Whether you were born under the Ashen Dominion, conscripted into its service, or taken prisoner, you endured its harsh rule and survived where many did not. The experience taught you to read people, anticipate danger, and navigate oppressive environments. Your brand on your palm marks you as someone who has lived through the Dominion’s control and emerged alive, and it shapes how others see and respond to you.

You gain proficiency in survival if you do not already have it, reflecting the life you had under the dominion.

Ability Scores: You have 2 points to spend as you choose.

Suggested combinations:

+1 wisdom / +1 dexterity

+1 constitution /  +1 dexterity

+2 widsom 

Feat: Observant.

Skill Proficiencies: You learned how to move unseen and avoid attention as well as read people and detect motives or hidden dangers.

Gain proficiency in insight and stealth.

Tool Proficiencies: You did whatever it took to survive and escape. You learned how to hide your identity or blend in under oppressive oversight, as well as escape confined or locked areas.

Gain proficiency with thieves tools and disguise kit.

Languages: Common.

One additional language of your choice, perhaps the language of your captures (if you were a prisoner of the ashen dominion), a regional tongue or a neighbouring nation.

Equipment: Personal token of survival under the ashen dominion. This could include a small trinket or charm. All prisoners or members of the ashen dominion have a scar on the back of their hand.

Dark common clothes (with a hood).

A pouch with 10 GP.

Thieves tools and disguise kit.

 

Suggested Characteristics

Life under the Ashen Dominion forced survivors to be cautious, observant, and adaptable. They learned to trust slowly, read hidden motives, and act with pragmatism, carrying a constant awareness of danger. Bonds form around fellow survivors, tokens of the past, or promises to confront injustice, while flaws often reflect lingering trauma, suspicion, and difficulty letting go of past wrongs. Personality traits show a mix of vigilance, quiet resilience, and careful adaptation, all shaped by enduring oppression and surviving against the odds.

d6	Personality Trait
1	I notice small details other overlook and remember them for later.
2	I stay quiet in most situations until I know the consequences.
3	I move cautiously and trust slowly.
4	I watch people and situations carefully before acting.
5	I keep reminders of my survival close to remember who I am.
6	I adapt quickly, learning from each danger or mistake.

d6	Ideal
1	Survival. Every choice I make is to stay alive and protect those I can.
2	Vigilance. Trust must be earned, never given.
3	Resistance. I will never be controlled again.
4	Freedom. No one should live any tyranny as I did.
5	Hope. Even in darkness there is always a way forward.
6	Pragmatism. I do what works to survive, even if it is uncomfortable.

d6	Bond
1	Someone I saved, or someone who saved me, owes their life to me.
2	I seek to expose or undermine those who would seek to dominate others.
3	I am loyal to other survivors, even when it is risky.
4	I hold onto a secret from my time in the dominion that I must guard with my life.
5	I carry the lessons and horrors of the dominion with me, teaching them to others to prevent indoctrination.
6	I am determined to find or confront someone responsible for my suffering under the Dominion.

d6	Flaw
1	I am slow to trust anyone, even allies.
2	I expect betrayal in most situations.
3	I hold grudges longer than I should.
4	I sometimes act cautiously to the point of inaction.
5	I struggle to let go of my past traumas.
6	I can be secretive to a fault, hiding information to a fault even when it would help.

Contacts

You may know someone still living in the ashen dominion, who could act as a spy and feed you information on their plans.