Zephrah

Small Town: Population 1,310 (62% half-elves, 12% elemental ancestry, 10% humans, 9% halflings, 5% tieflings, 2% other races)

High atop a mountain aerie within the Summit Peaks sits Zephrah, the tribal home of the Air Ashari people, keeping vigil over a gate into the Elemental Plane of Air. The Ashari people worship and live by the balance of the natural world, and the people of Zephrah have adapted to life among the clouds. Most of the tribe consists of skilled hunters and climbers who hunt mountain goats, large birds, and other cliff-dwelling creatures, along with subsisting on high-elevation vegetation. Utilizing the proximity of powerful elemental magic, the druidic masters of the Air Ashari craft skysails (see chapter 5) to ride the ever-present winds, allowing their people to traverse the sheer cliffs of the mountains. The leader of Zephrah is called the Voice of the Tempest; they oversee all travel through the rift, all major druidic rituals, and any visiting outsiders.

Though it’s still a small settlement, Zephrah has grown greatly in the past several years. Many people with an innate connection to the element of air have petitioned the current Voice of the Tempest for her permission to live here among the Ashari. Likewise, a number of druids and other spellcasters who wish to learn the ways of the Air Ashari have come to live in relative isolation here—after they have proven their good intentions and respect for the sanctity of the skies.