In the beginning the gods wove the world into existence upon the loom of fates, upon this world they created the mortal races. Each race was given a single wish, a single desire that the gods would weave into their souls as fate to be their legacy and defining aspect. Many races made their wishes, the Erudin wished for knowledge, the Kruun wished for strength and so on. Finally it was the humans turn to make their wish. They looked upon the other races and saw that a fate was more than just a desire, it was how the gods controlled them. They danced as the gods willed, little more than puppets to their fate. Thus humanity wished to be free from fate, to have control of their own destiny. It is unknown if the Gods or humans knew what would happen but to weave a fate that frees one from fate is a contradiction, and the mechanism the Gods used to control the fates was destroyed.

In a moment of desperation the gods attempted to wash the world clean with their divine fire, to burn away the infection, but it was too late. A full third of creation burned before the gods were completely cut off by the wish of humanity. The world remained but now the threads of time wove themselves chaotically, with no divine direction. The very idea of fate reversed for the mortal races, no longer was it something they were destined to achieve, it was something they had to seek out lest their souls unravel.

But the worst was yet to come, millions died in the divine fire, but those slain by the wrath of the gods couldn’t move on to the next world. Instead they returned as creatures known as the Ashen, twisted abominations that only vaguely resembled their own charred corpses. They set out to finish what the Gods had started, what sense of self they might have had driven away by unending pain and anger. Even if they should fall their souls return to the place where they first died in holy fire to begin again.

Between these unholy monsters and the gods seeming to ignore their devoted it was assumed they had abandoned the world. Or perhaps they were killed, if a god could be killed. It wasn’t till two centuries later that the Prophet walked out of the Mists of Worlds End bearing word of their survival and the first glimmer of hope returned. Those few who still survived had been driven to the most remote stretches of the world to escape the endless Ashen threat and word of the gods return spread slowly. Hope wasn’t enough to save the world, something more was needed.

That’s when the Guardian appeared, out of nowhere he seemed to materialize with a fortress guarding the largest pass through the mountains between the Ashlands and a region of the world that escaped judgement. At his back the Guardian founded an order of Guardians who’s sole purpose was to guard the world from the Ashen threat. Thus the mortal races began recovering, hopeful for the first time in centuries that a solution to the Ashen might be found.

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Sins of Ash is a dark fantasy setting based on a world of my writing, it is a highly complex and detailed world that was first created for a DnD campaign I ran nearly a decade ago. Almost nothing of that original world remains but this is the result of my writing and world building.

If you are interested in reading the book in this setting I’m in the process of writing, the first chapter is here, new chapters are posted weekly.

That aside this RP will be its own thing, though I might steal elements of what happens for my book’s canon. That said, there are several key themes to this world:

• Magic is strong: Magic comes from the soul, the greater the emotion and willpower behind a spell the greater the effect. Even regular people can use magic in moments of desperation, a woman trying to lift a tree off her child will unconsciously channel mana from here soul into her body to push it beyond its limits.
• Magic is weak: Whenever you use mana you are burning your own lifeforce. Like giving blood losing a little no problem, it can even make your soul grow stronger over time, but the consequences for running out are lethal. While your aura regenerates over time, when low your emotions themselves become weaker resulting in a state of general apathy. Using more magic past that can result in fracturing of one’s sense of self, psychosis and death. While a mage can throw lighting, for all but the very strongest doing so is extremely draining.
• Power comes at a price: The very act of using magic consumes your soul, and everyone uses magic even if they don’t realize it. The strongest magic comes in moments of desperation, but those same moments are the ones in which we are willing to die. A father throwing himself between his son and a monster, the mother running with her baby from a fire. If you are willing to give your life to accomplish a task your soul will respond and burn your life up in pursuit of that goal. Often times this means those who are willing to die for another in a moment of desperation do, trading their very souls for a moment of strength.
• The Future is uncertain: The Ashen cannot be stopped. They are an endless legion of superhuman monsters. The Lord Guardian and his order have bought the world breathing room, but there is no ultimate solution.
• Fate is a curse: The fated races, which is every race except humanity, must pursue their fate or suffer the withering as their soul comes undone. An Erudin must seek new knowledge or perish. This means the fated are effectively immortal so long as they follow their fate, their soul gaining a small amount of strength as they accomplish their fate. They can persist for a time without their fate, but the longer they go without following it the weaker they become.

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If anyone is interested please do let me know, more information on the races, gods and world will be provided if this goes to a full RP. For now, I’d just like to know if anything above strikes people. Moreover, if it does what kind of RP would you like? Political intrigue? Struggle to survive?

Some people have expressed interest in knowing more thus... a post for the knowing of more:

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Lysen
Symbolized by a waterlogged tome, Lysen is the god of knowledge, secrets and deep water. It is generally frowned upon to worship Lysen, especially among the Erudin, who see keeping secrets as standing in the way of their fate as a race. Her temples tend to be hidden in caves or beneath cities, especially those with ports. Those who follow her tend to seek out knowledge in the world, storing it all in a single great tome which they then either ritualistically hide, or toss into the ocean. They see the seeking of knowledge as a greater pursuit than the knowledge itself. Another, rarer, follower of Lysen serve as confessors, a sort of traveling priest who accepts confessions from anyone, promising to keep their secrets while serving as an ear to listen.

