The Ashenweld Peaks

Originally a sacred battleground between elemental forces, the Ashenwelds became a center of mineral extraction, forge-magic experimentation, and volcanic spirit worship. Over time, the region developed into a stronghold of martial and artisanal strength, particularly for the dwarves of Ashvault and members of the Veined Brotherhood.

• Peaks are knife-like, with black glass ridges and red-glowing rifts.
• Caves often lead to igneous cathedral chambers lined with lava channels or crystalline stalagmites.
• Ancient causeways carved from obsidian and rune-scribed basalt run between high passes and deep citadel vaults.
• Bridges of chainstone and magma-hardened bone span fiery canyons.

• Narrow mountain trails, some known only to locals.
• Large tunnel networks bored through by dwarven engineers, often sealed with lava-lock gates that require pass-phrases or heat-runes.
• Some access points are hidden behind gloryfalls—cascades of lava that part only for flame-attuned bloodlines.

• Visuals: Ember-glow veins crawl along cliff faces; smoke plumes rise from unseen vents; the sky is often tinged orange or purple.
• Smell: Sulfur, scorched iron, oil-soaked leather, and faint floral ash from fireblooms.
• Sound: Distant rumbles, metal shrieks, forge songs carried on wind. In deeper caverns: whispering flames or slow breathing of magma-spirits.
• Feel: Surfaces warm to the touch, sometimes pulsing. Air thick and dry.

• Ashvault dwarves and Veined Brotherhood smelters maintain strongholds and mine fortresses.
• Fire-touched elementals, including ember wisps, lava sloths, and furnace drakes.
• The Order of The First Thought
• Rumors persist of an ancient slumbering fire colossus buried beneath the heart of the range.

• Smithing halls powered by magma channels.
• Scry-craters used to divine tectonic movement or the will of elemental forces.
• Armories and rune-forges stocked with heat-tempered alloys and obsidian-forged weapons.
• Stone tablets and old flame-glyphs that glow in response to truth or memory.
• The order of the first thought's monastery.

• Blazevein ore: a rare magical metal that drinks heat and enhances destructive spells.
• Cindershard gems: used to create exploding enchantments or forge heat-absorbing gear.
• The Anvil of First Flame: a rumored relic forge that can shape godsteel or bind elemental spirits into weapons.

• Lava traps in false tunnels; many set by dwarves to protect sacred vaults.
• Ash ghosts—burned echoes of lost miners or monks that drain heat from intruders.
• Magma elementals bound to protect leyline anchors can go berserk during quakes.
• Explosive gas pockets—disturbing them without proper flame wards can cause chain eruptions.

• Areas of the Ashenwelds bend elemental magic. Fire spells cast near leyline fractures gain power but risk backlash.
• Certain high ridges grant rare glimpses into the Plane of Magma, and during solar eclipses, temporary portals form.
• Emberstorms occasionally rip through the peaks, granting visions or temporary wild-magic effects.

• Original peaks were smooth and low until the Firefall Conflict reshaped the land.
• Dwarves and firebinders have carved channels, spires, and vaults into the mountains for millennia.
• After the Scorchwake, part of the range collapsed and now burns underground as a slow-breathing inferno.

• Built from obsidian, basalt, reinforced magma-rock, and ironbone.
• Forged hallways with fire-chutes for heat recycling.
• Dwarven stylings dominate, but elemental sigils glow in interlocking spirals around every structural seam.
• Sacred areas include massive flame-kilns and geomantic pillars chiseled from lava-frozen tears.

• Seismic wards and pressure-runed walls.
• Lava-flood systems that can incinerate invaders.
• Entrances sealed with molten-locks that only open in response to song or bloodline fire.
• Fire gargoyle constructs and bound ash-serpents patrol certain ridges.

• Rare and dangerous, but some fire mages, dwarven aspirants, and elemental scholars journey to the Ashenwelds for trials and forging rites.
• The Anvil Pilgrimage is a sacred journey taken by smiths of the Veined Brotherhood to receive visions of their true craft.