Mazaron's Castle: Cities on the Planes of Air

CITIES ON THE PLANE OF AIR

The largest by far is that of Skyhome. Composed of a giant floating stone pyramid of sorts, resembling a stack of disks, each one atop a larger one. The top one is one mile in diameter, and contains the palace. On this level, the Palace Level, are the residences of the prime minister, and the Great Hall, meeting place of the legislature. The buildings are comprised of white marble imported from Kulu.

The second from the top is 3 miles in diameter, and contains the gardens and residences of the well-to-do. Many fancy houses and mansions are found on this level, largely human but also genasi (half humand and half genie, in Skyhome for the most part djinn), elf, and even a few djinn. Also, the second level or the Embassy Level has the embassies present on Skyhome; the other powers of the elemental plane of air, as well as Kulu, Rohe, and Brun to date. Skyhome welcomes relations with other prime material nations, and would gladly accept a new embassy.

Most djinn live at the Court of Ice and Steel, or on independent freeholds (a mass of elemental earth and stone floating through the Plane of Air). However, several live in sumptous quarters on Embassy Level, and even those that do not often journey to Skyhome for purchase of luxury goods or for entertainment. Once in a great while the ruler of all djinn, the Great Caliph, makes a triumphant procession through Skyhome. Such is generally a major festival day. Many djinn who visit Skyhome move their freehold with them, and as a result they are left orbitting Skyhome like small moons. At any one time there are between two and five visiting freeholds.

For the most part, relations between Skyhome and the djinn (and their genasi or wind duke offspring) are very cordial, though there is some talk of Haalifith, a wind duke who has constructed a fleet of airships (mostly zeppelins and such) and is suspected of trying to conquer large parts of the plane of air. Skyhome does not fear him, but lesser settlements have expressed some concern.

The third is 5 miles in diameter, and contains the main city; shops, taverns, etc. City Level has a population thought to be in the hundreds of thousands, again largely human but fair numbers of genasi, elves, and such outer planar creatures as modron, celestials, bariaur, and others. Unlike Sigil, though Fiends and their kind are not welcome; no alignment checks are made, but obvious evil creatures are forbidden. On City Level occurs the sales and purchases that are the lifeblood of this realm, and the airship and aerial steed fields for expeditions to other parts of this plane. Also stargates are maintained to Brun, Rohe, and Kulu.

While on City Level one can hire guides or transportation to other parts of the plane, and this level serves as a miniSigil of sorts for the Inner Planes as a whole, though again is less open to such types as baatezu (they are more likely in the City of Brass on the elemental plane of fire). If one wants to spend much time on the Inner Planes, there is no better place to start.

A notable location of City Level is the Hall of Arcanists, which is a guildhouse/university/library of sort run by a group of elves and half-elves, all mage/clerics. Calling themselves Arcanists, these individuals are devoted to the pursuit of all manner of esoteric knowledge, as it relates to arcane lore, the supernatural, and spiritual enlightenment. Rivaling the prime material plane despoitories of knowledge (chiefly Candlekeep on Toril, the Fosode on Rom-Sarelia, and Naraxa on Kulu), many have sought their services. Any one may use the library or consult an Arcanist, provide he/she/it pay a fee or present new knowledge for them - books, novels, spells, technology, etc.

The Arcanists are basically good-aligned, but try to remain neutral in the great conflicts. However, they have been known to refuse customers who have used knowledge they have provided for them to harm others for evil ends.

Ubiquitous on City Level are the Bauruff, who resemble squat dwarves with slightly pointed ears. There origins are long lost in the mists of history, but according to experts they were the previous inhabitants of Skyhome before humans moved in, but in a bid to conquer the plane of air they were cursued by the genie folk many thousands of years ago, never to have their own nation and to be reduced to a form more suited to a mountaineering than an aerial existence (they cannot fly either, strange for a race native to this plane). Forever cursed to be an underclass, they form the backbone of maunal labor in Skyhome; they are the porters, dockworkers, sweepers, and they work in the fields tending the herds and the crops. Most are neutral, though a few are borderline evil or good. For the most part they are ignored, virtually invisible to the upper classes.

The fourth is 7 miles in diameter, and contains forests and a few small lakes. Evergrove Level is used to supply wood resources of Skyhome, and are watched over and maintained by the kercpa, a race of intelligent, tiny squirrels rescued by the Sky Knights from a dying prime material world long ago. In return for asylum, they serve as foresters and game wardens here on this level. On the rare occasions one of the Sky Knights have a mission that takes them into forests or wooded areas, they make sure to include a kercpa or three. They have been known to hire out to good aligned people.

