The Ashen Coast is a rugged and desolate volcanic shoreline, where the scorching breath of Unknown meets the icy gales of the Unknown, creating a maelstrom of volatile weather and a landscape of smoldering ruin. It stretches along the north western rim of the Fields of the Frenzied Flame Flame, forming a natural border between the blazing heartlands of fire and the frozen fjords of Norska. The coastline is forged of volcanic and igneous glass, its jagged shores gleaming like shattered obsidian, forever shaped by the torrential storms that ravage its surface.
Bathed in Fire and Fury
The Ashen Coast was shaped by centuries of volcanic upheaval, as Mt. Rath—the towering, ever-active volcano to the northeast—has ceaselessly spewed lava, ash, and molten stone down into the sea. Over time, the churning waves of Frothmarfjord have cooled the lava flows, forming blackened cliffs of obsidian, jagged coastal ridges, and shattered fields of volcanic glass that stretch as far as the eye can see.
The constant eruptions from Mt. Rath leave behind an ashen haze that blankets the air, making it difficult to breathe and giving the entire coastline a perpetual twilight glow even during daylight hours.
The Battle of Fire and Ice
The proximity to the Frothmarfjord in the north causes the cold winds of Norska to collide violently with the ash storms of Mt. Rath, creating an unpredictable climate. The region is plagued by violent storms, where blizzards mix with burning embers, and tempestuous waves crash against molten cliffs, forming a landscape of perpetual elemental conflict.
These firestorms are known locally as The Black Tempests, during which icy sleet, volcanic ash, and forked lightning descend upon the land in wrathful fury, making travel along the coastline incredibly perilous. Even Nordvergur raiders fear the coast, for the seas here are a cauldron of madness, with towering waves crashing upon razor-sharp obsidian jetties and the constant risk of magma flow meeting icy waters, creating sudden explosions of scalding steam.
A Land of Relics and Ruin
Legends speak of a ruined fortress hidden along the cliffs of the Ashen Coast, a long-forgotten bastion of a bygone empire, whose black stone halls are said to be entombed beneath the volcanic wasteland. Some claim it belonged to the Unknown, the elemental dwarves of fire, who sought to forge weapons of untold power within the heart of the volcano before their civilization mysteriously vanished.
Others whisper of ancient draconic bones, fossilized within the rocky shores, remnants of a great battle between fire and frost, perhaps during The Aeonic Struggle when primordial titans of flame and ice warred for dominance. Travelers have found runes carved into basalt pillars, written in forgotten tongues, warning of something imprisoned deep beneath the ashen depths, though what it may be remains unknown.
Inhospitable Yet Intriguing
Despite its hostility, the Ashen Coast is not entirely uninhabited.
- A handful of Fire Giant raiding parties from the Unknown travel here on occasion, gathering rare volcanic obsidian to forge their legendary weapons.
- Unknown sages have been known to seek visions and communion with the raging elements in this land of chaotic balance.
- Outlaws and exiles from the Ignin have also taken refuge within the treacherous caverns, hiding away from the impunitive judgement of their kind in smoke-filled labyrinths of stone and sulfur.
Legacy
The Ashen Coast is a place where fire meets frost, where the earth is still forging itself anew, and where nature itself seems to battle for dominance. It is a land few dare to tread, yet those who do might uncover long-forgotten secrets, primordial relics, and the echoes of wars long past. But to walk these lands is to court death, for the storms, the volcano, and the very land itself are eager to claim those foolish enough to linger too long.