Kumoria (Koo-MOHR-ee-uh)
Demographics
Species
The species demographic of Kumoria is mostly comprised of three groups: Avians, Dragonborn, and Ravenites. While Ravenites are technically considered a subrace of Dragonborn, within Kumorian civilization they are seen completely differently. Avians make up approximately 39% of the population, Dragonborn make up 28% of the population, and Ravenites make up 30% of the population, with the remaining 3% being made up of various other races, who rarely immigrate to Kumoria due to the difficult travel conditions to make it there, requiring either flying upon a mount, or climbing a mountain and paying a premium to ride upon the cable car to one of the lowest clouds.Professions
Throughout Kumoria, there are inevitably around a total of 3 different professional groups, mostly centered around what part of society the group lives in. Firstly is known as The Citizenship, which is those who live in the more densely packed areas of Kumoria, mostly doing trade crafts and highly skilled arts. Here, there are many different guilds focusing on the arts, notably such being places such as The Northern Guild of the Arts, resides. Approximately 40% of the population is a part of the Citizenship. About 30% of the population is made up of The Hunters, who live in the outer clouds of Kumoria, where bridges don't connect the isles. Because of this, they are trained fliers, either by their own wings or riding upon tamed creatures. This makes it incredibly easy for these groups to run farms upon the smaller isles and the land around them, so they provide much of the food and bring in many of the imports and gathered resources for Kumoria. Finally, the final 30% are made of The Grounded, who either choose or are forced to remain on the ground. These groups do much of the localized resource gathering, such as Floatstone mining.Wealth Classes
In terms of wealth classes, there's a clear divide between upper, lower, and slaves. The upper class makes up around 10% of the population, mostly those who are a part of the High Council or are incredibly successful artists. These people are known for extravagant examples of wealth and land-owning. The lower class is around 60%, where they maintain living earnings and manage to survive in just about any condition. Many are happy within this group, but hold some distaste towards the upper class. Finally, slaves make up the remaining 30%, mostly contrived of the Ravenite, who live miserable lives, and almost always have little to no choice within their life.Government
The settlement is run by two powers, whose powers cancel each other out: The two High Emperors (one Avian and one Dragonborn), and the High Council of Kumoria. The two High Emperors maintain absolute rule over the defensive forces within Kumoria, however, aside from any immediate and necessary action, the High Emperors must run all decisions through The Council. The Council, after a decision has been sent their way, is required to decide within one week, unless otherwise given an amount of time, else the decision gets put through. The Council also has some legislative ability, where once monthly they can bring a set of bills to the Emperors, which they must send at least one of which to The Council, after fixing however they choose.
The High Emperors, once chosen, serve for life, unless they choose to leave the office or are voted out of their seat. If one Emperor is missing from the office, a vote is put up to all Kumorians of their lineage (Dragonborn or Avian), and the vote must be completed within one week. Automatically, the previous Emperor's heir is an applicable candidate, and The Council, alongside the remaining Emporer, may choose three other candidates for the election. Applicable voters can vote as soon as the election begins, and have until the end of the week to make their decision. During this time, campaigning and debates are frequent, with candidates doing anything possible to win votes. By the end of the week, votes are counted, and the new candidate is put into place. If the other Emperor happens to perish during this time (an emperor cannot be kicked from or leave the office while an election is happening), the current election is immediately counted, and the Emperor is elected immediately. Then, the Election for the other seat maintains as usual.
The High Council of Kumoria each serves for 6 months, however, no two seats can be elected at the same time. At any given time, the Council can choose to add new members, and if a member chooses to leave before the end of their term, their seat needs not to be refilled. After each member fulfills their term, however, there is an election for their seat in the council, which the prior member can run for. If the council should ever be rendered empty, each Emperor elects an individual to join into the Council, and then elections for two seats of the Council happen in the next two months.
Taxation, as a whole, remains low, since The Emperors and The Council have had a fixed pay relative to the nation's overall wealth since the 304 Royalty Accords. Taxation only remains necessary to fund defenses, and the commuter services (namely shuttled rides on creatures or bridge-building between islands). Additionally, taxation is scaled based upon the wealth of the people who are being taxed.
Defences
The defenses of Kumoria are significant, which is a major reason why they are independently run within the land of Tempor'Il. Since it resides upon the Sky Islands, many attackers simply do not have a way to approach the top. As an attacker may attempt to enter the city, the may find that the cable cars that lead up to the lower islands have been cut, allowing for very little way of making it onto the lower islands whatsoever. However, should they manage to find a way up to them, they must then cross locations where bridges once resided, but have been dropped by use of a key. Should they manage to come past these tasks, all while being attacked by the guards of the city, they would find themselves struggling with floatstone caltrops, which all of the Wyvern riders are equipped with. Finally, in order to enter the Crown District, they need to get past the wall that stands 40 feet tall between them and the district, since the stairs can be lifted from the below islands. Should an army attempt a siege, Kumoria has large ballistae made of floatstone aiming downwards towards the ground. These shots are large enough to kill 2-3 humans on impact, making it incredibly unlikely for a siege to maintain longer than a few hours.
