Cloudcairn

Cloudcairn is one of very few cities located above ground. Built in a large mountain valley lodged beneath the massive Mt. Cloudcairn and several smaller mountains, Cloudcairn was built almost 3000 years ago by an Amanda Colché in the center of what used to be France. The construction was very dangerous and difficult, but Colché and her fellow survivors perservered (It is believed the first Cloudcairners were survivors of an older civilization that fell). And during the years Cloudcairn has evolved from a small village that barely managed to survive into what can clearly be called a city going strong, safe among the clouds.

Due to its location, Cloudcairn is more closely connected to the sky than most other cities on Earth. Its people are more adapted to a high-altitude life and some have even evolved to gain the ability to fly. The streets are filled with anything from supermarkets and clothing stores to run-down bars and beggars, the sky protected by a thick dome and the ground deep underneath them. This is Cloudcairn: "The last outpost before the infinite sky".

Demographics

Out of about 5500 people, there are about 32% humans, 28% elfs/half-elfs, 15% gnomes, 10% orcs/half-orcs, 6% aarakocra, and 9% others. They have evolved over time from humans and elves into various distinct shapes. No specific race is hated or loved more than the other but some tend to end up in one particular position. Many of Cloudcairns orcs/half-orcs are part of one of the two major crime syndicates, and many aarakocra have ended up in the guard force for example.

Government

Cloudcairn is led by the two kings King Jules Daardenrian and King Matthias Duverger, Dragonborn and Gnome respectively. They've been married for almost 11 years now and have led the city for about 13 years. They are joined by a group of councilfolk who decide among themselves various matters regarding the city, although the kings have final say about the more important ones. Cloudcairners have to pay an annual tax to sustain the city.

Defences

The city is protected by two layers of defence. First is the outer defence - the transparent sky dome covering Cloudcairn. A full two feet of reinforced glass with an extra ward spell on top, the dome protects the whole city from airborne threaths like wyverns. In the 2047 years it has been operational it has never been breached once and thanks to regular maintenance checks it's made sure it keeps up. The second layer is the inner defence - the Cloudcairn guard force. They protect the city from inner threaths such as criminals and other dangers. A few of them also keep an eye on the outer world in case a dangerous creature would appear.

Industry & Trade

Cloudcairn is just like every other city on earth in that it doesn't have any contact with- or even knowledge of - the outside world. Therefore trade is non-existant. So the inhabitants grow their own food, make their own products and mine their own materials. Most people have jobs related to keeping the city standing with not many in the entertainment business.

Infrastructure

Cloudcairn can be divided into three sections/districts: The rich Center, the working-class Middle and the poor Edges. In the Center the buildings are built very finely and house nobles, business folks and the Royal Tower. In the Middle the buildings are quite squared and simple due to being built from the same mold and house the middle-class folks who work in various positions. And in the edges the buildings are mostly hollowed out rocks with only the lowest of Cloudcairners living there. In the city there are several facilities to make life easier. The Windmill Square provides power to everyone, the Wily Waterworks process water from the nearby Lake Blues, the Speedwagon Service transports people across the city via floating Airwagons and so on.

Assets

Across Cloudcairn are a few stores and facilities to help in your everyday life.

• Food for Thought. A supermarket with a direct deal with the farms of Cloudcairn. It's here you go if you need food. Founded 33 years earlier by an Alain Vandame, elf.
• Looters. A small chain of convenience stores selling things like paper, pens, batteries, rope, oil and more things you could need in everyday life. Owned by a Nikita Beumonte, Dragonborn.
• Bardic Inspiration. A well known music store who sells music pods. They have recordings of almost all the popular Cloudcairn tracks such as Chased by Wyverns by Bx2C, Twilight Loneliness by Bruce Protoi, Meteor Descent by Buster Holic and so on. It's a family business run by the Notte family, gnomes.
• The Summoning Circle. A magic store in the outer Middle circle. This is a pretty old building with all sorts of magic trinkets inside, from spell components and spell scrolls to smaller enchanted items and even the exceptionally rare potions. Run by an old man named Hurlann, Aarakocra.
• Double Gear. A small chain of stores selling clothes of all kinds. It's here you go to get anything from underwear and socks to full noble robes  or even armour. Owned by the CEO Anne Boudreaux, Human.
• The Core. An independant tech store. They sell everything electronic like arcane cores, flashlights, some hard light weapons, special visors and even the rare camera. Run by Simon Lafaille, orc.

Guilds and Factions

Life in Cloudcairn is generally safe and sound, but not always. Several crime syndicatates fight for dominance of the city underworld. The most prominent being the Azure Tusks and the Red Solstice who are constantly at war with one another, only being kept somewhat in check by the guard force. They are very numerous for a city of this size with almost a hundred members across both guilds with some dedicated to burglary, some to espionage and a few to assassination. Outside of crime there aren't many major guilds. There is the Mining Network which consists of the stately hired miners who handles things like their insurances and rights, but other than that there isn't much unless you count the Conquerors of the World (a group of neighbourhood kids who play explorers regularly).

Architecture

Cloudcairn is built almost like a pyramid shape. The Center buildings are tall skyscrapers almost breaching the dome, with the Royal Tower actually doing so with a heavily armored observation dome on top. Most of these buildings are built with tough and durable materials with a fine marble coating. The Middle buildings start out like tall apartment buildings but get smaller and smaller the further away you get from the center. They are also built to last but look comparatively dull in comparison to the center. Meanwhile homes built in the Edge looks like someone hollowed out a boulder and settled for that, with the only thing marking neighborhoods and streets being their placement.

Geography

Cloudcairn is built in a mountain valley between Mt. Cloudcairn and several smaller mountains. The valley is about 6-7 square kilometers large and the cliffsides are about 50-70 meters high on average, with little to no natural vegetation in the city itself. Around the city are more than just mountains. Close to the nearby Blues's Peak lies the large lake known as Lake Blues where the Cloudcairners get their water from via painfully constructed pipes. And east of the mountain range is a massive jungle. Underneath Mt. Cloudcairn is also the mines, deep winding tunnels where a few people mine for valuable ore (and risk their life only by leaving the safety of the valley above).

Natural Resources

Due to being a mountain-based city Cloudcairn lives predominantly on those kind of resources. Most of all several types of stone like granite and schist which they use to build their houses, decorations and other large structures. The mines also house tons of iron, copper and quartz along with the occasional gemstone like azurite and amethyst. The city also grow crops including wheat and similar plus breed creatures they have managed to lure into the city like goats, Dryosaurus and boars. However despite living next to a jungle they barely have any wood in the city. Whatever they do have is brought back by miners who found sticks close to the cave entrance, and is viewed as an expensive privilege for the rich who can afford it.

Official sigil of Cloudcairn

Founding Date

7280 PDF.

Alternative Name(s)

The Sky Pillar

Type

City

Population

5500

Inhabitant Demonym

Cloudcairners

Location under

Mt. Cloudcairn