The Provinces of Ash

Possibly the largest, and bloodiest, conflict in history.

File:Ash bois.png

## **Ash, Ambition, and Ruins**

For the last century, the Provinces of Ash have been on fire. This is only partly a metaphor. With multiple foreign powers and dozens of warlords vying for power, the Provinces are a realm of shifting alliances and constant war. Skirmishes happen daily, borders shift weekly and few settlements last longer than a decade. The Provinces are home to six enormous sigil sites, and since their discovery, everyone has been trying to get at them.

## The Descent

Up until around 130 years ago, the Provinces were a relatively peaceful, civilized place. The northern state of Avernis, a young, ambitious nation, caused some friction abroad through their attempts to colonize foreign landmasses, but never caused trouble at home. One thing they did do, however, was get into a vendetta with the Sea People. The Avernis Tulip Trading company liked to raid and slave, things escalated, and eventually, Avernis and Sea People ships were attacking each other on sight.

130 years ago, the Sea People elected to banish the Vapad clan and their allies from the seas, a punishment for unthinkable crimes. To do so, they dumped the entire group on top of their other enemy, Avernis. Some members of the Vapad had been quietly working with the Tulip Trading Company. These friendly relations did not survive thousands of Sea People appearing on Avernis’ coast. The Vapad requested land and Avernis, in an uncharacteristic display, honoured the aid the Vapad had given them in the past. But while the amount given seemed reasonable at the time, it was not enough to house the entire Vapad clan and everyone ended up going to war.

Avernis won the initial conflict. Avernis pushed the Vapad out and chased them into the immense, overgrown and incredibly deadly forests to the east. But Avernis underestimated the mind mages of the Vapad, and their experience in dealing with large beasts. The Vapad survived where previous colonies had failed, and they discovered that once cleared and farmed, the land was incredibly fertile and bountiful.

What followed was a series of discoveries. It had been vaguely noted that certain types of magic grew stronger in various places on the peninsula. The vapad realised the incredible life energy of the eastern forests came from an enormous spirit magic sigilsite. In fact, there were 6 large sigilsites, one for each school of magic, situated around the peninsula. Avernis was sitting on the elemental sigilsite.

Various parties on the peninsula learned of this, and they lost their goddamn minds.

## The Endless War

The sigilsites of the Provinces of Ash have two notable features. First, they can be used to “charge up” certain crystals with immense quantities of magical power. These crystals are known as Ash Crystals, they are mined in the Provinces, and they allow their user to do some very impressive things. Second, the sigilsites are very difficult to activate, but if you do get them active, oh boy. They do not stay active for very long (though crystals can always be charged), but they can grant mountain range-leveling powers.

The sigilsites form a rough six pointed circle. Oddly enough, magic seems to work less well near the center of that circle.

The initial conflicts were between the Vapad and Avernis. Then, more sigilsites were discovered, and other provincial powers joined in. The exact details of what they were fighting over remained secret to outsiders for some time. Some details slipped out, but the exact scale of the power on the table still remained mostly unknown. Then, in 1042 AS, the Sorrow manifested, activated all six siglsites simultaneously and went on its rampage and that was the end of those sigilsites being a local secret. Athaelore, Camara and Utopia all invaded, with smaller forays from other nations adding to the chaos.

In the current era the provinces of Ash have been subjected to thousands of magical and military battles, and it shows. There are ruined, burnt out, overgrown settlements everywhere. Many areas have been terraformed within an inch of their life. To walk a day across such warped landscape is to pass twisting rivers that start and end within a kilometer, high hills in the middle of open plains, from desert into dense forest to plains again. Look around for long enough, you can always find a humanoid skull. Every blue moon, an entire region will burn, and the sky will go red amidst falling ash.

## Strange Bedfellows

Several new groups have emerged or attempted to establish themselves amongst the chaos. These include: Second Hecatomb, a death cult of Melita, the Alabaster Barons, a drained supremacist group, and New Escaro, a group of elves who seek the restoration of the old empire. Nightshade, an internationally infamous league of assassins, have their official Headquarters here, considering it a good training ground for new recruits (you are encouraged to send the Nightshade Headquarters a letter, contracts and reviews welcome).

The region has also been swarmed by mercenary companies, notably the fearsome Iron Chalice, and also the Dan Westwick Company. The descendants of the Avernis and the Vapad continue to go hammer and tongs against each other in their century-long blood feud.

Finally, the Wayfarers of History, a nomadic group on a millennia old quest to rediscover the history of the world erased by Escaro, have occupied the region, believing the strange circle of sigilsites may provide some path or clue to finding what was lost.