The Eight Floating Cities

When the Eight Floating Cities separated themselves from the rest of Ald-Amura a thousand years ago, there was barely time for citizens to react. Some were able to escape, choosing to survive in the wilds of the world below. Others were not so lucky, trapped on these floating cities, separated from the land. Some even chose to ascend, followers of the Cult of the God Kings who fervently claimed this was necessary for them to survive, despite the last Kings being ousted from their rule in Ald-Amura.

Now, the cities still float mysteriously in the clouds above. Once glorious, they are now in disrepair, shadows of their former selves. Some secret magic keeps them floating, drifting from place to place, each island-like mass of earth connected to the other by massive chains. There is the sense that not all is well here, and there are secrets running deep and dark. Most of the time, the Eight Floating Cities are hidden by unknown magic cast ages ago, rarely seen but once or twice since their separation, but they have suddenly reappeared. Not only that, but something has called you here, an ancient whisper that needs your help.

Thematic Touchstones

The Last Monarch

The Kings of old no longer exist in Ald-Amura, except for Umberto, the Last King, who lives in the Floating Cities. The decay of the cities is a metaphor for the decay of the old monarchs, as their opulence and grandeur no longer matter in the contemporary world of Ald-Amura. The Eight Cities float above the world, and all who live in it, as though they are somehow better. They were designed with this in mind as the Kings saw their legacy coming to an end, wanting to preserve their own lives and traditions, to live in comfort and prosperity regardless of the harm it would cause. This greed, this assumed power of Kings, is taking its last breath here in the clouds. It no longer has any place in a world actively seeking healing and reciprocity. The rule of Kings is dying. As characters explore the habitats of the Eight Floating Cities, show how old opulence, though quite beautiful, was a harmful illusion, and how it is crumbling to be taken over by nature, by Monsters, and by humans seeking to work with them.

The Cult of Tradition

Many people who live here in the Eight Floating Cities cling to old traditions and ideas that no longer serve them. They seem not to notice the crumbling buildings, lack of basic necessities, and fewer meaningful interactions with the world around them. The more well-off wear clothes stitched with gold and jewels from ancient mines that no longer exist, but barely have enough water and food to support themselves, let alone those who work for and serve them. The old religion is still practiced here, worshipping the God King as the giver of all riches and happiness. There are statues of the old kings throughout the cities, still polished, washed and painted, kept new while people’s standard of living suffers. Tradition does nothing to help these people, just hide the truth of their lives from them.

Chains

The Eight Floating Cities are linked together by chains, and it is chains that also bind them. Though they are a magnificent marvel, they are fueled by the suffering of the Monsters and humans that keep them afloat. Since the banishment of the Kings, humans have built better (although still flawed, of course) systems. The cultural chains of the rule of Kings still rule here, though, removed from the rest of a society that moved on over a century ago. The citizens of the Eight Floating Cities don’t know that it is the imprisonment of a great storm dragon that allows the cities to float, but the King and his closest retainers do. The rulers here feel as though they are trapped… how can they ever return to the world below? Who could forgive them? The chains are both physical and metaphorical. Consider working these symbols into descriptions often.

Hidden Hopes

Yet despite all these hardships and illusions, here on the Eight Floating Cities are still those who love powerfully and care deeply. Among the people are those who are trying to change minds. They know that the ones at the top of the hierarchy are to blame, not the people who are trying their hardest to live under the circumstances they’ve been given. Hidden in the cracks of architectural stone and areas that have become overgrown with foliage are small Monsters, like the Centipillars and Arachnoids, who in their own ways are beginning to rebuild within the rubble. Hope is never truly lost, and new possibilities and allies are all around.

Setting

The floating cities are a marvel of engineering from a time now past, when the height of human endeavor was quantified in how we could command the elements of nature as opposed to working with them side by side. The Last King still lives here despite it now being over a thousand years later, ruling over mostly-empty cities now lost in time. It is grand and beautiful, this marvel of architecture and technology, but crumbling and faltering.

