Aincrad Floor Index (11→30)

[Cardinal 0]

<<Floor 30>>

Floor 30 contains the quarter of a continent now named ‘Hymn’,  trapped within Aincrad’s cylindrical walls, its coast fragmenting into pieces scattered across its Iridescent Sea. Its environment consists of edible delicacies, for almost everything in its natural environment is modelled after food: mint leaves for grass, breadstick-and-matcha palm trees, granite rock-candy — even marshmallow clouds, should one reach heights enough to eat them. All lands past the interior of the main continent are of a cold climate despite its nature’s tropical appearance, while each fractured island hosts its own localized weather.

The inhabitants of this floor are primarily of two kinds. The first, acting as NPCs who populate settlements and are friendly to players are tribal, anthropomorphic beastmen. They live in harmony with each other, of different tribes with mixed species, their furs of various vibrant colors. Despite most of them co-existing in separate, individual communities, each tribe in the archipelago is focused on playing a part in contributing to a conservationist society. This collective is referred to as the Isles. 

The second are foodkin: food-based creatures that make up the majority of the Floor’s wildlife and domesticated stock that the beastmen rear for harvest. They appear to be an animated mix of animals and dishes found in the real world, often fashioned in a pun-like manner. While many foodkin located near the coast are docile, hostile foodkin may be found as one progresses further inland. 

Given no other incident coinciding with foodkin on prior floors, there remains speculation amongst players of secrets towards Hymn’s existence; could the evolution of food or fauna have led towards the creation of foodkin? And, curiously, has anyone attempted to venture into the ocean depths?
 

Main Settlement:

<<Waveside>>

Residing on the largest island at the heart of the Iridescent Sea, Waveside is a bustling city that acts as a gathering plaza for the individualistic tribes of the Isles. What structural foundations the settlement has consists of material akin to boulders and palm lumber, allowing it to sit on the edge of the waters to support elevated buildings. More crucial facilities are housed on familiar sandy lands. Buildings here are fale, crafted out of placebos for mud, wood, thatch and stone, speculated only to be chocolate and its dessert-like substitutes given the restrictions on players interacting with landscapes.

Due to the lack of large infrastructure for visiting islanders, numerous smaller docks exist where the paths diverge into the city on bridges, while canals are constructed for others, their waterways giving passage to canoes, rowboats, rafts and sailboards that make up the majority of traffic in these districts. These vehicles ferry around customers and wares alike, most of them sporting, bartering and trading for a variety of ingredients one can find across Hymn and beyond. Despite its business, it is no difficult sight to see beastkin locked in fervent discussions across corners of the isle, over an exchange of discovered dishes and recipes alike.

Waveside’s signature purpose is for commerce and mediation within the Isles, supervised by the Rangatira and her council of advisors. Beastkin who have deviated from the monadic life, either by displacement, exile or self-interest, congregate under the branch of harmony Waveside extends to all. Tribes of notable repute may also own residency within the city for their conglomerative purposes. While not abundant, a variety of domesticated foodkin may also be seen within the settlement. 

Visiting players looking to explore Waveside will find themselves at the edge of one of their market districts close to the ocean, where the floor’s teleport plaza is located.
 

Sub-Settlements:

◉  <<The Galleyrig Outpost>>

Spoiler

Home to an assortment of artisan beastkin, the Galleyrig Outpost is a lesser known watercraft workshop on the outskirts of Hymn. Their island of a perpetually sunny climate, these skilled craftsmen take permanent residence in its only building, a towering shambled junk shack, accepting commission from local tribes and enterprising beastkin alike to the tune of a fair price, if not for its exceptionally frigid services. The flag hitched upon the roof changes daily, and the type of vessels in production are made on rotation depending on the week. While occasionally inaccessible, the top of the building sports a lookout point from which adventuring players may survey nearby waypoints.

