The Lands Above the Clouds

The Lands Above the Sea of Clouds

The Lands Above the Sea of Clouds, or more commonly shortened to the Lands Above, are the landmasses that were lifted up by the branches of the World Tree and now float upon the Sea of Clouds to be protected from the corruptive energies of the titan Genesis. The landmasses that make up the lands above were selected due to their high fertility, which is further enhanced by a Rootheart that connects the lands to the World Tree, which allows the Lands Above to support diverse ecosystems and a much larger population than would have otherwise been possible. The islands themselves are mobile, drifting in a circle around the World Tree until eventually the Rootheart within the island grows old and dies. At that time the island will sink back beneath the clouds where the Rootheart will slowly begin recharging itself, until it is ready to rise again.

Life in the Lands Above

While certainly safer than the Lands Below, there are a fair number of struggles in the Lands Above. The lands are fertile, but there is still a limit to how many they can support, and as a result land is hotly contested. Wars over living space are common, and they serve as both a means of settling land disputes and as a way of controlling population growth. This is especially true when a Rootheart grows old, and an island begins to show signs that it will sink beneath he clouds soon. This can trigger a mass exodus, as people flee from one island to wherever else has room to take them. The Roothearts themselves are also not indestructible, and although their location is usually a tightly kept secret, and kept under careful guard, there has been instances where nefarious agents have been able to prematurely kill a Rootheart, leading to the sudden fall of the island with everyone still on it. One final difficulty comes from the Sea of Clouds. The Sea of Clouds acts similarly to a true sea when near a landmass with a Rootheart, but the further away one goes the more the magic that made the Sea weakens, and the more the Sea acts like regular clouds. It takes a highly trained navigator to be able to traverse the Sea of Clouds, and at times a landmass will be completely cut off from the others, leaving no choice, but to make a dangerous journey through the Lands Below in order to maintain trade.

Maps

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  The Lands Above

  The Lands Above the Sea of Clouds, slowly growing concerned as bits of land sink and are lost.

Type

Region

Included Locations

• Eastern Odoris
• Hirzul
• Nirthenlund
• The Titanlands