Ashkin And Cinderfall

# Ashkin

## Basic Information

### Anatomy

Ashkins look nearly identical in structure to humanoids. Possessing two eyes, four limbs, a round head with hair on top, and other traits that make them look similar to humans. They have tongues, ears, skin, and all other organs that are required to tap into one of the five senses. Their structuring are similar to that of humans as well having a bipedal humanoid skeleton, muscles for movement, hearts to pump blood, lungs for breathing and a brain for neurological thought and command of the body. From these traits the Ashkins share pretty similar personality to that of the rest of the the humanoid races. However from that point on the similarities stop there.  Ashkin are well known for the lifeless coloring of their bodies. Their skin is almost always a grayish or silvery tint, making it look as if they have been covered in a blanket of ash or cinders. Their skin color can tend to be shiny, flakey, or dull depending on the health and age of the Ashkin.  Their hair coloring is similar to that of humans, appearing in a variety of colors, but most of the time their hair is either dark, grey or a a rusty/copper-red coloring. Their hair turns more and more metallic the further in age they get. One of the most unique traits of the Ashkins however is that when exposed to the moonlight of an eclipse or the radiating energy from one of Cinderfalls special crystals, Agnikite, their hair will turn a radiant silver color that glints brightly in a metallic like fashion, their hair can also change to different colors depending on the color of the moon or the power of the crystal (for example, if there is a Blood Moon, their hair might have a reddish tint). One trait that all Ashkins will share is the fiery coloring of their eyes. Looking into Ashkins eyes is like looking into a volcano. Their iris's are a brilliant weaving of scorching reds, blazing orange, sparking yellows, and other colorings that make their eyes seem to be made out of boiling magma. Their eyes act like fire as well, glowing bright when "kindling" is added (when the Ashkin is angry) or dims down when "smothered" (When the Ashkin is in times of sorrow or fear). On very rare occasions the heat from their eyes can be so intense it will light receptors in their eyelashes, making it look as if their eyes are glowing with raging flames. The facial features of Ashkins are typically extremely varied and no two action usually shares the same physical appearance other then that that was listed above. Other then that they all can look completely different in appearance. Ashkin hair can be typically long, short, curly, straight, wavy or sometimes lack any hair at all. Their body type can be slim, medium, wide. Some Ashkins can even have a variety of different fingers, with Ashkins that come from families that are more physically fit or injured more likely to have 6-7 fingers on each hand due to adapting based on their parents injuries & genetics (see Genetics & Reproduction).  As for facial features, the same variable applies for Ashkin in that they all look very different. Their noses can be flat, straight, button, curved, broad and other such. Their eyes can be wide, slitted, in between, etc. Their facial shape can be round, triangular, rectangular, ovular, and such. Even their teeth can be differently shaped and positioned, some being more sharp while others being flatter. Many Ashkins look so similar to other races they could easily pass on as a human, elf, dwarf or other race minus the faded color of their skin and their fiery red eyes.  Most Ashkins typically have more rounded and fit chests, this is so that they can have larger lungs, allowing them to recieve more oxygen in the usually ashy conditions that they live in where its a struggle to breath.

### Biological Traits

Ashkins are typically one of the most varying races within the Feytouched realm and their variety of biological traits can pretty much prove that belief. The length, size, and other varying traits usually will depend on genetics and the environment.

### Genetics and Reproduction

Ashkin reproduction is typically just the same as any other mammalian humanoid, however when it comes to genetics and development there are slight differences in terms.  As typically predicted Ashkin reproduction is done sexually, in which a male and female are required in order to successfully produce a child. Typical Ashkin pregnancy is slightly longer then that of an average human being around 10 months usually. The gestation and effects of pregnancy are about the same as a humans. However what makes the development so different is the fact how enviormentally aware the genes of an Ashkin are. Before conception the Ashkin baby over the course of development identifies not only the genes of its parents but also the condition of their immune system, imperfections, as well as even identifying the current enviormental conditions of the world around them.  How Ashkin young are capable of doing this is currently unknown but this ability to identify is incredibly valuable for an Ashkin and this is because of the genes ability to "improve" an Ashkin. If before conception the genes identify that one of the parents immune system is weak to a certain disease, the gene can choose to "improve" this by empowering immunity to that disease within the baby. If one of the parents has a serious injury such as a missing arm or eye, the genes will notice the injury and ensure that the organs will be improved or repaired. This process of repairing ensures that an Ashkin baby could be a better and more improved version of its parents. This process of improving these conditions is not always successful however. The chance of "improvement" is less likely if both parents share the disability (i.e if both parents have a missing limb, same weakness to a disease, or both have a genetic disorder) and sometimes the "improvement" of something will end up leaving something else ignored and leave the baby more vulnerable to something else (i.e if a parent is weak to the cold, the genes might try to improve resistance to the cold but end up not focusing enough on "fire resistance" gene, making the baby weaker to fire). And other times the gene can completely backfire and ensure that the baby shares that weakness (i.e having a missing arm like one of its parents). If this is a multibirth case in which it is twins, triplets, or more the genes might be overwhelmed and not be able to "improve" at all. These complication ensure the idea that it isn't really possible to have a "perfect" Ashkin much unfortunately. The genes can also identify environmental conditions at the youngs birth. As since the genes are constantly trying to "improve" up to a few days after birth, the enviorment that the baby is exposed to can lead to genetic improvement as well. For example if the air is dirtier the genes can improve the baby's lungs to make it larger to ensure more clean air is recieved or is the condition is too cold the baby can be given darker skin to absorb heat. This gene improvement is most notable in moonlight, as baby's receive special powers based on if they are born under an eclipse or blood moon. Laws are put to not allow any Ashkins to have young at a point where an eclipse might occur in fear that too many Ashkins with special powers would cause an imbalance in Ashkin society. Only Ashkin with special permissions are allowed to have a baby born under an eclipse or blood moon.

## Dietary Needs and Habits

Due to the rather volcanic state of the Cinderfall continent, its usually quite uncommon for Ashkins to be able to find much biosmass around the island. They thankfully have adapted to this by having the ability to go without food for a month before they begin to starve.  Ashkins have adapted to become Krystavores, or mainly consume crystals-specifically the energy that they can find within the energy of the crystals within Cinderfall. Cinderfall is a practical gold mine (or more suitably, crystal mine) for powerful crystals, and while a lot of them provide electrical or magical capabilities, a good handful of them contain a good nutritional value as their energy would contain the equivalent substitute of minerals, vitamins and other materials.  All an Ashkin really needs to do is bite down into the crystal (using their teeth which have adapted to "mine out" a crystal) and then the moment the crystal touches their mouth, special receptors in their tongue will act as conductors for the crystals energy, transferring said energy into the Ashkins body and giving the crystal a unique taste. This special energy is all an Ashkin would need to eat if they consumed one a day (although the amount of energy given to the Ashkin might vary on the crystal type so they may have to eat more then one) and also helps them maintain their grey skin color. Crystal Mines are very common around Mount Vulcan and the many ravines around it where Ashkins will collect crystals and organize them based on nutritional value. These crystals are then taken special "Energy Mines" that perserve the energy value of the crystals until they are taken out. There are multiple different restraunts found in Cinderfall that will provide these crystals, these gems are then cut in order to provide different nutritional values or "punch", usually cut into crescent, diamond, triangles, or orb shapes. Ashkins that practice a special technique called "Transindustria" in which they transfer different kinds of energy from one crystal to another, giving different crystals different kinds of flavors. These flavors are different from the typical flavors known to humanoids as "sweet" or "spicy" or "salty" and instead are more like flavors that Ashkins would describe as "Fizzy" or "Fiery" or "Electrocuting".  Typical Humanoids are not able to discern the flavor between different kinds of crystals and would experience the same result as one would biting into a crystal, hard, glassy, and a high chance of breaking a tooth. Only Ashkins can experience these unique flavors using their unique tongues and teeth.  When it comes to actual cellular food, Ashkins are not typically picky eaters and will willingly bite down into any kind of plant or animal that they can get their hands on. While these foods may not provide just as much nutritional value or balance as the crystals they can typically consume and a diet on only biological mass without any crystals can cause huge chemical imbalances and instability in an Ashkins body, as long as they eat crystals once and awhile they'll mostly be fine.

### Biological Cycle

Similar to many different kinds of races within the world, over the course of their time Ashkins will change in their physical appearance due to the affects of their age. While most humanoid races will become weaker and duller over in appearance the course of their age. Ashkins are well known for their skin being completely devoid of color and being a completely colorless grey, as they age their skin becomes more metallic in color, with older Ashkins looking like they are completely made of silver. Their skin does begin to fade when in it turns a different color if the Ashkin is not exposed to crystal energy.  In addition, Ashkins that are not exposed to the radiating energy of the crystals within Cinderfall that makes their skin pigment turn grey will notice that when their coloring appears that their hair will appear more metallic coloring as well. The coloring of their hair depends on the original coloring of their hair, with blondes receiving gold hair, brown receiving bronze pigments, redheads getting copper coloring, and black/white hair turning silver. This color change of hair does not have any form of precious metal within it but shows the age of the Ashkin clearly. The brightness of an Ashkins eyes is another way to locate them aging, while younger Ashkins eyes glow slightly like a newly created ember, elderly Ashkins eyes will blaze with the power of a star, their pupils disappearing slowly overtime leaving only a fiery blaze in their eyes that make them almost look like some sort of godlike being or entity.  Sometimes when an Ashkin grows older their fire resistance and healing factor abilities weakens in power, for this reason most older Ashkins will have many burn scars or wounds compared to other Ashkin. Although this isn't a very reliable way of determining an Ashkins age as a younger Ashkin could simply just be constantly in conflict or not have suitable fire resistance genes which gives them scars.

## Additional Information

### Social Structure

Ashkins work in a form of some sort of monarchy as their form of social structure, but seeming to have some democratical elements to it. They have three classes. At the top of the Ashkin social power are the Emperor or Empresses and their Princes and Princesses, ruled by a family lineage that is seen as chosen by God to lead the people. This family is known as the House of Greyhawke, named after the graceful and now extinct bird native to Cinderfall that used to be trained. This family has a long history and lineage, but they have most of the power, typically having advisors to support them in decisions but in the end the family has the highest power, with the family making a collective vote on things in general. At the second to lowest rank is pretty much all the citizens and the Ashkin. Typical citizens are deemed of having equal rights to the Ashkins despite the fact the Ashkins have reigned here the longest, although during the "Reign of Phoenix" (see Cinderfall History) that status has now changed and now only citizens of Ashkin blood are allowed to have full rights. With non-Ashkin citizens being seen as slaves and their only use is to be slaves and soldiers for the Cinderfall Kingdom.

### Domestication

Ashkin can't be domesticated, that would be slavery.

### Geographic Origin and Distribution

The Geographic Distribution of the Ashkins is typically quite small as they are not found in many areas. The largest population of Ashkin is typically found in the isolated continent of Cinderfall that is about 5000 miles off from the coast of the Draconian Empire. There the population is truly massive in scale and dwarfs any other areas that would typically have Ashkin, having about 23 Million Ashkins in total that reside there. Since the Ashkins are native to Cinderfall and the fact that in its current state Cinderfallians are ordered to not make any contact with the outside world unless given STRICT orders by the Empress, it gives a good reason for why there aren't many Ashkin outside of Cinderfall. Of course there is some population of Ashkin, though they are relatively tiny and usually die off due to not being used to the conditions of the outside world. There is a small population called the "Clinkers" who mostly consists of secret agents and soldiers for Cinderfall that are gathering information for a later invasion of the Empire.