Each city has a slightly different layout and style than the last, but represents the dominant aesthetics of the ruler of the time rather than any cultural touchstone of the people there. All Kings are now dead except for one, the Last King Umberto, and he lives in the greatest palace, in the First City of the Eight. Architecture ranges from tall gothic spires carved in white stone, to rustic thatched roofs with intertwined gold engravings, to geometric tiles in bright colors and patterns. One thing unites them all, despite their cultural diversity in design, and that is their craftsmanship. It is superb, all painstakingly created to reflect the beauty and opulence of the age they were made in. However, it is rare that the original shine or color or shape remains intact, as there are few now to care for it. The once great halls of the Kings who lived here are worn and ruined, a shadow of their former glory. Some areas of the cities are still well kept, as the people there try to maintain them, but resources and energy mean their ability to do so is greatly hampered.

The people are multicultural as well, from all over the world, people who migrated to the cities before they took flight. These people believed in the power of Kings more than the ancient creatures who walked Ald-Amura, and so tied their allegiance and future to them. Some were also just beholden to the Kings as servants and workers. Among them was The Cult of the God Kings, who felt its only power was tied to the belief system it perpetuated. There was diversity in food, clothing, language, and beliefs as these groups converged over centuries and new formations thrived. Many of the nuances of these cultures became lost in time as they turned to the worship of the God Kings as predominant among the Eight Floating Cities, growing more homogenous. They are not completely gone, as echoes live on in bits of textile, breakfast foods, evening greetings, and holidays they still share but perhaps do not recall the meaning of.

Despite the rule of monarchs, this was once a place that still cherished Monsters along with the God Kings. Each household had a Monster idol that guarded it, mostly symbolically but sometimes also literally. There were more symbiotic relationships with the smaller Monsters in the city—the Garggeons, Centipillars, Arachnoids, Ring Tailed Monkrats, Grass Serpents, and Mothalongs who lived in the same spaces the humans here did. The longer the Eight Floating Cities stayed away from the earth, however, the more distant these ideas also became. All Monsters are now dangerous in the minds of the citizens, threatening not only their safety but their very beliefs in the sanctity of the God Kings.

Monsters were shunned from the household and all old rituals banished or destroyed, and in their place small statues of Kings were positioned, flowers and gold set out for human shaped forms instead of the harmless beasts that walked among them. They forgot how to live with the world, and the world forgot them.

Stories

The Whispers

It’s not hard for the Monster Care Squad to hear the whispers of the old dragon. What’s more difficult is figuring out where he is and how to help him. The whispers are persistent to those who are familiar with ancient Monsters, those who are sensitive to the changing of the weather, and those who have the empathy to listen to the beasts around them. Surely the old King doesn’t want any of these secrets revealed or for the dragon to be found at all. They must contend with the King and his devotees. (Consider starting this story early, and having it run in the background while the other stories are brought to the foreground, then finishing the story arc with this conflict, as the cities will likely no longer be floating once the storm dragon is freed).

Adventure Ideas

You can hear the tonal, wordless calls of the dragon but you’re not sure where he is. The clues are heralded on the rain and thunder clouds that move toward King Umberto’s palace with a supernatural persistence. Can you find allies within the palace that can lead you to him, or follow the natural signs of wind, lightning, and rain to lead you to his cage beneath the castle? The palace is opulent and labyrinthine, with many hidden passages and secret doorways etched in old marble. What will it take to free him from his massive, magical iron cage?

The dragon is the only thing keeping the floating cities floating. When you free him, the rest of the cities will come crashing down. How can you protect the other living creatures on these islands? Can you convince the old King to let his cities come to ground at last, or will there be more of a confrontation?

