Volante – The City Above the World

“Every man has a price. Every coin has a master. Every debt must be paid.”

Volante is a city of opportunity, danger, and endless trade, a place where merchants, thieves, nobles, and warlords all come to bargain. Built upon floating mountains suspended in the sky, it never touches the earth—and neither do its rulers.

It is owned and operated by the Merchant’s Guild, a shadowy organization that controls the flow of goods, information, and even people. To some, Volante is a paradise of wealth and power. To others, it is a gilded cage, where debts last forever and freedom is an illusion.

If you seek fortune, power, or refuge from the law, Volante will welcome you—for a price.

A City of Trade and Treachery

Volante is a marvel of engineering and magic, built upon a cluster of floating islands, bound together by massive bridges, magical lifts, and skyships. It is both a marketplace and a kingdom, a haven and a trap.

The Merchant’s Guild rules here, but power shifts with every transaction, every deal, and every betrayal.

Geography & Notable Locations

The Sky Market (The Heart of Volante)

The largest marketplace in the world, where anything and everything can be bought—for the right price.

  • The Grand Auction Hall, where priceless artifacts, exotic beasts, and even people are sold.
  • The Silent Exchange, a place where secrets, contracts, and whispers are worth more than gold.
  • The Coinmaster’s Vault, a fortress of wealth, where the Merchant’s Guild keeps its most valuable assets.

The Silver Quarters (Home of the Powerful)

The mansions of the richest merchants, guildmasters, and aristocrats, built upon the highest floating islands.

  • The Council Spire, where the rulers of Volante gather to decide its future.
  • The House of Contracts, where alliances are forged, debts are settled, and betrayals are planned.
  • The Azure Garden, a breathtaking estate that only the most powerful are allowed to enter.

The Undercity (The Shadow of Volante)

A network of tunnels, secret docks, and hidden chambers, where the desperate and the dangerous thrive.

  • The Maskarran’s Hideout, home of the Guild of Thieves, who run Volante’s underworld.
  • The Broken Docks, a lawless zone where pirates, smugglers, and fugitives gather.
  • The Black Ledger, a secret archive containing every crime, betrayal, and scandal in Volante’s history.

The Edge (Where the Unlucky Fall)

Volante floats high above the world, and not everyone stays on the platforms.

  • The Fallen’s Rest, a memorial for those who “disappeared”—often pushed over the edge.
  • The Cloud Straits, a maze of floating debris and air currents, where wrecked skyships and exiles drift endlessly.
  • The Lost Chains, remnants of ancient magic that once bound Volante to the earth—now shattered.

The Merchant’s Guild – The True Power of Volante

Volante is not a kingdom—it is a business, and the Merchant’s Guild is its board of directors.

The Three Laws of Volante

  1. Gold is Power – If you have enough wealth, you can buy anything—even justice.
  2. Contracts are Sacred – Breaking a deal is worse than murder.
  3. The Guild Decides – Only the Merchant’s Guild can change the rules.

The Guild is led by the enigmatic “Coinmaster”, whose identity is unknown. Some say the Coinmaster is immortal, others claim it is a title passed down in secret.

Factions & Power Struggles

The Merchant Princes (The True Rulers)

  • The wealthiest traders, investors, and power brokers in the city.
  • They control trade routes, markets, and entire economies.
  • Some believe one of them wants to turn Volante into an empire.

The Maskarrans (The Guild of Thieves)

  • Every crime in Volante is approved—or punished—by them.
  • They control smuggling, assassinations, and information.
  • Their leader, known only as “The Sagacious Man,” has never been seen.

The Skyborn Corsairs (The Pirate Lords)

  • A rogue faction of skyship captains and air raiders, defying the Merchant’s Guild.
  • They rob trade routes, raid sky-docks, and attack floating islands.
  • Their leader is rumored to be a former noble, seeking revenge against the Guild.

The Silent Bankers (The Debt Lords)

  • They own more of Volante than anyone realizes.
  • If you owe them money, they own you—and they never forget a debt.
  • Some whisper they are more than human, bound by an ancient contract with the city itself.

Superstitions & Beliefs

  • “Gold never disappears—it only changes hands.” Wealth is eternal, even if the people who hold it are not.
  • “A broken contract is a broken life.” If you betray the Guild, you will disappear.
  • “The city listens.” Some believe Volante itself is alive—watching, judging, remembering.
  • “The Coinmaster sees all.” No one knows their face, but everyone fears their influence.
  • “Beware the floating dead.” Sometimes, the ones thrown off the edge come back.

Volante, the flying merchant city.

Sources

Image – https://www.deviantart.com/artandjoy/art/Flying-City-429861851