Ember ~ The Kingdom of Fire and Ice

"We control the beasts of the sands, the sun in the sky, and we burn with the Flame of our spirits."

Demographics

The people of Ember are a diverse group, yet each is very much judged on whether they live above or below the Great Barrier. Those below are seen as "Unblessed" by the Gods, unable to live under the Sun of the Sky, and living life among the frigid temperatures of the magical permafrost. Above and below there are craft masters, common laborers, beggars, and soldiers. There are rich and poor among both the Upper and Lower levels, some born under the Sun, as their parents were believed to be blessed, and others born into families never blessed by the Sun, yet have done well for themselves in the home of the Unblessed.

Government

The Kingdom of Ember is ruled over by a Monarchy that relies on a strong cultural law and religious beliefs. The "Val'Darian" family has ruled for over 2,000 years and have been known to be a strong, yet fair, royal family utilizing wisdom over cruelty. Alongside the Royal Family is the Cathedral of the Flames, the home of the Priests of the Eternal Flame. A mysterious, yet peaceful group, they are respected as much as the Royal Family. The Priests of the Eternal Flame maintain exclusive abilities and rights as to who may ascend to live under the sun as "Blessed". It is unknown where they gained this power, yet it has been in practice for over 3,000 years.
Below the sun kissed upper level of Ember is the eternally frozen section of the city many have termed 'Snow'. In snow a provisional government of elected elders, seven in total, deal with the day to day mundane aspects of law below. They answer to the Royal Family, and to the Priests of the Eternal Flame.

Defences

The Defenses of Ember are two fold in design. Known for it's fierce warriors and glass weapons, some say tougher than steel, Ember is a military powerhouse. Utilizing small platoons trained as special forces, the military might of the Emberian people is based on small tactical teams, not in the large scale numbers of armies such as those of Harvest during the 'War of Wheat'.
The second defense of Ember is that the city is essentially split into two. To wage war against Ember one would need to take out the upper levels, as well as the lower levels, all the while battling in the only two large scale openings from one section to the next, one of which being an elevator. Bring to light this, including the need to prepare for two separate temperature extremes, an army would have a hard time dealing with the level of adaptation it would take to invade Ember.
Not including the Fire magic wielding Priests.

Industry & Trade

Important Economic Information:
Imports: Silk, Fish, Beef, Metal, Vegetables
Exports: Glass, Sand, Sandstone, Ice, Permafrost

Infrastructure

The infrastructure of Ember is based on the two separate sections of the city and their correlating elemental importance. Above the Green Crystal known as "The Great Barrier" the buildings and architecture of the Emberian people is full of bright reds, yellows, and deep oranges. The sun shines upon glass domes, and towers stretch toward the heavens. The Cathedral of the Eternal Flame sits upon the city, it's black coal like color seeming to take the sunshine from the sky and turn it into waving vapors of heat. It is said that one cannot look directly at the Cathedral without seeing it move. Below the Great Barrier, the world is blue, white, and black, the colors of the permafrost in the caves deep below. Large vent systems fill the skies connected to horizontal windmills above the barrier designed to keep the temperatures above freezing at night. During the day residents tend to stay within the warmth of their homes and places of business. The design and architecture of the buildings matches the style of the "Blessed", yet it incorporates it's own mixture of coloration and subtle differences that are more born of necessity than of visual appreciation. Above, the world is full of open spaces, windows, and warm breezes. Below, windows are shuttered against the cold, snow rises up from the caves to fall among the streets, and air vents are a way of life.

Guilds and Factions

Important Guilds and Factions within Ember:

The Priests of the Eternal Flame;

A small group of monks dedicated to the Eternal Flame. Quiet, solitary, and only show up in public to perform special rituals. They are a mystery to most, and only a few non-monks have ever stepped foot in their sanctum.

History

The Kingdom of Ember, and the Kingdom of Scorn share an important history, written in the Library of the Eternal, only seen by a scant few as it is one of the oldest books known to the librarians.
Over 10,000 years ago a land of silent and ancient forests, peaceful streams, and rolling hills dotted the now barren landscape of Ember. It was a peaceful and prosperous land ruled over by an ancient King and his Sorceress Queen. The land was fertile, beloved by both King and Queen, and it's people led happy lives.
On the King's 50th birthday a great feast was held, and all the Kingdom was invited, from the lowliest peasant to the highest ranked nobles of the land. During this feast the Sorceress retired for the night, driven ill by the excitement of the day, and left her husband to revel in the merriment of his birthday into the night. Sometime around 11pm the King, drunk and happy, stood to give a rousing speech to thank all for attending. But halfway through "Thank you all for..." he burst into flame. Of course the people suspected magic, who wouldn't at such a moment, watching the King burst into flame? But who could wield such magic, and with motive enough to kill a King? The Sorceress of course.
Yet she was asleep the whole time, for hours, yet the people of the Kingdom tossed her excuses aside, demanding she pay the same price as her now deceased husband! They took her from her bed and drug her through the streets toward the town square. Gathering up furniture, firewood, flowers from gardens, anything that could burn, they built a pyre to burn their Queen.
She cried out to them, "No, you don't understand, I loved my husband!" to jeers and hisses. They didn't want to listen, and she screamed as they dragged her by the hair up to the top of the now massive pile of desks, chairs, flowers, bushes, and firewood. They tied her to a pole and cheered as they passed a torch to a boy, no more than 10 years of age. He laughed gleefully and tossed the torch onto the pile igniting the pyre.
The flames grew and grew into a towering inferno, and the Queens screams of terror and sadness soon turned into screams of rage. If they wanted an evil sorceress, then an evil Sorceress they shall have. The fire soon gathered around her and became a twisting tornado of chaos and flame, larger and larger, engulfing the pile and shooting into the heavens. Her body now burned and her skin peeling off her face she grinned at the people below her and threw her powers down at them. A great pillar of fire and light from the heavens struck down the peaceful kingdom, it's buildings turned to ash, it's people vaporized before they knew what was happening, and the rolling hills turned to sheets of glass and sand. A great rumble was heard from the earth below and a great crack tore open and released a frozen core where the heat was drawn for her spell. She smiled at the new land, insanity and sadness in her eye. And she walked out of the new land, frozen beneath, a baked wasteland on top, and wandered across the land into the Swamp of the Damned, where she gathered any who society banned, any who's name had been falsely sullied, and began a new Kingdom.
The Kingdom of Scorn.

Architecture

Architecture within Ember consists of two separate yet similar fashions. The "Blessed" living above the Great Barrier of green glass formed during The Betrayal of the Red Witch live in square homes, decorated in the colors of the sun. Orange, Red, and Yellow homes dot the landscape, each with open windows letting the slight bit of moisture in the air be captured within towers built for just the purpose. Each home is a mathematical concept in design, basing each wall and placement to allow the most wind and moisture to be captured and funneled into the house.
Below, for the "Unblessed" the Architecture is much the same, yet the colors change toward the blues and whites associated with the Permafrost that is harvested and sold to various kingdoms, as well as provided to the Royal Palace above. There are small subtle differences, placement of vents designed to pull air from above the barrier into the homes at night. Many generations have perfected this airflow system, and it is in constant need of cleaning to provide quick and easy access for the warm winds of the world above to heat homes, businesses, and to help harvest permafrost.

Natural Resources

Sand, Metals, Rabbit, and Cactus, permafrost, ice, stone, andesite.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
(Old Ember Kingdom) 2491 A.D.W.

Alternative Name(s)

Firefrost

Type

National Territory

Population

Currently Unknown after Cataclysm

Owner/Ruler

Blaze Val'Darian

Characters in Location

• Blaze Val'Darian