Clashing Beliefs

The Cult of the God Kings rules here with traditions that no longer serve any of the people. They keep great Temples in service to the God Kings in each of the cities, but the largest one resides in the Second City, just beneath the King’s Palace in order of symbolic importance. However, many citizens have lost their faith in the God Kings. In taverns down twisting back alleys overgrown with vines and kitchens of private residences, citizens gather to organize change. After generations of living under these laws that do not benefit them, they want to see new leadership, and for old King Umberto to finally step down. To say so out loud, though, is heresy, and so they plan in secret what actions to take.

Adventure Ideas

The Garggeons that live here in the city among the ruins are also affected by the choices the King makes. They are treated poorly as the Cult of the God King places humans above all living creatures. Those who live in tandem with these Monsters are shunned, and many leave out food or grow plants the Monsters eat in secret lest they be fined or imprisoned. The Garggeons are smart, though, and they know where the Cult secretly plots the King’s demise so they may rule the Eight Floating Cities as kings themselves.

Many citizens who’ve spoken out against the Kings over time have been imprisoned unfairly in the dungeons beneath the Third City. The Cult of the God Kings have mostly been responsible for these imprisonments. One of the citizens organizing others in order to end this reign of control, Greyzamine, wants to free them so they can be reunited with friends and family. The guards here are dangerous, though, and it will require some savvy to get past them. Surely other creatures lurk down here in the dark as well, allies yet to be discovered.

Spy Masters

A group of spies work in tandem with the Cult of the God Kings to keep a watchful eye on all the inhabitants of the Eight Floating Cities. The silent threat of their watchfulness is always weighing on the citizens, as they can do nothing in private, and the fear of doing the wrong thing is always present. They are, of course, manipulating the King so they can do as they please with their power and wealth in the city. Though the Master of Spies’ identity is a secret, many suspect the richest person besides the King, Lilian Snowe, who lives in a huge palace of her own in the Second City.

Adventure Ideas

In all the small places the Arachnoids are always watching and listening. Just like the Spies, they harvest secrets, but they will actually eat them as sustenance. They of course know more secrets than the Spies do, and it will only cost a few really good secrets of your own as payment. Meet with their most savvy secret collector in an old rundown market in the Second City, amid the old winding alleys and abandoned vendor wagons. They know the most useful things.

The Second City is mostly abandoned except for the inner ring, which is surrounded by a large, circular stone wall. The small towns and streets surrounding it have become something of a labyrinth. The Spies know you’re in town and want to send you a message to scare you off as quickly as possible. A group of spies appears in the night and sneakily steals some of your stuff, purposefully leading you into an area of town filled with one stone walled street after another. The Centipillars here famously rearrange the streets so it is easy to get lost, but in doing so you accidentally discover The Collective of Centipillars waiting to take over their old territory… the Second City Palace.

The Spy Master is an expert in disguise, often masquerading as her own minions in order to keep her identity a secret. But the Monsters here have seen the truth, and know that she is Lilian Snowe, who lives in the Second City Palace once inhabited by the King there. Unmask her to reveal the truth to the people who live here.

Characters

The First City

• Umberto, the Last King (he/him)—Umberto is the last monarch to reign in Ald-Amura, though he cannot remember quite what it meant to rule. So far from the land, and from what this world used to be, his philosophy of leadership is far outdated for what is necessary to live up here in the Floating Cities. He is secluded in his castle on the First City, once the grandest of all the chained islands, now mostly deserted save for the last few devotees who go about the motions of castle life and those who are trapped here under his old system. The Cult leader will bring him reports and make him feel as though he is still in charge, when in fact the king holds merely symbolic power. He is sad, distant, fading, just like the crumbling city around him. He secretly wishes to die, but sees no way to do so, for he has been cursed in undeath by imprisoning the sacred elemental storm dragon. The beasts and Monsters have always been tools to him, just like the people he rules, as he truly believes he is a god among men.
• Lokni, the Storm Dragon (he/him)—Lokni has been imprisoned here for as long as the cities have been floating. He was tricked by the Last King, who had implored his help with storms in his region, but betrayed him by trapping him to forever power the machine of his escape. Lokni is valiant, ancient, and glorious, his beautiful scales the shifting colors of thunderstorm clouds. Storm dragons are incredibly intelligent, and can speak many languages, learning quickly. They help guide the storms through the skies, and protect all life on earth from more violent lightning and raging winds. Their compassion for creatures smaller than them is legendary, and this storm dragon is no different. He is a polar opposite to the King, like they are elemental forces drawn together through their opposition. Lokni has recently become tempestuous in his cage, raging against his imprisonment and causing the Floating Cities to shake a few times a day. This is from the poisoning of the False Gold recently done to him, like a sickly cloud of smoke that breathes out from his nostrils. It has intensified Lokni’s rage, something he has controlled for a thousand years to protect the wellbeing of the other life in these Cities.

