Highstorm

Under the serenity of perpetual moonlight sits Highstorm, a city of tranquility and calm. From the very shadows breathe a sense of comfort, of ease; it isn’t difficult to find oneself reflective and relaxed walking its well-kept streets, nor to see why its residents call it their sanctuary. The longer you spend here, the more your muscles will unwind and you will find your anxieties slowly dissolving away. Though it is not as highly populated as its sister island, Highstorm is just as vast — but the city itself only covers a small surface area of the island’s face. A great majority of the land goes untouched, leaving rolling hills of deep purple flowers and thick woods to flourish. Natural lakes and ponds are picturesque spots for contemplation, reading, or simply getting away from it all. Zenites believe in the natural order of things — that allowing life to follow its cyclical pattern — is imperative. Thus, they do not crowd and suffocate the earth. Instead, they take only what they need and leave the rest to the whims of the elements. Rather than being split into districts, most of the city is residential buildings and estates inhabited by its long-standing citizens. The average age of a Highstorm Zenite is in the hundreds, with some having lived thousands of years among Kenos' floating islands. Their pride is not in the expansion of their territories, but instead in the quality that can be found within them: each of their homes is exceptionally crafted and carries the aristocratic character of their people. The same can be said of each of their notable locations.

Recent History

While Highstorm cannot claim the truly dramatic kind of change that Meridian Kenosians went through during The Repose, many things have still developed in a century’s time. The damage of The Blight is no more, for example, with all of the buildings fully rebuilt and all the strange effects banished. However, the area around the manor has been completely flooded into a district now known as Yima's Tears. Yet, despite the oddity of the waters, plenty venture through the canals, perhaps to head to the remains of the manor… After all, it’s now The Mausoleum, a place of peace and respite. Roughly a decade after the Repose, a major breakthrough was made by Thalissa Brightspark. By combining the energies of Zenith with precise engineering, Highstorm was able to open up entirely new areas of cutting-edge study and invention. All products that use this combination are branded as “Zenitec”, and its applications are diverse. Innovation of all sorts has been on the rise in Highstorm for decades, and it shows no sign of stopping as Zenites truly believe that their new world is coming soon. For a full timeline of events post-Timeskip, go here!

Faction Attitudes

Where Zenite citizens were once a bit laid back about their new world, the promise of victory on the horizon has made many see it as something real and possible rather than a laid-back dream. It’s also something that Florence Deshayes encourages. Discussions and debates about what the new world should be like are much more common, and in the decades since the Repose it seems to have become something more concrete as well under Florence’s more direct demeanor. The Shard-Bearers will be the ones empowered to make such decisions — and while some things simply must be (we need water in the new world, for example), the rest is up to their judgement. At least for that process, they’ll be akin to gods of a new pantheon, and the people of Zenith treat them as such. You are their hope, and while it might not be perfect, they want to make sure that this new world is one that’s home.
Meridian characters will find themselves under the ever-watchful eye of Zenith. While Tier 1 Meri are allowed to explore the city somewhat freely, those of any higher Tier will require a Zenite chaperone… Or to be sneaky and avoid being detected as a higher Tier. While Cornerstones are not checkpoints like they are in Skysong, the city has eyes and ears in the form of The Footman & The Maid. If you skirt the rules, you have a chance of getting caught and reported to the powers that be. Naughty, naughty! Repeated rulebreaking might just draw Florence's personal attention, in fact. Zenite characters are of course welcomed warmly. Their reception is, in fact, much warmer. Zenite characters will find that they rarely have to pay for anything within the city. Unless it's quite expensive, it's always on the house. You're the one doing the hard work, after all. You deserve a meal, a rest, whatever you want! Those of a lower Tier may find themselves encouraged by the citizenry to consider deepening their connection. However, be careful if you speak your doubts... The Footman and The Maid may just report those too.