The Skies and Skylands

Most people who live on the Skylands wear warm layered clothing, as at high altitudes the temperatures tend to shift drastically between night and day, but are typically colder than the regions below them.

Livestock in the ranches of the Skylands are typically given large fenced-off spaces to range and graze, Large space on occupied Skylands are set aside for agriculture or ranching to supplement any goods brought up from the farms and ranches on the ground territories below.

Given the risk of falling, the fences around livestock grazing areas are built tall and sturdy and keep a few feet of space between the fence and the rim of the Skyland. Even Skylands without livestock have these simple fences, as a simple reminder.

Few livestock are branded, the business of cattle rustling is difficult to the point of being almost impossible, and it is certainly impractical. Flying mounts though are typically branded by their breeders or ranchers, both to establish ownership and pedigree.

Most people on the Skylands keep a diverse mix of mostly small livestock, sheep, chickens, goats, maybe a few cattle and other animals. Even people who are not strictly farmers usually have a few animals so long as they have the space for it, along with a small vegetable garden.

Large space is occupied on some Skylands by ranches for the breeding and training of flying mounts, which are often temperamental and difficult to control, hippogriffs are a common species and easy to domesticate, but others are more difficult and command high prices as a result. People who live on distant Skylands pay high prices for flying mounts, especially a breeding pair. Flying mounts allow these distant people to travel to the Skylands that would otherwise be denied to them.

Skylands tend to not concern themselves with fortification walls, most creatures that might threaten a civilized Skyland would be able to fly over walls anyway. Instead, they focus on watchtowers and emergency shelters, hoping that being adequately prepared can help prevent a disaster.

Most governments manage a cadre of knights or similar elite soldiers that are dedicated to traveling between different Skylands, maintaining the rule of law and defending the remote people from various dangers. These knights typically enjoy certain privileges among the people in exchange for their service. These knights also coordinate with adventuring guilds, acting as supervision and support.

Law

The noble families (or appointed governors) living on Skylands are responsible for maintaining law and order, collecting taxes and each has a moderate number of troops and ships under their command for the sake of maintaining peace within their appointed territories.

Crime is strictly controlled on the Skylands, but jail is an unusual punishment as the space is too precious to waste on incarceration. Most people are punished with forced labor or fines, or in extreme cases, exile, death or slavery. Jails do exist, but usually only on small, barren islands that would have been unsuitable for anything else. Simple holding cells are much more common.

To escape punishment or avoid discovery, some flee to the less regulated ground territories

Larger Skylands

Large Skylands are the centers of aerial culture, they are the seats of noble houses, and the largest Skylands take the place as the capitols of entire nations. These large Skylands have varied territories and diverse populations. Large Skylands usually have a few cities across their mileage, and many more small farming villages spaced between them. People take advantage of the opportunities to spread themselves out that they may not be able to enjoy on other Skylands.

These large and mid-sized Skylands are the seats of major cities and trade hubs. Every sailor knows the sight of the rooftops on these islands. These places are especially valued as cities established there have the opportunity to be more self-sufficient from farmlands established outside the cities. People on the smaller Skylands dream of these places and their metropolitan opportunities.

Smaller Skylands

Smaller Skylands are usually counted within the territory of noble houses (or governors) living on larger islands or may have a noble family of their own occupying the territory. In the case of the former, that individual is responsible for the workings of government on the small islands, for the latter that noble family is responsible, but are appointed smaller forces.

Most smaller Skylands only hold a small number of people on the confines of their territory, usually a handful of families. These are farmers, craftsmen, fishermen, breeders, people that don’t need too much space or can find ways to take advantage of as much space as they can..

The people living on these small islands are almost totally dependent on the trade networks that connect the islands, relying on them for the influx of necessary goods in exchange for whatever excess the family produces on their island. The trade networks are also employed to keep people on these small Skylands moving, for example taking these people to annual gatherings at select locations, or transporting them to hub islands for markets.

