Valkrave

"Worlds can transform over time - Through the natural chaos found in the Voidsea, the evolutionary processes on the world itself, to other sentient Kinde coming in and turning it into their version of a paradise, to the Broadwave manifesting and altering everything al lover again. Valkrave has had all of these happen to it - In relatively quick succession. It's a wonder that place came out as well as they did."

A world which has been defined by constant change and transformation, the Void Island of Valkrave, located within the Cairn of Light, is a unique Runic world that demonstrates the combined impact that both a sentient Kinde, and the Broadwave alone, can have on the Voidsea, and everything within it. From random chance, to intentional re-sculpting, and finally to the whims of the Arcane, Valkrave has always been a world defined by it's ever changing state.

It is the closest world in it's Void Archipelago to orbit it's central Star, Aine's Dawn, though it used to be the second. between the Dawn and Valkrake, rests the Merkuraian Expanse, the remnants of the Void Island, Merkurai. As one of the original colonies of the Kin Kinde, it is inhabited primarily by them, but also has a large number of Argenravis, whom were a centrally important aspect of Valkravean life following the Technopocalypse. Alongside Verdrasil and Arenvar, it is one of the Core Worlds of the Cairn of Light.

As a Runic World, the Broadwave runs strong here, and has impacted the world significantly. This has lead to it's most famous feature - It's flying Island chains, and it's Argenravis Riders. Valkrave stands as one of the most unusual worlds within the Cairn of Light.

Valkrave was a founding member of both the Greater Solar Union, the Stjarna Union, and finally, the Cosmic Union, making it a vitally important world in the grand scheme of the Sky River. It has a very distinct cultural identity, which it is very proud, and fiercely protective of.

Description

Valkrave is a terrestrial Runic World. It is a terraformed world, formerly being an uninhabitable ball of fire. As a Runic World, it is particularly attuned to the Broadwave, and it has a major impact on the world's environment and ecosystem.

Floating Islands

By far, the most unique feature of Valkrave are it's floating Island chains, known as the Skylands. These islands can reach a wide variety of heights, some even occasionally reaching the edges of the atmosphere. The Islands are considered to be very beautiful, and great effort is made to maintain this beauty. Some are dedicated garden islands, while others are dedicated to urban settlement. Various Islands have been chained together, for easier transit, and the expansion of these Sky-Island settlements. Some have been chained to the surface, for any number of reasons - From the need for local city expansion, to remnants of territorial conquest from the Lost Age. Some have even been recorded as being gifted to various cities by the Skylands, as symbols of friendship, or appeasement. A few are chained to the ocean surface, but these are far rarer, due to the logistical issues of doing so.

The Broadwave appears to be responsible for this state of affairs - Research indicates that there is a constant stream of Broadwave that is responsible for maintaining the Islands airborne status, essentially carrying the land into the sky. This particular effect is very powerful, and seems to be stable. Despite this, the Cosmic Union has a research unit looking into fail-safes, to ensure that should something happen to the Broadwave, such as a Broadwave-eliminating weapon, or a hypothetical Taekni-pocolypse, the Skylands would remain safe - Or at the absolute least, allow the people enough time to evacuate.

Culture

Valkravean culture is very individual, but collective, both at the same time - Despite being active members and founders of major Spheres, coupled with egalitarian mindsets and values, Valkrave has always considered itself to have a very distinct cultural identity to those of the rest of the Cairn of Light's Core words. Many Valkraveans will take offense to being called the same as a Verdrasili, or an Arenvari.

There are three distinct groups on Valkrave, defined primarily by their main style of living:

The Groundlanders, who inhabit the surface of the Void Island.
The Waterlanders, whom make their living on the worlds oceans and river-ways,
and the Skylanders, those who live on the floating island chains.

One can be said to switch between being one for another - A Waterlander can become a Skylander, a Skylander can become a Groundlander, and a Groundlander can become a Waterlander, and so on. It is said that the Waterlanders and Groundlanders formed due to their locations during the Technopocalypse, and their need to survive based on these conditions. The Skylanders are said to have two types of people on them - Those that were on the land that rose into the skies and chose to say, and those who chose to migrate there later.

