Aviacrest

* Central District
* Summit District
* Nadir District
* Map

Aviacrest is a major city of Ahlus, built upon a series of floating earthmotes from the Plane of Air.

## History

First discovered to the people of the Material Plane by Asher Sung during his Second Expedition, Solace Islet had existed in the Plane of Air for centuries, inhabited mainly by Aarakocra. By guile and charm alike Sung managed to establish trade with the settlement, bringing them furs, stone and wood, all difficult to acquire within the Plane of Air. During his Fourth Expedition, nearly a decade later, Sung would spend most of the four years parleying once more with the inhabitants of the Islet before finally a final agreement was reached and with it new plans were drafted, scheming to bring the collection of earthmotes and the city of Aviacrest through to the Material Plane. Coghearts were sent to assist in this task and the necessary construction began.

One of the smaller isles was brought through first, an effort facilitated by a vast cache of Waystones. When it proved to be without incident, the rest of the city was transported through section by section, and once a resting location was chosen, the Great Conduit was extended by means of Jolberry Bluff to connect Aviacrest to the rest of the Astedian Empire. Such a connection allowed the quick expansion of the population of the city, making the settlement a city by the standards of the Material Plane.

Construction found itself expedited by the transport of stone, lumber and ores, materials previously unavailable to the occupants, unifying the earthmotes with countless bridges and winding walkways to unite the residential, commercial and recreational areas of the city. At the heart of the Summit District was the Gallery Exaltic, a collection of fine arts, artifacts and other pieces of cultural and social significance. The centrepiece was a huge alexandrite the size of a wagon, supposedly stolen from the City of Jewels in the Sevenfold Mazework of the Elemental Plane of Earth. The master-thief that acquired it claimed that he had dispelled the enchantment that alerts the Dao of the gem's location - a feat that ultimately proved to be false. After repeated assaults from the Dao, powerful spellcasters from the High College of Claxinns elected to expend great effort and resources to guard their prize, creating a permanent aura of abjuration magic to encompass the city. Preventing their entry to the city, the genies harried other targets through the surrounding lands until those that lingered found themselves captured by means of Planar Binding spells and trapped within urns for use by the College and its associates. Their expeditions to recover the gemstone came to an end, though their anger never faltered.

The wards placed on the city would prove to be the saviour of Aviacrest during the Materialisation. Fearful that the supposed plague of body and mind would spread, the Aethnarch ordered the Great Conduit that connected the city to the land below to be destroyed and with it the city started to drift once more. For a century the city made no effort to contact the realms beneath them, but after discovery of an old Cogheart production factory more and more frequent scouting parties were sent down to the surface to collect up the resources that the city required most for repairs.

## Government

The city of Aviacrest was ruled over locally by a governor-like position referred to as the Aethnarch, who in turn paid fealty to the Emperor of the Astedian Empire and the Increscent Six. Since the Materialisation, the Aethnarch has served as an independent sovereign, beneath which operates a mass of minor functionaries and officials. Lowest amongst them are the bedels and bailiffs, teams of each assigned to a ward within the districts, the districts themselves the domain of the Magistrates, who uphold the laws and the Stewards, who manage the needs of the residents.

All major organisations maintain a presence in Aviacrest, acknowledging its positioning to be a significant asset to their reach. Shrines to all members of the Ahlusian Pantheon can be found in the city, with particular reverence placed on that of Veth, the God of Winds, Waves and Travel.

## Crime

The greatest asset of Aviacrest was its defensible nature, being completely unassailable by armies without the means of mass flight. As such, the actual city was light in terms of physical defensive structures such as walls, although being a city of towers even an assault by air would be a troublesome affair. Aerships of the Cloudskimmer Wyvern and Greatwyrm Classes are designated to protect its interests, as well as numerous civilian vessels that can be seized by the Aethnarch in times of need. This fleet patrolled between the dozen or so outpost earthmotes at the periphery of the city, assisted in these efforts by riders atop griffons and greater and lesser welkins. The majority of the Nadir District exists within the rock and stone of the islands, making this part of the city highly defensible in its own right.

