Sneak Peek: Ashstone City
Exploring Ashstone City
An In-Depth Look
Disclaimer: All worldbuilding concepts, locations, names, maps, and lore presented in this post are original intellectual property belonging exclusively to the author. This sneak peek is intended to give readers an early behind-the-scenes look at the creative process. It is not permitted to copy, claim, redistribute, or replicate any elements from this article, map, or related materials. Thank you for respecting the work and creativity that go into building this world.
In this world-building sneak peek, we explore Ashstone City, the blazing capital of the Ember Plains in my upcoming fantasy series. This post offers a guided tour through cliff-carved homes, volcanic glass and sandstone streets, ancient ritual sites, and the molten landmarks that shape the city’s identity. Readers can dive into the map, learn about key locations like the Ashstone Temple and Ember Basin, and get an early sense of how fire, culture, and history collide in this dramatic corner of Aureath.
Sneak Peek into Aureath
Exploring Ashstone City
An In-Depth Look at the Molten Capital Behind My Fantasy Series: The Burning Bride.
Every fantasy world has a city that feels like the heartbeat of its realm; the place where legends gather, tensions rise, and ordinary lives brush against the extraordinary. In the world of Aureath, that city is Ashstone.
As I have been building the world for my upcoming fantasy series, I have spent more hours in Ashstone than in my own kitchen. Today, I am inviting you into that space; into the heat, the history, and the stone-sculpted architecture of a city born from fire.
This is your first official glimpse into one of the most important locations in the series. And it is a fun one.
A City Forged in Smoldering Land
Ashstone City sits at the base of the Sundered Spine, an ancient volcanic ridge that looks like it once clawed its way out of the world. The stone is black-red, fractured, and steep. The city clings to it like a stubborn miracle.
When I designed Ashstone, I wanted it to feel:
- old, but not forgotten.
- powerful, but not polished.
- alive, but not safe.
The result is a place that glows at sunrise, flickers at dusk, and seems to hum faintly with magic when the heat rises off the stone.
If a city could breathe fire, Ashstone would.
Upper Ashstone
The wealthiest district, Upper Ashstone, is carved directly into the cliffs. This is where cliff-embedded homes perch above the sandstone streets, clinging to the Spine like roosting birds. The windows catch the morning light and turn the walls gold.
Key features in Upper Ashstone include:
- The Flamewatch Tower, a tall fire-beacon overlooking the plains.
- Ridge Towers, ancient lookout points along the ridge
- Shrines tucked into cliff walls, glowing softly at night.
- Carved walkways, narrow and winding, with railings that are more decorative than safe.
If you are afraid of heights, Ashstone politely suggests that you keep walking.
Lower Ashstone
Lower Ashstone is the opposite of serene.
This district is all sound and color; forges ringing, markets shouting, spices burning in the air, vendors arguing over who has the freshest copper wheat bread. Volcanic-glass streets shine like black mirrors beneath your feet.
Here you will find:
- Open-air markets selling everything from firebloom oils to hand-forged blades.
- Forges and workshops that never truly cool
- Sandstone houses stacked in warm, earthy tiers.
- Caravan trading routes that bring in news, supplies, and trouble
Lower Ashstone is where travelers arrive and secrets begin.
The Springs Quarter
One of my favorite places to write is the Springs Quarter, a lush, steam-wreathed district fed by geothermal springs flowing under the city.
This area has:
- Garden villas full of silverleaf trees.
- Steaming bathhouses carved from warm stone.
- Flowering paths lined with fire-adapted plants.
- Pools that glow faintly at night from mineral light
It is tranquil, soothing, and almost suspiciously peaceful.
(Which means something dramatic may or may not happen there…)
Ashstone Temple & The Ember Basin
Where Ritual, Fire, and History Meet
Two of Ashstone’s most important locations are tied to its ancient traditions.
The Ashstone Temple
This towering structure is the spiritual center of the Ember Plains, home to:
- Ever-burning braziers
- Obsidian altars
- Flame towers used in ceremonial rites
- Subterranean ritual chambers carved into the ridge.
It is where the Flame Bride ritual begins; a tradition that will matter deeply in the first novel.
The Ember Basin
A bowl-shaped valley carved from red stone, used for:
- Festivals
- Fire ceremonies
- Celebrations and trials
- Public gatherings tied to old fire-magic traditions.
This is the place where thousands of torches turn night into molten gold.
It is dramatic, atmospheric, and very, very important to the series.
Trade & Travel
Ashstone is more than its stone and fire. It is a crossroads.
Paths lead outward to every major region of Aureath:
- North → Vareth Village
- South → The Cinderfields and the Ember Gate
- West → Verdant Wilds
- East → Silver Coast
Caravans arrive daily, carrying goods, stories, rumors, and the occasional problem no one wants.
Ashstone is a city of change. A city of pressure. A city of heat; emotional and literal.
The Official Map of Ashstone City
Below is the illustrated map that brings everything together.
The Flamewatch Post, Ember Basin, cliffside home, geothermal spring, and ritual site is included, along with the fiery places where the city comes alive.
Zoom in. Wander. Explore.
The city rewards curiosity.
A Worldbuilding Snapshot
Before the Book Arrives
Ashstone City is one of the most important anchors of my fantasy world; a place where the story pivots, where characters transform, and where the past refuses to stay buried.
I cannot wait for you to walk its streets in the book.
But for now, I hope this behind-the-scenes look gives you a spark of the world’s fire.
If you want more sneak peeks into Aureath: cities, creatures, magic, and lore; let me know. There is so much more coming.
