Cliff Dwellers

A name given to the people that live in the Cliff District of the crown city of the Northern Kingdom. Cliff Dwellers are a unique sort of people that have spent generations learning to live on the steep basalt cliffs that drop some 200 feet (61 meters) from the crown city down to the sea. The Cliff District is made up of a series of buildings, both homes and businesses, that have been constructed on the basalt columns via an intricate system of support posts and braces that prevent the buildings from collapsing. Non-locals can find it difficult to spend much time in the area due to the perceived impossibility that the structures do not collapse and fall to the sea. Many believe that it is some kind of magic, but it is actually generations of workers devising new engineering methods to make the buildings safe, even during the harsh seasonal hurricanes that strike the area. Native born Cliff District residents are adept at navigating the assortment of ladders, stairways, rappel points, and elevator systems that allow access from one level to another. They also think nothing of crossing what is often no more than a V shaped rope bridge that might span 20 to 200 feet (6 to 60 meters) of distances between buildings on the same level. The Cliff District is made necessary by the need to move cargo from the shipyards along the base of the cliffs to the city that is far above sea level. Originally a system of lifts built along the cliffs, workers in centuries past found it more convenient to build shacks in which to sleep near the lift points. This slowly grew into actual work stations and even barracks for the workers to live in being built on the cliffs. Eventually evolving into what has become a full district that has been built vertically along the cliff face. It is customary for the King's flagship to be docked for loading and unloading at the King's Dock in the main harbor. When not in use the flagship is kept under guard in a special harbor known as The King's Harbor inside a massive natural cavern in the cliffs beneath the crown city. During the seasonal storms the King's Harbor is opened up as a sanctuary for any ships that can not be protected from the harsh weather of the hurricanes.

Culture

Average technological level

Although they are just as advanced in technology as anywhere else, the Cliff District has inspired some unique advances in some technologies, including:

Bracing and support systems that can support significant amounts of weight.
High grade cement. In an effort to find ways to better anchor the buildings and repair any fissures in the cliff face, the workers union of the Cliff District has developed what is known as the strongest concrete mixture in the known world.
Lifts that are powered by steam engines rather than the traditional horse or man-powered lift systems that had been used in the past.

Coming of Age Rites

The Cliff District has a unique tradition that is held once a year, where young men prove their skill to become workers in the district by running a race that leads them from the docks, up to a specific point at the top of the cliff, where they must retrieve a flag from a checkpoint and descend once again to the docks. It is a dangerous and often highly competitive race, as the young men are judged not only on how quickly they can return with the flags, but also on their skill at navigating certain sections of the district. It is common for crowds to gather at those areas to watch and cheer the young men on as they navigate complex pathways or quickly cross precarious bridges.

Funerary and Memorial customs

When a resident of the Cliff District dies it is customary to wrap the body in funeral robes, then place them on a lift that will take them down to the docks. Family, friends, and others that wish to pay their respects will gather along where the lift lowers to toss flowers and mementos onto the lift as it passes. Once the lift has reached the docks the body and any flowers or mementos are reverently placed into a funerary boat that is set adrift into the ocean where archers use fire arrows to ignite the boat. It is customary, particularly when the deceased was well known, to set the boat adrift at sunset so that the funeral pyre can be seen by everyone in the district.

Major organizations

The Cliff District is overseen by a crown approved worker's union that is responsible for the safety and training of the men that work in the lifts and shipyards. Inspectors that work for this group monitor the strength of the walkways and support structures, searching for any weak or worn supports and examining the stones for excessive weathering or fissures that might cause a building to slip in what would be a catastrophic failure of the entire district's support infrastructure. Any detected weaknesses are reinforced or replaced as needed to safeguard the district and its residents.

Parent ethnicities