The Ashthreni Horde

Not much is known about the history of other empires and nations that existed at the time of the Vaelorian Ascendancy’s peak, but one that is often mentioned as their most terrifying enemy is without a doubt the Ashthreni Horde.

It appears that the Ashthreni traced their lineage to the Ashen Wastes, a barren and volcanic expanse that must have been somewhere to the east of Vaelorian land. They were not a single people but a confederation of tribes united under the banner of the Ashen Khan, a title passed down through blood and conquest. Many tribes formed the Ashthreni Horde at its peak in power, with the Dustrunners and Bonecarvers being mentioned often in Vaelorian history books. These tribes seemed to be content to war among themselves for generations, but their fate changed when a ruthless warlord named Kharzul the Unbroken united them under a single vision: to escape the cursed wastes and claim the fertile lands of the west. Kharzul was said to have been guided by visions from the Ashen Veil, a mysterious force that some scholars believe to be the collective will of the Ashthreni ancestors.

The horde swept across the western lands like a wildfire, leaving only ash and ruin in their wake. They were driven not just by greed or ambition, but by a deep-seated belief that the world owed them a debt for their suffering. To the Ashthreni, the Vaelorian Ascendancy represented everything they despised: opulence, order, and the arrogance of a civilization that had never known true hardship.

The Clash with the Vaelorian Ascendancy

The first encounters between the Ashthreni and the Vaelorian Ascendancy were marked by shock and disbelief. The Vaelorians, secure in their technological and magical superiority, underestimated the primal ferocity and cunning of the horde. The Ashthreni's use of ash-wrought weapons, forged from the volcanic slag of their homeland, proved devastating against even the finest shadowsteel armor. Their shamans, wielding the Rites of the Veil, could summon ash storms to blind their enemies and animate the fallen to fight again.

The Battle of Curum was the culmination of this brutal conflict. The Ashthreni, led by Kharzul himself, sought to break the Vaelorian lines and claim the fertile heartlands beyond. The Vaelorians, though initially overwhelmed, rallied under the leadership of the Obsidian Veil, an elite order of warriors and assassins; in the end, the Vaelorians emerged victorious, but at a terrible cost. The Ashthreni were driven back, but not destroyed. Kharzul vanished from the battlefield, his fate unknown, and the horde retreated to the east to lick their wounds and plot their next move. The Vaelorians, though triumphant, were left with a lingering fear of the horde's return and a newfound respect for the savagery of their enemy.