◉  <<Umu>>

Spoiler

Better described as a nation than a tribe, Umu is located within Hymn’s inland, distant from the Isles yet still arduously connected. Trapped in the middle of a food desert, Umu stands as a monument to a lost era, when the continent was absent of its fractures both from the castle’s creation and of its islanders. Its people are of mixed races, sporting dwarfs, elves, orcs and humans among others, though primarily feature beastkin, especially composed of outcasts who did not find belonging in Waveside. 

What shelter they have put together appears to be crafted from imported material from their seaside neighbors. In turn, various shipments from Umu go out towards Waveside every so often for commerce, despite having scavenged little found worthy of keeping for themselves. While they hold little hostility towards outsiders, their hardened, stoic nature finds difficulty in welcoming new faces. It is through trial and tribulation together that one joins their pride. In this family of lost souls, all live by a shared creed of survival, holding out hope as a bastion for the land to be reunited once more.

Other Locations

◉  <<The Isles>>

Spoiler

The Isles are a loose collection of islands that reside interspersed across the Iridescent Sea. They front the continent of Hymn, with some islands connected by shoals during low tide, and others by way of tidal transport, generally composed of water vehicles. Minerals that emerge from the shallow ocean floor or are revealed from the surfaces of earthen rock formations boast uses in equipment and consumable crafts alike. 

At the heart of the Isles is a large polished carcass, stripped of meat and sinew: the one of the only few inedible remains of the floor. It acts as a local landmark to the community of beastkin that reside within this region, working in conjunction with Waveside to help orient its many residents amidst the sands.

◉  <<The Measure>>

Spoiler

Between the Isles and the inland of Hymn resides the vast expanse that is the Measure. Featuring tall mountainous spires that dare touch the skies, and exuberant fields below them roosting the floor’s most diverse and voracious ecology of foodkin, the Measure is the gauntlet for passersby travelling through towards the deep recesses of the continent. The evergreen landscape, filled with lakes, lagoon and multitudes of waterfalls speak to a world coaxed to abundance and life, even in the shadows of its morning mist. This place, like all others on the thirtieth, is populated with edible materials, most notably those of the agriculture kind, or discovered through one’s scavenging efforts.

◉  <<Iwi Paʻakai>>

Spoiler

Also known as ‘The Land of Salt and Bones’, Iwi Pa’akai is a swampy wasteland that ties the edge of the Measure to the heart of Hymn. This is also identified to be Umu’s backyard, a deserted plain full of grain and soil, the only location on this floor where the magic of edibility is capable of running dry, if not often found absent in the environment. Here, only the hardiest of foodkin survive, and have highly adapted to living in meagreness: a choice made on their own, given its neighbouring fields. Lifeforms that are only speculated to be precursors to becoming foodkin may also be found here in their loneliness, holding out for survival’s sake. Rarely, as though from a miracle, food from nearby locales will rain from above, once again populating the barely-alive wastes. 

◉  <<Suamalie Tioata>>

Spoiler

A region well known for its sweets and crystals, the mountainous region nicknamed ‘Suka’ features a rocky terrain akin to a volcanic field. Yet, as though patched up in lieu of safety for visitors, most of the hazards here aren’t environmental, but are foodkin that have gorged themselves on the land’s prize treasures: sugar. From delectable crystalized fruits and vegetables to candied apples and lollipops further in, the foodkin here bear high standards and taste, unwilling to share their treats, and are hostile to any that venture in to steal their possessions. 

The Great Lemon, sat atop a crag once speculated to have been an actual volcano, acts as a landmark to passing adventurers. Stray foodkin from the Measure or Iwi Pa’akai often end up changed from the food here, and don’t return to their locale of origin.

Transportation

In travelling across the Iridescent Sea, local residents suggest the use of sailboards for individual explorers, or boats, rafts and canoes when transporting cargo. Deeper in-land, though not many options for transportation exist, one could feasibly tame foodkin temporarily to tide themselves over to their destination, or seek experts in Umu who sell their courier services as part of their business towards outsiders. Traversing the Suka, however, is only probable on-foot or through air.

