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Ashaven is a semi-autonomous state under control of the Regalian Empire that lies in the southern island chains of Southwynd. One of the most remotely-settled Eronidas populations in all of Aloria, it is situated in a chaotically volcanic region of the islands that gives it both a unique climate and way of living for its denizens. Possessing a large, diverse and wealthy population of both Eronidas and Ailor, Ashaven is known worldwide as an important destination for trade and sightseeing with its abundant agricultural practices, many fortified Pols and isolated life of rustic luxury. This page will cover the history, function and roleplay background use of the state of Ashaven for the Eronidas people. This page is so-called Expanded Lore, meaning it is not required reading for a roleplay experience on MassiveCraft, but can be used to add additional depth and content to Roleplay.
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History
The history of Ashaven begins with the journey of the Eronidas from their original homeland of Guldar, colloquially referred to as the Eronidas Exodus. The Cold-Verge Fleets were among the many floating independent cities-upon-ships that set out from their homeland to travel together, and while a variety of them invaded and settled onto Allorn shores these Fleets navigated through the treacherous waters of Hadar. There, some of them encountered rough maps and charts of the local island chains and a small contingent of the fleet decided to take a route through them to scout while the others went along the planned route. This collection of city-ships set out, but were quickly swallowed up by the thick miasma of volcanic ash that surrounds the island and. Disoriented and lost in the dense gray smog, an ill-timed eruption resulted in such intense seismic activity that the entirety of the divergent fleet crashed ashore in the region of Southwynd that would become Ashaven. The Cold-Verge Fleets would never have their scouting ships rendezvous with them and they were assumed lost by the rest of their people.
What Eronidas did survive the crash found themselves beached and stranded in a strange, unforgiving new land. A layer of gray and impenetrable ash blanketed the sky, blotting out the sun’s direct light and choking the air while burning cinders rained from the central volcano of the isle. Desperate and resourceful, the crews used the wreckage of their great ships as shelter to wait out the rest of the volcanic storm. Days went by as the eruptions continued on without pause while the people set out to scavenge for what food and other necessities they could find, mostly fruits growing in abundance in the volcanic soil and helpings of chalky water from the natural springs. Eventually the eruptions let up, and the stranded people were given a chance to give the land around them a better look. It proved to be actually hospitable after the volcanic storm passed, even if there was still ash and cinder saturating the sky, and soon the journey to begin making roots began for the Eronidas there.
The very first cities were constructed using the remnants of the wreckages from the ships, their huge hulls and fabrics and other assorted salvageable parts being combined with the dried sinewy wood of the fruit trees dotting the landscape and quarried volcanic stone. The new settlers found that the volcanic soil was particularly responsive to cultivation thanks to the high saturation of raw mineral content from the years upon years of volcanic activity stemming from the central mountain of the island, which they eventually would name ‘Valrut’, or ‘The Life-Fire’, because of the bounty that its flames brought. The fertility of the land, its relative isolation by virtue of the climate and the social ingenuity of the Eronidas there resulted in Ashaven’s population growing steadily. Eventually more ships were able to be built and trade was established with the other peoples inhabiting Southwynd. They learned the patterns of eruptions so as to make navigation seamless and innovative ways to protect their sails from the heat and the ash.
The blossoming civilization flourished in size and wealth, intermingling with the southern Ailor populations nearby. Ashaven’s agricultural potential made them a sought-after trading partner and even a destination to be moved to, if one could tolerate the difference in geography and lifestyle: for while the initial settlers had grown used to the cycle of periodic eruptions and the necessity to shelter within the spacious hollowed-out lava tube chambers running throughout the earth like veins, becoming accustomed to this and the other challenges of living there was not an easy task at all.
Eventually, contact with further reaches of the world would be established as word spread of the abundant growth of crops there. Ashaven olives and their resulting bottled and aged oil became known worldwide, as did the unique qualities the grapes and grain grown there imparted on the alcohol distilled from them. Once the Regalian Empire became aware of its existence, trade too was established with them and the relationship was tentatively peaceful until the coronation of Emperor Allestrain I. He and his army of rallied Eronidas and other allies campaigned across the world to bring distant territories and scattered populations of their people into the Imperial fold, and high on their list was Ashaven and its economic bounty. A state focused almost entirely on trade, what skirmishing capability they had was swiftly crushed and the leaders of their cities were quick to bend the knee to the invading army and join the Empire as a reigning, autonomous state under Imperial leadership.