Born from the necessity of it's floating Island chains, Argenravis Riding is a central aspect of Valkravean culture - During the Lost Age, Argenravis were often the main method of transportation, and in some cases, one of the only methods of rapid transit between the Groundlands, Waterlands, and the Skylands. As such, the bond between the Kin and the Argenravis on this world is considered to be of particular closeness. It is even suggested that part of the reason Valkrave even accepted working with the rest of the Core Worlds was because Verdrasil shared a bond with their Argenravis, while Arenvar was overcoming it's internal struggles, and Verdrasil advocated aiding them in this process.

Valkrave is known for it's aero-sports - This is a trait which survived the Technopocalypse. These are distinct from Low-Gravity Sports, as Valkrave has near-standard gravity - but it does have unique terrain to make aero-sports more interesting, both to watch, and to partake in.

History

According to various data-packets, Valkrave was he first world within the Cairn of Light that the Kin successfully terraformed during the Bound Age. Failure met the Kin before success in many ways, but these were valuable lessons used to help in future terraforming projects, including the ones at Arenvar.

Originally, Valkrave was described as being the hottest Void Island within the Cairn, with an atmosphere that trapped all the heat of the Aine's Dawn, and turned slowly. Despite this, the world did see colonization efforts during the Bound Age, first by primitive research drones, and later by aerostat habitats, allowing the population to survive in a region where the environmental effects were negligible.

The primary export of the world at the time was research and scientific discovery.

Due to it's history, Valkrave's environmental and ecological history is usually divided into four segments, each corresponding to the state that the world was in during that particular time. These are referred to by the Valkraveans as "Stages".

Primordial Stage

Research has suggested that Valkrave was once a more temperate world than it would go on to become during the Fire Stage - While not akin to that of Verdrasil, it supposedly had a calmer chemical composition, which would

Following either an event, or a series of events, this environment was destroyed, leading into the Fire Stage.

Fire Stage

While early beliefs surrounding Valkrave supposed that it was an inhabitable world, it was discovered during the early Bound Age that it was actually an incredibly hostile world to life as the Kin knew it. Interest for Voidsea travel initially transferred to Arenvar, until the difficulty in transforming it into an inhabitable world became apparent. However, despite beginning at different times, both projects were undertaken simultaneously, exchanging knowledge and lessons from failure, while also engaging in a degree of competition.

It was during this era that the first aerostat habitats were introduced to Valkrave. Their success helped to leave to other similar structures, opening up a whole new avenue of colonization across the Voidsea. Similar techniques in concept, if not in practice, have been utilized in the Realmlands as well, leading to the Sky Chain.

The end of the Fire Stage came many years later, when the terraforming projects undertaken were finally successful. This included not only making the world liveable, but also importing various fauna and flora, and creating stable ecosystems. When all was said and done, many of the aerostat habitats ended up remaining, having formed something of a unique culture of their own.

Dirt Stage

Valkrave before it's terraformation during the Bound Age

The Dirt Stage comes from a term used before the Lost Age to refer to liveable Void Islands. It refers to life on Valkrave before the Technopocalypse. It became a world of major political importance. While it was part of the Greater Solar Union, and an active participant within it, it grew to develop an intense sense of self-identity, which it clung to. It was also in charge of Merkuraian Mining operations, making it the de-facto controllers of the world, which granted it a great degree of political power - Materials mined from Merkurai had become essential to the local Greater Solar Union's Voidsea Fleet, as well as for making Void Constructs.

Valkrave also became known as a hotspot for aero-sports - Sky-gliding, airship racing and the likes became staples of the world.

Runic Stage

The Runic Stage corresponds to the Lost Age, and the Technopocalypse. Like the rest of the Cosmic Tide, Valkrave underwent all the trials and tribulations of it. Most of the advanced technology that existed both on and around the world were completely destroyed. Many Aerostat habitats fell from the skies, and communications were completely disabled. Many of the void-ships, stations, and constructs that were able to survive for any length of time were abandoned for more stable environments, usually Void Islands. Any that were near Valkrave made their way there, seeking safety and security.

However, the Broadwave began to act manifest itself very strongly on Valkrave. Taekni was more pronounced there, and many mutations, effects, and changes happened rapidly. It was during the early stages of this age that the Skylands rose into the air.

This is the Stage Valkrave finds itself in to this day.