Aarakocra

The nests of aarakocra spread out across the Skylands they come to call home, chirps and cries sound out at a distance from the homes of these avian peoples as they travel through these cities that are built to be completely three-dimensional, allowing access from above and below.

The aarakocra often act as messengers and couriers and for many courier companies, their homes operate as waystations or coordination centers. Some aarakocra act as escorts for ships, traveling along with them to act as quick messengers from ship to ship or ship to shore.

Travelers to an aarakocra city may find its people’s mannerisms odd, the avian features being even more alien than usual for them. However the aarakocra on Orizon are a relatively calm people, the consider the plane a place of “calm skies” compared to their native plane of elemental air. Adventurers would seek out the aarakocra for rumors and knowledge of what they heard in their flight, or to hire scouts.

Elves

On the Skylands, some communities of high elves have broken themselves apart, using their talents with magic and the knowledge they collected they constructed glittering cities in the sky where they can recuse themselves from the world at large and focus more on delving into the mysteries of Orizon and magic. These city-states are often independent of the nations that humanity has built up but do have close relations with them.

These high elven cities are the subjects of legend and rumor to any who live close or pass by, and while the elves are aloof, they are courteous and welcoming of guests. Since high elves pride themselves on doing everything well, while there may only be a small amount available for sale or trade from these enclaves, but what is available is exquisite.

Travelers go to the cities of the elves for knowledge or for the rare and powerful magics that the elves have developed. Adventurers go there for those quests too difficult to hand out to simple mercenaries that the elves may have for people.

Halflings

Halflings are unassuming in their settlements, content to let enough be and not demanding much they spread out their farms and their herds of goats and sheep, burrowing immediately below the ground and creating “hobbit holes” to maximize the amount of green space for the creatures and crops.

Within their homes, halflings lead comfortable lives enjoying the fruits of their labor and things traded between the community and with traveling traders. Halfling brew is famous for its quality, not only made with great care and fine ingredients but also stored and allowed to ferment for generations.

Should a halfling settlement get too large, entire families will pile aboard a ship loaded with furniture, goods, and supplies and set out for another island. These trundlebug-looking ships are rich hauls for pirates. Other halflings feel the pull of adventure and deliberately leave these communities, signing up with sailing ships or adventuring guilds.

Kor

The nomadic rope-slinging kor travel between the Skylands like apes travel through the canopies of trees, swinging with a mastery and skill that few can hope to match. Much like the goliath, the Kor rarely stay in one place for very long and take with them only what they can carry. Unlike them, they work to train flying mounts to accompany their journeys and provide aid. They do not abandon the weak, though sadly this is because the weak usually fall to their deaths.

When asked why they travel, a kor will typically say “we are searching.” If pressed they become more cryptic, simply telling them “the stones will tell us.” The lithomancers believe they can read the Skylands and derive knowledge from them and will seek out new places to find new skystone lore in the hopes of one day finding either some new meaning to life on their adopted plane or a way back to their ancestral home.

The kor are difficult to visit, they come to settled Skylands only rarely and their typical routes of travel do not accommodate sailing ships. When the kor do visit, they are kind people, trading for rare small baubles they picked up during their journeys and bringing back news and reports. Cartographers guilds praise the kor for their abilities and travels and will offer grand sums for copies of the exceptional maps the kor make.

Tsukiusagi

A small branch of the tsukiusagi people went to the skies and constructed hermitages on small remote Skylands. Using their skills with magic they conceal these places behind clouds and mist, living under mirrored domes and marble walls. These tsukiusagi are even more reclusive and controlled than their terrestrial neighbors, dedicating themselves purely to study and meditation.

There are a precious few who are aware of the existence of these cities in the clouds, and of those, many believe they are nothing more than a myth. Those who do go to these cities often do so by accident, crashing against the rocks trying to take a shortcut through the fog.