Ashcrown Ramparts

Ashcrown Ramparts

The Ashcrown Ramparts form the southern edge of Oblivion Vale. They are a range of black and gray stone ridges broken by cliffs and narrow passes. Ash drifts on the wind and grinds stone and skin alike. Since the Drying, nothing flows here. Survival depends on control of routes, stores, and force.

Terrain and Travel

Travel is slow and dangerous. Most roads cling to ledges cut into sheer rock. Only a few passes allow large movement, and each is heavily watched. Rockfalls are common, and fog hides distance and height. When upper routes freeze or collapse, traffic is forced lower, where attacks are more frequent. Roads change often, and old paths die without warning.

Rule of the Dominion

The Ashcrown Dominion holds the mountains through fortresses, gates, and watch towers. Power is built on lineage and service, but neither protects the weak. Law is enforced through public punishment and fear. Betrayal, desertion, and theft are answered openly and harshly. Mercy is rare and costly.

Fortresses and Storage

Forts are thick, low, and built to endure siege and fire. Gates are heavy and slow to open. Towers signal danger across the range with horns and fire. Supplies are kept deep in stone to protect them from fire, theft, and beasts. A stronghold that loses track of its stores is treated as already fallen.

Settlements and Daily Life

Most people live close to the forts. Homes are cut into stone or built tight against it. Doors stay shut against ash and wind. Food is dry, salted, and rationed by force, not fairness. Fuel is guarded as closely as steel. Fires are kept small and hidden, since smoke carries far and draws attention.

Children are trained early. They learn routes, warnings, and how to obey orders fast. Survival is taught before comfort.

Trade and Dependence

Ashcrown exports metalwork, volcanic glass, and rare salts. These goods keep other realms alive. In return, Ashcrown depends on timber, medicine, and food brought in under guard. When trade slows or fails, violence rises. Shortages turn neighbors into enemies.

Border Pressure

Conflict with nearby human fort-states is constant. Each side needs what the other controls. Accusations of delay, hoarding, or sabotage lead to skirmishes at the lower gates. Raiders strike when pressure builds, aiming for supplies and healers first. Coin matters less than survival.

Faith and Magic

Life, Death, and Fate are worshiped, but none rule. Faith supports survival, not hope. Life priests keep workers alive but do not decide who eats. Death priests enforce burial and quarantine when sickness spreads. Fate binds oaths and commands, but offers no comfort.

Magic is rare and watched. Licensed adepts are tied to forts and infrastructure. Uncontrolled casting near critical sites is treated as sabotage.

Rumors

• A hidden source high in the range exists beyond Dominion control.

• Raiders have inside help from a fortress.

• The Hoard King keeps a living guide who knows every pass.

Current Condition

In the present year, the Ramparts still stand. Roads fail faster than crews can repair them. Trade grows thinner. Every delay sparks conflict. The Dominion survives through force, fear, and discipline. It holds the southern passes better than any rival could—but only as long as others continue to supply what the mountains cannot.