♞ location: the floating island
♞ THE FLOATING ISLAND
Mana hasn't always been the way it is now in this world. People have always been affected by it in their own way, but just over one thousand years ago, there was enough mana in the atmosphere to begin affecting a significant proportion of the population much stronger than it had before. They were the first people to develop the powers that Estrasia Academy now teaches students how to train. Concerns that this would cause those without powers to ostridise those with them were raised, sacrifices were made, and the floating island was built high above the coast of Cross.
Now, the Floating Island is home to a large, crystalline city, two smaller villages, the academy, and various tourist attractions such as the Estrasia Ruins and Elemar's Tower. It's a popular spot all year round due to it's weather conditions as well. It's hot during the summer and even during the winter it cools a bit. The snow in winter is simulated, looks and feel real, but is actually not, so it doesn't get too cold.
♟ Island Map
♟ Major Cities and Towns
There are only three main settlements on the Floating Island (Goldoa, Kall and Vall), one of which is a major city, the other two being small villages.
Goldoa is a city of crystal and marble. Compared to most of the towns upon the ground, Goldoa is much cleaner, much brighter and slightly warmer, in part thanks to the vast majority of the population being graduates from Estrasia Academy or one of the other schools that deals with those gifted with powers. The streets of the city are filled with variety, with stores dealing with everything from blue carrots to talking animals; if you can't find it in Goldoa, that's probably because it doesn't exist. In the centre of the city sits a hundred-foot high golden fountain which some believe to be the much fabled fountain of youth.
Vall and Kall are villages exactly identical in their layout, but not in their people, or even in their seasons. Whilst it may be spring at the Academy, it will be Winter in Vall and Summer in Kall. Both villages have yearly festivals, where they dress in their traditional dress; Vall celebrates the sun whilst Kall celebrates the two moons. As you may expect, there is a great deal of rivalry between the two settlements. They're both gated communities, looking with great suspicion at any outsiders that would like to join their way of living.
♟ Other Places of Note
The Forest of Night: as the name would suggest, the Forest of Night is trapped in a perpetual darkness, though given the dense growth that blocks off the sky, it changes little. There are rumours of people living in the forest, though they've never been proven.
Elemar's Tower: a tall spire reaching up high into the sky and penetrating the clouds, Elemar's Tower is a whitewashed marble tower with no visable doors, nor stairs, though when the clouds are particularly high a single window at the very top can be seen. Some people claim that they have seen movement through it, but with no way in or way out, how can anyone or anything have survived for so long?
Day Wood: if you're travelling through the Forest of Night and you come across a place where the golden light passes between the leaves and mossy clearings begin to appear, it is almost certain that you've come across the Day Wood. You may notice many worn tombstones in the clearing. There are stories of a war that was so long ago that even those that eat the youth-restoring fruit from Turnabout Desert cannot remember it. But there are no documents and no artifacts; nothing beyond whimsical tales of yesteryear.
Turnabout Desert: a no-go zone for everyone, student or not, the majority of Turnabout Desert is a vast expanse of nothing but sand. If you enter the desert, you may find yourself walking in circles, no matter which direction you believe you're walking in. However, for those that dare to get close there is a great reward; a single patch of trees grows a very special fruit that can heal all ailments and is rumoured to be able to give back youth.
Estrasia Ruins: the ruins appear to be crystalline, but even though they're close to Goldoa, it's clear from the colours and the way that they shine in the light that they're an entirely different breed of crystal altogether; they also appear to cause a strange type of craving; even people that aren't usually interested in such things can become obsessed with taking something from the ruins. Everyone is forbidden from entering the area, and most definitely from taking anything from it, but that doesn't stop some people from doing both, with dire consequences...
Keeper's Cave: one of the few places where students are taken by their teachers to study outside of the campus. But given that it contains man-eating plants, rapidly changing passageways and talking animals, only those in the upper few years will ever be taken there.