Asshai

Asshai is a port city found in the Far East of Essos, famed across the Known World for the mystery and intrigue associated with the settlement and its residents.

Very little is known of it, for it is rare to see native Asshai'i beyond the Shadow Lands, and those that do venture further rarely speak of their homeland. Visitors to the city ad its territory rarely stay long, and as such few details are ever obtained.

## Geography

On the eastern edge of the Jade Sea, where the waters meet the Ash River at the Saffron Straits, the city is found on the southwestern tip of the Shadow Lands, a realm of mountains, its contents even more unknown than that of Asshai itself.

The city itself is very large, sprawling for leagues on both sides of the river that divides it, but, whilst nobody can be certain, the population seems to be minimal, estimated to be little more than a few thousand, rather than the hundreds of thousands that a city of its size could maintain.

Nearly all of the city is built of dark stone that seems to drink in the light of torches and fires, giving the city a gloomy, foreboding atmosphere.

## City Layout

Very few visitors venture any further than the port of Asshai, and as such it is the only part of the city that reports speak of, and even then details are scarce. The stone of the harbours is the same as used throughout the city, seeming to mute the glow of the many-coloured flames that light the wharves. The port is said to be larger than any known across Westeros or Essos, even those of Qarth, Yi Ti or Volantis, but is apparently never filled with anymore than a few dozen ships.

Overlooking the harbour is supposedly an impossibly tall tower, higher than even the Hightower of Oldtown, called the Night Tower by the merchants that interact with traders to the city. From the harbour a number of large palaces, temples and halls can be seen, although few venture into the streets to explore them, and thus little is known.

Of the locations in Asshai, perhaps most eye-catching is that of the Temple of the Red God, known as the Temple of the Last Light, which looms over the city from its position on a cliff-face to the south. Even from atop one of the temple's spires, it is said that one cannot see the far end of the city, for the walls of the city stretch so far.

## People

The Asshai have carried a sinister reputation for centuries, and with good reason. It is said that they are shadowbinders and bloodmages, warlocks and aeromancers, spellsingers and magi, for no practice is forbidden in the city. As such, it is rumoured also to be home to torturers and poisoners, seeking to refine their craft, who prey on travellers who stray too far from their ships and caravans.

Many have come to the city, seeking power of their own, but the Asshai'i are not a welcoming folk, and many believe that only those born to the city, a seemingly impossible task, given that children have never been seen in Asshai, are worthy of the talents of its residents. They will not teach their arts to any without this heritage, or the Blood of the Shadow, as it is sometimes referred.

Despite this, the Asshai do rely on the outside world in some ways. The waters and crops of the Shadow Lands are said to be unfit for consumption by man or beast, and as such they require shipments of foodstuff and fresh water from elsewhere in Known World, for which they trade amber, dragonglass, gold and precious gemstones.

Little is known of the appearance of the native Asshai, for they cover themselves in veils and masks of red, black and white, clad in long cloaks coloured like ink and charcoal. Through their masks, dark eyes filled with wide pupils can be seen, which Maesters of the Citadel propose is an adaptation to the low light levels of the city.

## Language

The typical language spoken in Asshai is a dialect of bastard Valyrian, though the Asshai’i themselves do have their own language, parts of which are lost to time.

The legitimate written and especially oral language of the native people of Asshai is for the most part a dead language, known only by a select few and mostly only spoken in bits and pieces during rituals.

It is known that in the written form, the ancient language of the people of Asshai does not read on lines of paragraphs from left to right, as is Westerosi convention, but rather is written completely differently: Letters and words begin written at the centre of a page of parchment to start, and slowly spread out in branching, spiraling, and twisting patterns all around. Comprehension is rare, even amongst the Asshai'i and as such, the ancient language is exceptionally difficult to translate.

## Recent History

During his Second Grand Expedition, Corlys Velaryon visits Asshai, bringing tales of the mysterious city back with him when he returns to Westeros half a decade later.