Ashon

## Kingdom of Ashon

Ashon is built upon a series of connected floating isles that hover above Fortaare - The land below even darker for it than the rest of the country. Covered in lush green fields, beautiful trees, and fantastical wildlife, the wonders of Ashon are a far removal from the likes of the country it presides over. Mists and fogs are not uncommon throughout, owed to the Kingdom's location being among the clouds themselves. Further, weathering storms here is a dangerous task, most likely requiring one to remain within the city itself to avoid harm - It is not uncommon to see bolts of lightning shoot up into the isles, or from the storm clouds flowing through. Some brave Rarzis, wanting to prove their strength, speed, endurance, or just to show off, will brave the rolling storms in spite of this. The weather in Ashon remains mostly moderate regardless, having only one heavy storm season in the year. The central city of the Kingdom Above Hell is a glorious, glistening capital, protected by a dome of magic to allow its denizens safe haven from any storm. Rivers flow through the city, and the streets are constantly broken by a need to take a boat to the other side of the city, or simply flying one's way through. Everything that its people need can be found in the many shops along the market streets that dot the edges of the city, imported up towards them by Flying Whale. It is from this magnificent city that the royalty of Ashon rules the country Fortaare from, and is the most defensible position in all of Fortaare. Even if the ports are taken, or the Corruption of Gjoll spreads into their homeland, Ashon will not fall. Outside the walls of the city, a number of Rarzis still make their homes, and build wonders that will never see the surface world, or live in the truest isolation possible. Disconnected from the surface, and even their own homeland below, the Rarzis that never leave Ashon can be interesting conversation partners should one somehow find themselves in the sparse wilds of the floating islands. It is not out of the realm of possibility to find long abandoned gardens and architecture, their purpose or meaning long since lost to time, perhaps made before the current age.

## Founding

The battle over the Scarred Lands left the sub-continent of Fortaare without a leader, and without a cause. The darkness that lingered over the country was assumed to eventually fade away with time, and the remaining peoples that had swore themselves to Erith still remained; Further, the mainland of Hiraeth was recovering and under shock from the fall of their own deity and leading force. So, overtaking Fortaare was the last thought on anyone's mind after the great battle that ruined much of Northern Hiraeth. In the darkness of Fortaare, however, the fragments of Erith's soul took root, and were intermingled with the light of Reesis. After some ages and generations, the Rarzis formed in the country, somewhere between angelic and demonic. The Rarzis' lot was a hard one from the beginning, and their home was one of wicked history and grim airs. One family sought to ascend above this darkness, and began to study the power that flowed through Fortaare. They eventually learned to guide the light and power that flowed through the soil of the sub-continent, and moved it in channels to specific settlements. These settlements would become great ports, and mighty cities - And then, the volcano was inadvertently created. Exactly how it was done wasn't recorded, or perhaps the magics used to command the power in the land are lost to time, but they funneled the light and dark of the long dead Gods that lived in the ground, and brought it up through a mountain, aiming to create a floating island above the dreary Fortaare. They only upheaved fragments of it, and in doing so, disrupted the mountain chain, erupting a volcano and blackening the sky further. It took some centuries after, but as the tragedies were forgotten, and the Rarzis braved the clouds to fly above them, they found the floating isles of Ashon awaiting. And there, the Kingdom would be built, to sit above the gloom of their homeland. The glory of Ashon is unseen from the grounds of Fortaare, just as the true nature of the Rarzis remains unseen to many others.

## Royalty And Military

Royalty in Ashon is elegant like no other, the high-class life of the royal bloodline that rules over Ashon can’t be compared to the likes of Nozar or other kingdoms simply because they do everything on a large scale due to inheriting everything the late god and goddess of the land had. The rich and immensely powerful of the Kingdom of Ashon used the last of their energy to send their kingdom into the sky away from the putrid land down below. They have a similar royal hierarchy to the British Royal Family back on earth which makes their bloodline deep in the history of Hiraeth. They also made the Annoran Ménage members of the royal family due to relations due to their history with each other. The Ashon military is rumored to be the strongest military in all of that land and that isn’t too far-fetched. The Rarzis people are essentially created for combat despite their calm and non-combative demeanor. With their demonic features like wings and many different claws and even living organisms on their body like a poisonous snake fused into their shoulder, the natural build of the Rarzis people simply keeps on growing. Their military splits into 3 sections; ground squadron, air squadron, and stealth squadron. The ground squadron being very explosive, bulky, and insanely strong with the majority of their soldiers’ divinity being strength-related or something along those lines. The Air Squadron is known to be very fast and incredibly agile, being able to make use of their wings to fight from the skies and have a slight advantage over the other soldiers. The last of the squadrons is one of the most important. The Stealth Squadron. They specialize on ambushes from the shadows as well as assassinations with the intent on being the force that nobody knows exists. With their combined potential, they could take out armies with a blink. In terms of numbers, nobody truly knows how many soldiers they have but one thing that’s known is that with the Annoran Ménage, the monsters from the land that obey them, and many other factors it’s not a small army. All in all, the Ashon army is not a force to be reckoned with due to their unique and explosive abilities.

## Exports and Value

Ashon must provide value to the country of Fortaare, or the people on the surface wouldn't put up with it - Those Rarzis that have been hardened by the harsh ecology of the sub-continent's surface, having to fight the horrors of Gjoll, and having to guard the borders through sheer force, do not always look kindly upon the "softened" Rarzis that dwell upon Ashon. The Ports Cocytus and Phlegethon, while holding environments almost inhospitable and rough, produce great value for the country, and are home to the wealthy and powerful of Fortaare that do not tread upon Ashon. Many supplies are sent up to Ashon via Flying Whale, some things simply being too difficult to produce there - But the unique circumstances of Ashon's formation means that it is rife with valuable mineral resources, and is home to many of the greater blacksmiths in Fortaare. Further, magic flows through Ashon with more intensity than even the surface of the homeland of Erith's descendants, and the wonders that can be created in Ashon are hard matched except by what is made in the heart of the Mystic Kingdom itself. Ashon's position in the sky, in addition to the prior, gives it a supreme tactical advantage - Both invaluable to Fortaare as a whole, giving them incredible foresight on outside forces encroaching on the country, but also allowing the denizens of Ashon to defend against any incursions from the surface against the Royal Family. The murmurs of rebellion are scarce, the country not overwhelmingly displeased with its leaders as of now, but of course, there are those that wish for power, and wish to make Ashon their own crown jewel. If nothing else, the wildlife that has developed over the ages cannot be found anywhere else, and the unique materials, familiars and otherwise that can be gathered here are found only here.