Factions and Regions of the Aether

Factions/Regions

Though much of the Aether is uncolonized and unaffiliated, some regions are claimed by centralized powers, and others are loosely grouped together. Colored, dashed lines surround these areas on most charts, the dots within representing the islands claimed by the region.

The Free Colonies

The largest "section" of Aether, the Free Colonies refer to all land colonized by those not native to the plane but also not affiliated with a formal government or larger organization. The Free Colonies are a haven for free enterprise and trade and are often trafficked by everyone from industrial corporations to scavengers seeking to make a name for themselves. Only one universal rule governs the Free Colonies: the right to be secure in one's own property. A general distaste for murder and slavery is common but hardly universal; in the city of Dholzik and quite a few others, these things happen in the open, and the only thing guaranteed to protect anyone is the force of one's own ability to defend themselves.

Notable Cities

• Barohaven: Once a hulk, Barohaven was cleared out decades ago due to its relatively central location to the original Free Colonies. Barohaven was claimed by refugees and those with nowhere else to turn, and now it's a bustling hub of diverse communities and anyone who doesn't want to be found.
• Dholzik: Not founded by orcs, but given an Orcish name because it sounded intimidating, Dholzik is the hub for lawlessness in the Free Colonies... at least, the one that everyone knows about.
  
• Slagfall: An industrial city productive enough to leave stalactites of metal slag that hang below the city. Socially stratified; the lowest class lives a precarious life on the slag spires themselves.
  

The Nolmuth Imperium

The Nolmuth Imperium - named for their founder, a halfling named Brilim Nolmuth - is a new power that emerged within the past two or three decades. The Imperium adopted a grand strategy, theorizing that advanced technology could tame these skies, and its citizens are raised to believe that. It got its start by paying top dollar to any engineer- or scientist-for-hire in the Aether willing to sell out, and it used this knowledge to begin educating its people in the ways of science in hopes of fostering another bright young generation who could advance technology even further. Their scoutships are unique - one or two pilots, always seated - and immediately recognizable by their metal shells and arcane whirring. Despite this educated aspiration, the Imperium is opportunistic and eager to grow, seizing any chance it has to take new territory, be it by force or by the result of a particularly good business deal.

Notable Cities

• Hardsworn Isle: The center of the Imperium's ship manufactory, Hardsworn Isle houses a sizable crew of engineers and shipbuilders, all exceptionally good at their jobs and sharing relatively equitably in what meager bounty is provided by an ever-growing empire.
• Nesrir: A backwater port town that sees little care by the Imperium, Nesrir is more known for its black markets and secretive political meetings than its exceptional culture. Rumor has it that more than one Imperium wreck sent to Nesrir for scrap has found itself sold off to someone outside of the nation...

Skyline

Back in the early days of the Free Colonies, transportation was a base need that proved hard-to-fulfill. Enter the Skyline company, a guild-turned-corporation that aimed to provide exactly that: a safe means of transit and trade between islands. It started out as a single ship, quickly growing into a fleet with its own muscle and merchants. It didn't take long for Skyline to realize that a monopoly on transit and trade was rather useful for extracting capital and concentrating power. Nowadays, territory controlled by the Skyline company is considered dangerous to free pilots, and those on Skyline-owned isles will often pay dearly for a chance to escape - that is, if the company-provided propaganda hasn't convinced them that leaving Skyline control is a one-way ticket to all of the horrors of fiction-anarchy. Entering Skyline-controlled airspace requires a permit, and even those with permits often find themselves held up for bribes (or "processing fees" as they're labeled on receipts) and company-mandated changes to suit "updated standards".

Notable Cities

• Skyline City: Once known as Curratat to its indigenous population of strix, Skyline City was the largest island initially discovered upon entry to the plane of Aether by far, with lush lakes and forests covering a wide area. Nowadays, it's a terraformed, dystopian metropolis, and discontent simmers underneath the surface, especially in the remains of the strix that once called this place home.

The Liberation Army

With the colonization of the Aether, it didn't take long for aspiring autocrats and corporate overlords to begin their climb to power. A coalition of indigenous peoples and ideologically-inclined refugees and migrants from other planes came up with a solution: an invisible, silent, loosely-organized force dedicated to fighting the overreach of authority no matter its form. There's never been a Liberation Army headquarters, but representatives can be found in union leaders, working men, positions of subtle authority (such as clerical work), and anywhere else on just about any island - even some, they say, in Skyline City. Knowing that being too visible would make them easier to target, the Liberation Army began to spread from trusted friend to trusted friend, inducting more and more and even subtly taking over a few islands without anyone even noticing other than the deposed and silenced CEOs and rulers.

Liberation Army islands aren't marked on most maps. If you do find them marked, they'll be all over the place, inside several other claimed territories. The Army does its best to spread misinformation about its islands in order to quell interest; tell everyone there's plague-infested vermin at the destination and they won't want to get off the ship enough to notice that things aren't quite as they seem. Still, most working people have heard of the Liberation Army, and though some regard them as mere myth, a fair few see them as a symbol for hope, a possibility for a better future.

Tribal Lands

Certain lands are still under the control of the indigenous peoples of the Aether: those who lived on this plane before the Shattering. These are simply labeled as "Tribal Lands" on most charts, but in reality, they represent a diverse mix of peoples with varied histories, cultures, and traditions. Modern maps at least tend to list the specific tribe somewhere near the main label if the tribe is known.

Guilds and Corporations

(tbd as needed)