Ashforth

Description

Close proximity to the gulf of Herring’s Howl and Sermbar makes Ashforth's climate humid and warm, with comfortable winters and moderately hot summers. Atop a flat shrubland, nearby vegetation is mostly composed of hard-leaved low bushes: lavender, rosemary, thistle and nettles are commonplace. Local fauna includes hares, mice, small snakes, lizards, partridges and warblers, as an example.

During its history, Ashforth suffered a period of famine that saw its population reduced to a tenth of what it used to hold, be it because they fled, died of starvation, or fighting to secure what little food remained or could be obtained. Corpses piled and rotted on the streets without anyone able – or willing – to take care of them, and all buildings and infrastructure crumbled as well for the same reason. Since then, the city has recovered almost entirely, but some signs can still clearly be seen.

The dead were carried to the outskirts and buried in thirty mass graves, each with around five hundred corpses, resulting in nowadays' decorated mounds.

The parts of the city walls that remained were repaired with stone taken from ruins, already cut and ready to use. The demolished sections had to be rebuilt. This gave them a visible heterogeneity, with the older segments darkened by time and dotted by bricks of multiple types of stone, and the newest ones a smooth and lighter appearance atop a visibly different foundation.

The Grey Fortress is another example of this. Once the Ducal Palace, it suffered a similar fate to that of the rest of the city, but was sturdy enough to last. It was repaired in the same way as the walls, and refurnished top to bottom.

May 28, 2021 by Maccio

Statues and Monuments

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