Ashwalkers

Shorter, sharper, often based on embers cooling rather than flames: Vesha, Coaline, Smira, Hask, Kelra

Heavier, grounded, referencing stone, ash, or smoke: Bask, Char, Varn, Grit, Iskarin

Names taken from transitional states — half-light, dusk, cooling metal: Shade, Cinderfall, Aster, Fade, Mora

Ashwalker surnames often disguise their Iskashita roots. Traditional names exist, but many use false or “softened” versions in foreign lands.

Traditional forms: Ashenwyrd, Fadehammer, Coalfire, Emberchurn, Shatterslag

Modern/self-protective forms: Ashen, Cole, Emberlin, Shar, Fadewind

They speak the same Cosmic-rooted tongue as the Iskashita, but with a private coded dialect:

• shortened forge-terms
• metaphorical ritual references
• ways of speaking designed to “sound normal” to outsiders

While the orthodox Iskashita protect the First Spark, the Ashwalkers teach that:

Fire teaches us by consuming what is old.

Their cultural heritage is one of:

• transformation
• improvisation
• hidden resilience
• belief that destruction can be mercy
• belief that adaptation is holiness

They honor ancestors who died in exile, forging a sense of unity across scattered enclaves.

Ashwalker values are harsher, shaped by displacement:

• Necessity above doctrine
• Change is survival
• Nothing sacred is static
• Reforging the self is the greatest trial
• You grow by what you lose

This contrasts sharply with the orthodox Iskashita, who see fire as a guide but not a judge.

Greetings involve tapping fingers to one’s chest: the “ember knock.”

Bowing is rare; they values directness.

Whispering the phrase “May your ash rise” is a sign of deep trust.

Because they hide their identity, Ashwalkers rarely wear traditional ember-reds or volcanic blacks openly. Instead:

• dark muted earth tones
• ash-grey cloaks
• leather reinforced with cooled slag
• jewelry made from cracked obsidian or dead-forge remnants

In private, they still wear ember-thread wraps or glowing runic bands.

Art among Ashwalkers reflects loss:

• sculptures of cracked metal
• paintings in deliberate smudges
• carvings of half-burned wood
• architecture that incorporates broken pieces from older buildings

Their hidden forge-halls use narrow chimneys to conceal coal-smoke.

• smoked roots
• char-seasoned meats
• flatbreads baked on hot stone
• fermented ash-tea (bitter, energizing)

Cooking is ritualistic; burning food slightly is considered a blessing.

Ashwalker newborns are brushed gently with cooled ash. The blessing is: “From ruin, rise.”

At adolescence, a young Ashwalker chooses something precious and destroys it — a harsh symbolic ritual:

• a tool
• a keepsake
• a crafted object
• sometimes even their birthname

The belief is that selfhood must be tested through loss.

Bodies are burned cold, a slow smolder rather than a blaze. The ashes are mixed with clay and used to craft small tokens carried by family members. This practice horrifies orthodox Iskashita.

Speaking the First Spark’s true name (forbidden)

Creating fire without intent (wasteful, offensive)

Letting a flame die unattended

Refusing the destruction rite during adulthood

The Forbidden Myth: The Emberless One

A figure who embraced change so completely he shed his flame entirely. Orthodox Iskashita view the story as a warning; Ashwalkers view it as a hero’s tale.

The Fractured Forge

A myth explaining the diaspora’s exile. In Ashwalker lore, the fracturing was deliberate, an act meant to unshackle the Spark from stagnation.

Scars, especially burns, are seen as marks of truth. Many deliberately adopt asymmetrical hairstyles or scorched jewelry.

Roles are flexible; capability matters far more than gender. Historically, many women became forge-mothers, traveling experts who kept fragments of Ashwalker lore alive.

Partners exchange a crafted item and then break it together, symbolizing trust through vulnerability.

Partnerships are expected to survive adversity. Comfort is not part of the ideal. Strength, honesty, and mutual risk define marriage.