Small in number, the City Watch is known as the Feather Fall, equipped with studded leather armour, spears and longbows. Most commonly, members of the Feather Fall patrol in pairs, one martially minded, one of more arcane abilities. They are named for the enchantments on their armour that slow their descent and prevent wounds caused by falls.

Despite these arguably formidable defences, the lofty streets of Aviacrest are just as much a home for criminals than any other settlement or city. The Nadir District serves as a hidden bastion for the unscrupulous and conniving, and those far less savoury besides. Though many honest folk reside in the district, and frequent patrols are sent to flush out the boldest of vagabonds, the region has become synonymous with the crime syndicates operating in the city, whether originally spawned within its borders, or having since established a presence in the city.

## Geography

The city of Aviacrest is spread across two major earthmotes and a few dozen smaller islands. Countless bridges stretch between the different parts of the city which roughly comprises four tiers - the Nadir, Central, Summit and Cloudtip Districts. Each of the districts spills across the isles by means of winding stairs and wards large and small are filled with all the amenities that one would expect in a city. As such, travelling through Aviacrest is time consuming for it was initially designed and constructed by beings with the means of flight and carries a certain sense of peril with its narrow walkways and paths.

Unintentionally in line with the cultural variation across the Astedian Empire in its prime, architecture traditional to the Plane of Air was used as the inspiration for much of the expansion of the Summit and Cloudtip Districts, although the stylings of the Central and Nadir Districts remained much less unified in its design, owing to the lacking overall thought placed into their respective rapid constructions. Limestone, thought by scholars to have originally come from the Elemental Plane of Water and further speculated to be the source of the bountiful springs and wells upon the isles, took centrestage in the building materials utilised historically, and so the architects of the Astedian Empire moved to replicate this albeit primarily from more mundane sources. Clay, fired and shaped into bricks also found extensive use for means constructive and decorative alike.

Fruit grows rich and large in the gardens across the islands of Aviacrest, most of the towers deliberately covered in vines bearing grapes, melons and tomatoes. Livestock is bred within the Nadir District, and water tumbles down from the Cloudtip District through the city to pools and wells from which the residents attend to collect their fill. The armourers of Aviacrest specialise in the creation of lightweight armour, usually of leather and layered cloth, but once they were granted access to mithral, they excelled in its usage also, a trade that continues to this day.

Regardless of the District, the construction completed follows a primarily vertical format on the two larger isles, while the smaller earthmotes showed greater variation in the design of the buildings dotted across them. While the majority of the islands float statically relative to each other, maintaining the same level of rotation, there are a few that instead orbit the city proper, further complicating travel to the earthmote, but increasing their exclusivity.

### Cloudtip District

Obscured from vision from the rest of the city by a wall of magically-retained and solidified clouds, the Cloudtip District is made up of only the highest stretches of the towers of the city. The Palace of the Aethnarch takes centrestage within the District, as well as the manses and abodes of the wealthiest in the city. Most towers have internal stairways to reach the District, for there is only one general route available to the public - and such individuals that walk it are heavily questioned before being escorted along its length.

Seeking an audience of notable wealth and power, a few merchants make steady business in the Cloudtip District, selling luxury items and services to individuals with little desire to browse wares shoulder to shoulder with those of lower castes. Fine jewellery, expensive clothing and exclusive dining experiences bolstered through use of illusionary and transmutative magic.

### The Summit District

Most individuals aspire to reside within the Summit District, a series of wards populated with lavish gardens, courtyards and fountains. In a city of limited space for agriculture, the decision to use fertile lands for nothing more than a pleasant vista is synonymous with opulence and wealth, with neighbours actively competing to create the most stunning surroundings. Most of the towers have their own aership docking points, though only a few amongst the nobility still possess functional aerships, further bolstering the arrogance of those that do.

