Yjae

Yjae

(City)

Titles

Windblown City

Nation

Shory Empire

Government

Council

Ruler

Lokoa
Shebe
Musafti

Source: Mythic Realms, pg(s). 40

Yjae, the Windblown City, is the last surviving flying city of the ancient Shory Empire. The city floats in the skies above the Shanguang desert in Tian Xia.

History

After the destruction of Kho in -632 AR and Ulduvai in -507 AR, the Sky Masters of Yjae sought to protect their flying city from a similar fate. They flew the city beyond its home continent of Garund and across the Obari Ocean to Tian Xia. This almost impossible journey was only accomplished due to the incredible skills of its rulers but when they finally reached Tian Xia they encountered a new problem.

The Wall of Heaven Mountains, which were higher than the maximum altitude possible for Shory cities, blocked their way. The Sky Masters tried to find the lowest navigable passes, yet powerful, otherworldly winds tossed it into a mountainside, destroying a quarter of its infrastructure. In the process, Yjae also slipped through a thin barrier between the Universe and Leng, allowing denizens of Leng to invade it. Yjae's three rulers managed to keep control, but with its magical propulsion destroyed and the city itself infected with Leng's energies, it lost the ability to control its own flight and now drifts with the currents of the desert winds.

Despite the destruction of the city's main propulsion, the people themselves were still able to fly down to the vast desert below. The Mutabi-qi nomads venerate the surviving Shory peoples as deities, and tell tales of the great power of the dark-skinned "Sky Spirits" (as they refer to the Shory) and the dangerous creatures they fight in their city beyond the clouds, unaware of the dire situation that Yjae finds itself in.

Inhabitants

A Tian-Yae woman demonstrating Yjae technology.

Today, the Shory inhabitants of Yjae have forgotten much of what their ancestors knew and their mastery of aeromancy has certainly declined. Despite this, the people of Yjae still dream of fully repairing their ancient city and labour on in their laboratories and libraries trying to regain the knowledge lost to them. They dream of continuing their journey eastwards to greener lands. Yjae is also still infested with monsters from the Plane of Leng as a result of its brush with that dimension millennia ago. However, the Shory residents have erected potent wards to keep the abominations confined to certain parts of the city.

Descendants of pairings between the Shory of Yjae and people of Tian Xia are known as the Tian-Yae, who have inherited their Shory ancestors' darker skin, straight black hair, and affinity for aeromancy.

Government

Yjae has been ruled by the same three Sky Masters since the end of the Shory Empire: Lokoa, Shebe and Musafti. They reside in the Nine-Faceted Citadel and spend their time engaging in petty feuds and designing increasingly more overcomplicated plans to drive away the invaders. Year after year, they continue to stumble and blame each other, while their city crumbles due to their pride. Within the Citadel is a mysterious, slumbering mythic protector tasked by Yjae's founders with protecting their city in time of need, but the Sky Masters are too arrogant to admit that they might need its help in saving the city, and refuse to release the creature.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.