Wow, congratulations Phoenix.
Just posting to let you and everyone know I haven't forgotten about writing up some stuff for the setting, and am currently whittling away at the story to go with a character. Being an alt has let me take the time to do it right, so hopefully it'll be a helpful and interesting addition to the campaign world when it's done. A chunk from what I've done thus far:
An excerpt from "The Acres of Ash and Stone, and the Creatures who call it Home: A Study by Alec Saad, Honoured Historian and Anthropologist of The Society for Knowledge":
If you asked Ba'aktar where he was from, he would reply 'The Acres of Ash and Stone', which is the more official name of a few suburbs more commonly known as Ashstone. How Ashstone got its name is a fairly well known story, albeit not often in detail, but to truly understand it requires the telling of another story even older again, that of 'The Deep Waters', or Deepwater Lake. Most people know Deepwater Lake as merely some kind of nexus for the canals and thusly for shipping routes, but there is a great tragedy behind their creation, just like that of Ashstone.
Aproximately 600 years ago it is estimated that there was an underground lake where Deepwater Lake is now. Upon its discovery the people of the region rejoiced for the news of a supply of clean water, so it was that wells and pumps were contructed thanks to the ruling authority at that time, and the people enjoyed better health for a time. News spread though, and others came in search of clean drinking waters, and to find out if the rumours were true. More and more started to come, so the powers that were decided they would levy a fee from people from surrounding districts who would desire to partake of their drinking water, and means of transporting bulk supplies of water were developed through contracting those of arcane talent from the nearby academy. More and more money was rolling into the district, and it flourished, becoming one of the wealthiest and healthiest for as far as the eye could see from the tallest local building. They had failed to notice something though.
