Moord's Gravity-anchors

In the skies above the desolate wastes of Fallen Asha, the city of Moord stands as a testament to human resilience and ingenuity. But the true marvel lies not in the city's soaring spires or its impenetrable walls, but in the ancient technology that keeps it aloft: the Gravity-anchors.

Origins in the Hazrad Imperium

The Gravity-anchors are relics of the long-fallen Hazrad Imperium, a civilization whose technological prowess far surpassed anything in the modern world. These devices, believed to be over two millennia old, were originally part of a vast network of gravitational control systems that spanned the Imperium's territory.

Functionality and Structure

At their core, the Gravity-anchors manipulate fundamental forces of nature in ways that modern science can barely comprehend. They generate a powerful anti-gravitational field that counteracts the planet's natural pull, allowing Moord to maintain a stable altitude of approximately 100 meters above the ground.
Each anchor consists of several key components:

1. Gravitic Field Emitters: Arrays of specialized crystals that channel and shape the anti-gravitational field.
2. Stability Matrices: Complex systems that ensure the field remains consistent and prevents dangerous fluctuations.
3. Temporal Shielding: A mysterious aspect of the technology that seems to protect the anchors from the ravages of time.
4. Power Conduits: Highly efficient energy transfer systems that channel power from the groundside generators.

The Achilles' Heel: Groundside Generators

Perhaps the most crucial - and vulnerable - components of the Gravity-anchor system are not on Moord itself, but on the ground below. The power generators, massive structures of Hazradian design, must remain groundside due to their immense size and the colossal energies they produce.
This arrangement creates a significant strategic weakness for Moord. While the city itself floats safely above the dangers of Fallen Asha, its very lifeline is rooted in the perilous earth below. The generators are constant targets for the Grey Horde and other threats that roam the wastes.

Our city may soar above the horrors below, but our heart remains firmly planted in the blighted earth. Each day, we pray the generators survive another assault, another malfunction. For when they fail, we all fall.

— Defender-Captain Elara Stormwind

The groundside generators operate on a two-week power cycle:

1. Peak Output (8 days): The generators provide full power, keeping Moord at its maximum altitude.
2. Power Down (24 hours): Generators enter a cooldown phase, lowering the city to ground level for maintenance and resupply.
3. Power Up (24 hours): A gradual increase in output raises the city back to its full height.

This cycle necessitates a constant state of vigilance. During the power-down phase, Moord is at its most vulnerable, relying on conventional defenses and the bravery of its defenders to ward off the ever-present threats of Fallen Asha.

The Looming Crisis

Despite their incredible durability and the temporal shielding that has kept them functioning for millennia, Moord's Gravity-anchors and their groundside generators have begun to show signs of decay. The first indications of trouble appeared in 2097 AP, when the primary generator was damaged during a Grey Horde raid.
Since then, the system's efficiency has been in steady decline. Fluctuations in the anti-gravity field have become more frequent, causing occasional "tremors" felt throughout the city. More alarmingly, Moord's altitude has become less stable, with the city experiencing unpredictable rises and falls of up to 10 meters.

The Birth of the Undying

In a desperate bid to maintain the failing anchors and their generators, Moord's ruling council authorized the creation of the Undying in 2105 AP. These hybrid beings, part flesh and part machine, were specifically designed to withstand the extreme conditions within both the Gravity-anchors' core chambers and the hazardous environments surrounding the groundside generators.
The Undying face a host of challenges in their work:

• Intense Radiation: The generators emit levels of radiation that would kill an unprotected human in minutes.
• Temporal Distortions: The anchors' temporal shielding creates localized time anomalies that can age a person years in mere seconds.
• Gravitic Stress: Fluctuations in the anti-gravity field put immense physical strain on anything within the anchor chambers.
• Constant Danger: Maintaining the groundside generators means facing the ever-present threats of Fallen Asha, from Grey Horde attacks to environmental hazards.

The Race Against Time

Despite the tireless efforts of the Undying and Moord's brightest minds, the Gravity-anchors and their generators continue to degrade. Current projections suggest that without a major breakthrough, the system may fail completely within the next 50 to 100 years.
The consequences of such a failure would be catastrophic. Moord would plummet from the sky, crashing into the monster-infested wastes below. Even if some survived the impact, they would be at the mercy of the Grey Horde and other horrors that roam Fallen Asha.

A Fading Miracle

The Gravity-anchors of Moord stand as both a blessing and a curse. They have kept the city safe for generations, a bastion of hope in a world consumed by darkness. But their inevitable decay and strategic vulnerability serve as grim reminders of how precarious humanity's position truly is.
As the anchors slowly fail and Moord's future hangs in the balance, one question looms large in the minds of its inhabitants: Can the miracles of the past be understood and preserved, or is Moord destined to fall, another victim to the dying world of Autumna?

We are a city caught between earth and sky, tethered to the very dangers we sought to escape. Our salvation and our doom lie entwined in the shadows below.

— Lady Ellior of Moord