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Ashen Veil Rules

Welcome to the Ashen Veil, a world of searing beauty and relentless danger in the Perilous Adventures Warbands Guide (PAWG). Imagine a classic fantasy realm—vibrant with emerald jungles, sapphire seas, and golden sands—then twist it with the harshness of a sun-scorched wasteland where survival is a daily gamble. This isn’t a land of gleaming towers or benevolent gods; it’s a gritty crucible where your warband—heroes like Torren, Lira, Eryn, Kael, and Veyra—must face monstrous threats, treacherous landscapes, and rival factions vying for scraps of power. This page plunges into the lore, geography, and factions of the Ashen Veil—your stage for tales of desperate valor and hard-won triumphs. Step into the glare, and stake your claim!

Background and Lore

Before the Fall

Eons ago, the Ashen Veil was a paradise called Vaerethar, a jewel of the cosmos crafted by the Primal Shapers—elemental titans of fire, water, earth, and air. Its skies shimmered with auroras, its rivers ran with liquid crystal, and its people—elves, dwarves, humans, and more—thrived under the Shapers’ stewardship. Magic flowed freely, bound to a vast lattice of Aetherstones, crystalline obelisks that channeled the elements into harmony. Cities like Glimmerhold rose in radiant splendor, their spires of glass and gold a testament to a golden age.

But paradise withered with the Ashen Betrayal. A cabal of sorcerer-kings, lusting for godhood, sought to siphon the Aetherstones’ power for themselves. In a cataclysmic ritual atop the Sunspire, they shattered the lattice, hoping to bind the Shapers’ essence. Instead, they unleashed chaos: the skies burned crimson, the seas boiled, and the land cracked into jagged scars. The Shapers, enraged, sundered their bond with Vaerethar, leaving behind fragments of their power—Shaper Shards—and a curse that turned the world’s vibrancy into a cruel mockery. The sorcerer-kings fell, their empires dust, and the survivors named this new age the Ashen Veil, a shroud over a broken dream.

Before the Darkening

Before the Betrayal, Vaerethar’s factions shaped its glory:

  • The Aetheric Conclave: Mages who tended the Aetherstones, weaving magic into daily life.
  • The Stoneforged Clans: Dwarven smiths and warriors, masters of earth and metal.
  • The Verdant Kin: Elven guardians of forests and rivers, attuned to nature’s pulse.
  • The Sunward Tribes: Human nomads and sailors, thriving under the eternal sun.
  • The Shaper Priesthood: Devotees who mediated between titans and mortals.

Post-Betrayal, these crumbled. The Conclave’s remnants hoard shards, the Clans fend off collapse, the Kin war with twisted nature, the Tribes raid to survive, and the Priesthood’s faith fractured into cults. The Ashen Veil is now a vibrant ruin, its colors a stark canvas for desperation.

Geography of the Ashen Veil

The Ashen Veil spans a vivid, perilous continent, its five regions blending classic fantasy with Dark Sun’s grit. Your warband will face a world alive with danger and wonder.

1. The Emberfall Wastes (Desert Expanse)

  • Lore: Once the Sunward Tribes’ golden plains, now a blazing desert of red dunes and obsidian spires. Myths of efreeti and phoenixes—fiery genies and reborn birds—haunt its sands, born from the fire Shaper’s wrath.
  • Environment: Searing heat shimmers in crimson waves, sandstorms scour flesh, and water is a rare mirage.
  • Dangers: Sand wyrms burrow beneath—Torren’s Melee Weapons might fend them off. Efreeti bargain or burn, testing Veyra’s Persuasion. Heatstroke fells the unwary.
  • Factions: The Ashriders (nomadic raiders) and Flameborn Cult (fire worshippers) vie for wells and shards.
  • Mechanics: Endurance to resist heat; Survival to find water; Deception to haggle with efreeti.

2. The Verdant Scar (Jungle Wilderness)

  • Lore: The Verdant Kin’s emerald forests, now a riot of overgrown vines and toxic blooms after the water Shaper’s curse. Tales of dryads and hydras—tree spirits and multi-headed beasts—echo from its depths.
  • Environment: Dense, humid jungle with neon flora, quicksand pools, and acidic rains.
  • Dangers: Carnivorous plants snap—Lira’s Stealth could evade them. Hydras stalk rivers, challenging Kael’s Spellcasting. Poisonous spores drift, stinging lungs.
  • Factions: The Thornkin (feral elves) and Venom Traders (poison dealers) rule the green hell.
  • Mechanics: Acrobatics to climb vines; Resilience vs. toxins; Perception to spot ambushes.

