Uldrath (cradle)
30 and 15 miles wide, average above surface 4,456 ft
Geography
The “sky archipelago” known as Uldrath is made up of warmly-hued rock islands soaring in loose formation high above the surface. Two main Islands large enough for human habitation, Uld and Rath, are about ten miles apart with hundreds of smaller chunks of rock floating in between in an area known as the Reach, only a handful of which are large enough to be considered significant. Most of the native animal life of the archipelago consists of birds, small lizards and rodents who make their homes in tiny holes and crevasses in the rocks, feeding on insects or smaller animals.
The Gate is on one of the islets of the Reach, a flat rock less than a mile across holding a crumbled Ruin and a terminal of sorts that holds a few hundred people at a time.
The larger of the two main islands, Uld, is a ruggedly beautiful land of roughly 900 square miles, bounded by teeth-like rock ramparts stabbing upward along most of its edge and looming defensively over the pine forests and grassy meadows of its heartland. The population of about 40,000, known as the Ulda, are scattered among villages and holdfasts and live by farming and hunting small game.
Uld’s even more rugged counterpart, Rath, is approximately 10 by 25 miles wide and almost entirely comprised of dizzying towers and soaring spires of stone that create a convoluted labyrinth of steep, twisting canyons. Its only trees are found atop a few of the wider plateaus, with most plant life consisting of sparse scrubby growth capable of surviving in the rocky terrain. Its population of 20,000, called the Rathi, live clustered in towns deep in the canyons, watched over by sentinel posts built high in the canyon walls and atop tall, narrow plateaus.
People and Culture
The people of Uldrath are typically olive-skinned with natural hair colors ranging from reddish brown to dark brown to black and eyes in shades of amber, carmine, yellow, or bright green. Men average at around 5’ 9” tall, 165 pounds; women at 5’ 6”, 135 lbs. (though, the famous Uldrathan orn riders average a bit smaller).
Uldrath is the native Island of orns, a warm-blooded flying creature that could best be described as a hybrid of bird, lizard and mammal. Its overall appearance gives the impression of a giant long-necked bird. However, its beak-less snout appears far more reptilian than avian, as do its pterosaur-like wings, and instead of feathers or scales it is covered in weatherproof fur of varying colors and patterns. They are a vital part of life in the archipelago, despite their martial appearance and bearing among Uldrathi who settled on other Islands.
Prior to the opening of the Gate, the Ulda and Rathi were constantly at war, using orns to raid back and forth among the Islands. Through an initial concord brokered by the Arcanists, and many more accords, treaties, and expansions to other Islands, they have reached a state of peaceful coexistence. Though tribal friction remains, today the tensions are mostly political, and the bloodshed of the old days is a distant collective memory.
Local Authority
The Ulda were traditionally governed by a democratic nine-member council, while the Rathi ruler was known as an anax and was usually the most decorated (or most ruthless) living Rathi military commander.
The unified Uldrathan government now consists of a democratically elected nine-member council in the Uldan style, a three-member tribunal of the traditional Uldan and Rathi viziers plus a specially appointed Arcanist, and an anax chosen by an electoral body made up of the council and viziers, excluding the Arcanist. The anax’s duties are primarily to oversee the military and ensure the safety and security of Uldrath, while the council makes laws and decides policy, and the tribunal adjudicates high-level disputes and advises the council and anax on legal and magical matters.
Language
As one might expect, although there is one Uldrathan mother tongue, there are distinct Uldan and Rathi dialects and accents. Since the opening of the Gate a common dialect has emerged and become more or less ubiquitous. Older dialects still persist in more rural and isolated communities. Uldrathan is an economic language with distinctly florid pronunciation that, to non-natives, sounds pleasantly (and somewhat misleadingly) sophisticated but with a slight harshness, like a suit of armor draped in velvet.
Traverton
It is not the easiest place to visit, but it is one of the more spectacular Cradle Islands. The Traverton of Uldrath is built out on many of the islets surrounding the Gate, and connected to the Gate Isle via a series of tethered balloon gondolas in a collection known as the Concord, in honor of the agreement brokered by the Arcanists that brought lasting peace between Ulda and Rathi.
The Concord is where most travelers spend their time between Gate openings. There are habitations on both larger islands friendly to visitors and traders, and as long as one doesn’t too publicly prefer Uld over Rath or vice versa one usually gets along fine. For although there is a well-mannered and consistent peace between the two, it is evident evento outsiders that tensions still exist.
For a stiff fee, one can even get a ride on an Orn to and from the larger islands.