Krithia and the Noble Clouds

The Noble Clouds is home to one of the three large continent-sized islands in Himinil. This island is known as Krithia and it is home to the Krithian Empire. Indeed, the Krithians rule all of the Noble Clouds.
The Noble Clouds are warm and wet. It rains often, snows in the winter, but is overall comfortable. As far as natural dangers and monsters go, The Noble Clouds are fairly safe. Finding food is an issue, however. Oh, it is easy to find farmlands here. But the food is almost exclusively controlled by the Krithian nobles. Every inch of workable land is worked or will be worked in the near future. A village can be found every half days travel, each with its own manors, keeps, and lords.

Dramatic Weather

It is quite possible that the weather in the noble clouds does indeed have a mind of its own. It also has a sense for the dramatic. If someone were to fall off their Krithian Boar and say "Well, this cannot get any worse!", then there is a very high chance that it will begin to rain. When villains declare their nefarious deeds, then lightning may sound off in the distance. Even love is affected. A common story is told by married couples of how they met. Each dropped a piece of paper, which was carried by a wind that leads them right to each other. Of course, this weather can become deadly. Insulting the weather or the sky, in general, is one of the easiest ways to become struck by lightning during a lightning storm.

Prominent Witches and Fae

There are a handful of Witches in the Noble clouds. Notably, there is the Porcelain Witch, Granny Stew, and The Hollow Queen who reside over Meuclont. In Bescara, there is the Umbral Swain who stalks the night. Two others are of significance in this Sky who are not tied down to a city. One is Called the Maiden of Pleasure and the other is simply called "The one behind the mask."
Porcelain Witch: The Porcelain Witch is in a coven with Granny Stew and the Hollow Queen. She is beautiful, despite that she hates beauty in all forms. As a result, she wears a shattered porcelain mask over her perfect porcelain face. What the Porcelain Witch wants is for everything beautiful to be destroyed. Though, she prefers to act with subtlety. Her Fae are, naturally, small porcelain dolls. They spy for her, act as messengers, and even punish those that displease her. Legend says that if you find a doll somewhere a doll should not be, then the Porcelain Witch has taken an interest in you.
Granny Stew: Granny Stew appears to be an old crone twice the size of a full grown man. She carries with her a pot of stew with many wondrous and horrible magical effects. Granny Stew truly wishes to help people, but her madness often causes this "help" to result in killing the afflicted. She will cure the sick and heal the wounded, but in payment, she requires the body of someone who has died of either disease or natural causes. She has strange tastes for food. Granny Stews Fae are strange creatures made of stew. Flowing, bubbling masses that utilize pots and cooking utensils to give itself form. It is rare to see one of her Fae, as they mostly stay in her lair.
The Hollow Queen: The Hollow Queen lives deep in the earth and appears to be a woman made up of rubble and stone. She haunts the hollow mines, seeking those of evil to punish. Though, her definition of evil may change. Her Fae are small creatures made of rock and stone, often referred to as Kobolds.
Umbral Swain: The Umbral Swain is likely the least dangerous warlock in the Noble Clouds. He simply wishes to find love. Though, he is mischevious and likes to terrorize people. His form is that of a handsome man made of shadows, and he cannot touch or hold anything. His fae are similar. They are living shadows which have no form.
Maiden of Pleasure: The Maiden of Pleasure was once a prostitute who sought to escape her life. She swallowed a Warp Pearl in the hopes of ending her life. Now, she is a Witch who holds the power of pleasure and controls a mysterious and deadly pleasure house that seems to come and go with the mist. She appears as she did in life, but has an alluring magic about her that makes any man or woman tempted to give in to lust. She feeds on those who stay at her pleasure house. The Fae she creates are clones of herself, except they have no face. In its stead, they wear masks.
The One Behind the Mask: This Warlock is very subtle. It is difficult to actually see him, as his form is often just an idea. A whisper in the back of powerful peoples minds. His power is that of political corruption. If you could track down his lair, it would be found in some nobles keep, hidden in plain view. His fae look like people, but they serve a purpose of tempting those in power to become corrupt. They are easily spotted by the small sheep-like tails they hide under their clothing.