3. The Crystaline Peaks (Mountain Range)

  • Lore: The Stoneforged Clans’ realm of sapphire peaks and quartz caverns, cracked by the earth Shaper’s rage. Legends of golems and basilisks—stone guardians and petrifying serpents—guard its heights.
  • Environment: Glittering cliffs, howling winds, and brittle crystal bridges. Cold bites at night, avalanches loom.
  • Dangers: Basilisks turn flesh to stone—Eryn’s Knowledge might counter their gaze. Golems crush intruders, testing Torren’s Endurance. Winds whip, threatening falls.
  • Factions: The Stonebound Clans (dwarven survivors) and Crystal Seekers (shard hunters) dig and fight.
  • Mechanics: Athletics to scale peaks; Investigation to find shard veins; Resilience vs. cold.

4. The Sapphire Abyss (Coastal Depths)

  • Lore: Once bustling ports of the Sunward Tribes, now a turquoise sea dotted with sunken ruins and coral spires, warped by the air Shaper’s storm. Sirens and krakens—seductive singers and tentacled horrors—rule its waves.
  • Environment: Vibrant waters, storm-tossed islands, and razor reefs. Hurricanes churn the air.
  • Dangers: Krakens drag ships down—Veyra’s Leadership rallies the crew. Sirens lure with song, testing Kael’s Wisdom. Currents drown the careless.
  • Factions: The Stormreavers (pirate clans) and Siren Coven (sea witches) claim the abyss.
  • Mechanics: Swimming (Athletics) to dive; Perception to hear sirens; Leadership to navigate storms.

5. The Ashen Heart (Central Ruins)

  • Lore: Glimmerhold’s radiant core, now a shattered city of gold and ash where the Betrayal struck. Myths of sphinxes and wraiths—riddle-keepers and vengeful spirits—linger in its rubble.
  • Environment: Cracked plazas, dust-choked streets, and flickering mirages. Heat and ash swirl in a perpetual haze.
  • Dangers: Sphinxes demand answers—Eryn’s Knowledge could solve them. Wraiths drain life, testing Lira’s Stealth. Collapsing ruins bury the slow.
  • Factions: The Aether Remnant (sorcerer heirs) and Dustborn Scavengers (ruin dwellers) seek the heart’s power.
  • Mechanics: Investigation to unearth relics; Acrobatics to dodge traps; Spellcasting to banish wraiths.

Factions of the Ashen Veil

The Ashen Veil’s factions are born from its vibrant past and gritty present, each a force your warband might join or defy.

  • The Aether Remnant:
  • Origin: Descendants of the Aetheric Conclave, clinging to Glimmerhold’s ruins in the Ashen Heart.
  • Goal: Restore Vaerethar with Shaper Shards—Eryn’s arcane skill might align or unravel their plans.
  • Traits: Tattered robes, shard-fueled magic—sorcerers in exile.
  • The Stonebound Clans:
  • Origin: Dwarven survivors of the Crystaline Peaks, forging anew amidst ruin.
  • Goal: Reclaim their holds and shard power—Torren’s strength fits their martial code.
  • Traits: Runed armor, stubborn grit—smiths turned warriors.
  • The Thornkin:
  • Origin: Elves of the Verdant Scar, warped by the jungle’s curse into feral guardians.
  • Goal: Protect their wild sanctum—Lira’s cunning could slip past or provoke them.
  • Traits: Vine-wrapped blades, feral grace—nature’s avengers.
  • The Stormreavers:
  • Origin: Pirate descendants of the Sunward Tribes in the Sapphire Abyss, thriving on chaos.
  • Goal: Rule the seas with shard-enhanced ships—Veyra’s leadership might sway or sink them.
  • Traits: Salt-crusted raiders, storm magic—lords of the waves.
  • The Ashriders:
  • Origin: Nomadic survivors of the Emberfall Wastes, riding flame-scarred beasts.
  • Goal: Survive and plunder—Kael’s Survival could match their desert mastery.
  • Traits: Sand-worn cloaks, fierce loyalty—raiders of the dunes.

Your Warband in the Ashen Veil

Torren, Lira, Eryn, Kael, and Veyra are forged for this world’s vibrant peril. Torren could wrestle wyrms in the Wastes, Lira stalk the Scar’s shadows, Eryn decipher the Heart’s riddles, Kael heal amidst the Abyss’s storms, and Veyra lead through the Peaks’ frost. The Shaper Shards drive the tale—will you harness their power, destroy their curse, or simply endure? Each region’s lore and factions offer hooks, and its dangers demand every ounce of skill—grit and teamwork will see you through.

Newbie Note: It’s a wild, colorful world—stick close, and face the chaos together!

For Experienced Players

  • Depth: Factions evolve—Stormreavers might raid the Ashriders, sparking war. Shards could grant boons (e.g., +10 Mana) or curses (e.g., Fatigue).
  • Lore Ties: Use Knowledge for lost Vaerethar tales, Survival for shard trails—build on the Betrayal’s echoes.
  • Dangers: Tailor threats—hydras for mages, sphinxes for scholars. Environmental checks (e.g., Resilience vs. heat) shape every journey.

That’s the Ashen Veil in PAWG! A vivid wasteland of color and grit—forge your saga in its harsh embrace. Work with your GM to weave the tale, and brace for the storm!