"In all the world, there is no single place more steeped in legend and myth
than Vaelandris. The floating island has drifted through the skies since
before there were people below to record it."
- Fadrial Gael, Presiding Voice of the Bardic College
Vaelandris. The City In The Sky. The last surviving wonder of the Ancients
still powered by their incredible magic. Long ago, the Ryn'Vrydarii, First
Mortal Children of Aelandra, raised their cities into skies, ascending to
greater heights than any beings before or since. It is on this massive
floating island that their descendants still live, secluded and distant from
all that takes place in the world below.
Held aloft due to some lost miracle of Old Magic, that even the greatest of
modern scholars don't truly understand, it is the ancestral home of the
Vaelandrii and is one of the few places utterly untouched by the Blight.
From its elegant crystalline spires to the sprawling weavewood forests,
there is nowhere else like it in the world. Most impressive of all, perhaps,
is the perpetual waterfall that tumbles off the rim as it sprays fine mists
across the sky; legend claims that it has been flowing for tens of thousands
of years. The beauty of the air-bound citadel is said to be unparalleled, a
floating sanctuary far from the troubles of those below, both historical and
present. Being separated from other people and societies has given its
residents a certain aloofness and insularity.
Vaelandrians are known for their love of the arts, music, fashion, and
politics. Many creative traditions across Aelandris were influenced heavily
by visiting Vaelandrii, most especially the development of songweaving and
weavefencing, as well as the development of modern Tempest techniques.
Traditionally, they cared little for commonly-regarded norms of gender
expression and their attire does not assign gender-specific clothing or
appearance styles, one of the few things they have in common with the people
of Deepmountain. And their games of politics influenced many systems of
government, in one way or another. While many Vaelandrian nobles plot their
way to greater influence with their Queen, commoners seek influence with the
nobles, powerful mages, or anyone who can help elevate their status.
Believing that social climbing is a virtue, most Vaelandrians typically try
to project an air of sophistication, regardless of their station in life.
This comes across in their clothing choices, mannerisms, or the company they
are seen to be keeping.
Few chose to leave Vaelandris, generally viewing the rest of the world as
dangerous, uncivilized, or quite literally beneath them. Those who did make
a life for themselves elsewhere often eschewed the traditions of their
homeland as being too insular. Accordingly, few non-Vaelandrii took up
residence in Vaelandris, as the culture clash could be challenging to
navigate.
Most Vaelandrii prefer to speak in the Vael tongue, generally viewing other
languages, including the common language, as crude and ill-suited for
conveying the richness of conversation. Vaelandrii nobility and others of
importance also learn a gestural language known as Foldspeak, which involves
the delicate and subtle motions of a hand fan. This was historically used to
prevent eavesdropping on important conversations, but has expanded into an
art form all its own.
Further dividing the native Vaelandrii from other ancestries, even those few
who now live on Vaelandris, is their unique link to the Aether, and to the
island itself. No Vaelandri can be born outside of Vaelandris. Any child of
Vaelandrii parents not born on the floating island, regardless of distance,
is always Keldari. The shock of this discovery ultimately led to one of the
most significant events in recorded history: the Keldari Exile. Some believe
the unwanted children of Vaelandris departed en-masse of their own accord,
but the more tragic, and more likely, explanation is that they were
expelled. Whatever the truth may be, the Keldarii have, over generations,
spread across much of the world, integrating with nearly every culture,
becoming everything the Vaelandrians weren't and thus widening the rift
between them.
This has deeply affected the Vaelandrii. For almost no corner of the world
is untouched by their descendants. From their fleets of wingships to their
mastery of lost magics, the Vaelandrians were often regarded with awe. But
the existence of the Keldarii brought them closer to the societies they had
so long floated above; no longer were they mere legends or mysterious
visitors on their magnificent flying ships, but flesh and blood people with
flaws and imperfections. The discovery of Sending, aided by Vaelandrii
mages, further linked the island to the lands below, although contact with
Vaelandrian citizens was strictly controlled by the island's magisters.
When the Blight occurred, most of the Vaelandrians who lived in their
floating citadel were largely apathetic about it, either being woefully
uninformed regarding its danger or choosing to dismiss it as a Groundfolk
Problem. After all, it did not affect the daily lives of the People of the
Sky. Some of those Groundfolk still hold a grudge about this and believe
that Vaelandris either caused the Blight or at the very least shirked their
responsibility as a powerful nation to do something about it.
As the horror consumed nations whole, and as Sending Houses went dark one by
one, Vaelandris cut off all contact with the world below. Their Prime Stone
was still illuminated on the network, but all calls for help have since gone
unanswered.
And then the wingships began to fall from the skies. The floating island
abruptly changed its drifting course across the sky, heading directly toward
Altheria, as if drawn to the ruined citadel that also, long ago, had held
the power of the Ancients. It has remained there ever since, high above the
Last Bastion, just barely enclosed within the Barrier, isolated and
unreachable.