Breezehaven Duchy

Breezehaven is the Air Elemental capital of Lucandria. It was set up in a way to help balance the elements and bring a sense of 'Telrunya' to the Miakis' new home in Aynurlet. Though all Miakis, and now Mika, hail Aether as the greatest element, they still understand the need for the balance of the other ones. Here, the Air Element is on display in the way they speak, build their infrastructure, and every day worship.

1. General Information

Name of the Duchy: Duchy of Breezehaven
Ruler’s Name and Title: Duchess Kethara
Motto: “Light as Air, Free as the Wind”
Coat of Arms: A Gryphon against a backdrop of clouds and sky
Flag: Light blue with a white, stylized wing in the center

2. Geography

Location

Western section of Lucandria

City Names

• Aerion Heights: This is the land nearest the Queen’s castle where Breezehaven’s royalty live. Duchess Kethara’s own home rests on a floating piece of land above in the shape of a spire- hence the name. They live plush lives with the electrical advancements they have created- lights, refrigeration, running water, etc. Anything you could possibly need can be found here: schools, hospitals, parks, restaurants, cafes, and even an inventors guild.

• Gale’s Rest: Unless born into nobility or rising through the ranks through marriage or the Queen lottery, most of Breezehaven’s Mikas live here. Those of higher magic affinity live closer to the water nearer to the Royalty with those of lower affinity back towards The Wilds. A road and their own electrical advancements keep them separated from the Wildkin. They don’t have nearly as much as Aerion Heights, but they do have refrigerators, lights for the evenings, and running water.

Town Names

• Tempest Hollow: This village houses those Fae who work at The Landing that are not of the royal clan. They have some of the similar electrical advancements of Gale’s Rest, but just located closer to work for convenience. Again, only those who work at The Landing live here unless providing something necessary to the town.

• Windfall Village: This village houses those Mika who work with the windmills. Due to the constant amount of wind in this area, the town has been surrounded in a special ‘calm’ bubble the keeps only a gentle breeze blowing through the Village. Again, only those who work with the windmills live here unless providing something necessary to the town.

The Wilds: This area of untamed space is where most Wildkin are found. Without magic abilities they were forced to the outskirts and handle a lot of the manual labor for the Breezehaven Duchy. Though they aren’t enslaved, the Mikas are incredibly prejudiced against them.

Major Land Features

• Sky Gardens: Floating gardens suspended by air magic. Some focus on flowers while others grow cloud fruit & sky herbs.

• The Landing: Airship production shop & major landing port for the Breezehaven Duchy

• Windward Market: An aerial market where most of the trading happens. You can find Breezehaven’s special cloud fruit & sky herbs here.

• Windy Plains: Open, breezy areas perfect for windmills & electricity production.

• Sky Library: An aerial library holding most of Breezehaven’s knowledge.

• Celestial Observatory: A center for the sciences. Their main research is on the void space around them and how to reconnect with Telrunya- the ancient home of their ancestors.

• The Roost: Breeding grounds for the Harpies.

• Whispering Woods: When the breeze runs through the trees it almost sounds like a whisper of the air element itself.

Climate

General Climate: Mild and breezy with frequent clear skies. The Windy Plains see a decent amount of continuous airflow making it not the best place to live, but incredible for their windmills!

Seasons: Subtle seasonal changes with a consistent light breeze year-round. Thanks to the breeze, they never have to worry about a bad day out. Just watch out for the rainy season, some times the wind gets so powerful you can see the drops running sideways.

3. Economy

Primary Industries

• Weather Control: Providing weather where necessary for all the Duchies

• Cloud Farming: Cultivation of rare herbs and fruits that grow in the sky

• Airship Crafting: Building and maintaining airships for transport and trade

• Wind Energy: Harnessing wind power for energy and various applications

• Air Mana Stones: Imbues the stones with wind energy creating a sort of 'electricity' magic within them.

