Cilostratan Expanse

History

Far to the south of the Queendom of Vreabia lies a region called The Cilostratan Expanse, home to the Cilostratans. Once a normal landmass of towns and villages, now it is a rocky wasteland. During the Years of Chaos following the formation of the Storm Wall, the ruling body decided to take measures to protect the people. They performed a ritual that tore the very land they lived on out of the ground and floated it up into the sky. The ritual took the combined power of fifteen skilled air magic practitioners to achieve and even then didn’t go how they planned. Originally they wanted one unified massive floating island, all their people together and safe in the clouds. What they got was an event that the people of the region call The Shattering.
The ground below them tore free from the earth and slowly levitated upwards. Written accounts say what happened next felt like an earthquake. The ground shattered, towns broke into pieces, people fell through the air. The levitation didn’t stop, as the ritual had imbued the ground with a special property. A sort of light as air effect that didn’t stop ascending until it was around the cloud layer. Some of the newly formed sky islands were above the clouds, some below and some were in them- constantly wreathed in mists.

Geography of the Region

A series of fractured floating landmasses, colloquially known as skylands. Mostly below the main cloud line but some are in and above it. No one really knows just how many islands there are. The cloud mists hide some, and fields of spinning sharp rocks protect others from intrusion. Over time, since their formation some of these skylands have been drifting further and further apart from each other, creating a truly massive spread.
Some skylands are small and are uninhabited or have 1 or 2 houses upon them. These people are owners of their own skyships or other mode of transport to get supplies. Other skylands are larger, supporting larger settlements- small towns and villages. Some of these settlements have linked stable skylands together with strong rope bridges creating a web of communities that work together.
Many of these skylands have areas that collect rain water which then runs down in small rivers. Some of these rivers fall from skyland to skyland, creating a cascade of waterfalls, usually ending falling into the open air.

Flora and Fauna

Many of the skylands have fertile soil upon them with grasses, trees and other flora on them. The regular ground varieties have adapted well to this environment of unimpeded sunlight. Many of the settlement clusters have skylands dedicated to farmland, growing most of the food the people need. Traditional animal raised as food found the environment difficult and grew stunted and warped.
Flying animals have thrived in the skylands. Large birds of many varieties now make the place their home. Certain inhabitants have reared the birds, some looking to make a food replacement, others exploring the idea of using them as mounts.

Dangers

There are many dangers present in the expanse. So many, in fact, that ground dwellers often consider those that live here mad or airsick.

Cold

Because of the elevation, the temperatures are much lower. This can manifest in a few different ways. Liquids freeze much more readily, which can cause many issues potentially destroying it entirely. People exposed to the cold for extended periods of time can suffer from frostbite or die. Hailstorms are also frequent, large balls of ice thundering down, these can damage houses, skyships, people, and crops. A large hail stone to the head can cause death easily.

High Winds

The same winds that make the skyships such an effective tool can also be a huge detriment. It can blow people over the edge of ships or skylands, it can blow ships off course, into each other or into skylands themselves causing massive damage. Storms are frequent and can appear quickly. Thunderstorms are a frightening prospect when you live around the cloud line, lightning bolts have significantly less distance to travel. These can set fire to houses, crops or skyships. Tornados can also form and are devastating to a people with nowhere to run to. They have caused many disappearances of skyships.

Altitude

Thin air of high altitudes affects people not used to them, and even some that are if they travel up or down too rapidly. This can cause fatigue, shortness of breath, headaches, exhaustion, tremors, fluid in the head and lungs and disorientation. All terrible symptoms if one is piloting a skyship. The height is also a guaranteed lethal fall if a person falls from a skyland or skyship. If a ship crashes or falls from the sky, it is also more than likely a death sentence. There have also been reports of skylands themselves crashing into each other, fracturing further and causing any of the inhabitants to fall to their deaths.

Shard Fields

During the creation of the Expanse many of the skylands crashed into each other, shattering further, creating great fields of spinning sharp rocks. These are exceptionally dangerous to navigate because the rocks are spinning at great speeds still and can easily tear through a hull of a ship. Smugglers and pirates that want to maintain their privacy prize skylands that these fields have surrounded.

Clouds and Rain

While sailing the skies, things that would be trivial on the ground can be quite a hinderance in the air. Clouds block visibility very well, a few Skycaptains have stories that involve them hiding in cloud layers only to fly straight into a skyland they didn’t see. Rain is also a large hinderance if it is heavy enough, it can flood and ruin the flying ability of skyships.

Sky Pirates and Smugglers

The freedom of the air and the needs of the people living here have created a massive trade opportunity. Legitimate traders come and go frequently however there are many who don’t want to pay taxes or tariffs on the goods they move, getting violent when discovered. Also, this abundance of traders has created opportunities for those who want an easier life in just taking the cargoes. They are based in the town of Merir Neadair.