A walled island city and the most sophisticated and developed city island of Adscendo, Arcadiana is home to the five main Guilds, each playing a vital role in the prosperity of the city. Within its walls are bustling marketplaces and winding streets, places of worship, of commerce, and of community. Overlooking it all is Mount Nest, a large mountain where the Windriders and their airships are housed.
This is the Birdsingers’ Guildhouse, consisting of terraced gardens floating on various levels in the air, with flowers and vines draping down to the Aviary lake underneath. Its characteristic dome of colored glass, filled with ornate plants and avian life of all kinds, reflects sunlight into the sky.
The highest point of Arcadiana, Mount Nest is home to the Windriders’ Guild. It has many embarkation points and docking areas along its slopes for aerial traffic. Large green gardens wind their way up the side of the mountain, through which natural streams trickle down. Inside the Guildhouse, the Wall of Heroes commemorates Windriders fallen in the line of duty.
Always busy and bustling, this Guildhouse contains all Atelier accommodation and workshops within its four walls. The southern wall is low and offers a view over the harbour district. The cluster of buildings can be spotted from afar by the lines of smoke from its forges and furnaces while in the center, a lush garden of herbs and flowers stretches out.
The Weavers’ home has no guards, gates, or walls. It is lined by dye vats and swathes of recently colored fabrics hanging out to dry under canvas canopies. Warm light and music spills from its windows, mingling with the rush of the great water wheel outside, powered by a continuous stream.
Home to the Labourers’ Guild. Representative of their good cheer and amiability, the Labourers’ Guildhouse has no walls, gates, or guards.
Communities & natural features
A mirror like lake in the middle of the city underneath the Aviary terraces, feeding the irrigation channels of the city. A bird-shaped gate forms a bridge across the water.
An elaborate fountain in a turret like enclosure, magically suspended in mid-air above the Aviary lake. Its walls are painted blue and gold, with carvings of birds decorating its every surface. The whole is illuminated by an eternal flame at the top.
Located in a corridor of Mount Nest, this is a place where Windriders who gave their life for Arcadiana are honored.
The darker section of Arcadiana, a warren of narrow streets and alleyways.
A busy and bustling area of Arcadiana doused in sunshine and the ocean breeze. A place of commerce and trade, topped off by refreshments after a hard day’s work at the Harbour House inn.
An inn located in the busy harbour district of Arcadiana, filled with laughter and a welcoming air, smelling of working men and women, the ocean, and ale.
A central square in Arcadiana with a fountain and huge spreading charnut trees at its outline. During the Carnival of the Birds, people from the entire realm gather here to dance.
All facts you need to know
They have a special affinity for the birds of Adscendo and can communicate and channel with and through them the same magical energy that allows the islands to remain in the sky. The Birdsingers’ Guildhouse is the Aviary.
Housed in Mount Nest, Windriders are at home in the sky, both by operating airships and taking to the air individually. Flying is a revered activity made possible by pairs of wings that were invented and are continuously improved upon by the Ateliers.
Ateliers are the inventors, scientists, and engineers of Arcadiana. Inventive and inquisitive, they aspire to continually improve life with new creations or by elevating existing inventions, like airships and wings.
Weavers are skilled artisans working with fabrics to create the most magnificent tapestries and clothing. Their presence at markets is announced in a flurry of bright fabrics and tapestries, tumbling across counters in a riot of color.
They do the heavy lifting and dutifully carry out common but essential jobs to provide for the city, like dealing with livestock and tending the earth.
Those not assigned to a particular Guild.
An ancient invention by an Atelier, using the mystical metal of the Golden Aurics’ golden feathers. The first Wing was the prototype for the wings that are now generally used by Windriders.
A festival of music and celebration in the streets of Arcadiana, including the awarding of the Ateliers’ Prize. A time of charity and love, of sharing wonders and riches.
The historical process that saw islands crumbling and sinking. To avoid total catastrophe, the five Guilds of Arcadiana needed to unite and raise their world into the sky. The Great Library of Tomorrow contains an account of this event, titled The Rise of Adscendo.
A prestigious award traditionally handed out at the Carnival of the Birds to the best invention or design.
A plant that is used together with a wine from the south to make a particular variety of stew served in Harbour House.
A tree that provides a large area of generous shade thanks to its wide-spreading branches, popular areas for rest and repose on sunny days.