The Floating Ruins (Fwarei Archives)
A collection of ruins — fragments of ancient Canopy cities destroyed by The Great Fall — drifting in the upper layers of The Mist Sea.
The Floating Bones Left by The Great Fall
A collection of ruins where fragments of ancient Canopy cities destroyed by The Great Fall continue to drift in the upper zone of The Mist Sea. The name "Fwarei" means "floating bones" in the Root Realm's language, carrying the meaning of civilization's dead remains.
Each fragment of ruin drifts as an independent floating body, repeatedly drawing close to and separating from others as they ride mist currents like tides. Those with Aether Crystals still inside continue to faintly glow, and seen from a distance through the mist they emit blue-white light — at times resembling a starfield.
The Historical Fragments the Institute Pursues
The Great Fall Research Institute has tried to establish an investigation base here, but because the ruins' positions constantly shift and their structures are unstable, permanent facilities cannot be built. Yet partial evidence of lifestyles and technologies from that era is preserved — traces of primitive Aether Refinement furnaces and tools of lost crystal-working technologies have been discovered.
The Political Problem of Hidden Documents
The most important discovery is documents demonstrating that the predecessor organization of the Canopy Council concealed the fact of equilibrium collapse for many years. This discovery serves as the basis for current distrust of the Canopy Council, making this politically an extremely sensitive location.
Exploration of the Floating Ruins is near-impossible without "Ruin Crossers" — specialized guides. Because ruins' positions change daily, yesterday's map is useless today. Most Ruin Crossers are of mixed Shimobe descent, possessing both the ability to read Mist Sea air currents and the memory to track ruin positions. They sell this knowledge at extremely high prices.
The Sealed Chamber as a Box of Time
Within the ruins are spaces called "Sealed Chambers," where interior temperature and humidity are completely isolated from the outside. Why preservation conditions are maintained this perfectly is a mystery; it is theorized that a special arrangement of Aether Crystals automatically controls the environment. Daily items and clothing discovered inside the Sealed Chambers faithfully convey the everyday lives of Canopy people before The Great Fall, demonstrating both continuities and discontinuities with current Canopy culture.
The Mist Trading Company uses these ruins as an information "dead archive." By hiding documents they want to disappear in the ruins' Sealed Chambers, they function as safe storage beyond any government's reach.
관련 요소
- Nenoka, Holy City of the Root— A subterranean holy city in the deepest reaches of The Root Realm, where the mycelium network's core is concentrated.
- Rakuen, Sky Trade City— A commercial hub flourishing as the trade center of The Canopy Isles. Official trade with the Root Realm Federation also passes through here.
- The Canopy Isles— A cluster of floating cities kept aloft by Aether Crystals. Composed of 12 major islands and countless smaller ones. The largest island, Chuten Island, houses the parliament hall and the great library.
- The Mist Sea— A boundary layer of thick mist drifting perpetually at the midpoint between The Canopy Isles and The Root Realm.
- The Root Realm— A subterranean civilization spreading across sunless lands. Information and life force are shared through the vast mycelium network "Memory of the Earth."