Ashton District

The district was named for the great clouds of ash that occasionally erupt from the Novan's Forge, coating the nearby towers in thick layers of ash and soot. These dark towers stand stubbornly amidst the yellow sand of their neighbors, refusing all efforts to clean or be washed by even the torrential rains that sometimes come to the city. The occupants of these ash covered towers are crafters and workers themselves, highly prizing the physical labours of creation, and sometimes mark themselves with some of the soot in the belief it will bless their own work.

The Novan Forge

The largest construct in all of Anatos the Forge is a volcano that reaches down through the sea, into the mountain beneath the city, and taps directly into the red hot lifeblood of the world. It is here the Novan Crafters Guild make their home, their attendants performing the difficult task of extracting usable stone and metal from the overflowing lava that often pools out of the Forge. The interior of the Forge is a mass of halls all dedicated to this holy task, and the sound of the crafters at work rings throughout them at all hours of the day.

Because of this dangerous and difficult work the Novan Crafters adhere to strict discipline, those without patience or determination are unwelcome in their halls. Members are expected to work diligently as an apprentice under a Mastersmith until they are able to produce a work that eclipses their teacher, whereupon they will obtain their own workshop and apprentices. The Tower Architects visit the Forge only for supplies or important events, applying their own craft to wherever it’s needed in the city. All the disciplines of the Novan Crafters are in high demand throughout the city, which is why the Guild prides itself on staying neutral and completing their work in an orderly fashion. While members are allowed to offer their services for payment, this is the purview of the only of the most senior members, and it’s considered shameful if an apprentice is ever found doing work ‘off the books’.

A centerpiece of the Guild is a powerful furnace known as the “Heart of Fire, Hartia” built using a strange and powerful artifact of the old world. With it the Guild has been able to manufacture more items then they have ever done in the past, and it is considered a great honour to be selected to watch over and maintain this great ‘miracle’.

Temple of the Nine Paths

Sara Pahang’s temple is built inside the great Novan Forge and is one of the cities most impressive buildings with it’s pillars of lava and it’s wide spaces decorated with the goddesses greatest achievements. The floor and walls radiated a constant heat which causes some people to pass out in prayer if they stay too long, but others see it as a challenge of endurance to pray to every shrine in the temple. Most of the goddesses followers are smiths of the forge, who each hope to make a weapon great enough for her to bless, while others are warriors in pursuit of enlightenment through combat.