### Average Intelligence

Ashkins are just as intelligent as other humanoids, having the ability to think, feel, work, calculate, and communicate just as well as all the other races can. Their intelligence is not higher or lower then the average human and is pretty much the same. They are however rather intelligent in skilled in the ideas of mining, animal handling, geomancy, pyromancy, umbramancy, geography, blacksmithery, carving, and organization.

## Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Ashkin senses typically are about the same as a human. With all of their senses being pretty average, not amazing but just enough that they would typically be able to survive. Although some Ashkins can possibly develop with a stronger focus in one sense then the others but this is usually more of a rare genetic mutation rather then a common thing among Ashkins. Temperature sensing is one of Ashkins most similar traits, their body is able to detect and identify the quality and exact temperature of an area by simply settling in it. Their body then can typically adapt to the temperature and change the color of their skin and expand the size of their lungs depending on the temperature in order to ensure the Ashkin could survive at best. Ashkin are not typically magical species as they focus more on the almost magic-like geotechnology that they typically carry around. However some Ashkins are typically born with some powers that can be deemed as magical. The shadows of Ashkins are one of the most visible traits that can be known to them. The shadow of an Ashkin isn’t based on where the sun is not reflecting, but rather what the Ashkins thoughts are reflecting. The shadow is capable of knowing the emotion and topic of the Ashkins thoughts and will morph based upon them. For example, the shadow of an Ashkin who wants to take revenge on a figure might depict a monstrous version of the Ashkin with sickled claws and barred teeth to symbolize the anger and thirst for vengeance. An Ashkin who is mourning the death of one they loved might have a shadow that appears crumpled or with a missing heart, representing their feeling of weakness and lostness. The shadow only changes if the Ashkin is feeling intense emotions so it may not always be seen. It requires a lot of energy to be able to change what the shadow is showing at will. A special ability that usually requires genetic luck and an intense amount of concentration and practice is the ability known as Shadow Skin. In this ability an Ashkin is capable of compressing its physical matter into a force of umbran energy that acts as a cloud of darkness. In this form Ashkins are able to pass through objects and go through compressed spaces as a shadowy mist. Once they are finished with this ability they will revert back to their physical body. This ability typically requires a lot of energy and those who fail will lose their mental concentration and will shatter their mind, becoming nothing but umbran matter. Ashkin energy typically comes from the power of eclipses as well as an intense display of energy. In Cinderfall this is usually happens during what is known as the "Vulcan Cataclysm" where the large volcano in Cinderfall known as Mount Vulcan, influenced by the gravitational pull and lunar energy of a Lunar Eclipse to overload itself and the gigantic crystals around it with overloading energy, releasing a burst of geothermic energy across the whole continent, energizing all it touches. This event combined with the eclipse gives Ashkins intense power, energy, and control over their magic, making them become a truly powerful force to be reckoned with Fire is another element that the Ashkin possesses. They are capable of resisting 3,000 degrees F temperatures for about ten minutes though they can sustain longer if the temperature is cooler (6 minutes longer per 500 degrees colder). Some Ashkins who are known as "Shadekin" who are born under a Blood Moon retain all previously mentioned Shadow Abilities with stronger control of them. In addition they also find themselves capable of more kinds of Umbramancy such as being able to teleport between shadows as if they are portals, reflect light to become invisible, and many other shadowlike abilities. Children born under the moonlight of a Blood Moon will become a "Phoenix Kin". Phonix Kin are Ashkin who is gifted in the ability of fire. Ashkin like these are able to more easily tap into fire magic and usually become Pyromancers. Their eyes glow with a reddish-copper coloring and their hair usually forms to look like fire, even waving and crackling in the air like a fire. Their veins will also glow like lava and cracks will appear on their face, making them look like they are made of lava. Their lava resistance is stronger, resisting 6,000 degrees F and they are capable of producing white and blue flames at will. They can ignite and burn things not typically flammable like iron, stone, and sometimes even their own shadows. Their skin can also change temperatures and become insanely hot depending on their mood, for this reason most Phoenix Kin are required to wear heat conducting clothing for most of their life. There is an uncommon genetic known as "Thermalkin" which are Ashkin are also really good at absorbing and conducting heat. Being able to almost “suck” heat from an item and transfer it to their hands, resulting in their hands becoming red hot. In this state, friction can create a tongue of fire to appear on the Ashkin, while they can’t necessarily throw the fire, they can light other things or themselves on fire.

## Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

While it is not an entirely symbiotic structure between them, Ashkins do share a loyal and strong connections to two types of creatures found within the lands of Cinderfall, and those being the Shade Streakers and Elementals.  Shade Streakers are a species of Lesser Dragons that are native to the continent of Cinderfall. Similar to the Ashkins their body is mostly devoid of color and is bleached a typical grey, but it can also come in colors of white, black, and purple. They are similar to most other species of Lesser Dragon other then the fact that they fast and are capable of covering miles within a minute, leaving only the shadowy mist produced by their scales behind, which is where they get their names from. Shade Streakers are well known for their ability to sniff out "bleak" and are typically attracted to any sort of use of shadow magic. Since Cinderfall is generally an area with a lot of "bleak" and those practicing Umbramancy, its easy to train and bond with these creatures as they are so easily connected to it. By using shadow magic or bleak as a conduit for communication and training, a trainer and a Shadow Streaker can easily become bonded through these, with a Shadow Streaker and rider becoming stronger in their bond the higher the "bleak level" or power of the users umbramancy becomes.  Elementals are another creature Ashkins become connected to easy, mostly because of elemental energy. While most of the time elementals are constructed beings made through magic, they can also naturally generate in areas with a strong level of elemental energy. Cinderfall is the perfect place as it is the center of one of the most powerful volcanoes in the realm as well as having a massive abundance of crystals that are thrumming with ancient energy, making it an ideal place for Fire and Crystal Elementals to spawn. Due to the fact Ashkins are adapted to eat crystals and survive in the boiling environment of Cinderfall, its natural that the species would bond due to having such a strong connection. Elementals are typically seen as the guardians of the realm and with Ashkin as natural inhabitants, they are included as things that the Elementals must protect. This becomes a symbiotic relationship as the Elementals will choose to protect the Ashkin and in response the Ashkins will continue to power the Elementals with fiery or crystalline energy in order to ensure that the Elementals reamin alive and functioning.

## Civilization and Culture

### Naming Traditions

Ashkin culture typically is surrounded around typical civilian names that one could find similarly within the human race, (these names typically are similar to that of Hebrew or European names), these names can include stuff like: Matthew, Caleb, Mary, Deborah, Maria, Alexander, etc.  The House of Greyhawke royal family are known for their names to all be typically fire related. Named after characters from history or mythology that have association with the element of fire. This has inspired names such as Vulcan, Hephaestus, Phoenix, Chimera, etc. This tradition has been going on for millennias since the origins of the Greyhawke family, however eventually the tradition was broken when the current king, Caleb, took the throne.

### Major Organizations

The largest kingdom of the Ashkins is the kingdom of Cinderfall. Found on the isolated continent of Infernia, a few miles north from the major continents and the country of the Draconian Empire. Cinderfall is the main homeland of the Ashkins and also their most powerful kingdom. Run on a geoelectric system of crystal powered mechanicals, the power of fire and shadow, and the royal family, the House of Greyhawkes, which are believed to be one of the oldest and most successful monarchies in the Feytouched Realm. Cinderfall is a very advanced city, with its being so technologically advanced it mostly all seems like magic to people to first arrive. Cinderfall is currently an isolationist empire, and hasn't been in contact with other countries for a century, with the help of bribery, burning of records, and a few death threats, there is no record of Cinderfall mostly in history and its commonly only seen as nothing but a myth. After the Vulcan Eruption Crisis, where Queen Phoenix took the throne and began the "Age of Purification". Many non-Ashkin residence, criminals, and rebel Ashkins refused to believe that Phoenix was the true ruler of Cinderfall who was chosen by Amh Himself and so they chose to band together called "Amhs Soldiers of the House" or the ASH army. Together this group of rebels is trying their best to dethrone, accuse, or advise any bad ruler of the Greyhawkes and ensure Amh's truly chosen king or queen is rightfully throne. Though currently at that time the ASH army has been unable to locate any remaining Greyhawke heirs besides Phoenix, as they presumably all died to Mount Vulcan.

### Courtship Ideals

Ashkins typically are very cautious in terms of love, as they believe that once a man and a woman become partners, they are permanently sealed together in one mind, heart, flesh, and spirit. After marriage you cannot enter another another romantic relationship or commit a divorce, making the affects of the relationship permanent. For this reason most Ashkins are very careful with who they choose as their spouse as together they will be bound for life.  Ashkins that are pledged to be "Geobound" (their term for being married) are to take a "Bonding of The Flesh" ceremony, this ceremony is similar to that of a wedding ceremony, but the husband and wife will then after taking their vows, clasp one hand with the others as the priest takes out a metal rod with ancient scripts imbued on them, and brand the arms of the husband and wife with these symbols. The symbols are from a language made of ancient textual runes used by the royal Grayhawke family and the runes translate to the beautiful vow King Cyrus gave to his wife during their marriage ceremony, the poem speaks of how their lives are now binded, that they will submit to each other like that of servants to their kings and that even when their souls are weak and broken their love shall not stop.

