The Flying City Approaches

If there's any pattern or plan guiding the flying city of Uszovaros as it travels above the Tarsan plains, nobody on the ground has figured it out yet. The city may travel in a straight line for hundreds of miles only to suddenly change course and take a zig-zagging path for weeks before again settling into a steady forward path. Because the city's movements are so unpredictable, most people try not to get overly excited at the prospect of getting a glimpse of the flying city no matter how long it's reportedly been moving in their direction. If someone says, "The flying city might be here soon," the traditional resonse is "It might, and the sun might fall out of the sky tomorrow." The attitude changes once the flying city actually becomes visible. Depending on local geography and weather conditions, this usually happens at a range of somewhere between 30 and 200 miles. No matter how far away the city is when it first comes into view, most people believe that catching a glimpse of the city means it's going to be passing directly overhead in due time. Once Uszovaros fever grips a population, people begin flocking to the highest points in the local landscape, starting with those expected to be first in the path of the flying city. If the city's arrival is several days out, the most accessible of these locations tend to take on a festival atmosphere, complete with a healthy contingent of merchants, entertainers, and criminals hoping to turn a profit. Meanwhile, those with access to high towers, castle rooftops, or other elevated architecture usually make arrangements to host elaborate (and for smaller venues, often very exclusive) parties on the days when the city is expected to be most visible. Social climbers and influence peddlers who can get invited to (or better yet, get other important people invited to) these events often benefit greatly. If the city continues along its path, the days immediately surrounding its flight over a major population center are typically declared holidays and are usually treated as such in the absence an official declaration. Businesses shut down (whether intentionally or because employees didn't show up for work), government offices are shuttered, and the people fill the streets hoping to get a better look at ruins as they pass overhead. City walls and other tall municipal structures are often opened to the public on the assumption that it's easier to control an orderly planned occupation than to try to stop a disorderly and unwanted one. In addition to those hoping to get a glimpse of the city, there are always a handful of people who get it into their head that they will explore Uszovaros, usually by means of some harebrained scheme or questionable enchantment. Items purported to be flying carpets, rings of levitation, or whistles that summon giant eagles are readily available whenever the flying city approaches, but most of them are completely fraudulent. Whenever the city passes over a heavily populated area, at least a handful of people wind up dead due to failed attempts to reach the city. If Uszovaros suddenly changes course, some people glumly go back to work, others let the party continue for a few days as a consolation prize. Regardless of how the local population responds, some people inevitably leave town (often without telling anyone) in pursuit of the flying city.