Ashvault

• Species breakdown:
• ~35% molten dwarves (primary miners and tunnel engineers)
• ~25% flame elves (oversee operations, skilled rune-carvers, administrative roles)
• ~20% kobolds (tunnel scouts, sappers, maintenance crews)
• ~10% fire genasi (frequently in supervisory roles and smithing)
• ~7% dragonborn (security, caravan guards, heavy labor)
• ~3% other (including salamanders and ember sprites)
• Wealth classes:
  A small wealthy caste of mine lords and licensed forge-masters. A solid middle stratum of guild-affiliated craftsmen and rune-technicians. The majority are wage miners, diggers, and furnace workers.
• Professions:
  Mining, ore sorting, forging, rune-inscription, alchemical refining, trade logistics, and mercenary protection.

Ashvault is governed by a Pyreclave Lord, appointed by Ignis, who collects taxes on all extracted resources. Local law is enforced by contracted Emberguard units. The settlement’s internal codes prioritize mining rights, safety protocols, and rune-claim registrations, with heavy penalties for theft or sabotage. Taxes are assessed on mineral output and forge operations, funding public forges and basic tunnel maintenance.

• Massive carved battlements at tunnel entrances with lava sluice channels that can be released defensively.
• Watch towers built into cliff edges, with drake perches for rapid deployment.
• Internal collapse wards that can seal sections of mines if overrun by threats from deeper caverns.
• Emberguard patrols and rune-lock gates control traffic through major tunnel arteries.

Primarily focused on:

• Mining pyrestone, iron, mithril, and sulfur-laden ores.
• Refining and smelting metals in giant open-top crucibles.
• Rune-marking for weapons, armor, and structural reinforcements.

Exports include raw and refined metals, rune-inscribed equipment, and volatile alchemical reagents. Imports are largely food, luxury goods, enchanted cooling devices, and occasionally fresh workers from other settlements.

• Complex tunnel networks with steam lifts and lava-powered pulley systems.
• A grid of ventilation chimneys that continually belch heated gases skyward.
• Public lava channels divert excess flows to keep mining stable.
• Basic aqueducts bring water from snowmelt far above to cooling towers and living quarters.

• Forge Quarter: Dominated by massive smelters and blacksmith enclaves.
• Deep Warrens: Residential areas largely inhabited by dwarves and kobolds, carved into natural caves.
• Overlook Heights: Sturdy buildings on ledges, housing administrative offices and wealthy flame elf estates.
• Market Pits: A sunken plaza where traders hawk mining tools, minor enchantments, and charred delicacies.
• Ash Steps: A rough, tiered slum area closer to slag dumps, home to transient laborers.

The settlement maintains communal storerooms of ore and processed ingots, rune-etched vaults for high-value pyrestones, and a garrison armory stocked with drake-scale shields and rune-lances.

• Emberbound Guild: Oversees forge operations, standardizes rune-crafting.
• Veined Brotherhood: A mining guild that negotiates labor contracts and keeps detailed mineral claim maps.
• The Order of the First Thought: Maintains a local sanctum that certifies arcane safety wards and blesses major excavation projects.

• The Crucible Yard: An enormous open forge where molten metals are poured into colossal molds under ritual chanting.
• Rune Gallery: A deep hall inscribed with the names of every master rune-smith from the settlement’s history.
• The Searing Gate: A defensive portcullis laced with fire runes that can ignite attackers in an instant.

Primarily visited by wealthy patrons from Emberforge seeking bespoke rune weapons or rare minerals. A small trickle of scholars and adventurers come to study the rune galleries or delve nearby unstable mines in hopes of finding lost relics.

Structures are built from dark basalt and reinforced with metal beams, often incorporating intricate runic patterns that glow faintly. Residences are typically carved directly into rock, with smoke holes and insulated stone doors. Public halls feature towering pillars engraved with clan crests.

Perched on steep cliffs in the Ember Range, riddled with natural lava tubes and gas vents. From its upper tiers, one can look out over valleys choked with sulfur mists and rivers of molten rock. Water is scarce, drawn from mountain ice and snow far above.

Hot and dry, with frequent ground tremors. Temperatures often exceed 100°F even outside the forges, moderated only by engineered air ducts. Occasional ash falls stain rooftops black.

Extensive veins of pyrestone, iron, mithril, and sulfur compounds. Natural geothermal heat provides power for smelting and rune activation, reducing the need for external fuels.