Eden

## A Floating Island

*"Eden."*

*That was an alright name for this island. Someone came up with it after a few minutes of dazed thought. It was a garden of sorts, actually, with overgrown crop fields and dilapidated supply sheds. Who could say exactly when or why it was abandoned. There was exactly one ticket down from this floating garden, a large chain cuffed to one of the landmass’ sides. It hung down, piercing through the clouds, too thick to see through. Nobody dared to jump. Just yet, anyhow.*

This is where our story began.

From Earth's New York,  the humans found themselves transported to (what they have named as) Eden, after some magical force, where they meet four otherworldly beings: Felise, Lemon, Toy, and Brie.

For several months, here was home, as the humans lived off the land, and worked to repair the skyship, in hopes that they would be able to find a way back home.

## Locations

### **Gardens**

Eden’s dense vegetation sprawled across most of the island. The island lived its previous life producing a variety of agriculture, after all. Nowadays, it barely qualified as a farm, claimed by the natural way of the wild. But what mattered was that sources of food remained plentiful. Orchards of fruit trees bore fruit here and there, various berries weaved complex tresses underneath a blanket of wild wheat and corn. Veins of potatoes and other root vegetables lay waiting below the soil. And every now and then, the old dilapidated structures further into the island sheltered rare finds like mushrooms and other edible herbs.

While foraging always unearthed new discoveries and a decent amount of sustenance, it was evident that one day this bounty would reach its end. With no prediction of how long the ship rebuilding effort would take, the prudent thing to do was start plunging spades into the soil and begin farming.

Every day was a small step towards sustainable living. Headed by Lemon, and of course, the Sustain team, the wide array of foraged plants came to be planted in shaky rows by amateur farmers. No matter how rough it was around the edges, no matter how little expertise they had, it was the promise of a future.

{-}

The gardens, ever-expanding with additions and developments, constitute the quaint area of farmland that’d been recently recultivated for agriculture. Aside from impressive fields of crops waiting to grow, it also boasts a few raised vegetable beds, some bricolage greenhouses, and a few flower patches for the gardeners that got a little bored only planting vegetables all day long.

Peppered in with a few other facilities, storehouses have also been prepared in the heart of this area. Here, the other teams went to pick up their meals after a long day of handling their own responsibilities. Some fire pits have been set up for those inclined to cook, or inclined to have others cook for them. Surpluses were preserved to the best of everyone’s ability, and Lemon took care in ensuring well-planned rationing so that everyone would not starve and bite the dust.

### **Wilderness**

Further down from the hustle and bustle of reconstruction and human activity lay the rest of the island. Still, a picture-perfect snapshot of undisturbed nature, the plant life, and wild fauna flourished. It took a bit to fully realize how much life still called such an isolated chunk of land home.

Frames of old buildings, like effigies standing against the test of time, stood between dense forest and debris. Though they’d been abandoned long ago, left to crumble in their old age, there remained a serene sense of safety about them. They provided little else in the name of survival but were a fascinating find every once and a while.

{-}

Past the developed area of housing and gardens is the wilderness, where flora and even a bit of fauna thrived. For one, there is a lake full of carp and other ornamental fish that can be hunted for a chance at meat.

Who knew what lay further out there. More aberrants, for sure, but several people have reported goat herd sightings, even a turkey or two. From the sound of it, they’re either highly flighty or highly aggressive, maybe even a mix of both. It’s not advised to wander too far out without your spread or other company.

Forest overtakes the neglected farmland after enough wandering. Though husks of other structures still stand here and there, nurturing beds of fungi and wildflowers under their remnants.

### **Outskirts**

Where the wilderness met the openness of the sky.

This was the outskirts, a desert stretch where very little vegetation dared to grow, and so the wind swept through with all its might, uninhibited by all else. A large chain clung to the furthest edge of Eden, shaking and clunking every now and again as the wind buffeted its sides. But it remained ever faithful, tethered to the island’s side.

Very little else was of note here.

