Lama Taesi

Lama Taesi is the legendary floating city of Primordia, carried aloft since the time of The Rending by the blessing of the wind Primordial Vayu-Vata. Suspended among the clouds, the city travels on an 18-month circuit across the world, serving as both a hub of trade and a symbol of elven endurance.

History

During The Rending, Vayu-Vata took pity on the elves for their adaptability, beauty, and grace. To protect them, the Primordial launched their city and much of the surrounding countryside into the sky, out of reach of the catastrophic magical explosion.

Before departing, Vayu-Vata left part of their essence behind in the form of crystalline gemstones called Zephyrite, embedded deep beneath the city. These stones keep Lama Taesi aloft and ensure that it forever follows the magical trails left by the shattered Ley Orb .

Geography & Movement

• Structure: Lama Taesi consists of a massive central island, called the Core, with seven smaller islands orbiting it like moons.
• Travel: The city drifts slowly enough that a sailing ship can keep pace. Merchant vessels often trail behind it, profiting from its scheduled route.
• Circuit: Completing a full journey around Primordia takes 18 months, including stops at key towns and islands.
• Arrival: Settlements along its route eagerly await Lama Taesi’s arrival, which brings prosperity through trade and culture—but also anxiety, as tax collectors accompany the city to claim tribute in exchange for protection and services.
• Hazards: Once, storms and magical disturbances made sky-travel perilous. Today, centuries of magical refinement have stabilized the city. Within its streets, citizens might easily forget they live suspended in the clouds—unless they peer over the edge.

Culture & Society

• Elitism: Some of the ruling elite see “ground-dwellers” as lesser, but most citizens view them with curiosity rather than superiority.
• Cuisine & Fashion: Constant exposure to new regions has created a unique fusion cuisine and eclectic styles of dress, unavailable anywhere else.
• Griffons: Lama Taesi is famous for breeding griffons, managed exclusively by three families. Griffons serve as both mounts and taxis, ferrying citizens between islands and to the surface. Ownership is open to anyone wealthy enough to afford one.
• Daily Life: The city’s people enjoy both stability and novelty—secure in their floating home, yet constantly encountering new cultures and trade goods every stop along the way.

Religion & Myth

• Primary Worship: The chief deity is Vayu-Vata, whose blessing sustains the city. However, all Primordials are honored here, as well as several of the elven gods of the Seldarine.
• Divine Gift: The city’s floating nature is seen as a holy miracle from Vayu-Vata, and citizens are taught to treat it with reverence.

Politics & Power

• Seven Families: Lama Taesi is ruled by seven ancient elven families, who share power through shifting alliances and rivalries. While disagreements are common, outright conflict is rare.
• Aerendil- Skyship Construction & Navigation
• Sylthariel- Scholarship & Magical Research
• Vaelithar- Trade & Merchant Guilds
• Elunaris- Artisanry & Cultural Patrons
• Thaloriel- Defense & Sky Patrols
• Myrrathen- Alchemy & Magical Crafting
• Caladryn- Waterworks & Infrastructure
• Succession: Once every 100 years, the families select a new Emperor/Empress from among themselves, following a strict rotation. The next coronation is scheduled for 515 GC, with the Myrrathen Family taking the helm.
• Citizenship: Outsiders rarely rise to power. If one of the Seven Families falls, another elven house replaces it—a rare event, occurring only twice in the city’s history.
• Public Opinion: Elves generally revere the families, while others see them as an untouchable institution. A small faction of dissenters, however, actively seeks to overthrow them.

Economy & Trade

• Exports:
• Griffons – prized mounts and symbols of status.
• Leygate – a dangerous, magically potent ore, harvested from the leylines the city travels on, sold only for religious or approved research purposes.
• Miru Gin – a sought-after spirit distilled from Mithorn, a unique juniperberry grown only on Lama Taesi’s floating islands.
• Imports: Though Lama Taesi maintains farmland, much of it is used for griffons and specialty crops. The city relies heavily on the surface for its daily food supply.
• Control: The Seven Families strictly regulate the Leygate trade, though smuggling and black-market sales remain a constant threat.

Notable Features

• The Core: Heart of Lama Taesi, home to the Mistral Tower (royal residence and seat of government), temple district, merchant quarter, and wealthy estates.
• The Outer Islands: Rotating satellites that house common citizens, farmland, and griffon rookeries.
• The Sky Circuit: Settlements eagerly anticipate the prosperity Lama Taesi brings—but dread the visit of tax collectors.