Major Exports

• Cloud fruits

• Sky herbs

• Airships

• Electricity / Wind energy via air mana stones

Major Imports

• Food

• Metals/gemstones/marble

• Aquatic products

• Enchanted items

• Mana stones

Currency

Celestial Crown

Trade Routes

• Air Routes: Extensive network of airship routes connecting Breezehaven with other duchies

• Internal: Internal trade routes are run by electric carts

• Trade Partners: All duchies, with a focus on exchanging unique goods like wind energy and sky-grown produce

4. Society and Culture

Population

• Total Population: Approximately 400,000

• Major Ethnic Groups: Mikas, Harpies, other Wildkin

• Languages Spoken: Ancient Miaki “Lucandrian”, Air dialect which almost sounds like singing.

Religion

• Dominant Religion: Aether or Magic itself is the greatest element, but many Worship the Wind Element

Education

Literacy Rate: High for Mikas; Wildkin is questionable; Aerion Heights and Gale’s Rest are outfitted with multiple schools to educate the Mika children. Once their formal education is complete, they can choose to start their work or go for further education. There is a number of schools within Breezehaven’s borders or they can be sent to Apión.
Major Universities: • Celestial Institute of Aeronautics: For those interested in airships- building them, how they fly, etc. They’re always looking for a new way to reinvent them.; • Windharp Conservatory of Music: For those musically inclined. The Windharp Concert Hall runs this college, picking the elite to join their orchestras.; • Lumina Institute of Discovery: This institution is focused on the sciences. Many notable Mikas who went on to work for the Celestial Observatory graduated from here.

Cultural Heritage:

Festivals: • Sky Fair: Celebrating the freedom of flight and wind magic. This is the largest festival with presentations from The Landing, Celestial Observatory, and others showcasing some of the newest developments. The Windharp Concert Hall always has special outdoor shows with new musical scores. There is always lovely wind magic themed dishes to try with rows and rows of food vendors. It’s an event no one is willing to miss!; • Wind Dance Festival: A yearly festival put on by the Windharp Concert Hall that dives into Breezehaven’s past with traditional dances performed on floating platforms. A must see for the lovers of music and dance.; • Cloud Harvesting: The seasonal cloud fruit and sky herb harvest season brings many from all over Breezehaven. Every Mika meets in the gardens and are given a basket to collect as much as they can carry. Making it a great event for all ages.

Traditional Music/Dance

• Wind harp music

• Aerial acrobatics

• Sky dances

Cuisine

Most every day dishes are light on the stomach, but always oddly fulfilling despite it. Clean and light. Some of the local favorites are:

• Cloud fruits

• Sky herbs

• Light and airy pastries

• Wind-spun candies

Art and Architecture

Elegant, airy structures that blend with the sky; sculptures that move with the wind. They are particularly lovers of music even to the point their speaking dialect is almost song like.

5. Governance and Law

Government Type

• Monarchy/Feudal System: Duchy under the rule of Duchess Kethara

• Administrative Divisions: Those under Duchess Kethara are named royalty: Marquess / Marchioness, Viscount / Viscountess, & Baron / Baronness. These titles are given to Pae in high stations of work such as the head of The Landing production, Windharp Concert Hall, etc.

Legal System:

Common Laws: Don’t kill anyone, don’t steal, don’t damage others property, don’t destroy the land that supports us. Basically be a good pae. There is also a protection of airspace and weather. You do something to ruin the air quality you can be seeing some penalties.

Notable Laws and Regulations: Strict guidelines on airship construction and wind energy/electricity use (except for the royals).

Judicial System: Court system overseen by the Duchess’s chosen judges. She has the final say in every court case, but the judges handle the proceedings and information gathering for her to make a sound judgement on the case.

Military

• The Storm Guard: A police force found throughout the Duchy. They are highly trained individuals tasked with keeping the peace.

• The Skyward Guard: Duchess Kethara’s personal guard. There is a constant rotation of Skyward Guards around her as well as her home in the Skyspire.

Alliances and Rivalries

• Allies: Generally neutral with strong trade relations with all duchies.

• Rivals: Occasional disputes with the others over airspace boundaries and needed weather patterns.

• Playful Rivalry: Fire. It is not known how the tradition started, but any time one of them visit’s the other’s personal suite an item of value goes missing. At the end of the year they have a get together where they return the items and tell stories on how they did it. Biggest item wins.