Imperial influence proved beneficial to Ashaven, expanding its available trade routes and gaining the military protection of the Empire allowing it to flourish even further. Most importantly, though, they reconnected with their Eronidas cousins who shared with them their civil innovations in the construction and layout of the Pols. Ashaven as a result underwent a lengthy period of reconstruction where their multitude of cities exploded in population and also size, being built in line with other Pols across the world but with their own Southwynd stylings: the volcanic stone of the region giving the cities’ walls hues of dark, sleek blacks and grays.
The Wealth of Ashaven
The region’s unique soil profile provides an astounding degree of fertility to the land, making the state of Ashaven’s agricultural yield a competitor among the very best of the Empire’s territories. They do lack the vast quantities of space that high-tier producers like Anglia do, so instead Ashaven’s various farms and vineyards and groves specialize in produce that requires more intensive and expensive care but far less space like rare grape varietals, luscious pomegranates and hardy root vegetables and tubers that benefit from the mineral-rich earth. The land is, however, difficult to raise livestock on, so most meat and animal products are instead imported. There is a seasonal fishing industry that ships from outside of the state’s own fishing companies come to participate in on account of the unique sea life that flourishes in the nearby intercoastal. Stone octopus, ironjaw oysters and Nurash (a large, meaty bottom-dwelling fish) are all among the populous yields found nearby during the warmer months of the year.
The resulting wealth that Ashaven has accumulated is rather evenly-divided amongst its populace, with very little disparity outside of the various cities’ leaders and the trade company owners. Polon architecture means housing is dense but available, and the frequency of tourism to the volcanically-clouded region brings in a great deal of outside coin that flows freely through the hands of the bathhouses, culinary hotspots and farmers there. It is seen from afar as a somewhat-daring place to visit for wealthy travelers thanks to the landscape (though the degree of settlement and infrastructure in place at this point makes it decidedly anything but) and thusly sees many noble visitors from a great variety of Aloria’s peoples (thanks to its autonomy as a state) who come to lounge in the volcanic springs and indulge in the local cuisine while pretending there’s an air of exotic danger to their stay.
Despite arriving there by sea, the Eronidas who initially settled Ashaven did not become anything close to a naval power on the Alorian oceans until some time after Allestrain conquered the region. With what resources they had to develop and cultivate from the ground-up, creating a fleet for anything beyond trade and fishing within the local waters of Southwynd was out of the question so they had to rely on deals and alliances for other peoples’ protection. However, joining the Empire while still retaining autonomy gave them the opportunity to start moving resources to the construction of larger drydocks while utilizing contemporary shipwrighting techniques. This coupled with the locals’ seafaring resilience to the volcanic conditions and their own fireproofing treatments resulted in the rapid development of Ashaven as a southern naval power that helps in occasionally enforcing Regalian interests in that region of the ocean.
Ashaven is known for hardily policing their nearby waters, preventing the entry of and even going so far as to combat both pirates and privateers working for nations that do not have a beneficial accord with the state. Because they understand the eruptions and seismic patterns of the area and outsiders do not, they are nigh-impossible to defeat at sea within their own waters without risk of losing entire fleets to the volcanic tumult of the immediate ocean. Most famously terrifying of all Ashaven’s naval forces are their unique style of ship known as ‘Burning Jacks’. Their prows are layered thickly with black volcanic iron built for ramming and penetrating hulls and they are loaded to the brim with deck-mounted torches that spew fire onto neighboring ships while remaining nearly-unscatched thanks to their fireproofing treatments of their hulls.
Cities of Ashaven
Ashaven is not a singular city-state, and is instead composed of a variety of large cities that make up its branches of industry. Each is ruled by a single Chancellor elected by the residents of the city and the agricultural territories it owns, and that Chancellor has a cabinet of appointed officials who help with the niche gubernatorial duties of running the city. Together, each of these Chancellors and their appointed officials comprise the ruling body of Ashaven as a whole.
- Rugknat: Also known as ‘the First City’, Rugknat is the oldest of Ashaven’s and the least populous by far. A great deal of the buildings there are remnants from its initial settling, old shantytown neighborhoods built from the wreckage of the first ships and continuously piled into over the years. It has the same tiered, walled structures as a Polon but little of the orderly refined charm contained within. Its age, location and somewhat-lower quality of living have made it the heart of Ashaven’s fishing industry and also the primary place that out-of-state sailors or other low-profile travelers visit to conduct their business.
