The Floating Markets of Azurehold

Suspended in midair by massive enchanted chains, the Floating Markets of Azurehold are a bustling hub of commerce and culture. Traders from across Elora gather here, offering wares ranging from rare spices and silks to magical trinkets and airship parts. The markets are known for their vibrant atmosphere, where minstrels play alongside haggling merchants, and deals are often sealed with a toast of Skyfire Mead. Beneath the markets, hidden in the maze of platforms and chains, thrives a shadowy underworld where smugglers and spies ply their trade.

Geography

Suspended midair by massive enchanted chains anchored to drifting islands, the Floating Markets of Azurehold are a breathtaking labyrinth of interconnected platforms, bridges, and airship docks. The main market tiers float at different heights, creating a vertical cityscape where the wealthiest traders and most luxurious goods reside on the upper levels, while the bustling mid-tier markets cater to everyday commerce, and the lower depths hide a shadowy underworld of smugglers, spies, and secret deals.

• Upper Markets ("Skyspire Plaza") – Home to luxury goods, noble trade, and political dealings. Elegant spires rise above the platforms, enchanted bridges shift and realign with a thought, and crystal-glass domes cover high-end shops.
• Mid-Tier Markets ("Golden Canopy") – The heart of Azurehold’s trade, filled with open-air stalls, spice bazaars, alchemical shops, and guild halls. Minstrels play as merchants haggle, and exotic creatures are bought and sold.
• Lower Markets ("The Undermarket") – A maze of rickety wooden walkways, shadowed alleys, and hidden tunnels. This is where smugglers, mercenaries, and black-market dealers operate, constantly shifting locations to avoid unwanted attention.
• The Anchor Chains – Titanic, rune-etched chains that hold the platforms together and tether Azurehold to floating rock formations. Some daredevils live among the chains, forming cliffside shantytowns in the cracks of drifting islands.

Climate

Azurehold’s altitude and exposure to the Aetherian Expanse make its climate highly unpredictable:

• Daytime: Warm, with a constant breeze carrying scents of exotic spices, sea salt, and distant rain. The sun illuminates the hanging banners, colorful awnings, and golden rooftops of the upper market tiers.
• Nighttime: The temperature drops sharply, and ghostly blue mist rolls in from the Aetherian currents, giving the city a mysterious, ethereal glow. Floating lanterns bob through the streets, illuminating deals made in whispers.
• Storms: Sudden tempests can arise, forcing merchants to batten down stalls or seek refuge in fortified sections. Some storms carry arcane surges, warping reality for brief moments—objects shifting, voices echoing oddly, or even glimpses of things that should not exist in the storm-tossed sky.
• Air Currents & Trade Winds: Azurehold thrives because of its stable trade winds, which allow airships to dock safely. However, pockets of turbulence can send unprepared vessels spiraling into the abyss.

Owning Organization

The Azure Concord