Post by Lith on Jul 10, 2008 20:44:56 GMT -5
Our world is one of adventure, where the courageous and brave will go far, or where the corrupted can earn their weight in gold with the right connections. Perhaps there was once a unified name for this place, but now it is just broken up into regions, controlled separately and only interacting for the sole purpose of mutual gain. The name of our world however is not the only thing lost…but instead great knowledge of what once was, and what still exists between the known pockets of civilization.
The very structure of the world has created much imagination. No one can explain why the islands and continents are nothing more than floating islands, suspended in what seems to be an unchanging formation. Hanging in the air, in a plane that doesn’t vary more than 10 miles horizontally; the islands appear as almost chunks of land raised into the air, their undersides looking like an inverse mountain. Both the formation and the topography of the islands vary in accordance with their location in the world. From startling mountain ranges, to rolling plains, to forests or deserts, the only thing that the islands have in common are the sharp drop off into nothingness on all sides, and the strong desire to keep the resources that keep the people alive. [concepts x x x x x x x x]
The Water has become such a rare commodity in itself, with the few places that keep their own water in lakes or reservoirs prospering, while others have to watch as it drains off into the nothingness below. There are a few locations within the world where mysterious waterfalls seem to fall from the heavens, shrines and business has been formed, creating strong markets on selling necessities for decimating prices.
Dealing with air, the ships themselves have developed a strange way to achieve flight. For countries that have dabbled into industry, crude airplanes, and hover ships [concepts x x x] do exist. Powered by propellers, or a simple blimp design, almost all crafts need to focus on an air based power, and fuel is rare and worth more than the cost of flying. Small crafts are often used to shuttle goods between close items, but this hinders the sharing of trade goods between countries that are on opposing sides of the Sharpness.
Yet as strong as their knowledge is, they cannot out power the ships that have gained themselves an elemental. The air ships of the pirates have a much more surreal design, taking their structures inspiration from far and wide [concepts x x x ]. These and even simple ships have gained flight when their captains make deals, or take control of elementals, people or items that are overflowing with an affinity for any of the elements. Unfortunately they are near demons, making them sometimes hard to predict, including deals that could leave the captain losing as much as he gains. Once a deal has been made, a trade of sorts, the elemental can harness their power with the captains hold over the ship to produce flight, sustained only through the wellbeing of the elemental. Thus, Captains often take extra care to protect the one thing that keeps their ship in air, or, plan a back up to sustain short time flight in the case of a disaster.
The many islands that have come to form the five regions of the world lie in a crescent formation, which would not be a problem, if not for the Sharpness [concept x x x x x]. No one can remember a time when the cloaking, misty veil of the Sharpness has not existed, a morbid point that most try to ignore, despite its ever daunting presence. Its existence causes travel to be obstructed, forcing all sailors to go through a safe area around the known islands to avoid the desolate place shrouded in fog and mist. Another one of the great mysteries, it seems to be an anomaly of the world, where even the best of captains have sailed their crews in, to never be seen again. Legends have often speculated that ancient civilizations exist somewhere within the mists, holding unclaimed treasures, drawing in the brave, and often foolish, to search out the truth. Perhaps there is a key to understanding what lies above or below these floating lands, but for now it keeps its own secrets.
The very structure of the world has created much imagination. No one can explain why the islands and continents are nothing more than floating islands, suspended in what seems to be an unchanging formation. Hanging in the air, in a plane that doesn’t vary more than 10 miles horizontally; the islands appear as almost chunks of land raised into the air, their undersides looking like an inverse mountain. Both the formation and the topography of the islands vary in accordance with their location in the world. From startling mountain ranges, to rolling plains, to forests or deserts, the only thing that the islands have in common are the sharp drop off into nothingness on all sides, and the strong desire to keep the resources that keep the people alive. [concepts x x x x x x x x]
The Water has become such a rare commodity in itself, with the few places that keep their own water in lakes or reservoirs prospering, while others have to watch as it drains off into the nothingness below. There are a few locations within the world where mysterious waterfalls seem to fall from the heavens, shrines and business has been formed, creating strong markets on selling necessities for decimating prices.
Dealing with air, the ships themselves have developed a strange way to achieve flight. For countries that have dabbled into industry, crude airplanes, and hover ships [concepts x x x] do exist. Powered by propellers, or a simple blimp design, almost all crafts need to focus on an air based power, and fuel is rare and worth more than the cost of flying. Small crafts are often used to shuttle goods between close items, but this hinders the sharing of trade goods between countries that are on opposing sides of the Sharpness.
Yet as strong as their knowledge is, they cannot out power the ships that have gained themselves an elemental. The air ships of the pirates have a much more surreal design, taking their structures inspiration from far and wide [concepts x x x ]. These and even simple ships have gained flight when their captains make deals, or take control of elementals, people or items that are overflowing with an affinity for any of the elements. Unfortunately they are near demons, making them sometimes hard to predict, including deals that could leave the captain losing as much as he gains. Once a deal has been made, a trade of sorts, the elemental can harness their power with the captains hold over the ship to produce flight, sustained only through the wellbeing of the elemental. Thus, Captains often take extra care to protect the one thing that keeps their ship in air, or, plan a back up to sustain short time flight in the case of a disaster.
The many islands that have come to form the five regions of the world lie in a crescent formation, which would not be a problem, if not for the Sharpness [concept x x x x x]. No one can remember a time when the cloaking, misty veil of the Sharpness has not existed, a morbid point that most try to ignore, despite its ever daunting presence. Its existence causes travel to be obstructed, forcing all sailors to go through a safe area around the known islands to avoid the desolate place shrouded in fog and mist. Another one of the great mysteries, it seems to be an anomaly of the world, where even the best of captains have sailed their crews in, to never be seen again. Legends have often speculated that ancient civilizations exist somewhere within the mists, holding unclaimed treasures, drawing in the brave, and often foolish, to search out the truth. Perhaps there is a key to understanding what lies above or below these floating lands, but for now it keeps its own secrets.