Demodocus
God of community, growth and forests, he is represented by a great stag. Demodocus is most popular among humans and has a temple or shrine in almost every town. Even farmers often have a small shrine where they burn offerings to the god of growth in the hope of a good harvest. Priests of Demodocus are willing to take part of almost every aspect of civilization, their clergy serving as mediators in disputes, bankers and trusted advisers for everyone from castle lords to independent farmers.

Lezeta
The god of the future, traveling and death, represented by a bridge made of bones. If any god can be said to have gone truly insane from the end of fate, it would be Lezeta. She hates humanity for their sin and few end up worshiping her, though it isn't impossible to find an occasional contrarian begging her favor. The No'Go'Vin are the race most likely to worship her, being nomads, while churches and shrines to her can be found scattered throughout the lands of all the fated races.

Tui
A burning fist represents the god of strength, renewal and fire. Tui is the spiritual incarnation of 'if brute force didn't work, you didn't use enough of it' and favors straightforward honesty and honor. Unsurprisingly worship of him is most common among the strength fated Kruun. Churches of Tui are generally in a constant state of flux, being a mix between a martial arts dojo and place of worship, the head priest isn't the eldest or wisest, but the strongest. Being defeated isn't dishonorable to a follower of Tui, it is merely part of the endless cycle that sees the weak become strong and the strong become stagnant.

Hiram
God of Kings, Determination and Mountains, Hiram is represented by a lone dormant volcano, representing both his resolve and the depths of his fury when angered. It's almost impossible to find a kingdom without a temple to Hiram in the capitol, unlike Demodocus, who preaches a shared identity, Hiram argues people must be ruled and that a hierarchy of authority must be established. Priests and followers of Hiram are slow to anger, but slower still to forget, and will rarely stop short of reaching their goal. Rivalry between two priests of Hiram have been known to drag kingdoms to war decades later. The Orren, who wished for stability, almost exclusively worship Hiram, and look down on all other gods, especially Arabella.

Arabella
Tools of industry, such as plows and anvils all serve as symbols to Arabella, the goddess of ingenuity, independence and rivers. Arabella preaches self-reliance and intellectual development, making her a favorite among the Erudin. Unlike Lysen, however, priests of Arabella believe in the sharing of knowledge rather than keeping it hidden for yourself. What few large temples to Arabella that do exist resemble schools more so than places of worship, often dedicated to educating their communities and serving as a home of research. Many preists of Arabella travel to bring knowledge to far flung communities and live free in the spirit of independence.

Epham
A god of passion, lies, and storms, he is represented by a tornado. While many gods are fickle, none are more so than Epham. Sailors make sacrifices to Epham before leaving shore in the hopes he'll leave them alone, knowing all to well the damage of a sudden storm. Only artists and performers generally admit to being followers of Epham since most of his worshipers tend to be thieves and gamblers. It is hard to say what might earn Epham's favor, but it is just as hard to guess what might anger him.

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The Kruun
The Kruun wished for the strength to take what they wanted, to most this makes them seek to better themselves so that they might best others. There is no one method to become strong, but strength you don't demonstrate is wasted in their eyes. Many Kruun will take small trophies, like finger bones or coins, from those they defeat and weave them into their hair as a symbol of their strength.

Kruun are shorter than the average human, with thicker arms and only 4 fingers per hand.

The Orren
This race of mountain dwelling people wished for stability and the ability to endure whatever comes their way. They pride themselves on their rigid, unchanging societies, many of which haven't passed a new law in over a century, and their stubborn nature. Unique among the fated, they are able to enter a sort of stasis where their skin slowly hardens to resemble rock. Doing so for long periods without your house falling apart is considered desirable, and the High King of their largest citadel city is said to have been in this stone sleep since the end of Fate.

Orren average six feet tall, or more, with a thick, grey hide.

The No'Go'Vin
A race of nomadic lizard people that wished for, and now live upon, giant dinosaur like creatures called No'Go'Bu. They worship their great companions, living in small tent cities that hang from the howdah upon the beasts back. Rarely do the No'Go'Vin leave their tribal beast for any length of time as they will begin to wither if away for too long.

No'Go'Vin stand only four feet tall with long scaly limbs and a crest along the back of their heads.

The Giflings
A race of short agile people who only wished to enjoy this world. What few of them remain live in hidden farmer communes where a strict unspoken rules results in a generally happy and peaceful agrarian existence, those who disrupt the status quo negatively are often banished. These exiled Giflings are the ones most commonly interacted with by other races, and have earned Giflings as a race of troublemakers, pranksters, thrill seekers and junkies.

Giflings stand at most 4 feet tall, have long pointed ears and are extremely agile, if physically weak.

The Erudin
This race of scholars wished for knowledge, and tend to have the most sophisticated magical and technological societies. The only Erudin strongholds that survived the tide of ash were far to the west upon the Erudin Isles, which escaped the fall of fate almost untouched. Erudin have a reputation for being obsessive about learning all they can about a single subject, Erudin chefs will travel the world to learn how to cook dozens of recipes, swordsmen will practice day in day out to perfect their skills.

Erudin stand the same general height as humans, but have an extra finger on each hand.

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This is, of course, a bare bones quick overview of the races and gods. I'm willing to entertain ideas for other fated races, if you have an idea, but be sure to come up with a way for that race to have survived the fall of fate. And if you have questions, feel free to ask :)