The Summit District is home to many of the larger temples to the Ahlusian Pantheon and visits to worship within them are the most frequent reason for the folk of the lower Districts to enter the Summit District. Those with coin to spend might find themselves shopping in the stores of Marble Square, or enjoying indulgent meals in the restaurants of the Glass Tower, which offers stunning views of the city, the Ironfangs to the south, the Halhomite Plains to the north and and on clear days, the jungles of Tourmalini'i to the southeast. The central landmark of the Summit District is that of the Gallery Exaltic, the largest known public gallery of art in the continent. While many private connoisseur and dilettantes might maintain collections larger, the Gallery Exaltic welcomes near any and all to enjoy in its contents, for a modest fee. While the centrepiece remains that of a wagon-sized alexandrite from the City of Jewels in the Plane of Earth, the eclectic selection of pieces on show draws from all the former Realms of Ahlus, as well as a number of more contemporary pieces. Though unconfirmed, it is widely assumed that magical wards guard the items on display, though few have had the want or chance to test what form these defences truly take, further dissuaded by the curators, whom have all received formal training alongside the city watch known as the Feather Fall, their primary barracks close nearby on a small independent earthmote that orbits the main islands freely.

Notable Locations:

* Marble Square - a plaza filled with high quality shops and storefronts, catering to the more well-off members of the city.
* The Glass Tower - a spire with a crystalline tower granting its visitors commanding views over the city and surrounding landscape as they enjoy indulgent meals in both local and international styling.

### The Central District

The Central District is the true heart of the city, home to numerous agricultural, commercial, recreational and residential wards. The main stations of the Aerodrome and the Great Conduit are found within the Central District, and so the region represents the first location that most new visitors first step onto the elevated stone of the city. Travelling from here to elsewhere in the city is a winding and time consuming task, ascending and descending stone staircases and ramps to reach the bridges that span the expanse between the earthmotes, and so the more streamlined approach of hiring a flying carriage to carry them to their destination is desirable for many.

The majority of the city's residents find a place somewhere within the competing scope of the Central District, which stretches vertically over several levels, informally divided into Upper, Mid and Lower Central. The definition of these borders varies depending on who is asked, for many residents prefer to report that the region in which they make their home is in Upper Central, regardless of how far from the truth this may actually be. Embassies for each of the major regions of Ahlus are found in the Central District, as well as a number of theatres and auditoriums open to the day and night's sky above.

Notable Locations:

* Cruck's Kitchen - home to a wide number of taverns and restaurants of modest to comfortable quality.
* Lemontree Square - the largest market-bazaar in the city and home to the Hippogriff Stand where plays are showed every other evening. The Great Conduit terminates on the upper levels of Lemontree Square.
* Rhac's Hearth - a haven for travelers, a centre for reliable inns ranging from modest to comfortable quality. Of particular note amongst these is the Perky Parakeet, distinguished by the large blue bird statuette above its doorway that flaps its wings with each entry and exit.
* The Wharf - the largest ward in the city of Aviacrest, built around the main harbour and filled with warehouses, taverns and rickety inns.

### The Nadir District

Built near exclusively into the stone of the islands, the Nadir District is at conflict with the light and airy freedom afforded by the nature of the city. Claustrophobic and humid, the air of the wards in the Nadir District is thick and heavy. Those criminal operations of the city work almost exclusively out of the Nadir District, hidden away within subterranean hovels, store caverns and gambling dens. Despite this, the Nadir District is home to a great number of legitimate businesses, particularly those specialising in masonry, blacksmithing, carpentry and other physical labours, although many of these in turn are involved with the underworld, either as fences, suppliers or caught up in protection rackets.

A small factory exists within the largest island that is capable of repairing and maintaining the Cogheart population, although the resources for creation of more are very limited.

Notable Locations:

* The Broken Bill - a very modest tavern operated by the Cogheart Carriage near the border between the Central and Nadir Districts.
* Fate's Path Headquarters - within the ward of Knollburrow, formerly operated by the Fate's Path gang before they were disbanded by a group of adventurers in 134WD, Pinnul-Greencrown.
* Knollburrow - a particularly infamous ward in the Nadir District, the narrow alleys and layers of smog from foundries and forges makes Knollburrow a breeding ground for criminal activity.