Prominent characters

These characters are famous among the Noble Clouds, nearly everyone knows who they are and their influence can be felt anywhere.
King Gerard Alden: The current King of Krithia. He likes to toy with his kingdom as a toddler would with toys. Often he purposefully pits nobles against each other in order to see what would happen. He does things like placing brothers in control over waring territories, giving a peasant political power in order to see how far it can go, and hosting balls in dangerous locations.
Theo Liberalis: Theo is the current religious leader of Veritism. He is the Grand Priest, and prefers to be simply called Theo. He is kind, in general, but harbors a deep hatred for magic of all kinds. His faith is strong and true. However, he knows about some of the corruption in the church and encourages it. He believes it is unfortunate but gives the church too much power to be stopped. His primary motivation is to spread Veritism everywhere.
Orace Heramsh: Orace is a lady of the Heramsh family, but more notably she is the most powerful puppeteer in the Noble Clouds. She supplies wealth and protection to others that supply her hobby. Rumors say that her husband died long ago, and she is using puppetry to keep him fresh and alive. It is common knowledge that she has ties with puppetry, but there is no proof. Those that try to investigate often go missing.
Lyco Gordio: If you ask Lyco what he is, he is a vigilante serving the greater Krithia. If you ask anyone else, he is a serial killer and madman. He finds nobles he views as corrupt and sneaks into their homes. He then rips them apart, murdering his way through the entire family. Despite even peasants viewing him as evil, they still seek a way to contact him. Hoping that he will rid their land of greater evil.

Locations of Note

Meuclont

Meuclont is the most famous city in the world. It is where people go to start over, to hide, and to be free. It is also one of the more dangerous to live in. It is built upwards, instead of outwards. Tall towers with long metal cables stretching between them like webs give this city the nickname, The Web.

Bescara and Central Krithia

Bescara is known as the Clockwork Mountain because of the way it seems to gradually slope upwards. The center has tall buildings which is topped with a floating castle made of clockwork and balloons. This is the capital of Krithia, and it is where the King lives. Bescara is in a region called Central Krithia that rests in the center of the island. It is the wealthiest and cleanest area of Krithia, boasting the happiest peasants and fattest nobles.

Krithian Prison

On an island not far from the mainland is a prison which holds the foulest of the foul. From it, long chains hold cages dangling over the reflected sky. These cages hold dangerous criminals with magical abilities and quirks. Food is lowered down every few days, and water is slowly dripped downwards from above. The main building of the prison holds a few hundred prisoners and just over 50 guards. This prison is famous for being particularly cruel. For example, food is often poisoned to make life hell for the prisoners, and one of the cages has a rusted bottom to make the experience worse for those who anger the warden.

Outlands

This section of Krithia is called the Outlands because it rests on the edge of krithia that points away from any of the other islands in Himinil. This place is the most avoided place in Krithia because the families that rule the land here have a more primitive sense of justice and morality than the rest of krithia. Traveling through this area and you will see peasants hanging from nooses on the roads, skulls on pikes, and cages of dead rats. The peasants of this land live in fear that if they displease their lords, then they will be made an example of. Many have tried to flee their servitude, only to be hunted down by an elite group of hunters known as the Pig Feeders. They ride atop viscous Krithian Boars and slaughter any peasant trying to flee the land. Guests to the Outlands are often mistaken for fleeing peasants. The King of Kritha has been asked to put a stop to this cruelty, but he refuses. He claims that the Outlands can be ruled however they wish to be, but truthfully he enjoys the controversy.

Geography

The island of Krithia has a moderate temperature, hilly, and wet. Small lakes and rivers are everywhere, hills smash together into small mountains, and Temperate forests are common. Off of the main island, the geography is very similar, though broken up. Large rivers become streams on these islands, and lakes are very rare.

Fauna & Flora

The sorts of animals and plants you could find in the Noble clouds would be common to our worlds temperate climates, such as western Europe or eastern America. However, bovine and pigs are unique to the Noble Clouds. Yak, buffalo, cow, and other varieties exist and are bred. One animal the Noble Clouds have that does not exist in our world is a breed of boar called Krithian Boars. They are hairless, slim, and about the size of a pony. They are also fairly calm. These boars are used by Krithians to carry chariots and wagons, as they are faster than a yak.

Alternative Name(s)

Sky of Krithia

Type

Continent

Location under

The Skies

Included Locations

• Meuclont, The Web

Included Organizations

• Veritism

Characters in Location

• Ludovicus Truthe