Common Mobs of Floor 30

Spoiler

While most of the monsters found on this floor are foodkin, note that some minor exceptions exist within Iwi Pa’akai.

• Susheep - A small, round delicate sheep made out of rice, that’s been rolled up in seaweed, made to look like sushi. Variants, which dictate the ratio of rice to seaweed harvest in the species include the following: Nigiri, Hosomaki, Futomaki, Uramaki.

  • Locations: The Isles, The Measure

• Woofles - Beastkin’s best friend for rearing domesticated foodkin, Woofles are loyal waffle pups that come in various shapes and sizes. They carry the faint scent of maple syrup.

  • Locations: The Isles, The Measure, Iwi Pa’akai

• Bunningo: A bunny that’s shaped like an apple slice. Its exterior is either to camouflage with the environment, or to deceive predators about its non-poisonous nature.

  • Locations: The Isles, The Measure, Iwi Pa’akai

• Dragon Fruit - A dragonling with an inner belly of white spotted with black seeds, and scales of pink and green hues. Rarer variations exist in different colors. They collect seeds as possessions, and never grow past an arm’s length.

  • Locations: The Isles, Suamalie Tiota

• Cinnabunny - A sweet cinnamon roll topped with sugar glazing that’s shaped to look like a bunny. It rolls around to escape predators when frightened.

  • Locations: The Measure, Suamalie Tiota

• Gingerbread Men - Genderless, and debatable if they should be categorized under beastkin or foodkin, these sentient creatures originate from Suamalie Tiota, and are a foot tall. Each of them carry a penchant for adventures and exploration… but only a few of them make it past the Land of Salt and Bones.

  • Locations: The Measure, Iwi Pa’akai, Suamalie Tiota

• Yenabirria: Packs of hyenas that have their limbs emerging from a taco shell. Filled with meat roasted from their body heat, the toppings and spices added to their delicacy are absorbed from the foodkin they prey on.

  • Locations: Iwi Pa’akai

• Magmato - An animate tomato that’s been crystallized by its tenancy in Suamalie Tioata. Watch out for its heavy-weight bouncing attacks!

  • Locations: Suamalie Tioata

• Jelly Drops - Gelatinous in nature, Jelly Drops are hypothesized to be caramelized foodkin after existing in Suamalie Tiota for an extended period of time without adaptation to the region. Bouncing around, they are deceptively hostile creatures, of various colors and sizes, while also featuring different elements of their original form in their jelly grasps.

  • Locations: Suamalie Tiota

• Hot Wing - Scattered across the floor are variations of chickens that resemble tropical birds, but feature fiery breaths and heightened intelligence. They are mostly spotted in scouting groups of three or four.

  • Locations: The Isles, The Measure, Iwi Paʻakai, Suamalie Tiota

• Cheese Golem - Sapient, but not sentient, these constructs are reared by the Hot Wings as guardians and mounts for their kin. They require directives to operate, but will otherwise turn hostile on nearby nibbling things.

  • Locations: The Isles, The Measure, Iwi Pa’akai, Suamalie Tiota

« Floor 30 Labyrinth »

The labyrinth is thought to be within a crystalline pyramid located in Suamalie Tioata, hidden behind the visage of The Great Lemon. Within, the hall of its interior is based on an open plan design, allowing players to observe the hierarchy of differing foodkin that lurk along its corridors and guard the pyramid’s differing entrances. Foodkin from the Isles and the Measure are found tethered near the bottom, while those spotted locally litter amongst foodkin found around Umu towards the top. 

Inscribed on the walls near the entrance of the pyramid is a beastkin script that tells a tale of its current ruling occupancy: its most reverent band of foodkin, the Hot Wings, having stolen control of the Fondue Pot of Destiny, are looking to awaken slumbering insatiable beasts underneath the land in a long-forgotten ritual.

The Labyrinth is not accessible at this time.

Quests:
Unknown.

Labyrinth: Unknown.
Boss: Unknown.