Encounter-a-Day

Decades ago, the mad tyrant Zarnoff succeeded at the impossible, binding a god to his service. The god was Ferno, lord of the flame, and since that day the only fires which burn come from The Ashen Citadel, in the heart of which Zarnoff keeps Ferno’s essence.

It is utterly impossible to start a new fire ever since Ferno was captured, either by mundane or magical means. Zarnoff has used his monopoly on fire to create an empire for himself, even going so far as to create an army tasked solely with extinguishing unauthorized fires and tending authorized ones.

Around the world, in most cities and communities can be found Firemongers. These people pay hefty prices to maintain a fire of their own, which they are allowed to sell to others. The fires are guarded jealously, as Zarnoff has them inspected frequently and if a merchant is found to be loose in his control of his supply then it will be forcibly extinguished.

By Zarnoff’s decree, only established firemongers are allowed to use one flame to create another. The penalty if Zarnoff’s forces discover a violation is death.

Needless to say, many have tried to topple Zarnoff, but that is a task not easily-achieved. Even ignoring the fact that he has the power to control a god, Zarnoff’s monopoly on fire means that only he is able to shoe his horses and equip his army with metal armors and weapons. There are pre-existing armaments, of course, but most of them are long-since corroded or broken. Too few remain to equip an army of sufficient size to challenge Zarnoff.