Iox

*"Built on a mysterious machine that holds it aloft high among the clouds, the city of Iox is a magical marvel. Its uniqueness is only matched by the backdrop of clear blue skies for miles in every direction which have helped shape the city to what it is today.*

*Besides the temperate climate these skies brought, they were also influential when it came to Ioxian architectural designs, as the vast majority of buildings incorporate more daring elements that call to mind great winds and hanging clouds. Although Iox is cloaked in a lightweight metal shell, much of this shell can be made transparent through various magical apparatuses around the city, affording some of the richer citizens breathtaking vistas of the continent of Ra’el miles below.*

 *The skyline is growing with elegant skyscrapers and a new one seems to pop up every other week. Knowledge and development is flourishing in Iox and it has attracted a lot of attention. Thousands try to become citizens of the city each week, but 80% of people, even humans, are denied citizenship." Description of Iox by Jakamin The Wandering Bard*

Iox is The Floating City in The Clouds and it is the capital of the Air Nation. It's population is approximately 100,000 Humans and 5,000 "Registered Others" (approximately 2,500 Dwarves who serve as guards and farmers on the ground, 2,000 Halflings who serve various noble houses, and 500 Elves who teach and research within The Academy.)

Iox is held aloft by the magic of The Stratus Device, and it is almost entirely encased in a protective light weight metal shell.

Iox proudly boasts that there is no capital punishment within its confines. Instead the highest form of punishment for crimes is exile. Either to one of their two penal colonies (small floating islands orbiting around Iox) or otherwise permanent exile to the ground far below.

Places of Interest:

The Crystal Spire : The center of government of Iox.

The Academy : The greatest library and research facility in all of Ra'el.

The Dragon's Nest : The air port for Dragonships delivering goods and nobility to and from Iox.

Cumulus : The marketplace of Iox, near the center of the city.

**Nimbus Sentinels**: A series of magically powered columns that are a combination of surveillance equipment and magical defense system. Any serious criminal that is caught soon enough usually feels the brunt of the Sentinels as lightning strikes out from them and renders the criminal unconscious, easily picked up by the City Watch and brought swiftly to justice.

**The Startus Device**: The pride and power of Iox, it is seen underneath the city, a massive magical-mechanical structure that holds the city approximately 135,000 feet up (roughly 25 miles) above the continent. Little is publicly known about the exact nature of it's construction or maintenance, save for that is powered by Wisp, the strange magical substance found at this high altitude. Every day, Wisps are farmed in the morning (for it is then when they are most easily cut free from the clouds on which they form like arcane barnacles) and then brought to the operations center of the Stratus Device. There is a rigorous process for any citizen to work in The Stratus Device and it is one of the few places in Iox that is completely banned from "Registered Others" access or employment. One must be a born and raised Ioxian and undergo a lengthy background check, psychological profile, and magical testing before even being considered for hire. The process to become a Wisp Farmer, however, is far less restrictive and many Registered Halflings do this important work fearlessly.