- Vixling: The city of Vixling and its owned territory make up most of the state’s agricultural output. It is built atop a great hill that overlooks vast fields around it, and its tallest reaches stand so high that during periods of Valrut’s eruption you can see over the banks of volcanic ash. It is frequented by residents of the other cities because of its famous produce markets that on their busiest days take up entire tiers of the city.
- Allesburgh: Allesburgh was initially the site of Emperor Allestrain I’s landing upon Ashaven, where he set up camp and where he ultimately negotiated the surrender and incorporation of the state into the Imperial fold. A selection of soldiers along with a local governor were left behind to see to the stabilization of the state, and thus the city of Allesburgh would be founded there. It is the capital of Ashaven and also the city with the most Imperial influence, a great degree of the Empire’s peerage owning homes there and visiting frequently, and also where Ashaven’s navy and shipwrights operate out of.
- Blackiron City: A city simply named for its industry, Blackiron is situated near the slopes of Valrut and is the most fortified and sheltered of the great cities for that reason. A great deal of the city itself has been partially constructed underground, where the industrial blacksmithing is done: the grandest of the forges there are built within the spacious natural cavern formations of the lava tubes where when the volcano is erupting the magma flows and the smiths use carved channels in the rock to direct the streams for tempering large pieces of iron.
- Orrek-badh: Orrek-badh is not the most populous of the cities, but it is considered by those born and raised in the region to be the true cultural heart of the state. It carries the oldest and most rich melding of the original Eronidas-Ailor populations and is a place to be visited for any traveler who wishes to indulge in the best of the local Mauchtwin (an extremely high-proof wine with a smoky, earthy character unique to the area’s grapes) and also look at the greatest treasure of all the isle: the Dragonbaths. They are a natural mineral hot spring that is situated within a massive volcanic cavern below the earth and have long been an important destination for visitors to soak in, with some even going so far as to claim they carry restorative powers for the most dire of ailments both mind and body.
Difference in Culture
In no small part due to their extensive period of isolation from the rest of their people, the Eronidas of Ashaven have their own unique cultural notions that emblemize the lifestyle of the isle they were born and raised on. Whereas most people might describe the typical Eronidas from abroad as being disciplined, stoic, warlike and even a bit vain, Ashaven Eronidas are decidedly less so to the point of being outwardly social creatures in comparison. Building a civilization from the scraps of a shipwreck and off the backs of trade and diplomacy has tempered the region’s people into being a broadly amicable sort, happily shaking hands with outsiders and indulging themselves into a variety of social professions and hobbies like bartending and party-hosting.
This extends so far as to have entirely replaced the idea of tight-knit warbands within their society with socially-oriented fraternities. The schools of the cities each have their own hierarchy of long-standing exclusive social clubs that young Eronidas who attend them are expected to eventually join. These fraternities are not exclusive to men despite the name (the Eronidas do not conceive of gender in the same way as Ailor), with the label referring more to the spiritual concept of brotherhood: tightly-knit, uncompromising and unconditional, these fraternities have their own names and histories and internal hierarchies as well as celebratory rituals that are legendary worldwide for the intensity of indulgence that occurs at them. Revelers from all over Aloria dream of being invited to one of these parties, which are sometimes so raucous and extreme that they are even visited by gods or similar beings in disguise.
Trivia
- The ancient Eronidas city ship designs influenced Ashaven naval vessels, leading to many of their trade ships being called Grey-Hulks, given their significant cargo size and naval reach. Obviously these ships are powered by black powder engines, rather than sails or oars.
- Ashaven taverns can usually be recognized in other countries (owned by Ashaven Eronidas or Ailor), because they have a habit of doing the impractical thing of dragging a scuttled wooden ship on land, and mounting it on top of a brick base building, carving the tavern out of the inside.
- Ashaven Eronidas cities are different from other Polon designs, in that they actually mount cannons on their fortifications, while traditional Eronidas combat style dictates that the enemy come to the wall, and try to climb them while taking heavy attrition from the defenders on the walls. Ashaven Eronidas prefer keeping their distance and using gunpowder to do the trick.
- Many Eronidas from Ashaven have gray skin tones ranging from very light to very dark, almost Raven Black. This is a unique mutation of the Ashaven Eronidas, that is not found among their cousins from other lands.
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