Court of Cinders

The Court of Cinders

The Cape of Cinders is home to an unusual alliance fighting back against the darkness of Dread Lake. A sisterhood of dryads and a Fernian goristro have allied to form a burning defense. To the east, the misty forests of Dread Lake turn rapidly into bright savannah and fynbos, forming the Cape of Cinders. The environment here is sunlit and dry - a stark contrast to the sodden woods and their dark denizens. Scattered groves of eucalyptus trees dot the horizon, with rainbow bark and pastel leaves. This is where the influence of the Spinner of Shadows ends, and for good reason. A sisterhood of ashen dryads rule these plains, burning away the darkness with cleansing fire.

However, each cannot venture too far from their separate groves. That's why they call for the hulking goristro Ixpyridos instead. The colossal fiend is 20 feet tall at the shoulder, appearing as an assembly of charred bone and fire in the shape of a minotaur. In a bizarre relationship, the chaotic demon protects the Cape of Cinders from harm by doing what it does best - setting fire to everything in sight. The epicenter for this is the Court of Cinders, where the spirits and fey of the Cape come to cavort in the firelight. The Court lies in the geographical center of the Cape, within a grove of eucalyptus trees with multi-hued bark. Here, the ashen dryads come to consort and share news, sometimes sending emissaries such as sparking quicklings.

These native fey have different appearances depending on the tree they originate from; some have the colorful appearance of eucalyptus, others the soft hues of silverleaf trees.When fiends or monsters from Dread Lake begin to encroach on their lands, they direct Ixpyrinesh from his smoke-filled cavern beneath the Court towards the threat, expecting their ‘Knight of Cinders’ to incinerate it post-haste. The goristro itself is a Fernian fiend, so has no ties to any Overlord. Instead, it represents the hungry destruction of fire. After accidentally crossing into the Material through a manifest zone, the fiend found itself with an entire world to burn.

Using fey charm and simple words, the dryads formed a quick arrangement with the demon. Wildfires are natural here in the Cape, and allow the native plants to spread their seeds and regrow. In exchange for burning things of sisterhood’s choice (already a fun activity), the dryads would let the goristro burn vast swathes of the Cape, renewing the life with fertile ash - and allowing it to regrow to be burnt again. After thousands of years of controlled and desired incineration, the goristro has unwittingly developed a love of botany, and an eye for good fertilizer. Sure, you can burn plants - but there’s a satisfaction to be had in burning the best trees possible.

As a result, the Cape has a fearsome reputation for many Xen’drik people; tales of the accursed demon of flame that haunts its borders are not unfounded, and the sisterhood is wary of any disguised threats from Dread Lake. As such, adventurers may find themselves on the wrong end of Ixpyridos's charge - unless, that is, they can offer it some rare plants to grow. Despite this, the Cape of Cinders is home to Fernian plants found nowhere else, many of which can be brewed into potent medicinal teas.