Ashtakala

**Ashtakala** is the "capital" of the Demon Wastes. Home of the most powerful of the fiends from the Age of Demons, Ashtakala is a veritable oasis within the whirling sands and volcanic glass of the Demon Wastes. Surrounded by a magical aura that prevents all forms of Divination, Ashtakala is the home of the Lords of Dust.

## History

During the Age of Dragons, the great dragon Eberron trapped the evil dragon Khyber within itself, after Khyber slew their brother Siberys. Khyber's last act of defiance was to give birth to a host of fiends. It was Khyber's last hope that these fiends would destroy the descendants of Siberys and Eberron. 10,000,000 years ago, the fiends succeeded, overran the world of Eberron. Led by the rakshasas and the night hags, the Age of Demons began.

Not completely obliterated, the dragons hid from their demon rulers, living in a primitive state. However, 1,500,000 years ago, the dragons discovered what would be called the Draconic Prophecy. They began to build upon this knowledge, and began to fight against the demons. They found other allies that had also survived; most importantly: the couatls. Once they became powerful enough, the dragons and couatls joined forces and attacked the fiends that inhabited Eberron.

 File:95056.jpg
The couatls sacrificed themselves to send the Overlords and the majority of the fiends back into the Khyber, where they are trapped. When the great war ended, the fiends that were not imprisoned in the Khyber retreated back to a land they called ***Fah'lrrg*** in the infernal tongue; the land now known as the Demon Wastes.

From behind the Shadowcrags and the Icehorn Mountains, the fiends continued to live within their ruined fortresses and amongst the various pits that still lead into the Khyber. The greatest of these fortresses is Ashtakala.

## Geography

Ashtakala is in the center of a raging sandstorm, day and night. This storm, called the Ashtakalan Storm or the Ashtakalan Maelstorm, is magical in nature. The maelstrom serves two purposes: it channels spells that prevent divination and teleportation into the city proper; and it serves as a defense system, whipping sand and volcanic glass shards at whirlwind speeds. The storm circles the city at a distance of half a mile, and is 500 feet thick.

For those that penetrate the maelstrom, they find Ashtakala, a city created from basalt and brass thousands of years ago. The entire city is designed with architecture that has not been seen for millennia. In fact, the entire city is cloaked in magic that makes everything within the city limits conform to the same look and feel that the ancient demons originally created. Anyone that enters the city will find their clothes immediately magically disguised to fit the fashions of ages past. This same magic is the one that preserves Ashtakala. If one were to remove books or scrolls from the city, they will instantly disintegrate. Ashtakala acts like its own contained slice of history.

## Inside Ashtakala

The fiends of the Demon Wastes built the city to no plan, resulting in a chaotic layout. Within the city walls, there are many sights:

### The Walls of Ashtakala

Since being destroyed by the couatls, the walls of Ashtakala have been rebuilt among the giant shards of obsidian that spear up into the sky. The gates to the city sit on the western side.

### Amphitheater of Pain

A theater dedicated to inflicting torture to the pleasure of the fiends of Ashtakala. Once the pride of the city, the amphitheater's brass half-dome is cracked and charred, and its stone tiers are clogged with debris from the city's collapse.

### Demon Glass Gallery

Once a gallery of floating glass reliefs dedicated to the fiends of the Khyber and beyond, this gallery has almost totally been destroyed. However, some of the reliefs still remain, and those that do are said to give visions to those that look upon the statues' surface.

### Garden of Eternal Torture

A garden of dust and dirt, where a lone couatl, Miklatumh, writhes in torture from eons of punishment.

### Palace of Ashtakala

A palace of onyx flying buttresses, once home to one of the rajahs. while the huge onyx, malachite, and bloodstone throne room once held an overlord, it is now home of the The Bleak Council, the rulers of the Lords of Dust. It is here that the Lords of Dust meet and scheme against the rest of Eberron.

### Drain Works

The home of thirteen transparent sarcophagi. Those that are trapped within the sarcophagi are drained of their souls, and transformed into a Dust-Stuffed creature. The creature now serves the whims of the Lords of Dust and the Council of Ashtakala.

## Government

Ashtakala, and all of the Demon Wastes, is ruled by the Council of Ashtakala, a group of fiends and rakshasa whose major goal is to further the efforts of the Lords of Dust.

## Religion

The rakshasas and other fiends of Ashtakala worship their rajahs, the Overlords. Each of the overlords has a *prakhutu*, or "speaker", that is considered a member of both the Lords of Dust and the Council of Ashtakala.

## Notable Inhabitants

Many members of the Lords of Dust call Ashtakala home, including:

 File:Durastoran.jpg
* The most famous of the Lords of Dust is the rakshasa **Durastoran the Wyrmbreaker**, a powerful ak'chasar rakshasa loremaster. Durastoran is leading a more active campaign against the dragons, especially against the Chamber. He is said to have a large force of lesser fiends and humans at his disposal. He enjoys destabilizing the relationship between the dragons and the elves. Durastoran worships one of the Overlords directly, Bel Shalor, the Shadow in the Flame, and seeks a way to free this shadowy demon from his prison.
* The greatest of the *prakhutu* is **Hektula, the Bloody Scribe**. Hektula is the *prakhutu* of the Overlord Sul Khatesh, and serves the Council of Ashtakala as their librarian. She is one of the most knowledgeable arcanists on Eberron.
* **Kashtarhak**, known as the Voice of Chaos, serves the trapped rajah Eldrantulku. it is said that Kashtarhak helped manipulate the fall of the giants of Xen'drik, the destruction of the Dhakaani Empire, and the fall of the Kingdom of Galifar.
* The most powerful of all the zakya rakshasas is **Mordakhesh, the Shadowsword**. Mordakhesh has fought dragons in melee combat, and was one of the fiercest fighters for the Overlords. Mordakhesh prefers manipulating armies, and has spies amongst most armies of Khorvaire. He is a servant of Overlord Rak Tulkhesh, and has a legion of lesser fiends and barbarians at his disposal.
* **Ethon Panjilcuttra** is the artificer of the Lords of Dust, who maintains the Drain Works of Ashtakala.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ***Eberron Campaign Setting***.
Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, and James Wyatt (2004). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3274-0.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 ***Explorer's Handbook***.
David Noonan, Rich Burlew, and Frank Brunner (2005). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3691-6.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 ***Dragons of Eberron***.
Keith Baker, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Nicolas Logue, and Amber Scott (2007). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-4154-5.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "**Eternal Evil: The Lords of Dust**" (November 2005) by Keith Baker. *Dragon Magazine* issue 337.
5. ↑ ***Eberron Campaign Guide***.
James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.