Erythos

The famed flying fortress of Erythos is home to the Soaring Council of the Sky Giant sages. A structure of swirling arches of white stone, carved to resemble scattering clouds, Erythos is an ancient monastery that drifts among the clouds, high above the the tallest mountains. It has not touched the ground in mortal memory, though a select few brave and skilled adventurers have made their way to this place, to seek the wisdom of the sages. The Soaring Council are among the oldest living souls on Aeldryn, and claim to be able to see Truth upon the winds, watching over the world from above the clouds. Supposedly, the Sky Giants long ago reached enlightenment by leaving the world behind and ascending into the skies. This was both a practical and symbolic gesture. It removed them from what they perceived as endless cycles of violence on the surface, earning themselves peace and security. At the same time, it offered them the chance to cleanse their minds and souls, leaving behind their own mortal flaws, the emotions of pride, greed, and anger that drive lesser races to destroy themselves and each other. This was also the point when they adopted the title of Sky Giants. Previously, they had been of two races: Cloud Giants and Storm Giants, frequently in conflict with one another. By setting aside old enmities, embracing their better natures, and taking to the sky together, they declared their differences to be no more, that they would be henceforth a single race, forging a higher destiny as one.
In ancient times, Erythos rose into the sky from the continent of Falsayn, homeland of the Cloud and Storm Giants. The Sky Giants left behind their brethren, and more many centuries have drifted across the world. They claim to have studied the skies and the stars like no one before, unravelling deep mysteries of the universe through observation and long, careful thought. When they near the end of their lives, elder sages disperse themselves into the primal elements, literally becoming the churning clouds and storms that trail around Erythos. These elemental beings shield the city from unwanted attention, defend it against interlopers, and continuously renew the potent magics that keep their brethren floating through the skies. The Soaring Council consider themselves above the petty politics of the surface, concerned only with higher, transcendental thoughts. Even during the Collapse, they have yet to descend, and the sages have not yet reached out to the Coalition Nations to request passage through the portals. Many wonder if the enlightened Giants have merely accepted the fate of the world, or if they know something others do not, some other means of escaping the grasp of the Unmaking Tide.

Type

City