Hanging in the skies south of the Zujiuchu Mountains, the grand city of Karith is a wonder of magic and artifacts. The city is a thing of beauty, its multicolored buildings rising from the misty platform, and decorated with family banners in every hue of the rainbow. The underside of the city is a similar shade to earthenware bowls, gleaming with a dull satin finish. It is dotted with alchemical vents, which keep the city afloat, as well as chasms held together by bridges and tethers. Though it is capable of some minor movement, Karith mostly stays in the same region, supported by the many farms and potteries on the rich plains below. In return, the farmers and potters gain a fair market to peddle their goods.
Ruling over the city is the mysterious guild known as the Shen Michi Yuren, also known as the Holders of the Divine Secret. That secret is what holds the city aloft, and what bears the airships they manufacture through the skies. It is guarded heavily by magic, especially given that the guild masters force geas spells on those who join so that they will protect the secret with their lives On the northern edge of the city, their great workshops are in constant operation. The massive flying airships are produced here, and the process is jealously guarded.
Given the limited space, the city spirals upwards, always growing taller. The highest levels are reserved for the rich and powerful, and command the best views of both the landscape and the city below. Grand gardens decorate the roofs, and stone archways are a show of the family’s wealth. Homes are often painted red: a hue that is considered lucky by the Karithians.
Below the grand homes of the wealthy are the great merchant halls and trading markets. They are always kept well cleaned and orderly, and one can find goods from many places in Parvpora within. But the city’s main goods from these markets are the fresh produce from the farms below, and the alchemical goods from the Shen Michi Yuren.
Below the markets live the middle class, the merchants who sell their goods in the markets above, the business owners and those who keep the less visible facets of the city in order. The mists are still below this level, but they are much more noticeable here. Homes on the third level are kept neat and clean, often built of a rich red brick that comes from the plains below.
Gondolas and other small boats move between all these levels, with smaller version of the spellfire rings that power the grand airships as their propulsion. These boats move both people and goods around the entire city, and some enterprising citizens have even built kafe bars and noodle shops onto these small boats, visiting homes and businesses both to peddle their wares.
Far below these primary levels, where the rocky foundation of the city lies, are the dumping grounds of the guild, and where the city’s poor are forced to live within hovels and rocky alcoves. Alchemical waste and fumes from the engines that power the city combine here to form the mist that shrouds its base. The mist can also cause mutations and disabilities. But the poor are provided with care and food from the Shen Michi Yuren to deal with these debilitating effects. After all, someone had to ensure that the vents and canals remain clear. The infamous Diushi prison, where criminals and those who threaten the guild are kept, is also on this base level of the city, and the residents are most definitely not protected from the mists.