{-}

The strip of sand that separated the island’s lush vegetation from the sky itself. If it weren’t for the fact that Eden was clearly floating, some of the stretches along the outskirts could easily be mistaken for a beach.

Due to the lack of cover, the wind picks up quite strongly here, and with it both relentlessly picks up sand and occasionally causes the large chain on the end of the island to clink.

### **Training Grounds**

The need for physical training had already made itself abundantly clear when you arrived on the island. So the next step along that journey was the matter of setting up facilities to make that possible.

When it came to the protect team, Felise was remarkably gung-ho about fighting regiments and learning the art of self-defense. You would probably not be fighting humans, oh no, but you provided good practice for one another! Empty plots of land, not too far from the gardens and not a momentous walk away from housing either, were quickly transformed to accommodate just the activity.

That meant stitching up battered sacks and stuffing them full of hay and old leaves to make training dummies. That meant clearing other sections to create sparring arenas. Combat was going to be serious business, and you most certainly needed all the experience you were going to get. Not only to keep yourself safe and alive but those around you, too.

{-}

A cleared grounds for the sake of combat training, as much as a group of wildly inexperienced people could train. It resides fairly close to the gardens, and isn’t too far from most living areas, either. Felise can usually be found out and about giving some fighting pointers.

Empty sparring rings line the perimeter, with a cache of various practice weapons to use or try out. They would also, ideally, not actually injure anyone. The grounds have some makeshift dummies set up as well, for trying out some newly crafted weapons, or just for the sake of working out. There are also a few pieces of junk set up on stands to act as target practice for those inclined to practice their accuracy.

### **Supply Depot**

A cleared grounds for the sake of combat training, as much as a group of wildly inexperienced people could train. It resides fairly close to the gardens, and isn’t too far from most living areas, either. Felise can usually be found out and about giving some fighting pointers.

Empty sparring rings line the perimeter, with a cache of various practice weapons to use or try out. They would also, ideally, not actually injure anyone. The grounds have some makeshift dummies set up as well, for trying out some newly crafted weapons, or just for the sake of working out. There are also a few pieces of junk set up on stands to act as target practice for those inclined to practice their accuracy.

{-}

Though built by the repair team, the supply depot is where the contributions of both the Protect and Repair teams intersect. A small collection of smaller sheds that had been regrouped closer to one another, the depot carries anything from scavenged raw materials to more refined goods.

Most items the repair group fashions are to be used primarily for rebuilding the ship, of course, but other qualities of life improvements have found themselves into the depot, whether that meant some rediscovered animal hides, woven blankets, or surplus candles. A range of weapons, clothing, and other protective equipment also found themselves stored there, ready for people outside of the prPtect team to take and put to good use.

### **Shipyard**

Unfortunate as the day’s events had been, despair was not the end. Even the worst outcomes had the faintest glimmer of hope, and such was the energy charging the wreckage’s atmosphere.

Its engine, arcane and powerful, set aside as the ship’s great frame had slowly been built back into place. It was starting to take form, and little by little the cloth that was to become its new sails were getting stockpiled. Progress was slow going, but consistent. This was the repair team’s primary objective, after all. And their leaders were more than excited to see their ticket off the deserted island back up and running.

{-}

The area of the island dedicated to rebuilding the skyship back into a functional state. A giant frame is being pieced back together out of the islands materials slowly but surely. The same can be said about its sails.

Fairly close to the wreckage is a small shed that has been renovated into a hybrid office-residence for Felise and her gang. Housed there is also the ship’s arcane core engine, humming away. If any of the Aether residents are around, they’re open to questions and conversation.

### **Infirmary**

A place that came to be after the establishment of everything else, the facility is not manned by Protect, sustain, or repair, but rather a volunteer medley of all walks. The need for a hospital became far more evident once developing events made the island so much more dangerous. Of course, this quaint establishment is no replacement for an actual medical facility, but for the time being the infirmary and its denizens were all that stood between life and death.

Please leave your weapons at the door, and wait your turn.

{-}

A small room in the ship’s bowels marked with a red bandana. This is a place set up to provide medical treatment to the residents of Eden.