The kercpa are mostly chaotic good, though some are neutral. Standing about 1 to 1 and 1/2 feet tall, the squirrel-folks basic statistics are as follows; Intelligence : 8-14 (average to high), AC 3, HD 1 (though exceptional kercpa have up to 5 HD), No. of Attacks: 1, Damage/Attack: 1d4, Special Attacks are suprise and +4 on attacks with bows (firing three arrows per round), Special Defenses are surprised only a 1, dodge missiles (successful saving throw versus death magic modified by dexterity, up to 2 missiles per round), and save as a 7 HD creature. Their stealth imposes a -5 penalty on other being's suprise rolls. In natural terrain they are 90% invisible. There dexterity is equivalent to a 19. Kerpa track as rangers, and can use a simple special language of whistles and bird calls up to 100 yards distant for combat purposes. Kercpa make use of sleep arrows on necessary occasions, and have shamans of up to 5th level in ability. Very rare are the kercpa wizards, of up to 4th level of ability.

The kercpa live in villages on Evergrove Level, each one consisting of numerous small buildings situated high among the branches, and are usually spread out among several trees. An elaborate highway of vine ladders and bridges connect the various buildings. The village is difficult to see from the ground; only a 10% chance of it being detected. They are however very careful, and woods that have had 20 generations or more of these beings still appear virgin.

Having no desire to accumulate wealth, there are few reasons to persecute the kercpa, but some have in the past done so, notably spiders and ettercaps.

The fifth is 9 miles in diameter, and contains fields of cattle and sheep. Bovai Level supplies as needed the dairy, leather, wool, and meat needs of Skyhome (though of course luxury goods, especially seafood, are frequently imported). Watching over the herds are members of the Tulisians, a clan of herders thought to have been recovered from a conquered world long ago by the Sky Knights (they are not saying, as apparently the entire matter was both long ago and all involved were sworn to secrecy).

The sixth and bottom layer is 11 miles in diameter, and is densely farmed. Known as the Garden Level, grown here are crops from many worlds; wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, rye, potatoes, sweet potaoes, taro, cabbages, all manner of vegetables and several types of fruits.

Ruled by Prime Minister Aelarus, this largely human city is one of the most powerful collection of mortals on this plane. Using rocs, griffons, and zeppelins, merchants engage in train with the djinn, the aarakocara in Sk'or'ta, the elves of Haven, and the cloud giants of the Thunderpeaks, all located on the same plane. Main products produced in Skyhome include glassware, jewelry composed of minerals from the Quasielemental Plane of Minerals and the Elemental Plane of Earth, weaponry composed of eternal ice from the Paraelemental Plane of Ice, coffee, tea, exotic birds and their feathers, and products from the elemental plane of fire; umbellin, fire fruit, viper tree wood, etc. Many of the aforementioned products are very difficult or costly to obtain from their native sources; many have difficulty negotitating trade deals with the City of Brass, mining eternal ice is difficult, etc. Therefore, for many elemental goods this is pretty much the only source.

Birds form a prominent part of Skyhome; as mounts, pets, friends, familiars, and food. Many breeds are raised in Skyhome. Here is a partial list:

-Azure Eagles are a larger breed of giant eagle developed here by the Sky Knights as a mount.

-Tengali Pigeons are used for messengers, as they function as homing pigeons. They are a common sight, and harming one is against the law.

-Dream Owls come from some unknown world, and quite rare. They are sentinet owls capable of speech, and are much sought after by wizards.

-Whitehawks are friendly birds of prey and are bonded to children (of richer nobles), and seek to defend or seek help for their charges.

Non-birds are also used:

-Breeze sprites or ber-ethern are small insectoid fliers used by small travelers, principally visiting halflings from Brun and Rohe. They have room and ability to carry one halfing rider and 25 pounds of cargo, and if this is not exceeded can fly up to 75 miles an hour (45). Very adept fliers, they are man. class A, able to hover, pivot, and move straight up and down. Having 4 HD, they however have no attack.

-Soar Whales or Gon-evauth are natives to the plane of air. Resembling a cross between a baleen whale and an airship, these are huge, balloonlike creatures, able to keep aloft by filling their large inner cavities with air. Travelers ride either atop the floating beasts or in gondolas attached beneath the soar whales. They can carry generally up to 2 riders and 2,000 lbs. of cargo. Fully loaded, they move up to 30 mph, but have no form of attack or defense. When they lose about 25% of their hit points, they must descend, as their air sac has been punctured.

Also used, though very expensive and for difficult to feed are griffons, hippogriffs, pegasi, and rocs.

Haven is basically a twenty mile long forested asteroid, deep in the elemental plane of air, home to elves and some types of faeire. Little is known about, but some trade pases between here and Skyhome.

Sk'or'ta is a belt of small clumps of earth from the Elemental Plane of Earth, each clump (between half a mile and five miles across) home to 1-3 aarakocra families.

The Thunderpeaks are a series of cloud islands home to small communties of cloud giants, who maitain friendly relations with those in Skyhome and with the djinni in the Citadel of Ice and Steel.