The Second City

• Spy Master Lilian (she/her)—saw a void in power where her skills of manipulation, cleverness, and incredible intelligence could be put to use, and she grasped it for herself, creating the Chains of Eight in service of King Umberto. If the Cult of the God Kings are Umberto’s left hand, the Chains of Eight are his right, keeping tabs on his citizens and providing him with the proper information with which to rule. Of course she has always skewed this information for her benefit. Lilian cares nothing for the truth, only power, and holding onto it as long as she can. She’s never known how to be vulnerable or trusting, and thinks everyone is out to get her, which, considering all the damage she’s done with her misinformation over the years, is now quite possible.
• Cult Leader Francis (he/him)—Francis has always believed in order. As a lost child looking for protection he was taken in by the Cult of the God Kings, and grew up with their ideologies, then worked to preach them himself. Francis didn’t become corrupt overnight… he sought power to do more good, protect those in need and children who were lost like him. Quickly, though, he became enmeshed in a world of bureaucracy and schemes where power could only be gained through harming others. He told himself he suffered in these decisions so that others may prosper and he was fighting for the greater good, but that’s no longer true. Francis would see all humans follow the order of his religion, as to him it is the one true way, and all others are deserving of punishment. To Francis everything is black and white, and there are no compromises, only the way of the God King. He has more power in this city now than the King himself does, and spends his days manipulating the King and his court to his own will. Secretly, it is Francis who has infected Lokni with False Gold, because he wants to return to Ald-Amura in order for his cult to gain more power over the humans there.
• Sola, the Savviest Arachnoid (she/her)—Sola is the cleverest of her siblings, able to track down with ease the most dramatic humans who also contain the juiciest secrets. Not only that, but despite her slightly larger than average Arachnoid size, she is an incredibly stealthy stalker. In all her years of following humans around the city, she has only once been spotted by a human, an incredible feat none of her kin can boast. Arachnoids are giant spider-like Monsters that can blend in with any of their surroundings, becoming invisible when very still, and stick to walls. There isn’t a secret in this city Sola doesn’t know, but the burden of them does weigh on her sometimes. Sola wishes that the secrets people kept were less dire, more full of hopes or dreams. It’s her desire for the Floating Cities to land, so she may experience all the secrets of humans that live on the earth, for they must be more beautiful than this.
• Centipillar Collective, the Swarm (zem)—The Centipillars have been given a bad rap based on their somewhat creepy bug-like appearance; they’re super friendly. They have very big puppy dog eyes, about forty small legs on a long fluffy body, bright beautiful metallic colors that reflect light, and they are oddly strong for their shape and size. They really like to crawl on humans and will swarm on them if allowed. The tiny ones will hide in pockets and want to take naps there because it’s so cozy and warm! Centipillars are mainly known as a nuisance for moving around the stones in the city, but they cannot help but nudge the stones as they climb around on them in search of moss to eat. The Swarm purposefully pushes the stones around though, in hopes that humans will get lost and stay with them, because they are lonely. The Swarm Collective says all humans hate them now and they are very sad about it. There are thousands of members, though not all Centipillars belong to the Swarm Collective.
• Garggeon Matriarch Cleo (she/her)—Cleo has protected and guided her family of Garggeons for centuries now. Garggeons are giant birds with lion-like feet who are stone during the day but alive at night. In the past, they were renowned as the most honorable household Monsters, loyally protecting the houses of their human kin in exchange for treats and gifts. Now they mostly roost on empty buildings in groups. The oldest and wisest of her clan, Cleo knows all the best places to roost and spins the best riddles for humans to solve in order to pass through her realm. She has many disciples who follow her, hoping to one day be as clever and wise. If a person cannot pass her riddles, Cleo knows they are trying to do harm to her buildings, and she will not allow them to pass. She and her clan are very protective of their territory, and will ward off any perceived evils. She does sometimes work with the Centipillar Collective, as their abilities to move stones around is quite useful to them.

