Tik-Tarak

Tik-Tirak is the capital city of the Kyrbald, the youngest and most mysterious of the sentient races of Yrdde. It is a floating labyrinth of stone, polished copper metals, and clicking gears. It drifts through the south-western reaches of Yrdde like a living creature, guided by the whims of the wind and the migrating patterns of skyfish.   There are no records or stories that recount the original construction of the city. Even its current inhabitants know little of its history or even how the heart of the city functions. They, like generations before them, maintain the heart as best they can and build atop its framework, praying that the city will remain ever adrift.   Over the centuries the city has grown from a rocky expanse to a sprawling metropolis, its varying platforms and structures in a constant state of motion. They rise, fall, and rearrange themselves according to a complex and mysterious pattern, with every new change to the city added seamlessly to its motions.   Kyrbald that are born within the city posses an almost instinctual understanding of its ever-shifting pathways. They can navigate the city with ease, even anticipating major shifts of the platforms. For outsiders, however, the city's constant reconfiguration makes navigation all but impossible. In response to this, a thriving guild of Kyrbald guides has sprung up. Using their innate knowledge, they lead merchants, tourists, and other confused travelers across the city.   The city is currently operated by several competing factions who vie for control of the many floating districts. Though they typically engage each other in peaceful political elections and debates, underhanded tactics such as assassinations and sabotage are not unheard of.   The Skyfishers   The Gearmakers   The Carvers    

Locations of Note

The Clockwork Bazaar

Located in a vast, open-air chamber near the city's heart, the Clockwork Bazaar is a dazzling spectacle of motion that never fails to draw every curious visitor. Instead of stationary stalls, vendors display their wares on rotating platforms, their shops rising, falling, and rearranging themselves in a slow, hypnotic dance.   Visitors can find countless exotic novelties within the Bazaar's labyrinthine embrace – freshly caught skyfish, finely crafted jewelry, and the city's most famous and sought after export: clockwork devices. Artisans sell miniature, animated replicas of Tik-Tirak, pocket watches that tell not only the time but also predict the city’s shifts, and even clockwork birds that can hop and chirp songs.  

The Crystal Gardens

Suspended above the main city on a series of interconnected platforms, the Crystal Gardens offer a peaceful respite from the bustling activity below. These gardens are covered with colossal, crystalline structures, petrified trees, and sculptures created by the Carvers from obsidian and amethyst. The Gardens are in a constant state of subtle flux, catching the sunlight and casting an ever-changing kaleidoscope of colors across the platforms. The Kyrbald of the city come to the gardens to meditate, to commune with the stone, and to seek guidance from their ancestors.    

"A city that moves, that changes, that hides its secrets behind a veil of constant motion? A place where every turn can lead to a new story, every shifting platform a new adventure? Honey, that’s a journalist's paradise! Just make sure you hire a good guide, and for the love of the gods don’t eat the pickled sky-squid. Trust me on that one, it's a story best left unwritten." - E Dawnstrider