### Average Technological Level

In their time mostly apart from the rest of the world, the Ashkins have developed and created numerous amounts of technological discoveries thanks to the powerful magic and resources that are mainly located within the realms of their continent and kingdoms. Ashkins are on of the first race to have successfully developed crystolectricity, a special generation of different types of energies through the powering or cutting of crystals. Thanks to the wide abundance of thermal energy generated from Mount Vulcan, all the crystals found within the Infernian continent have been juiced with raw crystalline energy, it wasn't soon until Ashkins discovered the unique properties of the crystals and began to use them to generate loads of different powers. Crystals are discovered to have a variety of properties, with the effects being bigger or stronger depending on the size or concentration of energy within the crystal. The properties/effects of crystals can be the following: Offensive- These crystals have been named due to their properties usually being used for combat. These crystals energies can vary from acting as an explosive or smoke grenade, releasing a burst of harmful energy, releasing bullet like energy lasers. Defensive- Crystals that are typically capable of acting as a defense for someone, this includes conjuring a forcefield around them, heal their wounds, repair constructions or objects, create illusions, or clear/detect poisons or sickness. Enhancing- Crystals that enhance or strengthen somethings properties, this can be things that make people faster, stronger, harder to hit, more clear of mind, calmer, empower someones special abilities, make someone feel more positive or negative, or enchanting a weapon with magical properties.  Readers- Crystals that are capable of "reading" something, this includes sensing someones emotions or thoughts, predicting the future, detecting the presence of demons, detecting truth, and more.  Energizers- Crystals that provide energy in the form of electricity or nutrition, these can be crystals that power devices or act as a form of food for Ashkins.  Storers- Crystals that can hold another form of energy within them, this can include magical energy, elemental energy, demons, souls, a memory, an emotion, a recording, and more.  Crystals can be "programmed" by a special set of "code" to do certain things, depending on how the crystal is cut and carved. It usually is a typical "if {blank} then {blank}" situation, but with so many different ways a person can cut the crystal, the process can be limitless. By cutting a crystal you can make it do a certain action after a certain procession of time (like a grenade), you can make it only react to specific things (such as Dial Crystals, which react to different levels of light by glowing brighter the darker it is), and many other different things. Ashkins have created a variety of gem embedded weapons, clothing, and items in order to give extra quality and magical potential. And its common in Ashkins for many of them to wear accessories with these magical gems or even have them encrusted into their own skin, to ensure permanent effects from the gems.  Vehicles of all kinds are used, powered by crystals. With most Ashkins ships having jewel encrusted engines with air imbued in them, allowing for the sailors to be able to move without the need for sails as well as making the ships incredibly stealthy by having a Defensive Crystal on the front of their ship that conjures a forcefield where any people outside of it will not be able to see the ship.  Crystalline food is another invention by the Ashkins, made up of a variety of cleanly cut Energizer Crystals that hold all the nutrients that Ashkins need.  These crystals when cut correctly or are given the correct amount of force will produce different forms of energy that can become especially useful to Ashkins and helped them forge the technologies listed.  Those who come to the city of Cinderfall may be surprised to find floating islands, houses just barely tipping off the edge of cliffs yet not falling, and many residences that are upside down or sideways and such. This is because of the use of precise crystal cutting that allows for certain objects to manipulate or change gravity or light, allowing for things such as floating islands.  These crystals are mined through the use of special drills called "Raildrills" that produce a condensed amount of crystal energy to release shock waves which burns away all stone and dirt, leaving only pure crystals in its wake. Since the energy held within an Infernian crystal is extremely powerful, rash handling can cause the energy to be released and cause accidental harm, for this reason, special knives are used for cutting the crystals, made of a rubber handle with Bleeding Obsidian blades, as this specie of obsidian is capable of deflecting/repelling the energy. The Greyhawke crown is a special invention that was crafted for Queen Hestia that was forged and crafted by the Fire Giants as a surrender gift before they left the Cinderfall continent. The Crown is magically enchanted to fit perfectly on any wearer it holds onto and also can float or hover on its own. The crown is melded with multiple different materials which each symbolize something, the main component being the crowns main base, Bleeding Obsidian. It represents the amount of blood the Ashkins shed to reserve their power and independence, silver outlining symbolizes their birth being made out of silver ashes. Finally, the obsidian and silver are carved and twisted into three birds, wings outstretched and heads pointed to the sky, they are Greyhawkes which represent the Ashkins royal family that are chosen to rule by Amh. The birds hold three crystals, a garnet that enhances magical powers, a tourmaline crystal that gives a sense of clairvoyance of a persons emotions/fears/thoughts on occasions, and finally a large sapphire held at the center, this is a container crystal. While this crystal is said to influence bravery, pleasure, and a sense of justice, however this sapphire is really a vessel that contains the presence of a demon known as Fenrir, who uses the crystals to whisper thoughts into the wearers head and make them do its bidding (which explains why rulers after Hestia marked the downfall of Cinderfall). It was only when Caleb Greyhawke, after succeeding the throne, broke the crown after realizing its full power, (which is where he recieved the title "The Crownless King".  For the reasons as stated above, Bleeding Obsidian tools and equipment are common for Ashkins, with even the Greyhawke palace being enforced with this purplish or bluish tinted metal (Bleeding Obsidian has more traits similar to metal then actual obsidian) in order to keep it safe from crystalline energy (of course being too close to raw crystalline energy or having it in high enough concentrations can still penetrate the Bleeding Obsidian). Other metals that are used are tungsten, titanium, metals imbued with crystals, lead, Shadow Streak Scales, Elemental Blood.

### Major Language Groups and Dialects

Ashkins used to share the same language as the Fire Giants, speaking Pyronese or "Tongue of Fire" this ancient language sounds a lot to non-Pyronese speakers like someone trying to attempt making the noise of a crackling fire. However this language has become nearly extinct with only a few speakers being known in the wide world, the Ashkins do keep the Pyronetic Alphabet as their main source of lettering. Ashkins now speak Common as their language after they chose to open up relations with other races. They switched to this language due to it being required to have trade systems with other empires and also being much easier and simpler to understand when taught.  Accents are indeed quite common in Ashkins, simply because many of them still have tongues that are more formed for speaking Pyranese rather then Common. Ashkin accents can be typically difficult for people to understand as they sometimes sound a lot like gibberish, they tend to pronounce their "s" and "ch" with "k" sounding words (pronouncing "checking" as 'kekking"). They also end to roll their "r's" a lot harder (similar to a russian accent) and pronounce u's deeper (a lot like an African Accent).

### Common Etiquette Rules

Ashkins have a very deep culture that includes a lot of processes that are seen as being very polite and mandatory within their culture.  When eating food, typically crystals, it is figured that before consuming food that you must bless it to Amh. This is done by taking the crystal, and briefly touch it to your forehead, throat, heart, and stomach, then kissing it and lifting it up to the sky. This is process is based of the Ashkin proverb: "Bless Amh for all within you; the peace of your mind, the stirring of your soul, the thrum of your heart, and the nutrients he gives to your stomach. Let your blessing be like a kiss up to his heavenly kingdoms."  After being married, Ashkins are branded with Pyronese runes, after this they must always shake, wave, salute, or do any other gesture with their "non-runed" hand. This is because Ashkins think that a "Married Hand" must only be used with your spouse, such as wrapping it around them to hug them, or to hold their hand, or serve them a meal.  The Greyhawke species is very important in Ashkin culture as it represents their liberation from the Great Dragon and the beginning of their holy kingdom. Greyhawkes symbolize royalty, Amhs blessing, bravery, and purity, so theres a good reason that whenever Ashkins are in the presence of a Greyhawke royal or spiritual presence, citizens should greet them by lacing their thumbs together and spreading out their hands, shaping it in the symbol of a bird-or more fitting-a Greyhawke.  A lot of Ashkins will wear some form of crystal on their bodies, whether as a weapon, embedment, accessory, or something else. As a symbol of respect and safety, when two Ashkins who have never met each other encounter, they will do a special greeting where they will take their gem embedded item and let them touch each other (this could be touching your ring to a persons jeweled blade-or their gem embedded wrist to a persons hairpin). This is a symbol of peace and greeting, as the touching of the two gems will release a ripple of crystalline energy, the kind that reveals the Ashkins true nature. This method reveals to both that the other is truly an Ashkin who respects the etiquette and also reveals the background of the person by what gem studded object they choose to greet with (i.e an Ashkin might learn another person is skilled in combat and may be a soldier because they use a spear for the greeting).

### Culture and Cultural Heritage

Ashkins have a pretty set culture, especially in Cinderfall where their population is large and ruled by a monarchy.  Its typically found in Ashkin culture that the arts of metalcraft and gem crafting are popular forms of art. All across Cinderfall culture one can find iron sculptures, golden tablets, gem studded shrines, copper pottery, and bejeweled literature. Its typical that there are museums and accessory stores found across Ashkin cities and cultures.  "Jewel Breeding" is also a common art, Jewel Breeding is a unique process of jewel mining that includes using specific minerals, temperatures, chemicals, liquids, and other components to irritate pieces of earth into forming crystals, then specifically carving, fusing, and reworking crystals to make them into any shape, color, or form that the Breeder pleases. Allowing for some vibrantly colored jewelry and sculpture with colors and shapes that a typical gem can't produce.  Jewels are especially important in Ashkin culture and are used for a variety of different kinds of uses. But they are also used for status and position, and Ashkins typically wear or put on jewels in order to represent different things about themselves. Its very uncommon to not see an Ashkin not wearing one of the shimmery rocks as an accessory.  A more physical tradition includes what Ashkins call Glass Walking, which is a unique form of dance taught and formed by Ashkins. The dance name is based off how when dancing, the dancer typically is like they are walking on glass: precise, careful, slow, and sometimes a bit unpredictable. Glass Walking is sort of a therapeutic dance and can be used not only as entertainment, but also a process of relaxation or meditation.  Its typical cultural norms for Ashkins to keep to themselves. Its not uncommon for outsiders to find communicating with Ashkins very difficult because they are so uncommunicative and secretive towards outsiders. Most of this may typically be because of Ashkins longstanding distrust of outsiders as they always attempted to invade or enslave the Ashkins in some way. Additionally, its a long held cultural belief that actions speak louder then words. One person might declare their loyalty to their spouse, but until they truly show the sacrifices they are willing to make for their spouse or commit actions in dedication of their love for their spouse, its never officially clear for Ashkins that they truly love their spouse. Usually simple agreements or alliances aren't enough to gain the Ashkin empires trust, and their new ally must first prove through actions that they are a worthy ally before the Ashkins will even assist them.  Laughter and optimism is also the usual expected behavior for Ashkins according to culture. The Ashkins live in a desolate, hot, bare, and bleak wasteland that is known as Cinderfall, and its difficult sometimes to look on the brightside in such views. In order to keep to the bright side, Ashkins always try their best to give the occasional pun or always keep their faces bright during their lives, hoping that same cheerful attitude can potentially reflect back on those who hear it. "An empire," Said Empress Hestia, "Will not stand, unless the eyes of its civilians shine with the joy of a thousand stars."

### Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The Ashkin culture is wide and broad due to the fact that they live in a large empire within the Cinderfall Empire and they have been living by themselves without many people objecting them, allowing for their culture to develop and change in a broad and vibrant way. The lineage of an Ashkin family is very important as it can trace back legends, lore, and most importantly, the lineage of the Greyhawke family. For this reason Ashkins try their best to participate with as much of their extended family as they can, typically having a once a year "Unity Party" In which all related Ashkins will come together to celebrate their unity and family ties and celebrate oneness with each other. Whenever a man or Ashkin women decides to take up a military job, they are honored once they finally complete their training. Ashkins had to fight for a lot of their history and lost a lot of people as a result of it, they have learned to grasp the importance of a persons life and their dedication to defending the empire and royal family. And so that is typically honored in the form of a ritual. Once fully knighted or drafted into the military, the knighted man or woman will choose one person from their family or extended family to become their "Kinsmith". This chosen person will have the honor of crafting a special piece of equipment for the Ashkin, personally overlooking the mining, planning, detailing, and smithing of a weapon they believe suits the knighted persons personality and fighting style. On their knighting ceremony the Kinsmith will then bestow the weapon upon the knight, who will carry the weapon with them at all times as memory of them. When a child is typically born, it is tradition for the first thing that is to be done for them is for them to be bathed in ashes. This process serves mostly as a religious symbol, as the Ashkin were formed by Ahm by the ashes, and so this process would typically symbolize that the child-like all other Ashkin-has been born from the ashes of the world. Crystals are also grinded up into the ashes and emit small pulses of energy, meaning that once the bathing is finished the Ashkin child will absorb the energy and its skin will turn a silverly grey-just like all other Ashkin.  In similar fashion, Ashkins who die have their bodies set in what are called "Purification Coffins" which are coffin/oven hybrids in which a body is put into, burned, and the ashes flow out of the coffin through tiny holes, into the air where they float away. The funeral process is based off the Ashkin proverb "The Lord brought us from the ash, and back to the ash we're brough back to the Lord". At the family or friends expense they will put the body in the coffin along with some crystals, which when burned will release colorful bursts of sparks, giving a happy and remorseful tone to their fallen ones death. Ashkins never forget the tragic deaths of loved ones or important members, during those times they will perform a special feast of grounded up obsidian and uncut quartz, two minerals that have bitter or bad tasting potence for Ashkins yet a brilliant aftertaste. The consumption of this food is to symbolize the suffering and grief they feel for their fallen comrade but the sweet aftertaste is supposed to represent the good and blessed afterlife in heaven the person now will live in.

