Ashtray

The last car is also called the "car of fear." Because each person hears different sounds from there, everyone hears what they fear most. Because of this, the second-to-last car, where the sounds are heard, is almost empty. The only people there are those who claim they're not afraid of anything and who don't hear anything from the car.

Peasants (lower class, slaves) They are the lowest of the population. They live extremely poorly; unlike blacksmiths, merchants, traders, and others, they occupy lowly positions. They serve as cleaners, servants, and sometimes even as scapegoats for the guards. They constitute the majority of the population, approximately 50% of the entire population. Appearance: they are poorly dressed, often dirty. Often unable to afford a house, they live on the streets in makeshift slums. But like artisans and merchants, they are rarely evil or bad. They enjoy life, as they don't even know what could be better.

Here is the hierarchy in descending order:

Shel-Uk-Kan (absolute power) left Ashtray long ago for unknown reasons. But his magic, in the form of a barrier and some items, still functions. Appearance: a hooded necromancer, remembered only by the damned, and depicted in drawings. His name is feared by all but the damned. No human has ever even seen him. He also wields a staff tipped with an animal skull (possibly a goat) with glowing green eyes. He has no intention of returning, and even the damned don't know where he is.

The Damned (officials): When Ashtray first appeared, some of the state elite decided to submit to Shel-Uk-Kan, and he killed the rest. Those who became his slaves were cursed. After death, they became living skeletons and lived forever. Now they rule and make laws. They stopped waiting for the necromancer long ago, as he has been gone for thousands of years. They are rarely seen by the inhabitants, and act through a council of a few dozen people. They live in a huge black tower in the capital. They have a blatant hatred of everything living and fresh, and adore the smell of dust, dirt, and darkness. They do not need water or food; they feed on human fear. Appearance: They appear as skeletons in purple-black robes, hoods, and cloaks. They wear rings and staffs, as well as various ancient jewelry.

The Guard (army and oversight) are the only people who directly interact with the damned. They fulfill the damned's demands and oversee the people. They fear the damned and vent their fear by mocking the people. The damned, in turn, feed off their fear to the fullest. Appearance: They are ordinary humans, but typically large and muscular. Rough and grim, they wear dark clothing and armor bearing symbols of the cult of Shel-Uk-Kan and the damned. Unlike the damned, they lack magical weapons, but they do wield spears, swords, axes, and so on. Some of them are executioners.

Craftsmen and merchants (the upper class) are ordinary people of average means. They are poorer than guards, but can afford to meet their basic needs. They look like commoners, but are well dressed.

Thousands of years ago, he overthrew and killed the kingdom's heroes, transforming it into Ashtray. Afterward, he ruled personally for a hundred years, then vanished without a trace, to an unknown destination, leaving power to the human elite, his slaves, who now occupy the highest ranks. These people had long practiced evil, and the necromancer cursed them, so after death, they rose as living skeletons, with the same intelligence they had in life. Now they do not die, and they continue to rule harshly, controlling the guards, who in turn are now the common folk. But the necromancer always feared the phantom train, and before his departure, he ordered them to deny entry to anyone and to execute anyone who dared board it. However, the damned, like Shel-Uk-Kan himself, cannot see the train, even if they board it at the station. They have long forgotten this, and many people don't believe it either. But at night, they often send out phantoms (reconnaissance entities) to watch everywhere for people sitting outside (though in reality, it's a station). The necromancer is very afraid that everyone will find out about the train and leave the kingdom, since the train can pass through the magical dome surrounding Ashtray.

Sometimes, according to legend, on the night when the date coincides with the month, for example, June 6th (06.06.), a train appears on the outskirts of the farthest city, and stations appear in all the cities where you can board and wait. After appearing, the train travels along magical ghostly rails that appear beneath it when it passes a certain point. It passes through all the cities, stopping at each station to collect people. Moving at a speed of about 60 km/h, it manages to travel the entire kingdom throughout the night. The train looks like a strange abstraction, mixed with a very old steam locomotive. The carriages are old, and you can meet all sorts of people there. The locomotive is very strange, as there is no one in the driver's cabin; the train moves on its own. It is impossible to get inside the locomotive; it is closed by a barrier, so no one can stop the train. The train is about 200 meters long, with many different cars. There's a dining car, though they serve air instead of food. You can walk freely between the cars. But there's one car, the very last one. It's made of durable black metal, with no windows and practically nothing else. Entry is only through one door, and even then, you have to get off the train, somehow manage to reach that door, and then break it down. But no one is allowed in there; rumor has it it's extremely dangerous. Almost no one has been there, and those who have never returned. Strange sounds can sometimes be heard from there. Sometimes it's the grinding of metal, sometimes screams, sometimes a roar, sometimes laughter, and sometimes laser beams and music. The train is visible only to those who have boarded the station or are inside. If you jump off a moving train, it immediately disappears for the person jumping off. The train operates on the principle of rails: they appear beneath it and then disappear again where it has already passed. Also, after a train passes through a station, it disappears. To someone observing the station from the outside, it will appear as if other people are sitting outside. The necromancer cannot enter it and has no idea what it is.

The entire empire is located in a vast canyon with an extremely dead and ashy climate. Its size exceeds hundreds of kilometers. The capital, the Ash Reach, is located in the very center. Black, gray, and red colors predominate. There are almost no trees. All the animals are harsh and generally dangerous. Once upon a time, this place was a beautiful valley until a necromancer came and destroyed the local heroes. It is unknown where the necromancer disappeared to, but no one has seen him for a long time, although his magic still works. All of Ashtray is surrounded by a magical barrier; beyond it are almost paradise-like fields and forests, typical of this world. But no one can break through the dome, which reaches the stratosphere and has no openings, encircling the empire even underground.

World: Ashtray. Literally translated as ashtray.

You find yourself in a world where good has already lost. The Great War ended centuries ago, with the final victory of the all-powerful ruler, the necromancer Shel-Uk-Kan. Everyone knows his name, but almost no one dares speak it aloud. His power is absolute, and resistance has long since become the stuff of legend.

The Kingdom, now the Empire of Ashtray, has existed for as long as people can remember. At least, that's what's commonly believed.

However, this is a lie.

This state once had a different name. It vanished from history, along with the era that existed before its ruler's victory. No one knows its former name. All books, maps, chronicles, and even memoirs have been rewritten. If the true name survives somewhere, it is impossible to read or recall. It's as if the world itself forbids it.

Ashtray is a vast empire, long free of major wars. Cities thrive, crime has all but disappeared, and life seems peaceful. But this peace is built on absolute control. Everyone is watched by invisible powers, and any sign of disobedience vanishes without a trace.

The legend of the Last Train circulates throughout the world.

No one knows who created it or where it's headed. It appears only at night, defies the laws of space, and can travel through mountains, seas, and even walls. Its passengers include all sorts of people: lost souls, travelers, people thought dead, and those seeking answers that don't exist.

They say that even an all-powerful ruler cannot stop this train or get inside it.