hi! me and a few friends are putting together an Armour Astir Advent game and I've ended up doing a bunch more writing than I thought I would! So ig I wanna put it here? It's kind of a mess but like, it's me ofc it is
THE IMPOSSIBLE CITIES are a collection of city states that, through centuries of magical colonization and fleeing refugees from Earth, exist as a safe haven for those who embrace the use of magic in their lives. Named for a phrase used by those refugees escaping the slow encroachment of The Earth Union, the Cities are at once a magical art collective where people are free to express and create the way they see fit and a civilization living in the most inhospitable places humanity can reach. And, until recently, free from the threat of Imperial rule.
The Cities are built into many of the Moon’s craters. The high crater walls provide natural protection from the sun, while also giving ample space for farmers to till their magically created fields. Ancient spells and wards create a dome-like circle of protection, allowing for comfortable temperatures and breathable air. These require constant magical upkeep, and are generally handled by crews of contriver-mages and the Ardents they ride. The vast majority of the population are required to ensure these magics stay strong and safe. While less common, non-magical careers like merchants and cooks, entertainers and janitors exist.
In between the cities, the Lunar wastes are the inhospitable and dangerous lands all people fear their city becoming if not properly protected. The Sun scours anything that might exist in its constant light, ruining all but the most magically protected things. The only things that could possibly survive in these wastes are purely magical beings, many of which are hostile, or at least unfriendly to passersby. Inter-city travel and trade is very difficult, and requires magical ships and Astirs to accomplish. Escorts are considered a very prestigious job to have, but are often lonely. It’s hard to have a home in these tight-knit communities when you’re always on the move.
A recent discovery, there exists large networks of interconnected subterranean caverns, filled with all sorts of flora and fauna. While some of these creatures have been found to exist on small parts of the lunar surface (in the same places the cities sought refuge), they were originally thought as extant populations of ancient Earth creatures, somehow living on the Moon. While lunar biology is still considered a niche subject, many people regard the sub-lunar surface as very important.