### Common Taboos

Ashkins are complex creatures with a unique culture and history, as a result of the many scars and wounds they have recieved its easy to say that they have strictly forbidden many things in the form of taboos. As of the Ashkins choice to isolate themselves, contact with anyone beyond Cinderfall is strictly forbidden unless given permission. Due to many outside contacts have attempted to invade, enslave, or persecute the Ashkins, its easy to see why Ashkins are to never contact outsiders. The outside world has been painted for the Ashkin as a cruel and rejective world that only desires are to commit violence and gain power, something they are not interested in participating in.

## History

Its difficult to discern legends from actual history, and the true origins of the Ashkins is a hotly debated topic, even among the Ashkins themselves. So the early beginnings and up to a milennia before the present age, the authenticity of the Ashkin history can be debatable. Supposedly, the Ashkins first began after the Great God, Amh, created islands and forged the mountains, among them he smelted the first volcano out of the blood of a dragon. From the eruption of the volcano, Amh took its ashes and breathed life into them, creating humanoid creatures with ash in their skin and sparking embers of fire in their eyes. They were the literal Kin of the Ash, or what later would be known as the first Ashkin. From there Amh told them to forge kingdoms and tame the lands he gave them. The Ashkins formed the first city, which would later become the foundations of Cinderfall. It was forged by their first ruler known as King Hephaestus The Forger who was believed to have two great hammers called Bezalel and Oholiab that could bend and break the hardest metals, annihilate any man with a single swing and yet be used to build the most beautiful creations out of pure gold (many sources say Hephaestus wore enhanced metal gauntlets to prevent his fingers from being broken if he accidentally hit his finger while he was banging metal). He was a great forger that ensured that the Ashkin would be protected and safe within the city of Cinderfall. From there the race came into came many conflicts, among one of the first was a fallen Great Dragon named Askk'vulrict, who's ability to control the power of fire made him easily be able to take over Cinderfall. He slayed King Hephaestus The II easily, melting the hammer of Bezalel with his brilliant blue flames. And for two centuries Askk'vulrict ruled as the king of the Ashkins, sending them to his crystal mines within Mount Vulcan where they would burn and suffer for years. During the second century reign of Askk'vulrict, a young Ashkin woman and her daughter were thrown into one of the lava streams after refusing to worship Askk'vulrict. However under the mercy of Amh the young girl was blessed under the light of a blood moon and developed a powerful resistance and power of fire, managing to save herself and her mother. The girl experienced a vision of a hawk like creature, engulfed in flames, which told her she would grow up to be the first pyromancer of Ashkin and release the Ashkin of the evil of Askk'vulrict, blessing her with the name of Hestia. For the many couple of decades Hestia learned the power of pyromancy from the visions of the flaming bird. And despite her fear of challenging a Great Dragon she chose to have faith and follow the birds wisdom. On her twentieth birthday, Sekhmet marched straight up to the Great Dragons temple and challenged him. The dragon, amused that a young girl would attempt to even face him, challenged the girl to ten trials, in which the authority of Cinderfall would be given to Hestia if she beat all of them. Sekhmet not only completed all of the trials, but for the final trial of managing to make the Greater Dragon bleed, she managed to conjure up a bright white flame that completely disintegrated the creature completely. The death of the Askk'vulrict was so great it caused the volcano to erupt, yet Hestia managed to help her kind survive by seperating the sea of lava the volcano created and changing its course away from the Ashkin. From that Sekhmet was declared the Queen of Cinderfall and liberated all of the Ashkin from slavery. In honor of her mentor, Queen Sekhmet decided to name her family line after it, the Greyhawkes, after the silver bird that helped her save her kingdom. After the liberation from Askk'vulrict, Sekhmet led her kind for many years as their queen, and she reformed the culture and politics of Cinderfall greatly. She created the "Pyre Code", a foundation of rules she believed were divinely given to her by Amh that taught the Ashkin how to respectfully worship Amh, what they could and could not do, and how they should treat other nations as well as creating the "Ten Gems of Truth" which were ten different crystals that taught about the main laws and foundations all Cinderfall residents should follow. In her final years Sekhmet gave a prophecy, that a kingdom of Shadow will strike fear in the hearts of Cinderfall and drive it into a time of disorder and destruction, and only a "lost flame" from the House of Greyhawke will one day restore Cinderfall to its former glory. She eventually then gave up her crown as royalty to spend the remaining years of her life as a nomad, her final resting place believed to be made by Amh Himself, buried deep under the earth where her body would remain. After Sekhmet dethroned, the crown came to her son, Infernia. Who acted as a warrior king that expanded the land of Cinderfall, as the continent was slowly being colonized by other nations and fire giants were making several attempts to enslave the Ashkins. So Infernia created the first official security protocols in Cinderfall, creating a military, police, royal guard, and blacksmithery to assist in combatting the Fire giants. With Infernia they managed to go toe to toe with the Fire Giants and colonizers, pushing them back and expanding the Cinderfall empire. They finally came to what was called the "Battle of Obsidian" where Infernias army met the bastion of the Fire Giant Warlord which was called the "Fornax Fort" a fortress made entirely of obsidian. It seemed nigh impenetrable and undefeatable, so Infernia decided to call on Amh to see what they would do, and after a day of prayer Amh commanded the warrior-king to have his army lay down their weapons, sit at the moat of the Fornax Fort and seven times a day, utter an oath of loyalty and glory to Amh for seven days. On the seventh day, a thunderbolt from the sky struck the Fire Giant Warlord from his throne, dead, and caused the entire obsidian fortress to collapse. With that the Fire Giants surrendered and left the continent completely up for grabs, in honor of Infernias effort they named the entire continent after him in his name. After the rule of Infernia went away, Cinderfall began to become quite unstable as in Infernias death he left the crown to his children, seven sons and five daughters, this was the first time a Greyhawke had given more then one child, so when it came to passing the crown, there was a dispute. Each child of Greyhawke was as fierce and stubborn as their father was, and all of them had a desire to take the crown. And so from there Cinderfall dissolved into an age of civil war, with the empire being shattered into thirteen different kingdoms that each fought each other for a decade. Amh was angered and dismayed by the Ashkins loss of order, and so he allowed each of the kingdoms to be taken over by a natural disaster or army, as both punishment for their greed of power and as a lesson for each of the rulers to learn. There were many great stories about the thirteen rulers with each of them facing this horrible obstacle and only by relearning one of the ten laws of the "Gems of Truth". Some of the stories include Xiuhtecuhtli, who's kingdom was being oppressed by orcs and the only way for his kingdom to succeed against them, was by him giving up his blessing of strength as a self sacrifice so the orcs main fortress would collapse, killing both the orc generals as well as himself. Or Vesta, a very timid Queen who's kingdom was ravaged by Shade Streakers, only when she trusted Amh and went to the Shade Streaker cave with only her and her servants, and by Amh's orders shouted, screamed, and threw pottery on the floor, that the Shade Streakers were struck with fear and fled. Unfortunately, of the twelve Greyhawke princes and princesses that Amh punished, only nine of the heirs learned their lesson, while the other four ignored Amh's punishments, continued their evil ways, and ultimately fell from power or died. The reformation of the good rulers and the death of their siblings caused Cinderfall to eventually reform with all of the remaining siblings choosing to submit their crown to the most reformed of the siblings, Princess Hestia II. At an unmarked time, a young boy named Caleb was in the outside borders of Cinderfall, was captured by the Fire Giants and imprisoned within their kingdom. They tortured and tormented the young boy, yet no matter what they did they could not break him because of how powerful his faith in Amh is. Amazed by what faith and power came from the boys faith, the Fire Giants chose to release him from their grasp and returned him back to Cinderfall. The current queen at the time, Queen Pele, was charmed by the boys remarkable faith, offered him the opportunity to marry her, in which Caleb accepted her. At the day of their marriage Caleb received a vision from Amh that one day, a man of the same name as him would guide Cinderfall out of the darkness and be a "guiding light" for people yet "no crown would ever meet his head". Years after the rule of the reign of Queen Pele, when the king abdicated he had no heirs to pass the throne to, so the throne automatically went to the kings half brother, Agni. At first Agni was seen to be a great king, as he managed to expand the trading of Cinderfall and won many battles against the Fire Giants. However, it soon became very clear that Agni was not fit for the throne very well, he disobeyed Gods commands plentifully, mercilessly executing prisoners of war and spending lots of money on the trade system to improve his already rich life despite the priests of Amh saying Amh was commanding Angi to be merciless and be without greed. When it became clear that King Agni would not listen to them, Amh commanded the royal advisor, Kassandra, to go out into Cinderfall and find a new man to be named king. Kassandra went out to the outskirts of Cinderfall as Amh commanded her and she found herself guided towards a common peasant who worked as a silk weaver and was along distant relative of the Greyhawkes, she asked the peasent if she could see his children and the silk weaver brought out all eleven of his sons, all well fit, well looking, or charismatic. However Amh told the Kassandra that none of them were fit for a king, Kassandra asked if he had anymore heirs and the silk weaver bluntly denied it. When Kassandra began to leave, she found not far from the silk weavers fields, a frail and homeless young girl. She asked the girl what her name was and who her father was. The girl responded saying she never was named as her father, a silk weaver, denied her as a family member as she was the result of an affair the leatherworker never owned up to and the fact that she thought and acted incredibly different from the rest of her siblings (scholars later would assume that due to matching the symptoms that the girl had some form of neurodivergence such as ADHD or Autism). Kassandra then took the girl to the royal family palace, where they brought the families royal Greyhawke bird to the girl (Greyhawkes were tamed by the royal family and had such strong senses of smell they could detect the morality and relations to the royal family) and the Greyhawke not only confirmed the girl was a Greyhawke, but it perched on her shoulder, a sign of her being the rightful ruler of the family throne. With that, Kassandra anointed the girl with the ashes of a Greyhawke feather and officially gave her a name: Hestia. For years Hestia would live with the royal family as the heir who would replace Agni one day at the throne. At this time, Amh allowed for a demon named Fenrir, to influence Agni, feeding his anger, bloodlust, and greed considerably. Agni grew increasingly corrupt and even lashed out at several of his advisors, so much so that many grew worried about how they could even discuss with the king. One day, after a rather intense talk with the king, some advisors were passing by Hestia's room, when they caught sight of a beautiful tapestry inside, the tapestry was beautiful and just the sight of it made the advisors believe it was woven by Amh themselves. They asked Hestia who created the tapestry and she remarked that she did, they immediately requested that they could present the tapestry to the king, which she agreed. The king as well, greatly admired the tapestry, that depicted the love and grace of Amh, and whenever he was within the tapestries presence, it seemed like the demon briefly left him and the king returned back to his innocent self once more, but it only lasted for a few days before the demon was back and he became a violent, jealous man once more. Since then, Hestia began making many tapestries for the kings throne room in order to calm him from his violent moods. Unfortunately for Agni, his reign did not get any better, as his war against the Fire Giants began to get worse in which they grew closer and closer to conquering Cinderfall within each battle. Agni feared defeat so much so he quickly called for a brief truce, hoping that there could be some other way to bring the peace. The Fire Giants of course mocked him, calling him a coward and mocking him during negotiations, this made Agni furious and by the influence of the demon, called out for the Fire Giants to bring him their strongest warrior, in which one member of the Greyhawke family would face, whoever lost would never set a foot on the continent of Infernia. The Giants, suprised by the kings sudden challenge and yet amused that they would be given a challenge they obviously had the advantage in, accepted it. Many of the kings advisors begged the king to reconsider the challenge but he instead threatened or ordered their execution. The giants agreed that the two would meet on the Ashened Flats on the night the Solar Eclipse light kissed the earth. They chose their best warrior, a 40 foot fire giant named Typhon, with long blood red dreadlocks and jet black skin who had 20 foot battleaxe of pure obsidian and the ability to twist and manipulate the shadows. Every day up until the time of the duel he would approach the borders of Cinderfall and bellow out a mocking of the Greyhawke house and all of its residence, insulting their God and king with a bloodcurdling roar of laughter. The giant terrified the city and the royal family, with none of the royal family-even Agni-too afraid of losing their own life-to choose to partake in the duel and by the time the Blood Moon was almost about to kiss the earth they chose to prepare to evacuate the city instead, as if one came without a representative the other had permission to invade. However, as Typhon made his final mockings before Cinderfall and the Fire Giant army prepared their invasion from the walls of Cinderfall, came a young girl, dressed in simple peasant clothing's with flowing amber hair, wielding no weapons in hand but a single sewing needle, and her name was Hestia. Typhon and the Fire Giant army were stunned that the kingdom would bring a little girl to challenge their general. And they all laughed at her, mocking her for being small, a girl, a "runt" and her pale, skinny, dirty body. As they laughed, Hestia uttered a single prayer to Amh for Him to be with her in this moment. Typhon then charged at her, leaped into the air, and brought his axe down on her with the force of a mountain, however, the axe never touched her skin, as the light of the Solar Eclipse sunk into Hestia's skin, Amh blessed her as a Fireborne, and Hestias body condensed into a shadowy mist, allowing her body to become unharmed by the axe. The Giant tried to bind her down and swallow her with shadow powers, but it seemed that no darkness could ever get near her, as if some invisible force held them back. Hestia proceeded to avoid all of Typhons attacks and with a graceful leap, sunk the sowing needle right into Typhons skull, sending him crashing down. Without a word Hestia took Typhons trinket, a symbol of a Shadow Dragon holding an amethyst, a source of the Giants shadow powers, and lifted it into the air, the gem gleaming to reveal that the young girl had successfully defeated the Giants. Realizing their champion had fallen, the Fire Giants were enraged, and attempted to storm Cinderfall. But, with the power of fire and now the power of shadow as well, Hestia managed to repel the army, using her shadow magic to swallow them up in a void, sending the army hurling across the continent, never to set foot on Cinderfall again. The Ashkins and royal family erupted in applause for Hestia and even Agni was impressed, anointing Hestia as his personal bodyguard as she became