6. History

Founding

Established when Lucandria named the first Dukes and Duchesses to rule the land and the Miakis who had come over with them. Breezehaven was given their portion of land due to the high winds in order to keep the balance of the wind element.

Major Historical Events

• The Great Flight: The first successful airship flight.

• The Skyward Expansion: Exploration and settlement of floating islands and sky gardens.

Notable Historical Figures:

• Duchess Sinnclair: The first Duchess of Breezehaven and its founder.

• Duchess Kethara: Current ruler, known for her wisdom and mastery of wind magic

• Lord Winchester: The creator of the airship.

• Lady Aeliana: Famous explorer and pioneer of airship travel.

Historical Conflicts:

• The setting up of weather patterns that worked for all Duchies. It was an incredibly tense debate as it could put one’s landscape ahead of the other. Providing some Duchies with more growth where another could lose out.

• Convincing the other Duchies that the use of airships was an advancement and not a death sentence. Because it was such a leap in the sciences, there was skepticism that it would actually work for them.

7. Infrastructure

Transportation

• Roads: Limited; mostly pathways connecting key areas. Most fly anyways.

• Bridges: Suspension bridges linking Breezehaven to the other Duchies. Simple bridges over waterways. All this for the transportation of goods when unable to use the airships.

• Ports: Sky & land docks for airships both on floating island and the main lands themselves. A water dock for water based transportation and trade.

• Other Means of Transportation: Electric railways within Breezehaven to make trade within its borders easier and faster.

Public Services:

• Healthcare: Clinics and hospitals are found in all major cities. At times a mobile clinic is sent to the Wilds to keep their labor force healthy.

• Education: Private tutors and schools are available to those in Aerion Heights while a series of public schools are available in Gale’s Rest for all Mikas.

• Security: Storm guards patrolling key areas in Gale’s Rest with some prominent homes and businesses equipped with alarm systems.

Communication:

• Postal System: Network of sky couriers and messenger birds

• Telecommunications: Wind-echo communication devices

8. Notable Landmarks

Castles/Palaces

• Skyspire: A magnificent palace floating among the clouds. Duchess Kethara resides here.

Monuments

• Statue of the Wind Element: A grand statue honoring the elemental spirits of air located in the main plaza of Gale’s Rest as well as a larger and more grand version in Aerion Height’s plaza.

• Multiple monuments to past Dukes and Duchesses reside in the sky gardens to fancy them up a bit.

• A monument to Lord Winchester is found at the entrance to The Landing to honor the father of flight.

Natural Wonders

• Windy Plains: Popular for recreational activities like kite flying and wind surfing

• Whispering Woods: The thick woods where the Lycan clan reside- it is said you can hear the whispers of the wind element if you listen close enough. The woods also take on an ethereal glow every full moon.

Museums

• Museum of Sky Sciences: Exhibits on aeronautics, weather manipulation, and wind magic located in the guest area of The Landing.

• Breeze Serenade Museum: A small museum in the Windharp Concert Hall showcasing instruments of old and some of the prominent figures in music development in Breezehaven.

Other Points of Interest

• Sky Gardens: Beautiful, floating gardens. Multiples of these dot the air above Breezehaven. Some are covered in flowers others in harvest-able plants.

9. Miscellaneous

Local Legends and Myths

• The Sky Spirits: Mythical beings said to protect the airspace and guide lost travelers.

• The Drought: A legend said to be the consequence of poor management of the weather system causing many Mikas to be suspicious of the other Duchy’s useage.

• The Transformation: It is said that if you visit the Whispering Woods during the full moon when its at its brightest glow you’ll find yourself transformed into a Lycan. Children are often told this story to keep them away from the woods.

Recent Developments

• Advancements in Airship Technology: New designs making air travel safer and more efficient

10. Breezehaven Racials

Skyborne Agility

Enhanced agility and reflexes, allowing for acrobatic feats and quick movements while flying.

Air Sense

Enhanced senses that allow them to detect changes in air pressure, wind direction, and even the presence of others by subtle disturbances in the air.

Wind Veil

Creating a protective cloak of swirling air that can obscure vision and make it harder to be hit by attacks.