Ashus
Seat of the Imperium
The region of Ashus is that of a fractured one, a valley that bears broken scars of the Calamity's final battles as various city-states seek to prevent the region, let alone continent of Typhon, from being swallowed whole by one iron-willed imperium. What was once a land of lawlessness and tribalism evolved into a region of feudalistic control. Some cities and kingdoms in the area still fall into this category, making grasps for power over the land and abusing cracks in diplomatic relations, but the largest power on their soil is not a long reigning kingdom or grand alliance, but a single national empire of fearsome reputation. The Ashguard Dominion, the region's new namesake after the fall of the twin kingdoms who once owned the land, is a brutal and expansionist empire who seek to control all of Riven itself. But for those who look beyond it's threatening walls and deplorable acts they will find an unusually inclusive and egalitarian society. This massive empire rules from the indomitable bastion of Abaddon in the East, an ancient citadel that has forgone many millennias and changes, both structurally and politically. From the heart of the empire spills the Conqueror Valley, a mix of plains and wasteland scarred from the Calamity yet slowly healing over time. Now patches of grass and brush exist over an arid plain and the mountains surrounding the region are home to wildlife once more. This area is home to no criminal activity or crime whatsoever, attributed to the rule of the Dominion over it's land and their no-tolerance policy of any unlawful acts on their soil. Very little besides the bastion itself is of note in this region of Ashus, as the Ashguardian rule has left many settlements razed to the ground and ancient dungeons destroyed.
To the North lies the Penumbra Path, a wasteland that fluctuates between icy plains and dead badlands. From deep ravines of unknown depth and barbed hooks jutting from the dirt, the path to Riven's Abyss is a deadly one and yet the only way to reach the bottomless layers by foot. At it's Northmost edge lies the Final Strait, a receding landmass that connects the fractured lands of the Abyss to Ashus, only available for passage when the water in the area freezes over or miraculously the tides fall low enough. Ruled by the Dark Elves of the surface world, known as the Drukhar, they are a ruthless empire built on the backs of slaves, raiding and slaughter. They are the only kingdom big enough to challenge the Ashguard Dominion for control over the land, if not for their stark commitment to watching the Final Strait for any armies marching from it's opposite side. Due to their inability to perform a mass-scale invasion over the lands in the area, and a region easily defendable to those unaccustomed to it, the Dominion and the Drukhar sit at a cold war for one or the other to become too overstretched during their conquering of the globe so the later can make a move. Until then, the Dark Elves of the North seek to both atone for their sins of the past and to eliminate a world for which they believe despises their very existence.
The West-most lands are the fractured kingdoms of Ashus' past, cities that have not joined the outstretched hands of the Alliance for their own selfish reasons, and seek to fight off the Dominion from their lands as lone nations. Making their nation's hearts in the Marrow Fields, grey plains, chipped mountains and mudsoaked wetlands that make up the area, each nation bickers for some sense of control over the fields before the looming wolf finishes off the rest. The most notable kingdoms include those of Nulnland, an impoverished kingdom of mud and wastes with a cultural importance placed upon death. Kelgrad, a kingdom to the North known for their mounted soldiers, ancient lineage of tsar rulers, and steadfast resolve. Ogentrost, a crown-land where the marshes meet the plains, acclaimed for their production of ale and mead. And Middenland, the central most kingdom who's wealth of resources used for the creation of gunpowder has helped them lay claim to not only the central points of the region, but also keep the Dominion at bay.
Finally to the South and Southeast lies Fellshore, a long forgotten paradise ravaged by the Betrayer Gods, and now left in ruin as a foggy mix of wasteland and mire. While Ashguardian soldiers have formed outposts and settlements in the area, it's drab environment and lack of important resources leave this area little more then border outposts for the empire. In it's swamps and shores however, ancient arms and artifacts of the betrayers lie in wait to be collected, a revelation only recently discovered by the Dominion as they send battalions of troops to scour the area in search of ancient dungeons and ruins holding these godly relics. All throughout however, the fog itself carries viscous wildlife as unseen monstrosities and demonic spawn walk the land in search of prey, leaving only the defensible settlements along the coastline intact. These cities, the most prominent of which being the smuggler port of Norfolk and the fisherman and deep hunter city of Salt Harbor, are the only hope for civilized folk in these lands. The areas out of Dominion watch, safe haven, and monster's dens are lands where the reaver culture of Ashus' past thrive, and the blood of man and monster alike is the only path for survival.
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