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Palanquin

Somewhere out there in the New World, there is a place that sailors call "the Jackpot", a stretch of sea where it is said that gold and jewels literally fall from the sky, or even powerful relics of the Forgotten Age on occasion. Said sea is said to be a peril to visit, as it is constantly beset by a hurricane force storm known as The Everstorm storm, a storm said to be raging since even the Forgotten Age.
  Many dismiss such a sea as a mere myth, simply way good to be true. But in the New World, the fact is often far stranger than fiction...
  The truth is that all these treasures falling from the sky are merely pieces of a mythical island high above the clouds... Palanquin.
 

People & Cultures

Much unique sentient life calls these floating lands home, each of them claiming one or more smaller islands.

Genasi

At a glance, genasi would appear to be humans, but upon closer inspection, their unusual nature would be made clear. Their skin is a pale blue, and their long hair, usually blonde, whips around as if caught in a breeze even when there is none. They are slight of frame and step lightly.
  Genasi are light and carefree like the wind. Unlike other species native to Palanquin, they lack the ability to truly fly, but they do have an innate understanding and control over the winds. They use this special control to build rudimentary skyborne vessels using the various pieces of Palanquin. These gliders are used not only to traverse between the isles of Palanquin but they are given to children as a toy, such is the carefree and adventurous spirit of the genasi.
  They also use these wind-based vehicles and powers for hunting as well. Large wildlife is scarce this high up, and so air genasi get food by hunting small-sized birds and other avian creatures.
  Given their strong sense of freedom, most genasi do not practice monogamy, and in general, do not ascribe to the notion that a child must be raised by its biological parents. Instead, when a child is born, its mother raises the child with her closest friends, which may or may not include the biological father. Because of this, most genasi are confused about the concept of "traditional" parents.
  The common genasi philosophy is to laugh and smile at everything that comes their way. Life is short, and so should be lived to the fullest, they say. Despite this, genasi's free and chaotic nature means that they can be very quick to anger if aggravated. If they are threatened, the most powerful genasi have been known to pull the air straight out of a person's lungs.

Warforged

A mysterious sort indeed. A race of humanoid entities constructed out of stone, wood and metal, apparently as old as Palanquin itself, as they tend to be almost completely covered in roots and moss.
  Warforged, being entirely mechanical, don't reproduce, but rather "new" Warforged are born when a previously considered inactive warforged body - of which many are scattered throughout Palanquin - suddenly gets up and begins to move around out of nowhere, with absolutely no memory of how they got there. Said Warforged are taken in by other Warforged, or occasionally other races that discover them.
  Warforged are a straightforward and axiomatic people. Their bluntness and inability to understand nuanced emotions and expressions lead many to believe they have no emotions. This is not actually true, rather Warforged are simply reserved and don't feel emotions as strongly as other races like the genasi.
  Warforged take a number of forms, some being small and lithe, others reaching as high as 15 feet tall, each apparently built for a purpose. Some have weapons built into their bodies, others have cooking utensils or smiths tools. They are incredibly industrious, and so they travel between islands by constructing bridges between the ones they control.
  Not much is known about the origin of warforged, but it is believed they were built by the same people that built Palanquin itself and were deactivated long ago. When a Warforged first awakens, they are effectively blank slates, wandering aimlessly without purpose or memory. Some warforged in this state will take whatever integrated tools they have and start on a project, hammering two random objects together, cutting trees down with no rhyme or reason. This can occasionally prove dangerous if said integrated tools are weapons.
  Being purely mechanical, Warforged don't need food or water, but due to their extreme age, they often encounter issues such as their metal plates rusting or their wooden cores rotting. This can prove fatal without replacements, but unfortunately wood is incredibly scarce this high up.
 

Aarakocra (bird-folk)

Compared to the more outgoing genasi, aarakocra are quiet and keep to themselves. They are wary outsiders and take a little convincing to open up, but are extremely loyal when they decide to let someone in.
  Physically, aarakocra are humanoids with birdlike feathers, having a human body plan but a bird's head, talons at the end of all 4 limbs and a pair of wings capable of sustained flight. The specific species of bird-like features varies from individual to individual. Some have the massive wingspan of an albatross, others the bright plumage of a parrot, the round face of an owl or the tiny buzzing wings and light frame of a hummingbird.
  Aarakocra, like their genasi neighbours, value freedom highly. With their large wings, aarakocra can theoretically go for days without touching the ground, were it not for the Everstorm encircling their small island homes. Music is also important to the aarakocra people, and almost every one is proficient with some form of instrument. Even at ease, an aarakocra might idly drum out a beat on a nearby table or hum a tune they make up as they go along. The one aspect an aarakocra values more than freedom is family. Aarakocra families are small, consisting usually of 2 parents and one egg, or chick. When an aarakocra chooses a partner, they bond for life. As they grow older this loyalty extends to the rest of their fellow bird-folk, which unfortunately binds them to Palanquin. As much as they desire freedom from the Everstorm, they cannot bare to leave even a single person behind. Despite their differences aarakocra get along well with the other two races that reside on Palanquin. They will share their musical talents freely with the other races, and even view a few individual genasi and Warforged as family.
 

Technology

The many smaller islands of Palanquin are a treasure trove of old forgotten age relics and magic items. The more unique ones are advanced devices and weaponry from a bygone era. Weapons that bear a passing resemblance to the guns and cannons of the modern era, but instead of bullets, these weapons fire beams of radiance so hot that no armour can stop them, and others fire thin grey light that reduces all it touches to ash. Personal flying machines, devices whose purposes have been lost to time and more can all be found here. But, the most important, albeit unassuming items are the Cells.
  Cells don't look like much. A lump of polished cylindrical platinum that gives off a faint evocation aura under a detect magic spell. Some have made their way to the sea below and are traded due to their high value as platinum, but even this pales in comparison to their true value to the Palanquinians.
  Many of the more unique relics of Palanquin lay totally dormant, unable to be used for anything, but upon inserting a cell into them, they suddenly roar to life. This would make them sought after enough, but they are also what the ruler of Palanquin, Ajax, seeks more than anything else. Each cell has a certain number of charges. After all charges have been used, they become inert. For guns powered by cells, consult the futuristic weapons section of the DMG.