The Third City

• Greyzamine, the Organizer (they/them)—Though there can officially be no other leaders than the God Kings, Greymazine has risen in importance to their fellow citizens as someone who will materially help them in ways the Cult and the King have been unable to. As the cities and the old regime crumble around them, Greyzamine has taken on the responsibility of organizing aid, teaching repair, giving the tools of caring for themselves back to the people. Greyzamine does most of this in secret to remain hidden from the prying eyes of the Spy Masters, but believes the citizens of the Eight Floating Cities have reached a turning point. Their re-emergence from the clouds and ability to see land again has strengthened this resolve, and Greyzamine is bold enough to lead groups to their own liberation. Greyzamine cares a great deal about the small Monsters in their city, respecting them almost as a member of the Monster Care Squad might (though they’ve never heard of such a thing) and treating them with the same autonomy as fellow citizens.

Lokni

A Storm Dragon

Lokni is valiant, ancient, and glorious, his beautiful scales the shifting colors of thunderstorm clouds. When they fly, storm dragons’ metallic scales reflect the strikes of lightning and dark gray blues of the clouds so that they are very difficult to distinguish from the storms themselves. They’re massive, sometimes seen resting wrapped atop tall mountains up in the clouds.

The Power

Storm dragons live within thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornados, bending and molding the storms as they form. They help guide the storms through the skies, and protect all life on earth from more violent lightning or raging winds. Groups of them can sometimes be spotted using all their power to keep the biggest storms from getting out of control.

People

Storm dragons are famously honored during the summer, when the storms rage the hardest. People would hold the Storm Dragon Festival specifically for them, putting on plays telling stories of how the storm dragons wrestled with the clouds in the sky. The local storm dragons would show up once the sun went down at the edge of the village they protected, receiving gifts of song and huge wreaths of summer flowers they bowed down to receive from the humans as necklaces. Storm Dragons love all the smaller creatures they protect. Harmonic singing is particularly pleasant to their sharp senses.

Notable History

Lokni and his trio were famously recognized by humans for saving a famous city at the time, Parin, from a gigantic lightning strike. While his partners tried to redirect the thundercloud, Lokni saw it was of no use, and threw himself beneath the bolt, saving countless lives. He recovered under the care of the people, but has always had a burn scar on his chest just above his heart.

Epic Destiny

Storm dragons become heroes among their family groups by knowing the storms well enough to lead groups of dragons in guiding the largest storms of their times. There are typically three dragons who lead the group in flight, an honor and responsibility. Young dragons quest in search of storms all over the world to help the local storm dragons there and learn all their techniques. Lokni was one such hero, separated and hidden from his trio by Umberto’s lies, and longs to return to them, quelling the worst of the storms for all of Ald-Amura.

Wounds

• Exhaustion, from having to float the cities for so long
• Bruising and rubbing of now dulled and colorless scales
• Breath of golden smoke from the false gold which causes coughs
• A broken tail from being in too small a space
• Confusion, caused by the iron cage, which blocks Storm Dragons innate ability to understand atmosphere, storms, and other Dragons
• Weakness for not eating proper foods for so long