The Ashen Wastes of Solestres

It is said that Solestres was once a beautiful country. Surrounded by natural barriers and blessed with bountiful farmland and dense forests, the seven houses that ruled over it's counties worked in tandem to protect and serve their vassals. The monarch, King Marellon Solestres the Fourth, ruled with wisdom, integrity, and strength. Under his leadership, it is said that few citizens ever wanted for anything, and the world was at peace.   Then came the Searing. When dragons descended upon the land and drenched it in fire for forty days and forty nights, reducing the land to ash. Little could stand against the constant torrents of fire, as swathes of grassland burned, rivers dried up, and castles melted into slag. However, thanks to the foresight of the seven houses, the people of Solestres found salvation. In their kindness and mercy, seven Refuges were constructed underground throughout the country. These sprawling underground cities were built to house 25,000 people each, though it is said that only a few thousand were successfully evacuated to begin with. Great wonders of magic helped produce food and water, allowing the people to peacefully live out their lives in service to the Seven Lords.   Centuries have passed since the Searing, and with them the land has slowly began to heal. While the land is still blanketed in ash and dust, carried by the wind around the still smoldering heart of Solestres, some of the flora and fauna have adapted. Humanity has been in the process of slowly resurfacing from the Refuges in what are oftentimes a mass exodus of the surplus population into the harsh and perilous surface world. What few communities that have managed to establish themselves are plagued by frequent storms, sand serpents, dragons, drought, and the raids and machinations of various warlords, each wishing to carve out their own piece of the desolate land, sometimes with the backing of one of the Seven Lords.   In the Ashen Wastes, it is a constant struggle to survive. However, the winds of change have begun to rise. Wealth, power, glory and perhaps even escape from this accursed realm lie in wait for those that are worthy. They need only find the strength to seize them.