Cypden

Established before the Ilkatan Confederation, Cypden stands as the last floating island civilization that is still in contact with the world below.

City of the Small

Originally started as a large pack of Kobolds, Cypden has since grown to inhabit Halflings, Goblins, and most recently Gnomes. In spite of the general animosity these races may historically hold over each other, the denizens of the city are remarkably cordial with each other and any guests who come to the city. Undercommon and Overcommon are spoken interchangeably in addition to Common, and while the races tend to stay in the parts of the island they are more familiar with (kobolds and goblins operating in underground caves and tunnels within the landmass while Gnomes and Halflings build on the islands surface), there is still a healthy amount of overlap and interaction. As a result, the city has grown in scale and complexity; the combined ingenuity of Gnomish and Kobold design has led to various buildings of strange and unique design, a series of slides and tubes instead of roads, and even catapult-based mail delivery system. In contrast, the competitive one-upmanship of goblins provides an energetic volunteer force for guards, labor, and even a select group of explorers charting out the other floating islands across Ilkatu. All the while the Halfling families have taken charge on providing hospitality services as well as tending to the many gardens that supply the majority of their food.

A Simple Structure of Governance

All of this goodwill is maintained by the ruler of Cypden, who historically promoted the civility and coordination between all of the various families. The current leader is Cupro, an elderly Kobold seemingly far more patient and calm compared to his peers. The leader acts as the only real authority in Cypden with the rest of the duties being handled by neighborhood volunteer communities that the leader appoints. In addition, town halls are regularly held to discuss upcoming events and address any concerns. In truth, the leader is regularly expected to be on top of all the goings-on and developments. Nobody really knows how the leaders do it, but it's probably this level of wisdom and dedication that explains why no-one really objects to the fact that the leader is never elected but instead appointed for life by the prior leader.

A "Flying" City

In what is perhaps it's most iconic quality, Cypden is not simply floating in the sky, locked in space at a fixed height. Rather, it is fully capable of moving through careful manipulation of its Cradle nested in the core of the Island. By gradually adjusting the direction in which gravity flows in a large field surrounding the island, Cypden is able to slowly, or rapidly, "fall" parallel to the ground. As a result, Cypden has adopted a yearly circuit, moving across the continent visiting various major towns and settlements to partake in trade and interaction. Many places have come to celebrate Cypden's arrival with various festivities and merriment, as it's not every day that a city docks a few hundred feet above your head. Of course, the scholarly have attempted endlessly to discover the methods Cypden uses to exert such precise control over their cradle, but such secrets are closely guarded; it's suspected that only the leader is aware of the entire methodology and only gives small portions of the process to those they trust most.

An Exclusive Community

One of the few things Cypden's leader is strict on is the acceptance of new families into the city. In addition to restricting newcomers to only the aforementioned races, very few if any families are ever approached to become a part of Cypden. However, there has been the odd occasion where a Cypden family adopted an orphan from a surface settlement to be raised back in Cypden. These exceptions are few and far between, and the orphan is always returned back to the surface world when they come of age.

Population: ~70,000
Demographics: Exclusively Halflings, Kobolds, Gnomes, and Goblins
Average Daily Mail-a-pult firings: 3,461.5