Cloud constructs

How They Work

A cloud construct is created by skilled soulsmiths, using vital aura that gathers around clouds (see madra & aura). Commonly, to power them, these constructs feed off of the user's own madra to fly on vital aura; advanced sacred artists with higher-quality madra can enable the cloud to move faster. They typically take on the appearance of a colorful cloud, in any color —- e.g., rainbow-colored for the Ninecloud Court and green for the imperials ships of the Blackflame Empire. They range in size from single-person transports to constructs large enough to carry houses, to fortresses capable of supporting entire cities.

• See also Magical Items

Thousand-Mile Clouds

“This is known as the Thousand-Mile Cloud”(Unsouled, ch 14). “Thousand-Mile Cloud" refers to a variety of smaller cloud constructs, typically ones intended for individual use. Wei Shi Lindon and Yerin used one taken from the Heaven's Glory School's Lesser Treasure Vault to escape Sacred Valley.

Out of confinement, the cloud inflated to its full size. It was round and fairly large, about three feet in diameter, and dense enough that he couldn’t see through it. It didn’t look solid enough to support solid matter, but he’d grown up with a mattress stuffed with cloud madra. He pressed on it, and it was like pushing on a pillow. It only gave to a certain point, and then it was solid. This would be their getaway. (Unsouled, ch 18)

Skysworn officers in the Blackflame Empire receive a pale green one as part of their standard arsenal. They are able to store them inside their armor, where they do not decay.

Cloudships

Larger constructs are referred to as cloudships. They bear a similar appearance to Thousand-Mile Clouds, though often possess more flight bindings than their smaller counterpart, and usually carry a permanent structure on top. Rather than being fed directly from the user, cloudships have their pilots filter madra through a control panel, funneling the madra to various bindings for them. If fueled with madra or aura not of cloud or wind aspect, these bindings will eventually decay; aura-gathering scripts are used to combat this.

Cloudships are a common method of long-distance transportation for wealthier factions such as House Arelius and the Akura clan.

Cloud Fortress, Defined

The Ninecloud Court provided a customized cloudship to winners of the first round of the 18th Uncrowned King Tournament.

A “cloud fortress” was just a type of cloudship designed for permanence rather than mobility. The Skysworn city of Stormrock was technically a cloud fortress, though on a much larger scale. Lindon thought of them as flying islands more than cloudships. Though he had spent quite a bit of time negotiating extra speed for his. (Bloodline ch 4)

Notable cloud constructs

• The headquarters of Abyssal Palace cult is a large flying pyramid with three points on top, resting on thousands of flying boulders.
• Sky's Mercy, the cloudship used by the Blackflame branch of the Arelius family
• Stormrock, floating cloud fortress, city, and headquarters of the Skysworn
• The imperial cloudship, owned by Naru Huan
• Windfall, Lindon and Yerin's joint cloud fortress, a prize from the first round of the Uncrowned King Tournament

• Bounding Gazelle -- Eithan's racer, a small speedcloud, another Uncrowned King Tournament prize
• Farm cloud -- Eithan's big cloud fortress. It flies connected with Windfall. It's another UKT prize. It has a small cabin and a huge farm with various sacred crops: The Nimblethorn root was typically used as a medicinal herb to separate types of madra before spiritual surgery. A men’hla tree was especially valuable to Soulsmiths, as each of its leaves actually produced a separate Remnant. Hammershell fruit, a prime source of force aura, a hive of ivory bees. Cloudbell bush. A spring of Whispering Water. Starlotus pond, etc.(Uncrowned ch 12)