Aishonia

Climate and Geology:
Aishonia sits at Amaranthia's highest elevation. The entire continent is a series of floating islands that reside high above Amaranthia's sea level. The floating continent sits roughly 3 miles high at it's base. The sheer elevation of Aishonia causes the climate to be frigid. The main floating land mass, carrying three of the five large cities of Aishonia, has a small mountain range. The tallest of these mountains peaks are taller then our world's Mount Everest. This makes the tallest point on Aishonia's continent greater than 5 miles above sea level. Aishonia's climate doesn't get warm, and the variation is mostly determined by how close you are to the top of of the continent. Aishonia flies at about the same speed as clouds - about 30 to 40 miles per hour.

It takes a few days for Aishonia to entirely circle the globe of Amaranthia. The landmass is kept afloat by a sacred and ancient artifact known as Zephyr's Jewel. It is kept in Ikewa's castle, and heavily guarded by the royal family of Aishonia. It is stated the magical gem in Aishonia was gifted to the world by the ancients that populated the planet with sentient life. They ripped a chunk from the ocean, creating Amaranthia's deepest underwater trench - Risilz's Trench - in the process. The Zephyr's Jewel is a magic infused super conductor that causes the magnetic field to bend around Aishonia's floating continent, and is the only reason the city floats at all.

Being a series of floating islands, Aishonia's weather is quite unique. The only type of clouds that can reach the level in the atmosphere where Aishonia rests are cumulonimbus (thunderhead or anvil shaped) clouds. These types of clouds don't often carry rain, but have snow and ice instead. The base of Aishonia's continent is said to suck water from the atmosphere, leaving Aishonia to have something of it's own water cycle. The landmass is in constant motion which negates most of the negative effects on whatever atmosphere it happens to be passing above.

Aishonia has many ways to combat the frigid temperatures. For example, many types of endemic plant life that thrive here have developed thermogenic capabilities. These plants can generate a lot of heat, and are considered great sources of power. The citizens of Aishonia are an incredibly varied people due to the continent's frequent movement. This also allows for a lot of trade to be done. In order to avoid colliding with large mountain ranges, the Aishonian continent is known to mostly avoid tall mountain peaks, it mostly flies by them.

Life in Aishonia:
The people of Aishonia are primarily concerned with record keeping. Most of the world's historical scholars were born and bred in Aishonia. They use the mobility of the continent, and influence over the world's trade markets to learn the secrets of Amaranthia and keep records. They house these precious documents in very large libraries. Aishonia is truly a melting pot of many different cultures. The result is a people with rich heritages and a blending of food, art, and entertainment varieties that could only be achieved by a country so mobile and invested in trade.

Aishonian's are an eclectic group of individuals who value knowledge above all else. The people that flock to Aishonia are the historians and scholars of the world, who want the opportunity to visit and see everything that Amaranthia has to offer - to look from there windows upon the world and study as it passes. The Aishonian public has a large connection with spirit, and many of it's people are very powerful magic wielders because of this connection. Large temples and churches dedicated to the after realms and their gods are very common place here.

The working class is made of historians, scholars, and merchants, with a sprinkling of people who have dedicated themselves to specific trades such as jewelry making and metal working. During the rule of Schiatten over all of Amaranthia, Aishonia was crumbled. The Zephyr's Jewel keeping the beautiful floating continent in the air was stolen at the start of the war. The magic ran for a while after, as Aishonia made a rather gentle decent upon the world and came to a final resting place in the bottom of the Laharka ocean. It wasn't until Sola's return, and the relic being replaced, that Aishonia had the chance to rebuild. By this time the continent and all its mass had mostly been destroyed.

The elevation of Aishonia means that very few humans can actually live at the top of its highest elevated peaks. So of the all the countries, Aishonia has the fewest human slaves. Simply for the fact that the harsh landscape the Aishonian's call home is too much for most human bodies. Some small towns near the base of the Aishonian continent do harbor a few humans however.

Holiday's and Festivities
Aishonia as a country has several large festivals throughout the year to lift citizens spirits and celebrate different kinds of aspects of culture and life in the country.

General:
The general Economy in Aishonia is barter system with a heavy emphasis on trade. It's a capitalistic economic system but due to the level of immigrants many people forego using traditional currency all together in favor of trading goods for services and so on. The economy is driven by the people more then cooperation and favors small businesses with strong connections. It takes the right knowledge to navigate Aishonia's intricate trade routes, making the country a breeding ground for talented merchants and business people.

Trade:
Most of Aishonia's goods are brought from off continent, making the country pretty reliant on maintaining strong ties with all the countries. Aishonia has well renowned leadership in world politics in order to support the continent. They also provide invaluable trade opportunities for businessed of offshore companies. All five of Aishonia's largest cities are huge international trading hubs with different goals in each city. From large to small, Aishonia is the place to go if you want your business to succeed. This is the driving force of Aishonia's economy. Keeping a global view of things and helping the world connect with each other. The fact that Aishonia can go everywhere is the country's most valuable asset.

Currency:
Aishonian currency is not regularly used by most citizens, and tends to be for large purchases or specific purposes. That said it's still regulated and distributed to help regulate trades. Aishonia, as the large trade yard the country, doubles as a currency exchange center. Because exchange rates can be tough to determine, most people prefer to simply trade. The physical currency in Aishonia is called Prism. It's a collection of polished crystals of varying color and type. The color and size of each crystal is directly proportional to it's value. Each crystal is standardized and is shaped a little like a square coin.

Pastel colors, such as different colored quartz, are the lower tier of currency where vibrantly colored crystals are more valuable. The largest amount in one piece of Aishonian Prism is Hematite.

Endemic Life
Aishonia provides one of the most unique atmospheres for life in Amaranthia. From large to small animals and a limited variety of plants, only a few different species call this cold cloudy country home.

Trivia
-This country is the second smallest in Amaranthia only roughly 30 million people call Aishonia home with only 5 large cities.