a champion of Cinderfall and an official part of the royal family. After her brilliant performance against the fire giants, Hestia began to receive a great amount of glory and applause by the Cinderfall people, some even saying that Hestia would even come one day to take Agni's throne once he dies. The demon, Fenrir, noticed this applause of Hestia and in turned used it to feed into Agni's jealousy and hatred of Hestia. At first it didn't affect the king as much but overtime the hatred grew stronger towards Hestia grew within the king, and he became more and more paranoid of his power and crown. Soon he began plotting and churning about Hestia, rather then admiring his fellow Greyhawkes achievements he slowly planned out her assassination. He made multiple attempts to depose or kill Hestia, but it seemed that Amh protected the young girl from all problems: when the king poisoned her goblet, Hestia drank the wine and suffered no affects, when Agni tried to spread false information about Hestia to encourage her deposal, it fell on deaf ears and even when the king sent a bounty hunter to kill the girl in her sleep, the bounty hunter dreamed of an angel telling him to not listen to the king and to instead flee the empire. Nothing the king could do could harm Hestia, and that only deepened his paranoia until it finally came to a breaking point. One winter morning, Hestia woke up to find herself shackled in chains before the king, with every tapestry she ever made burning in a pile before the king, Agni immediately ordered for Hestia to be publicly executed by whipping before the crowd for assassination attempts towards the king. Throughout the whole trial and up till her execution Hestia did not argue or fight in any way, even when the king mocked and threatened her. Hestia's friends begged her to defend herself before the king but the girl simply responded, "All words fall short upon a man who's heart rests in the claws of the deceiver." And so Hestia was taken of her royal clothes and sent to be whipped. Upon her execution as she was being chained up to a stake a crowd began to gather around, recognizing the kings bodyguard, the moment the lashing began, an outcry immediately emerged from the crowd, not wanting such a pure hearted girl to be killed. Each time she was whipped the outcry grew louder and louder Agni realized that if he killed Hestia without giving her a chance he would lose the sway of the crowd. "Fine then!" He thundered, as he scowled at Cinderfall, "If you don't want her whipped I'll slay her myself!" Agni challenged Hestia to a dual by combat, saying that only one of them could come out alive and the winner would forever hold the crown of Greyhawke. Agni knew very well that he clearly outmatched Hestia in physical power, especially considering Hesti was in a weak state after being hit several times by a metal cord whip across her back. It was clear at the start of the due immediately who the winner would be. Agni proceeded to overpower and ragdoll the young girl across the town square where he made her fought, and Hestia despite her training as a bodyguard, was no warrior and was easily outmatched. Outmatched and close to death, in her dying words Hestia called on Amh to help her in which he blessed her, yet not with physical strength-but power in her words. Just as Agni was about to land the final blow, Hestia suddenly began to sing the words of an Ashkin Psalm "Chains Lest Ye Be Broken". The psalm was about a broken man who was trapped in his own desires and thoughts, but found clear of mind and satisfaction when he turned to Amh. The moment the first verse was uttered down to the pslams final words, Agni stopped and was entranced by the song, finding truth in every word. The demon residing in him, Fenrir, lost complete power over Agni, and the king immediately recognized his own fault and sins declaring with a tearful face about Hestia "This is who the Lord has chosen to rule us". By his own declaration, the duel could not end with only one heir to the throne alive, so by his own choice, fell on his own sword and died, thereby making Hestia the winner of the battle. When the crowd erupted with congratulations to Hestia, she ordered them all to stop saying "While the Lords way has been fulfilled, we lost one of our own because of it, and for that we must not cheer." On the very day she was crowned, Agni's funeral was done, while he was a twisted king influenced by dark spirits, in the end he chose what was right, and that was to be honored. Queen Hestias rule is one of great adventures and thousands of stories that could only be true because of Amhs work. So many in fact that there would be too many to document in one story, fortunately the Hestia Accords Library has plenty of documents and stories that list all the great things that happened during her reign. But Queen Hestia was an influence for a majority of the culture, taboos, laws, and methods the Ashkins perform today. She made various pieces of art, including the many tapestries that hang around the Cinderfall palace, city central, and Cinderfall borders. Many great stories and legends were also written and invented under her which all were wrapped together in the book of "Kathiab". During her reign, Hestia experienced a vision from Amh in which he made three promises to her. One, that Cinderfall would prosper greatly while she reigned, 2. That her lineage would last for centuries 3. That one of her descendants would-like her-have an unlikely past-yet come to the throne. However Amh made Hestia promises that in turn she would never give into her emotional feelings and never marry. Hestias did many things during her reign, this would include: summoning her original family and personally allowing them to live in the Cinderfall palace (despite their past mistreatment of her), improving the Cinderfall palace by expanding it and adding portraits and tapestries of its past rulers, and clearing several Ashkin rebellions through simply speaking to them. During the time of her reign, Hestia found herself in conflict with a new potential threat other then the Fire Giants (who had fled from the Infernia continent) and that would be the kingdom of Shadowvale. The kingdom had been a rising power in the past few years and was slowly starting to open up contact with other countries, sometimes in more forceful ways. And eventually they chose to extend their contact to the rather introverted Cinderfall empire, expressing intense intrigue of their crystalline powering and the Greyhawke royal family. Hestia was cautious yet firm when it came to contact with Shadowvale, and she made sure that they never would have any trade relations. The Shadowvalians however kept pushing and offered a seemingly innocent alliance agreement between the two. Hestia at first was incredibly reluctant to accept the offer and refused to make contact with such a suspicious group. However, when the Shadowvalians agreed to provide tribute before their queen and also swear an oath to never attack empire, Hestia let down her guard and allowed the Shadowvalians to meet her and make an oath, but she denied an official alliance. The two kingdoms met together at the Cinderfall throne room and the Shadowvalians provided many gifts for the queen in the form of coins, art, unique silks and dyes, instruments from other countries, and at the top of their treasures: A crown. This crown was forged, carved, and enchanted specifically for the Greyhawke royal family, claiming it would make them stronger and smarter. Hestia admired all of their gifts and the Shadowvalians convinced her to wear the crown but Hestia denied-saying she wasn't into accessories- (however in reality Hestia didn't like the crown, she said to one of her advisors after the meeting that "that crown has something about it-a presence-an aberrant one-one that I cannot find myself trusting). After this meeting the Shadowvalians promised to keep in touch incase the queen ever wanted to forge an alliance. While the queen had at first wanted nothing to do with Shadowvale, unfortunately they managed to take advantage of her one weakness, her heart. One of the diplomats of the Shadowvalians, Erebus, was a master charmer and had managed to even win over the heart of the powerful queen, who fell in love with him. Erebus was sent by Shadowvale to hopefully marry with Hestia and forever connect Shadowvalian blood to the Greyhawke family. And it was clear Erebus was succeeding, as within a year of the two secretly sending messages to each other, Hestia secretly married Erebus, Only a few days after the child was born, Amh sent one of the advisors of Queen Hestia who went by the named Finlo to confront the queen. He declared to her that she had broken her promise to Amh and had sinned against him, and Hestias eyes were immediately opened to what sin has been committed and fell on her knees begging the lord for forgiveness. Amh graciously gave her so but as punishment her bloodline up until the descendant Amh promised would be cursed with trouble and for his decietful nature, Amh struck Erebus with fear and he fled the empire entirely. At the age of 143, Hestia eventually died peacefully in her sleep from old age. Her final words being a blessing over her nephew, Apollo, as well as her adopted daughter, Chimera, whom she adopted a few decades before and was a Phoenix Kin by nature (as well as being the first princess in the family to ever be adopted). Afterwards, Apollo took the throne afterwards when his mother died and it was quickly clear that his tactics were going to be a bit different from the other rulers. The night after his crowning (not using the Shadowvalian given crown), Apollo experienced a vision from Amh, who said he would give Apollo whatever he asked for. In choice Apollo decided that he would like to have incredible charisma, Amh, proud that Apollo chose not to ask for riches or great glory, gave him charisma in addition to riches and glory. Immediately his powers went to work as during a court trial he had to decide between which of two arguing men had murdered a young child, during the trial Apollo began questioning the two on the morality of death and gave such an incredible speech on the morality of a human life, that one of the men burst into tears and confessed his murder right after Apollo was finished. Much to the empires surprise, Apollo decided that it was finally time for the Cinderfall empire to open up relations with other nations across the world and decided to begin sending trade opportunities to other kingdoms and countries across the world. Many kingdoms openly agreed, eager to learn of this new empire they had never heard before. They met King Apollo and immediately were impressed by his charisma, so much so that even the most stubborn and cautious of rulers were open to build alliances with him. Many kingdoms sent tribute to the king for his incredible abilities to calm the peace and inspire many, that they sent him their most valuable treasures, the Draconian Empire shipped some of their Lesser Dragons (which later would adapt to become Shade Streakers), countries of great magic sent their scrolls and books on ancient fire and shadow magic, mining companies shipped all sorts of obsidian, iron, and crystals to the empire, and soon Cinderfall became richer and more prosperous then it ever had before. It is assumed that thanks to Apollo, Cinderfall had almost 70 different alliances with seventy different kingdoms, countries, and companies. Unlike his aunt though, Apollo chose to open up an alliance with the Shadowvalians, likely believing that they were not as evil as his aunt assumed. Industrialization was another thing that Apollo worked on. He worked on experimentation on crystal and discovered their empowering properties and encouraged people to use them in their inventions. Soon, airships, air conditioning, self-refiners, and other types of brilliant machines were made under Apollos rule. It seemed like thanks to Apollo life was improving under his conditions. This wasn't always the case though, as due to industrialization, many Ashkins were sent to work in horrible conditions by mining crystals in order to keep up with industrialization, about 1,300 Ashkin died within those mines unfortunately. Additionally, all those alliances weren't all very helpful. Eventually Apollo began letting his allies become closer and closer to him, treating them like they were all good friends and being willing to let them influence his own choices. At one point Shadowvale requested that Apollo try on the Greyhawke crown they had forged for the royal family and Apollo gladly agreed, choosing to wear it whenever he was out in public or with others. Unfortunately, once the crown was placed on Apollos head, his attitude greatly changed. He began to ignore the advice of his advisors or his religious beliefs and instead pursue things based on his own beliefs on how things would work. More people were sent to the industrial mines, his trade with alliances greatened, even if he was running out of resources and causing the empire to starve. Additionally he became more prideful and bitter towards his enemies, and especially attached to his crown, having special contraptions put on the crown so that nobody but him could take it off. He eventually was killed by one of his advisors. After Apollos death an intense debate broke out between the royal family as they tried to decide which of the Greyhawke families should become rulers, the Heir of Apollo or the Heir of Chimera. While Apollo was crowned himself by Hestia, he was not considered an official daughter and while Chimera was never crowned she was the official daughter of Hestia by adoption, so by legality the children of both sides had the right to the throne. And so the Cinderfall breaks out into a war between the two thrones, the empire being split into the kingdoms of Apollix and Shamras. Both sides continuing the rule of the Ashkins yet under separate rules. In the kingdom of Apollix, the series of kings was what many describe as the "Apollo Massacre" as king after queen after king took throne, with incredibly evil and godless practices who would then be killed and replaced by another corrupt ruler. The nation continued to follow further and further away from Amh as time progressed. And eventually the rule fell to the ruler, Queen Vesta and her Shadowvalian King, Hodur. The two drove the Apollonix kingdom into a deep practice of witchcraft and demonology, and as possessors of the crown, they were influenced by the demon, Fenrir, who influenced them into worshipping as a god. Unable to allow the Apollonix kingdom to last any longer, Amh sent a prophet by the name of Helios to confront the two rulers for their treacherous ways. Amh had blessed Helios to always be cared for, so much so that when Helios often was hiding or fleeing from the mercenaries sent by Hodur and Vesta, Greyhawke birds would come and over him pieces of meat and crystal to eat. While it seemed impossible to even overthrow the Apollonix empire or turn the kingdom back to its godly ways, Helios fortunately trusted his God and was given a plan. During the middle of a great firestorm that was raging across the Apollonix kingdom, Helios challenged both the king and queen to a competition to see who was more powerful, them or Amh. The challenge would be that a pair of Greyhawkes (believed to be able to discern truth. godly presence and power) would be released and the three would call on their god to have the bird land on them, thereby being deemed worthy. Helios allowed the king and queen to go first and when the two birds were released, the king, queen and their armies called out to Fenrir to convince the bird to perch on their shoulders, however the more they called on Fenrir it seemed the more terrified the birds became. Helios watched them for hours try to charm, coo, beg, and threaten the bird to land, yet they were miserably failing, at one point, Helios turned to one of the watching Ashkin soldiers next to him and said "Perhaps you should go catch, clean and barbecue a whole dragon for us, they won't be done until next sunrise". And his joke was in fact true, the king and queen called to the birds all day and night up until the next sunrise, yet when they finally stopped, the birds hadn't even gotten within a foot of them. And after their advisors fed and healed them, the time had come for Helios's turn. Helios was sent two of the king and queens soldiers to assist him during the challenge. The first thing he asked of the soldiers was if they had mounts, "Yes" said the soldiers, "Two Shade Streakers". Helios then requested for them to take their dragons and collect up their piles of dung, a strange request, but the soldiers obeyed. Once they had a few buckets of steaming dragon dung Helios then commanded them to pour a bucket of dung on him, when they did, he asked them to do it a second time, and a third time. Until finally at the fourth time and Helios was drenched black in dragon feces he told them that was enough. He then commanded them to have their two dragons positioned on both sides of them. Dragons were known predators to Greyhawkes so the smell of their dung and the dragons bare presence was known to repel them. It seemed