The sweeping grasslands rustle and hiss in the breeze, the long green-brown grass almost up to your head. Idyllic countryside, overgrown fields sectioned and divided by old stone boundary walls from ages past. The seaside is not too far away, where sandy cliffs drop down to unmarked beach. There are the calls of birds and the gentle hum of bees. There is barely a sign that any fur lived on the ground at all in this gentle, rustic country.
The humming growns louder. This place seems deserted to you, but there are faint voices in the air. A distant tinkle of laughter and the drone of aero-engines. Look up. The upper classes are not lightly named. Overhead, the twin-engined pleasure zeppelin floats past, a merry picnic underway on its open-air wooden panelled observation deck. Foxes, mainly, enjoying a snack as the craft sails by, on its way no doubt to one of the gargantuan palace zeppelins, or even a manor-balloon for a fine evening of parties and dancing.
Creatures of less affluence fill the skies too. There are long, hulking cargo zeppelins, their pilots subtlely using their wind magic to take them high above civil traffic and blow them northwards, to the trading-eyries and floating stations in the air. Some go further north still, to land in airports around Kar'Nah'Kah to do trade with them. The Air Force roars overhead, a squadron of five fighter triplanes with six wings apiece, machine guns, rocket batteries and thundering propellers. Air Piracy is strictly dealt with in Exanos, given the nation's dependence upon air travel for its economy.
A yellow hot air balloon gently descends through lanes of air-traffic, having dropped straight from the colossal Grand Air District, an airborne town suspended a thousand feet above the ground by great bulging gasbags. Needless to say, 'No Smoking' and 'No Sparks' signs are a prominent feature amongst the markets, air-shipyards, hangars and factories of the sky.
"Ahoy, there!" The yellow balloon's skipper calls, "Need a lift up? Only a half-shilling!" He is a fox with flying goggles, a scarf and voluminous thick coat with large collar and cuffs with brass buttons in the Exanian fashion. There are many taxi-balloonists like him running errands between aircraft in the great airborne dance of craft in the skies.
Places to go in in Exanos:
-Map by Sade
Grand Air District - An airborne floating town, held up by enormous gasbags. Centre of industry and trade and airship building.
Whistler Sky-Palace - The seat of Exanos' government. Official residence of Madam President Hawker and her Cabinet.
Plains of Exanos - Occupied by virtually no fur important. Exanos imports most foodstuffs or grows them on floating stations, so ground farming is looked on as uneconomical, as the soil holds water very poorly.
Exanos Air Force Headquarters - a heavily armed sky-fortress where the planes and zeppelins of the nation's most powerful military arm are kept.
Serenity Cove - A pleasure-zeppelin dedicated to running a perpetual cruise for the wealthiest of citizens. Open air pools, luxury service, quality food and ludicrous pricing are all things the most aristocratic of Exanians enjoy.
Junker's Yard - A former quarry that now serves as a hulking graveyard of twisted steel and broken dreams. This is where totalled aeroplanes and zeppelins are sent after they have crashed, been stripped for scrap or just plain thrown away. It is a sad place where many a proud pilot has broken into the cold, regretful tears of a fur that has lost his plane, his livelihood, his reputation and his soul.
The Spanner and Sprocket - A working fur's air-pub. This airborne station drifts wherever industry and workers are most concentrated. It's the perfect place for a drink after a long hard day. Just don't stay too long, or it might fly off from your home and sweep you on an unexpected adventure. If you're an aristocrat... you probably won't like it here.
Class System:
Though the Exanians have a President, they are still something of a rigid society, as shown below;
The Lamplighters - Lowest class, so named for taking on dreary jobs like lighting lamps back before there was electricity. Nowadays, they work as menial dockworkers, unskilled labourers and nightwatchfurs.
The Drillers - The skilled working class, so named for their tendency to work in aircraft maintenance and building, hence 'drilling'. These furs are engineers, bartenders, industrial skilled labour and electricians.
The Skippers - A more wealthy and prominent working class, these pilots 'skipper' or pilot craft. They can work for zeppelin cargo companies, the Exanian Air Force or even buy a plane or zeppelin and run their own business. Not even the upper classes disrespect the importance of the Skippers. The only class with the ability to use air magic.
The Marshals - The aristocratic class of the Exanians, so named after the air force rank of 'Air Marshal'. A Marshal may own a business or several, attend important parties and functions, be rich and appreciate the height of Exanian art and music. Many Marshals are avid composers, musicians, artists, sculptors, actors and singers.
The Skylords - this is the very top 5% of Marshals who exceed all in wealth and power. This class includes politicians like Madam President Hawker, Zeppelin Fleet Masters who own huge fleets and companies that make them ultra-rich and Ambassadors to foreign nations like Kar'Nah'Kah, who treat this class with the highest respect.
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