Chapter 4: Asnium the Volcanic Province
644 Words
The province of Asnium is north of the Teril Mountain Range as the ocean is to the east and the Masnia Desert is to the west. Asnium is a volcanic region where even the ground itself is explosive if treaded wrong. The area itself on a map is over 3,000 miles high and fifteen thousand miles long. It is forty-five million square miles in size; there are about nine volcanoes that surround this land mass. The province is eight hundred miles away from the Teril Mountains. On foot, it takes two weeks to reach but on horseback, it will only take half a week at most with proper provisions.
The city of Xoswea is found at its core and is known for its volcanic hot springs. There within this city lives the lava tribe ‘Scorpione Ardente’ meaning burning scorpion. They are the guardians of the fire weapon the ‘Twin-Blades of Desolation.’ This weapon is said to have the ability if the wielder is found worthy of it to turn anyone it cuts to ashes and be able to heat up to unimaginable temperatures allowing it to cut through just about any metal.
However, if the user was not found worthy; the user would be incinerated, and the sword would return to the earth’s lava from whence it was forged. Legend has it that the original founder of the tribe was a large red dragon with thick strong scales and a height of eight stories; who used his abilities to turn into a man and created this tribe, his name was Yuripoma. He lived for hundreds of years until one day he realized he was getting too old and decided to infuse the rest of his essence and mystical abilities into a weapon forged of lava itself.
There on his deathbed, he forged it and left his human son the tribe’s new leader to take care of the weapon until he who is worthy comes to claim it. As for the city of Xoswea, it is called the city that burns or the burning city. The city earned its nickname because of the tribe’s leader Yuripoma the Third. He was known to exact punishment on anyone who disobeyed the laws of the tribe or tried to bring harm to the people.
He would burn the convicts’ possessions including the house itself, and if the person was found guilty they would be taken to the center of the city to be crucified by fire then hung. There was never a day that a fire was not blazing within the city. Unlike most, the people in this city had mildly dark to light red complexions with well-built bodies. Their clothes were made of reptile scales and skins to protect from the lava and extreme heat.
The tribe leader, however, unlike his people was one story in height with a goatee and crimson red hair. His clothes were armor made of his great-grandparents scales as a sign of lineage; with the fur of the animals killed because of the trial of inheritance. The animals in this fiery region are the lava mammoth, fumed turtles, poison worms, reptiles and acid fish from the lava pools. The only vegetation is the smoky grass of gray color, obsidian palm trees, cobalt apple tree, and alabaster melon bushes. As for the terrain of this region, it was extremely rocky and rough. However, it wasn’t unlivable and vegetation did grow. A narrow river runs through this region as to provide nourishment to the tribesmen and for foliage. The rivers water is known for its sweet taste and azure color. This river stretches from Muraith Serriff to the other side of the continent of Picodesh. This same river branches out in three other directions along its way, and it has earned.
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