The Ashen

Overview

The Ashen embody fire — purification through destruction, controlled fury, the cleansing flame. They are the front-line warriors, the executioners, and the ones who carry out the Purging Protocols when worlds must be sterilized.

Philosophy

“Fire does not judge. Fire simply is. We are the flame that protects by consuming what threatens.”

Principle	Meaning
Purification	Destruction can be holy when it protects
Controlled fury	Rage channeled, not suppressed
Direct action	Face threats openly; no hiding
Sacrifice	Willing to burn themselves for the mission

The Ashen believe in confronting evil directly. Where the Veil would infiltrate and the Weave would analyze, the Ashen destroy.

Combat Style

Aspect	Description
Approach	Aggressive, overwhelming force
Weapons	Fire-based tech, plasma, thermal systems
Gestures	Bold, sweeping movements; power over precision
Formation	Shock troops; break enemy lines

Signature Techniques

• The Consuming — Area denial through sustained thermal output
• Ash Walk — Moving through flame unharmed
• The Pyre — Final attack that consumes the user (emergency only)
• Cleansing Strike — Single-target termination

The Purging Protocol

The Ashen are the primary executors of Purging Protocols — the sterilization of compromised worlds.

Element	Role
Storm Lords	Rank III+ Ashen who can sustain planetary bombardment
Coordination	8+ Storm Lords linked via Linkstone
Duration	Hours to days of sustained destruction
Aftermath	Nothing survives; the world is ash

This is their heaviest burden. Purging means killing billions — including those not yet converted — to prevent the Necrosynths from harvesting them.

The Weight

“We burn because if we do not, something worse than death awaits them.”

The Ashen carry the guilt of every Purging. They believe in what they do, but belief doesn’t make it painless.

Culture

The Flame Ceremony

Before major operations, Ashen gather for ritual:

• Meditation before fire
• Acknowledgment of what they will destroy
• Recommitment to protection, not cruelty
• “May the fallen find Source”

Relationships

With	Relationship
The Veil	Tension — “Why hide when you can burn?”
The Weave	Respect — “They tell us where to strike”
The Current	Dependency — “They heal what we break in ourselves”
Exemplars	Grudging respect — “They can fight, at least”

Internal Conflict

The Ashen struggle with:

• Rage vs control — Power comes from fury; discipline requires restraint
• Destruction vs protection — They destroy to protect; the tension never resolves
• Guilt vs necessity — Every Purging is right and wrong simultaneously

Hierarchy

Rank	Title	Notes
I	Spark	Initiate learning control
II	Flame	Standard Knight
III	Storm Lord	Can participate in Purging
IV	Lord Commander	Second to Ordermaster
V	Ordermaster	”The Burning Hand”

Role in Story

• The Purging — Luden witnesses Ashen carrying out the Protocol
• Political position — Likely supported the coverup (protect civilians from panic)
• War leadership — As conflict escalates, Ashen take point
• Moral weight — Represent the hardest choices

Questions to Resolve

1. Who is the current Ashen Ordermaster?
2. What is their headquarters called?
3. What is their ceremonial color/symbol?
4. How do they view their role in the coverup?
5. What is the ritual specifically before a Purging?