as if Helios was setting himself up for all sorts of prayer. Yet the prophet, with dung on his face and dragons at his side, looked up and stretched out his too hands, "Amh, show these men who truly is the Lord of The Ashkin" and the moment he uttered his words, the two Greyhawkes dove towards him and perched on both of his dung reeking shoulders. From the forest, several more Greyhawkes emerged and made their perch on his head and arms, an unbelievable act of nature. The people, immediately seeing that the Greyhawkes had all chosen Helios, realized that their king and queen were not truly Gods people and rebelled against them. Queen Vesta escaped and was imprisoned, but King Hodur escaped back to his palace where he would rally up the rest of his troops, believing now was the time for Shadowvale to take over Cinderfall. However Amh and Helios would not allow him the chance. While Hodur was beginning up his army, Helios was sent by Amh to the Chimeris Kingdom where he met the long descendant of Princess Chimera, King Ignis. And Helios offered Ignis by Amhs command to be his apprentice, acting as both a king and prophet for the nations. Charmed, Ignis accepted, and he went out to go confront Hodur with the great prophet. Bringing his great army to lead a battle against Hodur in what would be known as the Battle of The Sun. Hodur had illegally taken over a Crystal Mines and began harvesting its crystals, using their power as cores for his constructs, Shadow Elementals, which would be his main forces in the army. When his army clashes with Ignis's the Shadow Elemental quickly tore through the army thanks to their ability to devour souls. Fortunately, Helios saw this coming and Amh commanded him to lift up his hands, when Helios obeyed, from the stars above beams of light struck the Shadow Elementals, locking them in place and preventing them from attacking, allowing Ignis's army to gain the upper hand. However, like any man, Helios grew weary and when his hands dropped, the beams of light went away and the Shadow Elementals rampaged again. Ignis saw this and departed from battle to hold up Helios's arms and keep the beams of light free. And soon after 24 hours of battle, Hodur saw he was losing and began to flee towards Shadowvale. Ignis immediately leaped onto his dragon mount and led the chase after Hodur. Ignis, in his kingdom, was also known by the nickname "Dragon-Eye" as his pastime hobby was archery. When Hodur began to flee, Ignis took his crossbow from his back (the crossbow was promptly 4 feet long, its larger size allowing for it to shoot farther, Ignis was skilled and strong enough to hold it up with two hands) and released a shot, sniping the king in the shoulder from promptly 1,500 yards away. The king fell off of his mount and wild Shade Streakers came and devoured the king and his horse to shreds. Promptly ending the battle and leaving the Chimera lineage as the true lineage of Greyhawke, making Ignis king of all of Cinderfall. After the battle, while the soldiers were celebrating their victory and retaking control of the Apollox capital, Helios took Ignis aside and led him into the forest. Helios heard from God that his time was close to coming, and so he took Ignis to his private spot where he meditated with God, hidden by a thick layer of trees in which by Helios's command, moved aside. As the two sat together for a few moments to meditate, Helios asked Ignis what he desired when Helios left the earth. Ignis responded that he wished to have the courage and wisdom of Helios, in which the prophet remarked that if he sees the next event, his words would be answered. King Ignis then saw two glowing dragons (which are said to be angels) take Helios and fly him up into the heavens. Promptly making his gift be granted. Ignis rerturned to his army with a new wisdom as he took the throne as the king of a unified Cinderfall. In his time, Ignis performed many miraculous events for the common people during his reign. He cured a family household of a rare genetic disease that was believed to be completely uncurable. When a Shadowy Cult attempts to perform a curse over the Greyhawkes, Ignis summoned a pair of dragons which grabbed the cultists and tossed them into the sea. And even when the kings wife was said by the doctors to be forever paralyzed and incapable of speech, after baptizing her in the Vulcan Magma Rivers she was completely cured. By the end of his days, Ignis had performed twice as many miracles as the prophet Helios had. However, once more as the generations pass it becomes clear that the Shadowvalians had made a full impact on the Cinderfall empire. As time and time again kings and queens would fall to the influence of Shadowvale and begin to practice its customs and beliefs. There were some good rulers, such as Queen Raneese, who prevented her family from falling to the Shadowvalian ways and temporarily purifying the kingdom of Shadowvalian worship. And King Sol, son of Raneese who refined the Cinderfall laws in order to ensure it would be harder for outside powers to influence their politics. But promptly the moment these rulers left the throne Cinderfall fell back into Shadowvalian influence. Until finally after many warnings by the prophets, Amh decided to give the Ashkins what they wished, and Shadowvale one day invaded Cinderfall and completely took over the empire. The warning of Shadowvales eventually rise to power was quite clear if one were to listen to Amh. The prophet Pyralus was sent by Amh to warn of Shadowvales coming invasion due to the Ashkins immoral practices, they would be spared but live under their control for years to come. Pyralus begged them to repent, despite knowing very well that they wouldn't and describes the horrors that will happen under Shadowvales influence. However he predicts that there is hope, as years later Cinderfall will be returned to its glory and will be reigned by a ruler-a descendant of Queen Hestia herself-who will wear no crown, shed many tears, and fight greatly and repel evil from the world. Shadowvales take over was quite easy, they had been holding a great amount of influence over Cinderfall over the course of time until they had enough of a chance to be able to completely take over. The battle was quick and unexpected, so much so that Cinderfall surrendered within less than a month. The Greyhawke family was imprisoned and the civilians were threatened at the extinction of the royal family if they rebelled, the Shadowvalians proved they meant their word when they actively chose to hunt down the Greyhawke specie population, harvesting them for their wings and meat and completely wiping them out. All previous allies of Cinderfall either ignored Shadowvales rise to power or joined sides with them. Shadowvale burned down crops and important buildings and rebuilt them but under their own authority, forcing the Ashkins to completely rely on the Shadowvalians. It seemed like there was pretty much no hope of the Ashkin fighting back, and that was mostly true, as for an entire decade the Shadowvalians reigned supreme over Cinderfall, who became their puppet state. There were several admirable characters during the time of the Shadowvalian rebellion. There was the priest Chantico who led a secret temple service within the secret passages of the Cinderfall palace and kept descendants of the Greyhawkes hidden and safe in case the current Greyhawke family was to ever be killed. And the soldier Aidan, an ex-commander who smuggled citizens out of Cinderfall to outer lands and eventually led a small rebellion that despite leading to his death would allow thousands more to escape while Shadowvale was distracted. And Raya, a niece to the ex-king who married the "King of Shadowvale" and through the assistance of her brother, stopped a massacre of the Ashkins from occurring and keeping the Ashkin from being tortured or punished for the rest of her reign. Despite these historical figures, Cinderfall still faced oppression that would likely be equal to the levels of the holocaust. Ashkins were severely mistreated and slowly overtime had their rights to do mostly anything stripped away and they became one of the largest groups of slaves owned by the Shadowvale empire. However, during this time it seemed that the amount of philosophy, poeticness, and prophecy grew greatly within the Cinderfall population. During the invasion of Cinderfall, Shadowvale captured Greyhawkes as well as their Ashkin officials and servants. Four of the servants, Ra, Sol, Shamash, and Helios (seperate from King Helios) were some of the advisors and were commanded to be bodyguards and advisors of the king. They were quickly sent to a temple where they would learn how to bond with demons in order to gain special abilities to protect the king. Ra and his friends knew by Cinderfall code that they should not practice any magic other then the ones of their ancestors (that being pyromancy) so they the Head Sorcerer if they could practice their own magic. The Sorceror was reluctant at first but agreed after they promised to only learn Cinderfallian magic and after a month check in and see on them. A month passes, Ra and his friends are shown to be much more powerful in their control of magic then any other Ashkins who practiced Shadowvaliabe n magic. Impressed, the Head Sorceror allowed them to stick to learning only Cinderfallian magic and were promoted to be apart of the royal guard of the king. Later, the Prince of one of smallest Shadowvales districts in Cinderfall, Prince Kek, had an intense vision of a great soldier with armor of iron and studded with rubies, impaled by an obsidian sword and dying and a man taking the soldiers place. He could not interpret the vision and even his advisors and sorcerors couldn't. Ra however knew, and told the king that the dream meant that the man represented the kingdom of Shadowvale and the kingdoms after it, and how none of them could stand before the holy power of Amh and one day a man would come to stand as Gods chosen king. In a separate district, the Prince Ashur was influenced by the demon of Fenrir built a statue of a hyena and commanded that every man who saw the statue would come down and worship it or be put into the cities arena. However Sol, Shamash and Helios, knowing that would be blaspheming their God refused. And they were brought before the king who was enraged so much so that he ordered his men to put every horrific beast they had into the arena so that the Ashkin could be ripped to shreds the moment they were put in (many soldiers themselves were devoured trying to put every single beast into the arena). But when the king pushed the men into the arena, the beasts all fled in fear of the Ashkins, with what looked like to be a shining man standing above the the three men, repelling all the great monsters. Astonished, Ashur had the men be pulled out and was bewildered to discover that they had not received a single wound, not a single animal hair was on their clothes, and they didn't even stink like the animals. From there on Ashur come to respect the Ashkins God, while not believing it directly. And the Ashur district for a time was more peaceful towards the Ashkins compared to others. Ra faced a similar fate with the Prince where he was thrown, chained up, into a nest of Shade Streakers. But instead of attacking him the dragons bit off his chains and instead went after the group of advisors that tried to kill him. From there on Ashur and Prince Kek come to respect the Ashkins God, while not believing it directly. And the Ashur district for a time was more peaceful towards the Ashkins compared to others. Ra and his friends had several visions of a coming Greyhawke ruler who would liberate his kin from a great evil. They also experienced visions of the apocalypse and how it would go on to be like. During this decade reign slavery, an Ashkin hermit named Kenneth hid far from the borders of the city. He was despaired by the destruction and fall of his old empire and demanded to know why God allowed such suffering to his kingdom. Amh then revealed himself to Kenneth and spoke to him, revealing that he allowed the demons to attack Cinderfall due to the Ashkins horrible practices and teaching. But he told Kenneth that sometimes it wouldn't be exactly clear why he would allow these things, but instead of being angry at that we should use these events to unstrengthen us. The twin sisters: Fiamma and Adana wrote some intense philosophical literature. Fiamma wrote a book on wisdom, listing all of her beliefs and expressing her positive nature about the word and what you needed to to do to find successful and happy life (mostly by following Amh) while Adana was more bleak and intense suggesting that nothing in the world could possibly satisfy and that death was an inevitable nature, and the only way to find hope and satisfaction would be in Amh. It was about two decades of ruling from the Shadowvalians until Cinderfall was finally liberated once more. An heir of the Greyhawkes, known by the name Phoenix. The young girl was taught from a young age and became as much of a warrior as much as she was a historian scholar. And By her early teens, staged a crusade against the Shadowvalians. Starting in the Erebus district and moving to the Kek and Ashur districts quickly. Her support grew almost immediately in the Ashkin community, sick of their oppression and believing now was the time that Amh would liberate them. What Phoenix and the Shadowvalians did in the fight for Cinderfall was intense and the Shadow War was a time that was filled with many horrific and brutal atrocities on both sides, many which would forever affect Ashkins and Phoenix herself. But finally, with fierce fighting and endearing determination, Phoenix came out on top and they proceeded to eradicate any Shadowvalians and their influence from their kingdom. No Ashkin wanted Cinderfall to be controlled by an outside power ever again and so they ensured that they would be able to keep it that way. So Phoenix, now the Empress of Cinderfall, ordered the destruction of the "Steel Bridge" the only lasting piece of land that connected Cinderfall to the rest of the world, through a use of magma, explosives, Shade Streakers, and other destructive items the Ashkins destroyed any island, sand bar, and chain that could be used as a path to Cinderfall. The destruction was hard enough to create a barrier of dust, ash, and smoke that surrounded the continent of Cinderfall, making it impossible to find to those looking for it. Phoenix then ordered a patrol of Shade Streaker riders to plant outposts in the ash fog, attacking and destroying any ship that entered at sea. And for a long time, Cinderfall was an isolationist kingdom and while many people had heard of its legends past, none of them could make any contact. It seemed that the reign of Phoenix would be something that would be prosperous for Cinderfall, a time of renewing and joy and improvement to their lives, free from the shadowy grips of Shadowvale. But unfortunately, the time of celebration was short, as for the first time in thousands of years, Mount Vulcan erupted. Mount Vulcan was the central volcano that resided within Cinderfall, the source of all its energy, crystals, and metal, while dormant it had not erupted for centuries, so much so that the Ashkins had built their Greyhawke palace on the rim of it. So when Mount Vulcan erupted, the castle was immediately flooded, ravaged with boiling flames, and while Ashkins could survive its heat, the magical energy of the magma they could not withstand. In a day, almost all of the Cinderfall palace, three fourths of the Greyhawke royal family, half of its entire capital, a third of its nearby towns, a fourth of its crops and a fifth of the entire Ashkin population, were annihilated by the blast. It was an event that would take decades to recover from and something that the surviving Ashkins would never forget. Barely any of the Greyhawke family survived, succumbing to the fall of the palace or the eruption, only a few distant relatives made it during that time. Even though they cut off all contact, the nearby empires heard of the eruption and truly believed that Mount Vulcan had completely destroyed the Ashkins, Cinderfall, and Infernia and that it was such an act of God that it was now considered forbidden land. In just a few years, Cinderfall became nothing but a legend, like that of Atlantis or Olympus. Days after the eruption, Empress Phoenix was found alive, at the time of the eruption she was investigating the ancient vault and safeholds of the Greyhawke palace and was about to retrieve the ancient Greyhawke crown from the vault when Vulcan erupted and she was trapped under the rubble, she at first died from the rubble. But in her death she experienced a sort of deathly dream, of a large beautiful creature, a Hyena. It said its name was Fenrir, the head general of Amh's army, and it wanted to bless Phoenix, offering to resurrect her and as long as she kept ruling, he would serve as her guardian angel and advisor. Phoenix was pleased and blessed the Lord for this offering and agreed to accept. When the people found Empress Phoenix alive, they were amazed at her survival and when she told them of the creatures offering (not