mortals to fight celestial rivalries, and rumors that lay as whispers in the corners of inns and taverns. You as a character will have the chance to explore all the Ashen Lands has to offer, while dealing with the machinations of the darkness roaming the night. For ideas, please check out the various locations found in the Atlas, as well as the histories of its people in the World Encyclopedia