The Realm of Aetheria

EMBERVEIL was forged from the volcanic highlands at the eastern edge of Aetheria, where the ground is always warm and the sky carries the faint orange haze of perpetual eruption. Its people are shaped by fire — literally and philosophically. EMBERVEIL warriors train by fighting in active lava flows. EMBERVEIL mages channel thermal energy that would kill any other faction's practitioners. The faction motto, spoken at the start of every training session since anyone can remember, is "burn or be burned." No one argues with its accuracy. The Cinder Throne Citadel sits at the peak of the largest volcano in the realm. It has never been successfully besieged. The heat alone has killed more attacking forces than the defenders ever had to. Three cycles ago, sovereign Ravenna Blaze was swallowed by a dimensional breach while sealing it. She returned from the other side carrying fire that does not follow the rules of fire. The faction does not speak about what happened in the interval. Neither does she.