Ember
Burg in the Sea of Frozen Flames, Ash
A massive elemental pocket of Fire in Ash, Ember is a thriving burg filled with all manner of creatures. Efreet exiles, young fire mephit thrillseekers who fancy a jaunt off-plane, ash creatures sick of the numbing chill and planewalkers who’ve got protection from flames but not from cold are the most common bloods found here. It’s a blazin’ paradox nestled in the monochrome belly of Ash. It’s like finding a gemstone in a pile o’ pebbles, only to realise the gem on fire.
Ember’s one of them places that makes even a deathly, ash-covered berk like meself go, “Huh, ain’t that a thing.” It’s a pocket of burnin’ brilliance in a plane o’ entropy and bleakness. Efreet exiles and fire mephits galore, all elbowin’ each other to have a sip at the Flamin’ Wight Inn or the Hearth at Night. There’s a fair bit of elemental politics, y’know. Efreet sultans tryin’ to show they’ve still got the embers, even after bein’ exiled. On the surface, it’s a fire-starter’s dream, right? But, the chant goes that Ember is slowly shrinking as the Negative claims the flames for Ash.
Naturally, the locals ain’t keen to lose their home, and they’ve tried many enchantments to halt or reverse this decay. Unfortunately, the chant continues, it hasn’t worked, and has even increased the rate of consumption! There’s clearly an opening here for an inspired cutter to clean up, as the worried locals reckon they’ve got only another few years before buildings on the edge of the fire bubble are destroyed. Perhaps an allegiance with the mage Stoke of Rekindle is on the cards, but nobody’s holding their breath on that; that spellslinger can’t even keep his own robes from catchin’ fire. Fact is, with all the spells and incantations, they’re just fanning the flames of their own destruction. They keep hirin’ cutters to go find a solution, some flaming artefact or whatever, and none have ever come back. What does that tell ya?
If you’re thinkin’ ’bout playin’ the hero, I’ve got a suggestion—why not seek out the Flame of Eternal Pyres? Y’know, rumour has it that it was last seen floatin’ in Limbo, and that thing could keep the whole burg of Ember aglow for centuries. Just beware, it’s not a trinket for the light-hearted. Greek myths say even Prometheus would’ve thought twice ’bout nabbin’ it. If you manage that, then, cutter, you’d be the top berk in not just Ember, but probably in the whole sodding Ash!
So, if you fancy a sojourn to Ember, pack yerself a good load o’ fire resistance, bring plenty of water ’cause the ale there’ll ignite yer insides, and for the love o’ the Powers, don’t promise anythin’ ya can’t deliver. Those efreeti are more spiteful than a Baatorian lawyer. And they call us Ash-folk bleak!
Source: Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
