The Skyway

[bastionmods]

The Skyway is an ever-changing area where large pieces of land are connected by small walkways of floating islands. Traversing the Skyway is dangerous at best: with the constantly shifting land masses, there is no guarantee that the ground under your feet will be there all the time. Characters who have an amulet with them will find that the ground seems drawn to them, and paths will automatically form in front of them while they walk. For an example of this, watch this youtube video for an idea of how it works. While out on the Skyway, characters will encounter monsters. You can look at the bestiary to see what your characters might come across in their explorations. While it is possible to avoid monsters in some cases, usually your character will have to fight or incapacitate the monsters in some way to proceed. Players will NPC the monsters in their threads when necessary. Each monster has a difficulty rating, ranging from 1 to 10. A rating of 1 or 2 is very easy to defeat, and even characters who have no fighting experience should be able to defeat those monsters easily. 3-5 are a bit tougher, and some basic weapons training may be necessary. 6 and 7 are even more difficult, though one well-trained fighter may still be able to overcome these monster. For less-skilled characters, a group is necessary. 8 and 9 are very difficult, and one character on their own may have trouble defeating them. Groups are recommended for this level of difficulty, even with trained fighters present. Monsters with a difficulty rating of 10 are special cases, and will not be encountered normally within the game. This rating is reserved for boss fights, and large groups are required to overcome these monsters. Shards can be collected from defeated monsters. See the bestiary for details on how many shards each monster drops. An average exploration of the Skyway will usually yield about 20 Shards from monsters and 20 shards from exploration. This number can be adjusted up or down, based on the character or characters involved, but 40 shards per person is pretty much the baseline. In addition to Shards, characters may come across items from the Old World. Simple items can be found pretty much anywhere: nuts and bolts, pots and pans, cloth, silverware, scrap metal, and so on. If it is a common item and small enough to be picked up, it can be found on the Skyway. Occasionally characters will come across artifacts on the Skyway. When that happens, a mod will make a comment in that particular exploration thread with the NPC account, saying that an artifact was found. The characters who find the item are then free to do whatever they like with the item, though they are encouraged to bring it to one of the NPCs in the Bastion. Explorations of the Skyway are very taxing. Each character will only be able to explore the Skyway once every IC day, and it will take up several hours of their time. When they return, they will be tired, even if they are experts at exploration and traveling. If you have any other questions about the Skyway or how exploration of the Skyway works, feel free to post them here.

Skyway Locations

All of the locations listed below are open for exploration at any time. More places will be added as they open up.

The Open Plains

This is a large open area very close to the Bastion. Most of it is grassland and plains, but there are some dirt footpaths winding through it and a tree or two here and there. It is one of the safest places on the Skyway, with only a few Squirts appearing every now and then. Not much else can be found here, but it seems to go on for quite some distance, and it connects to many different locations. Most new arrivals to the game will appear somewhere on the Open Plains.

The Rippling Walls

Once the outermost defense system of Caelondia, the Rippling Walls now stand in ruin. While there are some long stretches of unbroken wall, most of it is pieces, littered about on the Skyway. The wall itself is three stories tall, and the only way up is through staircases and ladders hidden within the occasional guard tower. Oddly enough, the walls aren't so great at keeping monsters out, so there is likely to be another purpose for them.

The Melting Pot

The former city market of Caelondia. This area is full of stalls and stores, and the sheer number of statues in this area is a sign of just how busy it used to be before the Calamity happened. While all of the perishable food has long since gone bad, any non-perishables are still available for the taking, making this a favorite spot for survivors to raid for supplies.

The Residential District

While many Caels lived in small residential blocks near where they worked, the Residential District was once home to those rich enough to move into a proper neighborhood. The majority of the residents here were either high-ranking guild members or members of the working class who managed to save up enough to get a small apartment. It is by far one of the nicer areas explored so far, but even the rich weren't able to avoid the Calamity.

The Wharf District

A section of old Caelondia, the Wharf District is full of warehouses and ships of varying sizes. It was previously used for shipping, but nowadays it all sits unused. Any perishable items have long since rotted away, but there are still plenty of useful items and supplies to be found. Just watch out for the monsters who have started to settle in.

Prosper Bluff

Prosper Bluff is a quiet, serene place. There are very few monsters here, and what monsters do lurk in the tall grass usually try to avoid trouble. In the past it was a favorite place for day trips, and even now it can be used for picnics and such, so long as you keep an eye out for any danger.

Jawson's Bog

This bog is like any other: dank, dark, and full of danger. Most of the enemies here are various types of dangerous plants, though Peckers can be found in the many trees. But the real danger of the bog is the Lungblossom. One whiff of the noxious fumes, and you're in for some terrible nightmares.

Mancer Observatory

Still mostly connected, the Mancer Observatory is in shambles. Several buildings have been destroyed by the Calamity, and what remains is infested with dangerous plant-based monsters. Still, it contains some amazing things, what with being the location of innovation and all. Note: anyone can explore the Mancer Observatory, but to find new inventions or plot-related objects mod approval is required.

Tazal Terminals

The former home of the Ura. Remains of underground homes, stores, and such can still be found. In comparison to everywhere else, this land is eerily quiet, as if there are no monsters to be found. There is life of another kind out here, though. A small group of Ura have turned part of the Terminals into their post-Calamity home. As of Day 206 residents of the Bastion have been in contact with them, and are steadily building relations with them.

Burstone Quarry

The former source of the city of Caelondia's shards and cores. The quarry is still brimming with both shards and monsters, but cores are a bit rarer nowadays. Be careful if you choose to investigate the Quarry, though, because landslides and collapsed tunnels are still a possibility. Note: Because of how full of shards the quarry is, we are limiting trips to the quarry to once every IC week. ICly it will be explained as trips to the quarry are too taxing and dangerous to take more often. In exchange, anyone searching the quarry will be able to find around 200-ish shards, as well as one large shard (roughly the size of a football, used to provide electricity to the Bastion) among the whole group searching.

The Lands Beyond

This is the general term for any piece of the Skyway that was not originally from the same world as Caelondia. This can include pieces of worlds that PCs are from, or pieces of other worlds entirely. Note: You must ask for mod approval to find anything besides generic, "could be from anywhere" land or land from your character's home world.

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