Post by Ayla, The Grimm Princess on Jan 30, 2013 18:40:06 GMT -5
Aria is a steampunk land dominated by sky machines, namely Zeppelins, biplanes, hot air balloons, as well as ships of your own design. Any and all ships MUST make sense for the given time period. Again, think steampunk: essentially Victorian era with a lot of brass/steam-based machinery, also clockwork an gears are a major theme. There is no gun-power in this world; long range weaponry is generally limited to ballista and other types of crossbows. IF you have an idea for a special type of weapon, please ask admin, and be sure it makes sense within the rules of the land.
The actual landscape is desert in many places; there are no real oceans, mainly many rivers and some small to medium sized lakes. The deserts are prone to drought or monsoon. Land travel is not very practical for long-distances; this is the main reason air travel has become most prevalent.
Once air travel was discovered, many groups of people moved to the floating islands of Aria. These islands have a more tropical climate, and are less prone to the weather extremes of the land below. Some islands are more reserved for the upper echelon; others are open to all classes. Many of the poorer class live below, commonly called Poor Ground. There are frequent ferries from Poor Ground to each island; island to island ferries are significantly more expensive (more akin to charted cruises). Mainly service-based workers (maids, nannies, maintenance professionals, etc) travel by ferry on a regular basis.
Given the land's propensity for air travel, the floating islands are perfect for port and market cities. Some crops and goods are made on Poor Ground, making merchanting somewhat disreputable by nature. That being said, Aria is terribly prone to air piracy, which brings us to our next point.
There is a metal based substance common to Aria, but rare enough to be valuable. It is found mostly within the floating islands (one of its properties is what keeps the islands in the air). Some of the less habitable islands are strictly mines; generally there are ordinances limiting mining on inhabited islands since overmining has more than once sent an island crashing to the Poor Grounds.
This metal has an almost glass -like translucency, and comes in several colours. The three most common, blue, orange, and yellow, are stamped into currency. Ten blue is equal to one orange, one hundred orange to one yellow. There are some smaller coin values in each colour, respectively called half-blues, half-oranges, and half-yellows. Other colours include pink, purple, clear, ivory, red, green, and black, and are mainly used for jewelry and status symbols. Red and green are the most exorbitantly expensive, with green more valuable than red. Black is almost never found.
Unknown to any inhabitants, any form of this metal is this world's key, but black is the only type strong enough to make a nexus jump. Skin exposure in excess of a solar year(total time) to black metal gives the wearer the ability to open the Nexus, regardless of if they remain in contact with the metal. The possession of any amount of any colour increases luck and skill based odds; it makes ships faster and more manoeuvrability , persons lighter on their feet and less accident prone. Prolonged exposure to large amounts can yield uncommon side affects, such as increased mental capacity, more dexterity, etc. Detrimental side effects are exceedingly rare and usually credited to something else.
The actual landscape is desert in many places; there are no real oceans, mainly many rivers and some small to medium sized lakes. The deserts are prone to drought or monsoon. Land travel is not very practical for long-distances; this is the main reason air travel has become most prevalent.
Once air travel was discovered, many groups of people moved to the floating islands of Aria. These islands have a more tropical climate, and are less prone to the weather extremes of the land below. Some islands are more reserved for the upper echelon; others are open to all classes. Many of the poorer class live below, commonly called Poor Ground. There are frequent ferries from Poor Ground to each island; island to island ferries are significantly more expensive (more akin to charted cruises). Mainly service-based workers (maids, nannies, maintenance professionals, etc) travel by ferry on a regular basis.
Given the land's propensity for air travel, the floating islands are perfect for port and market cities. Some crops and goods are made on Poor Ground, making merchanting somewhat disreputable by nature. That being said, Aria is terribly prone to air piracy, which brings us to our next point.
There is a metal based substance common to Aria, but rare enough to be valuable. It is found mostly within the floating islands (one of its properties is what keeps the islands in the air). Some of the less habitable islands are strictly mines; generally there are ordinances limiting mining on inhabited islands since overmining has more than once sent an island crashing to the Poor Grounds.
This metal has an almost glass -like translucency, and comes in several colours. The three most common, blue, orange, and yellow, are stamped into currency. Ten blue is equal to one orange, one hundred orange to one yellow. There are some smaller coin values in each colour, respectively called half-blues, half-oranges, and half-yellows. Other colours include pink, purple, clear, ivory, red, green, and black, and are mainly used for jewelry and status symbols. Red and green are the most exorbitantly expensive, with green more valuable than red. Black is almost never found.
Unknown to any inhabitants, any form of this metal is this world's key, but black is the only type strong enough to make a nexus jump. Skin exposure in excess of a solar year(total time) to black metal gives the wearer the ability to open the Nexus, regardless of if they remain in contact with the metal. The possession of any amount of any colour increases luck and skill based odds; it makes ships faster and more manoeuvrability , persons lighter on their feet and less accident prone. Prolonged exposure to large amounts can yield uncommon side affects, such as increased mental capacity, more dexterity, etc. Detrimental side effects are exceedingly rare and usually credited to something else.