Astrathe
"Look! The city is flying again!"
"So it is. How long do you think it will fly this time?"
"I dunno. Maybe forever? They've been really working on it, I think they could be close."
"Perhaps. Perhaps it will fall again. It is important to remember that even we are not all knowing or infallible. Any time a mortal is involved, consider the future unwritten. Destiny is a tool, but tools break."
"Huh? Sorry, it started falling so I was watching it. What did you say?"
Origin
Some of the original settlers of Laulari believe that in the ancient world, mortals came from the sea and lived on land, and that the Cataclysm is the next stage in their evolution - if they can develop the technology of flight far enough in this new world, they can create a fortress in the sky that will allow them to better survive what comes next. They acquired as many flying machines as they could, harnessed the winds with gliders, and dubbed themselves the Sky Tribes. The first city the tribes built was a disaster. It took 63 years to build from scratch, pioneering new technology and processes, but eventually they were able to construct a rudimentary airship which they dubbed "Faithful Wish." The wish was modeled off of hot air balloons and blimps of the last world, and was constructed of wood and cloth, and powered mostly by wind and spellcasters, with supplemental lift provided by fires. After cursory examination, the ship was able to hover off of the ground under its own power indefinitely, so the Tribes loaded it up with testing equipment and prepared for its maiden voyage. It was able to rise 781 feet into the air then suffered a catastrophic malfunction, and plummeted into the ground and was utterly ruined. The Tribes did not give up. After rescuing whom they could and mourning the rest, they took to analyzing the problems and found imbalances and instituted weight restrictions. They salvaged parts of the ship, reinforced others, and began relying more heavily on magic and sparkies. Another 30 years passed, and the second ship was constructed with the lessons learned, looking more like a proper airship. They named it the "Little Enigma" and performed more thorough testing. This ship they were able to keep airborne for 71 hours, but upon approaching the 72nd hour mark, they were swept into a sudden and violent storm and whisked away to sea, never to be seen again. Those that were able to escape blamed Telemenathor, the god of Storms and cited that their instruments went haywire shortly before the storm hit. The third attempt was larger still. When construction was completed 24 years later, "Monument" stood to honor those that gave their lives, as well as the living that sacrificed blood, sweat, tears, and thousands of hours on the project. It took the shape of a circular disk with all manner of magical engravings and mechanical generators on the underside, but the top side featured a handful of small buildings and resembled a town district more than a ship. It was the first attempt that was able to take off and land successfully, though the first few landings introduced stresses that the frame was not engineered to withstand. They continued to test Monument for until its last landing 31 years later that finally snapped the frame in half, despite their constant reinforcement. Astrathe is the fourth incarnation of the project, and the most promising by far. In addition to being built from the ground up with lessons learned from the three previous projects, it also shattered the records of all previous attempts in its initial test flight - it can reach higher altitudes, flies for longer, has higher speeds and can resist more powerful elements. The Tribes have made great leaps in understanding of the landing process, but the abnormally large size (several levels of a couple districts apiece) make its landings particularly rough. However, it was designed to be modular and easily repairable, so that even if an entire district is lost during a controlled crash, it can be replaced in a matter of weeks, and the sacrificial district does not stress the core frame of the city.Government
The Sky Tribes are an inherently nomadic people, preferring to go where the wind takes them and attempting to survive without ever touching or relying on the ground at all. Though a lofty goal, it drives the core beliefs of their society. The leader of the community is a mortal that is elected by the drawing of lots and confirmed by confiding in the greater spirits that they work with. Key positions within the government are passed down by the previous title holder in a form of apprenticeship or appointed by small councils of relevant training when not possible due to untimely death or overall incompetence during their term. At the highest level, the city runs more like a large project or work town than it does a city. However, when it lands and receives traders and those hoping to take off with it again, it quickly turns into a busy hive of rampant backroom deals, highly competitive and public challenges of authority and sovereignty, with a shanty town that springs up that caters to all of the needs that the city itself cannot provide. Its core population measures in the mid thousands, qualifying it more as a town than a city, but its population rapidly skyrockets whenever it lands if its surrounding support infrastructure is considered.
Defences
The primary defensive measure of Astrathe is being airborne, and the second is that it is mobile. Many of the threats that would seek the city's downfall are ground based and can't affect it while it is on the move, and often it has the ability to move to less hostile or dangerous areas when threatened. However, it does suffer greatly from threats that originate in the air - namely storms and flying monsters. To withstand storms, it possesses enough thrust to be able to maneuver in any direction and has lightning rods that attempt to catch and redirect discharges. Smaller flying threats are handled by the guards that are trained to be able to use gliders in confined quarters and often with limited natural wind so that they can redeploy, isolate, and defeat creatures. For larger monsters ballista and cannons are mounted on the outskirts of the city as warnings, but they are rarely effective at the ranges they spot threats.
Districts
There are 4 primary districts in the city that are referred to by their cardinal directions in keeping with the theme of the wind, but several other districts have emerged between them since its construction.
- North District: At the highest elevation of the city is the North District, which is used for industrial tasks such as forges and carpentry. The city planning office reasoned that though it would be more inconvenient to acquire and transport materials to the higher levels of the city, it would be less dangerous overall if nothing was above the factories. In support of this argument, they use large floating barges and cranes to move heavy materials up, bypassing streets, and have dedicated transport roads that allow for faster and safer transport of bulky or dangerous materials.
- Eastern District: The Eastern District lies in the heart of the city and homes the administrative buildings, including the mayors home, the city hall, the licensing offices, and also research labs, libraries, and other business offices. It shares a similar elevation with the Western District. The Eastern District is built along and directly into the frame of the city - it is simultaneously the most well defended and least accessible part of the city. The primary downside is that though it is built to withstand it, it often suffers upheaval on rougher impacts and sometimes throws the district into disarray on landing.
- Western District: Easily the most nebulous of them all, the Western District covers most of the structure and is considered the residential district. It spans two and a half of the city's three levels and covers more than a generous portion of the lower two levels. The buildings started off in standard designs, but frequent rebuilding has left the district a wild mix of conflicting cultural architecture. The administrators of Astrathe have attempted to prevent classism by wealth or discrimination by race or physical position in the city, but the inhabitants still find ways to _ their fellow citizens.
- South District: The South District is commonly referred to as the "Merchant District" or the "Red Light District" because it is the lowest of the four and making it easily accessible by the shanty towns that surround the city when it is at rest. Also featured here are aircraft storage and docks for transportation while underway, allowing the city a modicum of trade while airborne. Because of its proximity to the ground during landing, it is frequently damaged or destroyed and is rebuilt each time, causing structures to drift from plans submitted with the city planning office, and subsequently making it a haven for illegal activities.
The opening quote is such a great addition! A very interesting article that hooked me <3