Industry & Trade
The settlement stays afloat by trading artisan goods mostly. They are renowned for their wine, olive oil, and jams and even supply a large portion of the fruit jams for Tempor'Il. These are the biggest moneymakers for Kumoria, but they also export many other things, such as silks, sculptures, floatstone, paintings, and ice. These exports massively increase the exposure of Kumoria to the average eye. Overall, the tariffs in Kumoria are incredibly low, which incentivizes selling items as an export alongside selling to Kumorians. This helps Kumoria overall, due to its reliance on imports. Many common goods, such as grains, potatoes, beer, ales, red meats, and many, many other things are rarely or never produced in Kumoria, which means that importing them is required for the nation. Overall, Kumoria is a trade center for a good portion of the world, despite only having one meaningful connection to
Infrastructure
Infrastructurally, many things have been built to make surviving upon the Cloud Islands to be more reasonable. Bridges of floatstone pass between many of the central clouds, making traversal easier for the citizens of Kumoria. Pumps have been designed to pull water from the rain clouds at a rate that will cause them to not rain, such as making it so that no clouds will disappear. On a few of the larger clouds, piping has even been created, allowing sewage to leave the islands without harming individuals. Roads have been built from floatstone, allowing some larger animals to walk upon the tops of the clouds without risking sinking into the cloud due to their greater weight. Windmills stand tall upon some of the smaller islands, helping with keeping furnaces warm and other frequent activities. Courtyards and gardens exist, although they require precise planning such as to make sure that it shouldn't exceed a certain weight limit such that it would fall through the clouds. Finally, between some of the lowest islands, to ensure the lifting of heavier materials, there are cable cars that transit between the clouds, braced by the entire cloud sometimes in case of dangerous weights.
Districts
In Kumoria, there are five main districts, The Gigaclouds, The Crown District, The Outer Isles, the Plantations, and the Ground.
The Gigaclouds
The Gigaclouds are made up of the largest 4 clouds of Kumoria and are where a vast majority of merchant trade happens in Kumoria. It is known for its markets, having all sorts of foods and wares to purchase and that are made on-site. Every type of artisan, from blacksmiths to jewelers to oracles can be found here, and frequently work with guests. Additionally, this area contains many of the restaurants, taverns, and brothels in Kumoria. This area has no formal restrictions from entry, however, poor and thrifty people can be known to be shooed out, due to their unwillingness to spend. This area is also known for having parties late at night, which is a reason why few ever live here. Many nights, especially on Venerises and Saturnis, a large bonfire is lit within the center of the area upon dusk, which people then sing and dance around. Many small stands and things of the like have foodstuffs for the people around to eat.The Crown District
The Crown District is placed upon the top of the fifth-largest cloud island in Kumoria, which is used for Royal business only. To enter, one must have explicit permission from one of The Emperors or The Council. It is heavily guarded and fortified; placed upon the highest cloud of all. To access it, one must either fly in upon a Guard Wyvern or climb up the Stairway to Heaven, a large spiral staircase that ascends to the Palace. At the top of the stairway, there is a small viewing platform, where any can see the beautiful architecture of the Crown District. This place is home to the most sightly architecture of Kumoria, with even just the palace being gorgeous. Its pure white walls, formed into a semi-triangular shape, are accented with the slightest bits of wood, just enough to add some slight color to the build. Additionally, it is ornamented with violet and yellow curtains, finishing off the minuscule need for architectural help. The surrounding buildings and areas are equally gorgeous, with homes and housing for many servants, Royal Guards, and things of the like. Large walls surround the district, with dozens of guards defending them at any given time, manning cannons on top of the walls. To counter the weight, the island is held up by 3 large hot air balloons. Those who are new to the area entering the district tend to cause a slight stir within Kumoria, leading to some slight renown within the area.The Outer Isles
The Outer Isles make up many of the smaller clouds that surround Kumoria and tend to be less regulated than the Gigaclouds and The Crown District. Here, much of the population reside, with very little aside from housing on the islands. Here, there are some skilled artisans, such as carpenters or floatstone smiths, generally those who work directly with the local citizenry. Aside from those, few actually maintain businesses within The Outer Isles, however, there are a few notable taverns and things of the like. Additionally, many of The Hunters bring their work back to locations on these islands, since the central ones cannot always handle the extra weight their wares hold. Overall, this area is accessible to everyone who enters Kumoria, although few would actually want to be here since the areas can be dangerous due to the lower regulations that the areas are held by. Unreported crime is most common within these isles, and often reported crime from these areas gets ignored.The Plantations
The Plantations are highly restricted areas, where food is grown in planter bins made of floatstone. They are generally made of smaller clouds that have plant growths hanging off of the sides, allowing for the growth of grapes, olives, and other vine-based foods. Along the top, root vegetables such as potatoes and onions are grown, in order to help supplement the diets of many. Livestock isn't kept within the plantations, so all that remains upon them are vegetation. Additionally, these islands often exceed their weight limits and require blue hot air balloons to hold them up. These areas are highly restricted, with no bridges leading to them, and guards often stopping you if you do not enter using a specific bird-like creature. Those who work and occasionally live in these areas are respected due to them bringing food to the people in an easier way than usual.The Ground