Palanquin Major

Not normally seen amongst its smaller peers, Major appears less as a floating island and more as a colossal floating wreckage of a citadel, with crumbling ramparts and battlements, an a swarm of still spinning propelling moving its gargantuan bulk through the clouds. Looking closely, one might note that the rest of Palanquin are merely tiny pieces broken off of this gargantuan wreck.

Locations within Major

The structure is arrayed in a concentric circle layout, with two sets of curtain walls guarding a once majestic keep. Inside the first curtain wall are the remains of what was once a bustling castle town, with ruins of barracks, smithies, bars and such barely recognisable beneath the tangle of vines and fungal growth that covers all of Palanquin's islands. This is where the most relics of the forgotten age can be found.
  Inside the second curtain wall is the area known as The Garden. It may have once been castle grounds, but has since grown into an immense forest filled with lush, dense trees and various fauna. This is the only source of many vital resources such as building materials and edible vegetables.
  The Keep itself is home to Saint Ajax, the ruler of Palanquin. Only the most worthy of followers may enter there. The upper floors are what one might expect of a castle in the world below, but the further down you go, the stranger it gets. Ancient technology becomes more and more common, with the walls covered in the script of the Forbidden Tongue and the usual vines and creepers becoming more scarce, leaving an unnatural series of metal rooms and tunnels.
  The deepest part of the castle is an observation deck that gives a view to the world below. This deck houses what could possibly be the worst of the Forgotten Age's relics. Those who have looked at it have only been able to translate its name... The Glass Cannon.
 
 

The Arrival

The Arrival is a religious event that occurs roughly once every 5 years. It marks the event of Palanquin Major's return, along with its ruler, the demigod Saint Ajax. Ajax is revered because without him the people of Palanquin would have starved or been destroyed by the elements. As major hosts the only forest in the region, its resources are hotly contested. Ajax will give access to the garden to the people whilst Major is nearby, but only to those he deems worthy, because if he were to just give everything away freely, there would be none left for future generations. Therefore, he only allows access to those he deems "worthy".
  How does he decide which clan is worthy? He does this by demanding tribute in the form of power cells. The group that brings the most shall be given access to the garden and no others. Those allowed access will be given just enough to feed and shelter their clan with no surplus whatsoever.
  This event creates a drastic change in the normally laid back peoples of Palanquin. This sudden competition for the basic tools of survival turns them against one another, and for the week or so that Major is nearby, they will fight and kill and die to be the ones allowed access, even going as far as to use the relics of this place against one another.
  False truce will be extended just to Rob power cells in the night, children will be taken hostage. Innocent people will be brutalised and made a display of as a show of intimidation. For 1 week every half decade, all of Palanquin becomes a bloodbath, a battleground with no bystanders. And every time the number of power cells left gets lower and lower, making the situation even more desperate.
  Having to deal with such regular brutality changes the people of Palanquin, and as such they have come up with their own means to attempt to stem the flow of blood. Whilst major isn't visible, they are to pretend that The Arrival doesn't exist. Discussing it is expressly forbidden, and all the clans are to treat one another as family. Look after each others sick, extend a helping hand where possible, that sort of thing. Power cells are not to be touched at all. Then, once the Arrival begins, all bets are off.
  This measure was put in place as without it, the people pf Palanquin were locked in an endless war for cells. This way, the elders reason, there is comparatively less bloodshed.
  It seems that Ajax doesn't care whether the cells have charge or not, meaning the people of Palanquin are free to use them on each other.

Geography

Palanquin is not one island, but rather a series of smaller islands all floating, defying gravity in the center of the everstorm. Each island ranges from a few meters to a handful of miles in diameter. These islands and their relative positions fluctuate constantly with the shifting air currents, with the exception of those islands strongly occupied by the industrious Warforged, who connect their lands together by constructing bridges.  Aside from the fact that they fly, the islands of Palanquin appear normal, but if one were to peel away the layers of undergrowth, they would find a floor made of rusted metal and decorated with fading unintelligible runes. Looking from below, one could see rusted and moss coloured propellers still spinning slowly, holding the island aloft and defying physics. These islands are not natural but instead pieces of an enormous flying machine held aloft by unknown means.  The largest and rarest of Palanquins islands is Palanquin Major, or Major for short. The Major, unlike its smaller sibling islands, could not be mistaken for a natural landmass. It appears as a colossal crumbling fortress held aloft by hundreds of propellers and strange devices.  Large chunks of it are missing, revealing that the smaller islands of Palanquin are in fact just small pieces of the Major.  The major is a rare sight, often vanishing into the Everstorm for years at a time before it drifts back into the eye of the storm and can be accessed by the inhabitants of the smaller islands.

Ecosystem

These islands, generally, are populated by what would appear at a glance to be dense, lush forests, which keep a warm and humid climate despite the height. Upon closer inspection however, the 'trees' of the forest are instead tall and rigid vines and creepers strong enough to stand alone. They are tough and sinewy and make for excellent materials for rope and the like, but make for terrible building materials. The ground is covered in similarly tough vines and fungi, which hold little nutrition for the humanoid residents.
Alternative Name(s)
The sky island, the lost city
Type
Island, Floating
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location

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