The Ashen Marches
Continent: Morwen
Primary Inhabitants: Emberborn
Government Type: Fractured Confederation of City-States
Largest City-State: Ashenreach (26,000)
Population: ~250,000
Symbol: A black anvil encircled by flame
Motto: “From ash, we rise.”
The Ashen Marches are a land of fire and ambition — a volcanic realm forged in heat and tempered by rivalry. Scorched plains, molten rivers, and jagged obsidian ridges define its landscape, yet its people have made this desolation thrive. The Emberborn, a flame-touched race of humans and demi-humans, dominate the region, building forge-cities and harbor towns that glitter like embers against the endless gray.
Though technically united under the ancient name of the Ashen Marches, the realm is in truth a patchwork of 21 fiercely independent city-states, each ruled by its own council, warlord, or guild. Rumors whisper that a rising figure — the First of the Dragonbound — seeks to bring them under one banner.
History
Long ago, the Ashen Marches were barren wastes left behind by an age of divine conflict. The Emberborn claim their ancestors were forged in those same fires — mortals reshaped by the heat of the earth and the breath of the volcano. Whatever the truth, the first Forgeholds rose beside molten rivers, their founders mastering both craft and survival in a land that demanded both.
Over centuries, trade and competition spurred the growth of new cities. Each became known for a particular craft: steelwork, glassblowing, shipbuilding, or alchemy. But prosperity also bred pride — and war. The Marches fractured into dozens of sovereign city-states, locked in a cycle of rivalry and uneasy alliance. Occasionally, a visionary leader has tried to unite them, but the fire of independence always burned too strong.
Geography
Situated in the southwestern coast of Morwen, the Ashen Marches are a harsh, volcanic region bordered by the The Supremacy and Dun’Rhael to the north and Vass’kaal southwest. The land is scarred by rivers of ash, basalt cliffs, and vast fields of cooled lava that shimmer under the sun like dark glass.
The most defining landmark is Mount Vaelthur, a towering volcano visible from nearly anywhere in the Marches. Its eruptions are both feared and revered, marking the passage of time and the renewal of the land.
Sparse vegetation clings to mineral-rich soil, with hardy shrubs and heat-resistant flora forming oases around geothermal vents and springs.
Economy
The Ashen Marches are one of the most industrialized and resource-rich regions in Mysthaln. Their forges burn day and night, powered by volcanic heat and endless ambition. The economy is driven by:
- Metallurgy: Emberborn steel is unrivaled in strength and beauty.
- Glasscraft & Obsidian Work: Cities like Draevos and Volkar’s Gate export masterwork glass and obsidian tools.
- Alchemy & Minerals: The Marches’ vents produce rare reagents prized by scholars and artificers.
- Seafaring Trade: Coastal cities maintain lucrative trade with Drenvold, Skarhold, and Vardessa.
Each city-state guards its secrets jealously, resulting in constant innovation and espionage. Wealth and craftsmanship are marks of status, and to produce something worthy of the Marches’ fire is considered the truest form of nobility.
Demographics
Roughly 250,000 souls call the Ashen Marches home. The majority — nearly 90% — are Emberborn, their fiery heritage well-suited to the land’s heat and hardship. The remaining population includes humans, Thaldrim traders, and a few Solari caravans who brave the northeastern passes.
Each city-state is self-governed, with populations ranging from small mining enclaves of a few thousand to major urban centers of over twenty thousand. Despite political fragmentation, a shared culture of endurance, craftsmanship, and pride binds the people together.
Culture
To the Emberborn, fire is life — both destroyer and creator, feared and worshiped in equal measure. Their society revolves around craftsmanship, where artistry is a form of devotion and failure is treated as a lesson written in flame. Every forge is a temple, and every smith a priest of creation.
Music and art echo this duality: rhythmic, metallic, and raw. Celebrations often involve massive pyres or Burnings, where artisans compete to craft the most masterful work before dawn. Their architecture favors black stone, glowing glass, and open furnaces that illuminate the night.
Religion in the Marches centers on the Firesouls, elemental spirits said to dwell within the world’s molten heart. Some view them as patrons of craft; others as living embodiments of destruction. The Emberborn do not kneel to them — they bargain, challenge, and sometimes curse them — for in the Marches, even divinity must earn respect.
Major Settlements
| Name | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Varketh | 26,000 | Largest city-state and cultural heart of the Marches. |
| Cinderval | 25,000 | Major seaport and center of trade. |
| Orun’s Gate | 24,000 | Maritime forge-city known for shipbuilding. |
| Thurakar | 19,000 | Center of the Cycle of Ash faith. |
| Molkarin | 13,000 | Built in a crater; specializes in weapons and armor. |
Notable Locations
- The Crucible Chasm - A vast fissure near Mount Vaelthur where rivers of molten rock flow openly through the earth’s wounds. Ancient forges carved into the chasm’s sides still burn with eternal flame — remnants of the first Emberborn citadel. It is said that only those who survive a night within its heat are worthy to bear the title of Forge-Master.
- The Glassflow Fields - Stretching west of Draevos, these plains shimmer like a black mirror beneath the sun. The land was once consumed by a superheated eruption that fused sand and ash into sheets of glass. Strange flora have since adapted to the terrain, their crystalline leaves refracting light in haunting colors. Travelers speak of ghostly reflections moving independently within the mirrored surface.
- The Anvil of the Gods - A colossal slab of basalt at the heart of the Marches, scorched smooth as if struck by divine fire. Pilgrims from every city-state gather here for the Festival of Sparks, igniting thousands of forges in a single night to honor creation itself. Legends claim the Anvil marks the site where the first Emberborn were shaped from molten stone.
- Vael’s Spine - A jagged ridge running from Mount Vaelthur to the southern coast, composed entirely of volcanic glass and obsidian. Lightning frequently strikes its peaks, creating momentary rivers of molten fire. Miners risk the storms to harvest stormglass — a rare material used in high-grade weaponry and alchemical lenses.
- The Shattered Forge - Once the greatest workshop in the Marches, this ruin lies half-buried beneath cooled lava flows. Its furnaces exploded during the War of Embercrowns, ending an age of unity among the city-states. Many scavengers seek the lost blueprints said to remain entombed within — designs for weapons powered by captured elemental fire.
Relations
- Because of the City-State structure, The Ashen Marches do not have relations as a whole to other countries.
“I have walked among deserts where the sun burns like a forge, but nothing prepared me for the Ashen Marches — rivers of molten stone, mountains that breathe smoke, and a people who seem themselves forged from fire. Here, life is a spark daring to defy the void.”
— Kaelen of Dun’Rhael, Solari Explorer