The Balladian Fleet

The Balladian Fleet is a kingdom unlike any other in Thalas, a realm that sails not upon the sea but with it. Its people make their home upon the backs of the Thundering Orcas—colossal whales of near-mythic size, whose endless journey across the oceans has shaped an entire civilization in motion. These immense creatures are drawn to storms, forever chasing thunder and lightning across the waves to escape the monstrous predators that crave their near-infinite flesh. The storms they seek, violent and unrelenting, cloak them in rain and chaos, deterring their hunters and providing the Fleet with both cover and sustenance. It was during one such stormy age that bands of vagabond sailors, cast adrift and desperate, discovered these creatures and saw both compassion and opportunity in their plight. What began as humble settlements atop the orcas’ backs evolved into sprawling, self-sustaining cities—floating nations forged in perpetual motion.

Over time, the Balladian Fleet became a wonder of the seas. Vast farms stretch across the whales’ broad backs, thriving in the constant downpour that the storms bring, while towering fortresses of wood and iron guard the edges with cannons, harpoons, and lightning rods that pierce the sky. Smaller sailboats glide between the moving leviathans, acting as transport between cities that never remain in the same place twice. Their people live in harmony with their living foundations, tending to the orcas as much as they tend to their crops, repaying their guardianship with protection from the predators that stalk the deep. Though piracy remains a threat, few dare to challenge the Fleet’s defenses—or even attempt to find them—for the kingdom is always on the move, hidden among the storms it calls home. To glimpse the Balladian Fleet upon the horizon is to witness a living myth: a kingdom adrift, thundering endlessly through rain and sea, its people bound to the rhythm of the storm and the heartbeat of the whales that carry them.