The Ashlands

At the outskirts of Venathel is a land of black ash. We've all seen it as it sweeps in from the west, taking from us those not quick enough to get inside. We've all seen it, but no one will speak of it. It's not on our maps. Not most of them, anyway. Ten years of searching, and I finally found someone willing to talk about the Ashlands, the Ash Sweeps, and all the things that hide in that forsaken place. The Ashlands weren't always there. Maybe slightly over a hundred years ago it was just coastline, nothing but sand and trees and the occasional seaside settlement. The ash came about when we shut down the rifts to the feywild. Those left behind after the portals closed were destroyed, leaving behind nothing but ash and the spirits of the fey. The things you see in the ash sweeps are their spirits, back for a bit of revenge I'd guess.

Geography

The place isn't flat anywhere, covered most places in rolling hills of ash. What few towns there are need to be built to withstand moving at the slightest shifting of the ground beneath them. In all the vast stretch of the Ashlands there isn't a drop of drinkable water to be found, so I'm not sure how those folk manage to survive out there. If I had to guess from the stories I've heard, I'd say they aren't alive in the same way we are. Every now and then the sea comes in, crashing into the wastes and sending up a hard wind that blows the ash our way. This is sometimes mistaken for an Ash Sweep by those who still think of them as a natural phenomenon. They aren't. The true Ash Sweeps are something else entirely.

Fauna & Flora

Aside from those that resemble us(humans, dwarves and the like), there are plenty of other nasty things living in the Ashlands. You see, when I say the sweeps aren't a natural occurrence, what I mean to say is the sweeps are sentient. A living creature, intentionally malevolent. All those stories you hear about monsters in the ash are, in fact, true, and those taken by the ash sweeps weren't taken by chance. As for plants, well. If you dig deep enough, you'll find them among the bones of those buried when the ash first came.

Natural Resources

Ash and bone. All you'll find in the wastes are ash and bone, and a fair bit of misery.

Alternative Name(s)

The Ashen Waste

Type

Wasteland