bothering to speak its name) and the people believed that she was the savior and great ruler that the prophets had prophesied all those years before. With this the people willingly served her with all of their heart and power. Nobody seemed to notice or care that Phoenix began to act a lot stricter, a lot colder, a lot harsher. Few objected when she passed laws to hunt down surviving Greyhawkes for "treason against the throne" or the laws passed to develop a more militaristic view of the world. Everybody was so convinced of Phoenix being the "true ruler of Cinderfall" that they willingly believed anything she said, whether it was the belief that the world needed to be purged like a "purifying fire" so only Greyhawkes stood as ruler or her statements that non-Ashkin residents of Cinderfall were "lesser" citizens then the others. Historians call this age the "Reign of Purification" due to the fact that Phoenix reformed and "purified" her empire through the use of harsh and violent acts, that people seemingly accepted well. Phoenix hoped that given a few decades, she could rebuild Cinderfall to become even more powerful then it was before and soon they could remerge back into the world and invoke a wrath upon the world that had betrayed them. During the Calamity of Mount Vulcan, a small population of Ashkin evacuated the continent of Cinderfall and escaped to other empires. They were not noticed due to the chaos going on and the guards having other things to worry about. In that group of Ashkin were Asher and Arpina Flamouris who had recently given birth to their young son, Caleb. Asher and Arpina arrived to the other continents in poor conditions and were close to starvation, they knew their son deserved better conditions and opened him up for adoption. Due to being distant from Cinderfall their skin no longer was silver but rather normal coloring, in which they now looked like nothing more then humans so nobody was disturbed by this. In this short period, young Caleb found adoption under the wing of a familiar group, Shadowvale. They sensed potential in the young boys magic and the fiery glow of his eyes was similar to that of the Ashkin race that existed so long ago, in so they chose to take him under their wing and train him to be a soldier. It was quite clear from the moment of his training that Caleb would become a powerful warrior. He was sharp, perceptive, vigorous, fearless, quick minded, and persistent, all traits that made him quickly rise up through the ranks. He was an especially skilled fighter and rarely lost a fight, and when he did he trained harder until he could eventually overcome his enemy. He was greatly loyal to the Shadowvale practices and was quick to submit to their teachings of worship, he rarely disobeyed them and when he did he was punished brutally and severely, teaching him to be loyal. Caleb was the perfect soldier and it was clear he would rise to be a top commander, the only thing that seemed to stand in that way was only one thing. Love. Caleb had come to develop a deep affection with an elf girl, Taylor Morgan. She was a prisoner at the military based he commonly trained at and secretly was the daughter of an Ashkin refugee from Cinderfall. She was friendly, oblivious to Calebs status, and was a deeply faithful individual to Amh. Her innocence, faith, and lack of fear was something that he admired and took affection for. And it was her and her teachings that caused him to hesitate often. This angered Calebs teachers who feared that if they failed to make him the true warrior that he was meant to be that they would be executed, so they devised a plan to rid Taylor. They sent a Star prisoner with the promise that they would free him if he assassinated Taylor, the man took their word and broke into the military base, fatally stabbing Taylor in the neck. Caleb saw the whole thing from the distance and tried to help Taylor but by the time he made it, she had already passed. In her dying words Taylor begged for Caleb in his dying wish to find the homeworld of her people, of his people, and restore the House of Greyhawke. From this day forward Caleb would keep two things close to his heart: a deep hatred of the star race and a locket around his neck which kept a single strand of Taylors hair, to remember her by. And with affection out of the picture, Shadowvale could now sculpt him into whatever shape he desired. From the age of 16, Caleb was a commander of Shadowvale. He held his own army, but mostly preferred to do things by himself, hunting down criminals and targets of Shadowvale and killing them without mercy. At age 18 Caleb swore an oath to the great beast, Fenrir, willingly devoting all his skill and bloodshed to the being. Fenrir was pleased with such a glorious gift and blessed Caleb with the power of a thousand soldiers and the cunningness of a thousand commanders. In trade, Caleb grew to become more violent, more aggressive, more heartless. Never once did he ever spare a life, and no person ever died a quick and painless death at his hands. Calebs ability to seemingly appear out of nowhere as well as his abilities to manipulate the shadows, usually signifying his presence by having his shadows appear as two dark wings over his shoulders, gave him the name "Angel of Death". He was a terrifying man, with a twisted thirst for blood and a heart void of pity and evil. When Caleb performed gory execution after gory execution the Shadowvalians cheered him on and sent him letrers or praise and gifts of admiration. Gone was the hopeful future his parents hoped for him, Caleb was never told of his parents, his past, or anything related to the Ashkin race himself. All Caleb knew was Shadowvale. And it seemed for the rest of his life it would be that way. However, that was not the case. At one point Caleb was commanded to chase members of the IAS for assisting people in escaping the simulation. His work was just as quick and brutal as it always was. However just as Caleb encountered one of the more important members (whichever member of the IAS is, is to be discussed) he bested them quickly in combat, and right before he could land the final blow. He experienced a flash of bright light, witnessing what looked to be winged being blocking him from his target. The winged figure introduced itself as Amh and asked why Caleb had been persecuting his people, commanding him to turn back from his ways. In a moment Calebs eyes were opened to the horrific atrocities he committed and the evil that he served. And after that, he fell unconscious overwhelmed with shock and despair as he tried to comprehend what had happened. When Caleb woke up he found himself treated by Shadowvale and in their hands. Utterly petrified by the recent events Caleb fled the first chance he got with barely any equipment and hid within the land of the Draconian Empire for several months. There he recollected himself and decided to put his past behind him, deciding to fulfil Taylors wish and find the land of Cinderfall once and restore it back to glory. During this time two important events occurred within the land of Cinderfall. Empress Phoenix began the second phase of the Purification Age, sending out her best soldiers to scout out the land for any potential curiosities and weaknesses. Using the power of crystals in which have been constantly mined through the use of slaves, the Ashkins soldiers and their commander, General Infernia, were able to scout out the lands beyond. And secondly, a group of individuals called the Scarlet Rebels in Cinderfall grew disapproving of Phoenix's supposed claim to be the king the prophets told the Ashkin about and also the fact she was turning people into slave miners and soldiers, they sought out to find a descendant of Greyhawke that could lead a rebellion against Phoenix. However Phoenix had previously cast a secret order for Infernia to imprison and execute all descendants of Greyhawkes so she was the only one legitimate to the throne. In response, the Scarlet Rebels began working with a pirate crew: Monarch. To fight against Phoenix. During this time, Caleb caused an accidental ruckus among the Draconian Empire due to his past afflictions and the consistent presence of Fenrir stalking his every move. This attracted the attention of General Infernia, who confronted the man and after a brief scuffle, Caleb was saved by the Monarch crew from Infernias wrath just barely. Infernia then reported to her army of the suspicions and increased patrols around Cinderfall. While in the Monarch, Caleb met the feisty rebel Scarlet Russell and the fierce yet cold captain, Alioth Thunderbane. While Scarlet was rather friendly towards Caleb, Alioth was more aggressive towards Caleb, believing him to be in fact the Angel of Death. Caleb kept this identity a secret and claimed to not be the dreadful serial killer. Regardless, Alioth believed him to be suspicious and challenged Caleb to a duel, which ended up as a tie. For the rest of the ride Caleb and Alioth had a difficult rivalry. When the crew entered the ashy blanket around the Infernian continent they were immediately spotted by a Cinderfall patrol who attacked the ship, while the Monarch survived. Caleb and Alioth were left completely stranded and rushed into the Blood Willow Forests in order to escape. Where they were attacked and arrested by Phoenix's crew and brought to her throne room to be interrogated. She immediately was informed by Fenrir of Calebs lineage and put the two both up for execution, however before the execution could begin Caleb managed to break his bonds and with the help of a Shade Streaker, Caleb and Alioth escaped. From there the Scarlet Rebellion realized the importance of Caleb and that he was the true descendant of the Greyhawkes. Caleb was very uneasy at the idea of ruling an empire as not only he was a wanted fugitive but after his past experience in leading he didn't want Fenrir to make him hurt people again. And so Scarlet and Alioth began helping Caleb try to find a way to conquer Fenrir and also become a good leader, however in those times Calebs pride made him refuse help and he instead only chose to lead because he believed that was what Taylor would have wanted. Throughout those times Caleb led various effective assaults on Empress Phoenix, a heist to discover the the construction of a Cinderfall fleet to raid the lands and then a raid of the slavesmithing prison to free fugitives. It seemed that the Scarlet Rebellion would finally be making progress to toppling Phoenix's throne, but it wouldn't all be so good. The Empress had been consistently researching records on the Greyhawke family and recognized Caleb as the same man who followed Shadowvale. Knowing that her followers were dropping and Calebs plans were weakening her, Phoenix decided that the raid of the outer lands and the final phase of her plan would begin soon. Thanks to Calebs constant rash actions thanks to the influence of Fenrir, Calebs pride and the fact that he kept holding back his power and identity-it eventually allowed for Phoenix to finally locate him. She released her newly build fleet on the rebellion and destroyed their base completely, before coming down to confront Caleb herself. With Fenrir's presence so close Caleb was weakened and struck with fear, making him easily overpowered by Phoenix. But it didn't stop there, Phoenix knew exactly what Caleb used to be and used his past to not only cause Caleb to flee, making others realize that Caleb was really the Angel of Death. And with that, Caleb immediately fled the scene, ashamed of his power and completely lost. Leaving the survivors of the Scarlet Rebellion to be enslaved and forced to witness the Purification first hand. Caleb finds himself hiding within the midst of the shadowy forests of Cinderfall, weak, afraid, and forced to watch as Phoenix's plans slowly delve into action and her fleet begins its march towards the rest of the continent. Lost and at his lowest, Caleb finally admits that he can't take on Fenrir alone and that he needs help. And the moment he admits it, a Greyhawke appears before Caleb, revealing itself to be Amh Himself. While Caleb never noticed the bird at first it had always been following Him, the only reason He never saw it was because He doubted Amh would ever help him and believed He had to deal with all of his problems alone. Caleb was offered the chance by Amh to receive His help stopping Phoenix and Fenrir and the Ashkin finally accepted. Amh finally entered Calebs heart and he was awakened with a new sense of strength, determination, and clarity within himself. With the help of his mount, Spirit, Caleb chased after Phoenix's fleet to take her down finally. By the time that Caleb reached Phoenix, she and her fleet were already closing in on the Draconian Empire, ready to unleash their crystalline weaponry. With the help of his enstrengthened Shadow abilities and his dragon, Caleb managed to outfly the Shadow Streaker fleet and managed to help break free several Scarlet Rebels. They however acted incredibly bitter towards Caleb for not only abandoning them but also not telling them about his past, and through a shockingly emotional response by Caleb about his internal fears-the first time Caleb ever opened up himself-the Scarlet Rebellion found a new sense of respect for Caleb and swore to follow him. From there, with the assist of the Draconian Empire military, Caleb and his group gradually managed to take down Phoenix's fleet through the use of quick timing, distraction, and outsmarting people. However they would not go down so easily as each ship gradually became more and more dangerous to take over. Caleb knew they wouldn't be able to destroy the whole fleet by the time they destroyed half of the country. And so he decided it was finally time to stand off against Phoenix. Caleb called for a dual against Phoenix, a thing that could only be done between those of Greyhawke ancestry. Phoenix, both blinded with the rage of Calebs survival and Fenrirs driven rage on how he could no longer control Caleb, accepted the dual. The two faced each other on the largest airship in the fleet, and the following battle that ensured was said to be legendary. However, no documents recruited what had ever happened during the dual, as the two were surrounded by a ring of fire during the time of their dual. But, many reports would remark that within the sky during the battle, they saw what seemed to be a moose or Greyhawke (reports vary) of light and a hyena made of shadow, wrestle within the sky-the battle ending with the moose goring the Hyena in the chest with its antlers, causing it to disappear. The dual seemed to last for ages seemingly, the two Greyhawkes seemingly battling and having a challenging argument within it. But in the end, when the fire dissipated-Phoenix was unconscious on the floor with a heavily beaten and bloodied Caleb holding her crown in his hands. Caleb Greyhawke, was the victor. And with that, the Scarlet Rebellion, the Ashkins, and the Draconian Empire, knelt before Caleb as the ender of the Phoenix Regime and the new ruler of Cinderfall. One week later, Calebs coronation ceremony as king had begun, with all countries old and new allowed to attend-as a sign that Cinderfall would now end its isolation. During the coronation, Caleb delved into a talk about a new era for the Ashkins, his considerations on joining the fight against Shadowvale, his alliance with the IAS, and the apologies for his past actions against the other countries. At the end of his speech, Caleb declared for a "war against the shadows" speaking not just about Shadowvale but also the creatures in the dark like Fenrir. In which he ended the coronation not by placing the Greyhawke Crown on his head, he was aware of the evil influence the crown once held on the Greyhawke family and so he promptly threw the crown to the crowd, shattering it and ending the influence of Fenrir on the lineage. From this, King Caleb earned himself the title "The Crownless King" and for the rest of his life lived on as the great ruler of Cinderfall that the prophecies had once spoken of. The history of Cinderfall is a strange one, starting with a people of ash and ending with a King with a murderous past. Historians debate the legitamancy of Ashkin history. Along with the things such as a duel with a dragon or shooting a man from miles away, many think it sounds too "unrealistic" and "spiritual" stating that a god or spiritual beings (if they exist) would never have that much influence in a kingdom. And yet the Ashkins deny this claim, and from the first day they always have defended the work of Amh in their history as hard as they can. Regardless of whether some of this history is true or not, it has great impacted many and has taught many valid rules and actions that many believe should be followed closely. The Ashkins may have had their ups and downs, and had been believed to never exist for a point, but their history and culture had yet still continued to influence the world around them in ways they never expected. But thanks to their race and the reign of the Greyhawke family, the Ashkins and their empire of Cinderfall have certainly made a smoking mark on the history of the Feytouched world, and they will for ages to come.