The Ground is the least respected area in all of Kumoria. Those who live here are almost completely made up of the destitute poor and slaves, having a majority of the manual labor jobs, such as floatstone mining and livestock raising. Rarely, when one is looking for cheap work, business owners will come to the ground to hire or purchase people living there. Many living here will spend their whole lives here, taking a long while to make their way up onto islands to do or buy anything in Kumoria. Because of this, there is an aftermarket area, where people will purchase items from the markets above and sell them at a higher price below. Additionally, many travelers will sell their wares at a higher price here, in order to increase revenue and to afford the stipend price to carry wares up to the island.Assets
Kumoria itself maintains little to no power over its assets, mostly redistributing them to the public should there be an excess of wealth required. However, to maintain power, the Crown District maintains a cache of Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Valuable objects, each of which is kept in case one or several of the others decrease in value. Additionally, the Crown does its best to equip the guards such that they minimize loss of intelligent life, both by the guards and for the guards. Because of this, all of the guards are equipped with magically enchanted weapons such that they are non-lethal, but with a cache of weaponry that is lethal in case of war.
Guilds and Factions
There are many guilds and factions within Kumoria, mainly led by workforce unions. For most Kumorians, if you are employed by another you are by contract, which is most often to protect the workers from their employers. These unions tend to be incredibly social, such to the point that many of people's closest friends may be from unions. Unions may have smaller parties at the ends of their workweek, where potluck-style foods are brought, and everyone can spend time with one another, speaking of how their weeks were, and often gossiping over thoughts and ideas. Because of this, union parties have been the birthplace of tons of new ideas, and the spreading of political ideologies. Substantially, the artists' union tends to be very large and leans more conservatively, while Hunters' unions tend to be much smaller and spread liberal ideas like wildfire.
History
Kumoria is a city that doesn't have an incredibly rich history aside from its people. Prior to the Treatise of the Cloud Isles (called the Treatise of the Holy Lands by the Avians, the Avians and Dragonborn fought long and hard for exclusive access to the isles. Despite being lesser in number, the Avians superior flying capabilities and the magic that was once held incredibly skewed the advantages towards them. However, upon learning how to make rudimentary balloons, the Dragonborn used their newfound ability to fly in order to pressure the Avians into a treaty to share Kumoria, which the Dragonborn saw as beneficial all along. After this point, the Avians accepted, which began the settlement of the islands. After a few hundred years, the rulers of the two societies bound together to form Kumoria, the city upon the clouds. After this time, there was a period of time where laws and the ideas of the people were uncertain, taking upwards of 40 years to centralize the government into two branches, which complement each other perfectly. After this, however, little to no significant events occurred to the people of Kumoria aside from the High Moon's Rising. On its first rising, the people were at first celebratory of it, wishing it into their lives and dancing underneath its pinkish light. Many regretted so, becoming deformed or enraged, leading to a massive brawl led by the Emperors. They detained many of the survivors, although several fell off islands from a considerable height, making it impossible to save them all. It is said that those who were detained died in their cells, although rumor states that some may still be alive today due to the nature of their mutations.
Architecture
The architecture of Kumoria is incredibly strange in comparison to the world around it. Floatstone itself is a bright white color, making many buildings bright white, with the occasional building having colorful paint around the outside, usually to attract buyers into a store. The buildings themselves don't rely on rigid right angles, due to the process in which larger slabs of floatstone are cut from the ground. Because of this, buildings are built with curved walls frequently. Their walls concave in on the building, providing more structural support for the buildings themselves. The buildings are often built to be very tall, upwards of 4-5 stories, each alternating the directions of the walls slightly to create a more intricate pattern, and are built on top of a floatstone foundation that spreads the weight evenly around the base. It's customary to carve intricate designs into the foundations and walls of the building, which stand out especially against the occasionally painted exteriors. The buildings, while not always having rooves due to being above where clouds can form, have semicircular rooves when they do. These rooves are designed to wick water that might fall from higher islands off of the buildings onto the ground or onto the base of the cloud. The buildings often have window frames with no actual windows in them, since glass is generally too heavy to hold above the ground. The buildings are lit with a mineral known as Isomor, a lightweight mineral from the area that emits a low blue light. These are used for everything from street lamps to indoor lighting to decorative materials on the exteriors of buildings.
Founding Date
407 BHM
Founders
Alternative Name(s)
The City in the Clouds
Type
City
Population
8000
Inhabitant Demonym
Kumorian
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Additional Rulers/Owners
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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