Ashkarra
A city of black stone and red banners where order is absolute, smiles are practiced, and every street feels like it was built to watch you.
Overview
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Type: Imperial Capital City
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Country: Eastern Nokan / The Infernal Empire
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Population: ~90,000 (official), unknown number uncounted
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Primary Industry: Imperial administration, arcane research, controlled trade
Description
Ashkarra is unnervingly immaculate.
The streets are paved in dark volcanic stone etched with faint sigils that glow dimly at night. Buildings rise in sharp, geometric lines—black basalt, red lacquered wood, and silver inlay—designed more for intimidation than comfort. The air smells faintly of incense, ash, and hot metal. Bells toll at fixed hours, not to mark time but to enforce it.
Crowds move efficiently, quietly, and always with purpose. Public spaces are wide and open, offering no shadows to linger in. Guards stand motionless at regular intervals, their silver-bladed weapons catching the light. Conversation lowers instinctively when officials pass.
Ashkarra does not feel alive.
It feels maintained.
Districts & Areas
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Imperial Axis – A vast ceremonial boulevard lined with banners and monuments, used for parades, proclamations, and public punishments
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The Obsidian Quarter – Administrative heart of the city, housing prefects, magistrates, and Infernal bureaucracies
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The Crimson Ward – Arcane district where sanctioned magic is researched and weaponized
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The Outer Rings – Densely populated residential zones for workers and registered citizens
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The Silent Yards – Restricted industrial zone rumored to process bodies and materials alike
Notable Locations
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The Prefect’s Palace – Seat of the Arch-Prefect governing Eastern Nokan
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Hall of the Infernal Compact – Temple-administrative complex enforcing ideology
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The Black Registry – Records office where citizenship, labor status, and guilt are tracked
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The Silver Gate – Fortified eastern gate reserved for military and arcane convoys
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Ashkarra Grand Forum – Public square used for speeches and “demonstrations”
People of Note
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Arch-Prefect Malrix Vane – Supreme civil authority of Ashkarra, calm and terrifyingly polite
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Magister Kothrell – Senior Infernal arcanist overseeing sanctioned necromancy
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Captain Sereth Irix – Commander of the Silver Cohort stationed in the city
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Registrar Ansel Drax – Head of the Black Registry, rumored to know everyone’s secrets
Factions Present
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Infernal Procuracy of Solis (maintains a permanent presence)
Rumors & Hooks
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A block in the Outer Rings has gone silent—officially due to “relocation,” but neighbors report screams and lights beneath the streets
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A Prefect’s clerk is secretly selling Registry information to foreign agents
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An Infernal excavation convoy is departing soon, and it is rumored to carry something that should never leave Lost Solis
Player Notes
Ashkarra is safe if you are obedient.
Travel papers are mandatory and frequently checked.
Magic without sanction is a capital crime.
The city rewards cooperation—and remembers hesitation.