What is Karenza’s flying city like? Which of Gaia’s peoples live there? What is the culture like? And does it have a surviving population of Gnolls due to the city having gone aloft in the 2nd Age, before the Canine Gaian’s extinction? The place sounds really interesting.
Those are all great questions!
What is Karenza’s flying city like?
The Ethereal City (sometimes known as "Alqamah", "Sanctuary Island", or "Maenad's Refuge", among many other names) is a large chunk of land that was ripped from Gaia's surface and suspended in the skies by magic. It's always on the move and shrouded by mist, so finding it isn't as easy as you'd think. Some people spend their whole lives searching for it and never even catch a glimpse.
It is held aloft by three minervae, who have sacrificed their mobility to keep the island afloat. These minervae appear as statues standing at opposing corners of the island, meditating in some kind of stasis. They can also teleport the island in dire situations, but this drains their energy quickly. They are tended to by servants, who must replenish the minervae's energy each day by transferring their own energy to them. If even one of these three minervae becomes injured or loses focus, the island will start to sink.
On the center of the island is a great pearlescent temple, where Karenza and her closest circle reside. Surrounding that are more pearlescent structures; houses, shops, and community spaces. On the island's outer ridges are more natural areas, including forests and farms. The island is incredibly compact and efficient, utilizing a lot of magic and clever engineering to make life here possible.
Which of Gaia’s peoples live there?
There are peoples of all kinds living in the Ethereal City. Many of them are the descendants of those who inhabited the island before it left the ground, but there are plenty of people who arrived much later too. People come and go over time. Some are born on the island and die there without ever seeing the world below.
The Ethereal City has an abnormally high population of maenads and minervae compared to the rest of Gaia, so you will find a lot of those (and a lot of nymphs in general). The whole population skews heavily female.
What is the culture like?
Though this place may look peaceful and utopian, it is fiercely policed by Karenza's soldiers. This female-only force wears majestic, colorful armor and patrols the skies on equally majestic dragons. They not only protect the island from malicious outsiders, they police its inhabitants as well.
Every inhabitant must abide by Karenza's holy scriptures. Karenza takes these rules very seriously, and those who break them may be given another chance, banished to the world below, or worst case scenario: flung off the island to their doom. These scriptures encourage virtues such as compassion, temperance, honesty, and courage. Cruel, dishonest, and greedy behaviors are not tolerated. Karenza holds every inhabitant of this island to a high moral standard, and most people simply don't make the cut. It's a place that's very hard to get into and very easy to get banished from.
The culture of this island is very community-oriented. The use of currency is forbidden, so there are no rich and no poor. Everyone produces resources and shares them with everyone else. The island is mostly self-sustaining, but dragon-mounted foragers do bring a lot of goods in from Below (the world outside the island).
Because space is so limited, the population must be somewhat controlled. Though the whole community has a say, Karenza and her council ultimately decide who stays and who goes. In many cases people leave willingly, wanting to explore Below. It's not a decision to be taken lightly though, because once they leave, there is no guarantee they'll be able to return. Those who leave tend to be secretive about the island, in fear of sharing too much intel with the wrong people (like the Cult of the Crescent). They usually lie about their heritage or refuse to talk about it at all.
Violence is strictly forbidden in the Ethereal City, except in cases of training and self-defense. Drawing someone's blood out of anger is a quick way to get yeeted off the edge...
Regular civilians of the island are free to spend their time as they wish, but Karenza's students and council must dedicate their time to her cause: nourishing love and destroying hate. That means running all kinds of missions for Karenza, which may involve visiting Below.
If they tire of their service, they may leave any time without consequence. However, completing missions earns them great and unique rewards, such as magical blessings from Karenza herself. Her best students rack up all kinds of crazy powers before leaving her service, but before they leave, they must promise to only use their powers for good deeds. If Karenza's agents (such as Justice) catch them doing evil, they will be hunted down and mercilessly destroyed.
Does it have a surviving population of Gnolls?
Actually yes! The Ethereal City has a small population of gnolls (mostly descendants of the scrubland gnolls) that have been there since the island ascended. Their numbers dwindle more and more with time, but this is still the highest living gnoll population on Looming Gaia. They are considered extinct in Below, but few people are aware of the gnolls in the Ethereal City.
The Ethereal gnolls don't leave the island because they have heard what happened to their kind Below, and they know there is no place for them there anymore. They tend to be extra mindful of their behavior, because getting banished is basically a death sentence for them.
However, I will say that accidents do happen...sometimes people accidentally fall off the island, get stranded during missions or foraging, get carried away by wild rocs or other predators, kidnapped by Disgrace's forces, or can find themselves in Below for many other reasons too. It wouldn't be too farfetched to say an Ethereal gnoll could still end up there somehow.
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