The Flying Isles

The Flying Isles of Lostrath, a large flying area of which consists of thousands of floating islands that hover over the large forest of Screechdale, and the western portion of the Mountains of Mardare. The islands have been a part of the landscape of Lostrath for eons, having historically been home to both dragons, gryphons and harpies. Today the islands are free of dragons, but they are no less dangeorus. The area consist of three clusters of islands;
The Isles of Yfir, which has the fewest island but the largest ones in size
The Flying Archipelago, which consists of over a thousand smaller islands, rich in star metal but generally more barren than the other regions
The Gryphon’s Peaks, the most dangerous area where the populations of both gryphons and harpies is very high. These islands are lush and beautiful, with tall snow-peaked mountains.

Jatharborg

Jatharborg is a small city, albeit the largest of the nearby settlements, situated on the main island in the cluster of islands known as The Isles of Yfir.

Star Metal

The islands are held afloat by magic deep within the core of these giant, flying rocks, which consists of fragments of star metal. Star metal is extremely rare on Antreia, and it is believed that the material comes from the outer planes of space. It is in high demand because it can be forged with common metals to make durable weapons of great strength. When found, these stones are usually small, about thumb-sized, though ogre-head-sized pieces are known to have been discovered. The largest star metal mine on the main isle is called the Yfir Mines, and have been in active operation for almost 200 years.

Smithing

Although star metal can be found in every single island of which makes up the flying isles, the Isles of Yfir were one of the first clusters of islands that were colonized by the humans and dwarves of Lostrath, and it was the first location of which star metal was discovered. Because of this, Jatharborg has a rich tradition in overseeing much of the mining of this rich metal, and the city itself, although small, has become somewhat of a hub when it comes to weapon and armour making, and the blacksmiths of Jatharborg are in constant search of how to make better tools and weapons by incorporating star metal in new and intuitive ways.

Gryphons

To reach all the floating islands, one need to travel by air. Travel by Airship is generally extremely expensive however, and because of this the inhabitants of the flying isles have found their own solution to the problem. Wild gryphons make their nests on the various islands in the area, and although they are fiercely protective of their territories and quite aggressive, they make extremely loyal and proud companions once tamed. Most travel between the islands, as well as from the town of Alpavatn underneath the isles is done by hiring well-trained gryphons. These gryphons are bred to have a more amiable temperament than their wild cousins, but these too are proud and fickle, and travellers are advised to stay calm at all times, as well as treat the noble steeds with the respect they deserve.

The Black Salamander Trading Corporation

The Black Salamander Trading Corporation is a well-known group of thugs and thieves that deal in illegal and restricted wares, primarily from the flying isles. They are known to smuggle rare materials exclusive to the flying isles like gryphon eggs and star metal to their bases of operation around Lostrath, where their goods are sold to rich buyers in the kingdom. Recently their success in dodging government regulations and hiding their more nefarious business from the public eye have made the group greatly successful, and their business has been rapidly growing to include international operations, selling to Thenia, Karamorn and Veileux as well as their usual business in their home nation. Although the groups illegalities is well-known around Lostrath, their strict policies and elegant dodging of all responsibility in the event should an operation go awry, coupled with their immense wealth, has made their business extremely hard to track, and as such they are largely allowed to continue their work without fear of government intervention.

Maps

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  The Isles of Yfir

Type

Archipelago