### Historical Figures

The historical figures of the Ashkin race are vast and many, there have been so many historical figures within their lineage that there tends to be too many to count. But the following are some of the many listed that most Ashkin will recognize immediately and have broguht a huge impact in the culture and technology of the Ashkins in the worlds of science, art, and rulership.  Carnis Agnate was a geologist and technician for the Ashkin. He originally worked as a miner within the crystal mines, put in poor conditions and treated almost as a slave by his master. Sometimes he was worked so hard that he rarely got any sleep, and he learned meditations to get himself as much energy as possible without sleeping. All this time in the dark with barely any sleep is bound to make anyone a bit loco and that is what sparked genius in Carnis. One very late night when Carnis was charged with helping power up a machine through the use of putting biomass into the engine to power it, his exhausted brain had the exhausted thought of placing a non-organic material into the machine. So he placed a small topaz into the engine, and immediately the machine exploded with a brilliant light, the energy so intense it sliced through Carni's skin, creating an 'S' shaped scar all across his torso. This new discovery immediately caught Carnis's interest as he discovered the potential energy properties of crystals. He began to experiment with them in his spare time and discovered the amount of electrical energy within each gem, realizing this potential discovery. He stepped out of the mining business to begin making crystal powered inventions, his first being a railgun sort of weapon that allowed for easier mining, which instantly became a huge success and caused scholars, engineers, and scientists worldwide to assist Carnis in the study of these gems. Thanks to Carnis, Cinderfall was industrialized and discovered a newfound power that would influence the Ashkins from generations after Carnis's death. Its thanks to his discovery of gem energy that Carnis is considered one of the greatest scientists of Cinderfall.