Jobs & Infrastructure

Occupations

Occupations in Ptitheros vary widely! Some jobs are part of the common variety and can be found in any large city, town, or little village, while others can be more specialized depending on the environment or kingdom. Being unemployed is also common, as many individuals prefer to live on their own in the expansive wilderness. They work for themselves to survive instead of relying on an economy.

Ptithian professions are split into "Commoner" and "Elite". Elite professions involve government, royalty, and highly important lines of work, like organization leaders. Commoner is everyone else, including those who don't perform a job at all. This simplistic grouping does not hold jobs higher than one another because all are valuable to the way of life on Ptitheros. The dirty work is appreciated and the tedious work is too. The world has to keep spinning. What matters most is that a Ptithian enjoys what they do.

Education

Primary

All cities and towns on Ptitheros have an average schoolhouse location (or multiple depending on population size) where the young children go to learn the basics of necessary subjects: including how to read, write, understand aura, and handle a tooth-and-nail fight. (This level is normal for Ptithians in small villages, off-the-grid families, farmers, or physical labor work.)

Beyond the initial schoolhouse is a step-up, called Intermediary School, where children interested in a slightly more in-depth education can go. Intermediary School focuses on simplistic mathematics, some scientific reasoning, better writing and reading levels, and some business skills. (This level is normal for Ptithians in towns, merchant families, business owners, and jobs that involve heavy reading or writing.)

Higher

Ptithians seeking to work as scientists, political members, aura studiers, researchers, and more high-end occupations must go to one of the colleges found across the world to get their wanted education. Colleges were built upon the foundation of the Ancient Archives, their information and prowess stemming straight from the powerful essence of the original archives themselves.

*College/University is used interchangeably in Ptitheros. Size of the school does not matter.

University of Mau - Found in the heart of Sequelliyphs city, capital of Sequ'Manko. The college was built into a region of massive jungle trees, its halls and libraries dug deep into the trunks and archive caverns below. Bridges linked up the college through both the canopy and near the ground. It was the renowned college for want-to-be scientists of all types. Renovations are slowly being worked on to fully reopen it. A lot of it was burned during The Raining Fire. Part of the college is open to the public, especially its library. It is currently hiring professors of all types and permitting students from all over to help bring life to the desolate halls once again.

University of Haboob - Found on the outer edge of the Stilted City, Tucruitora. The college is built into the same mesa cliff sides and boulders as the city it calls home. Most of the college is underground and connected directly to the archives farther below it. It is renowned as the college for those interested in politics and rules, those wanting to become diplomats and more.

University of Wolven - Found in Kilaan, Psollo. The college is a wide-spread campus-based location made up of multiple wooden buildings all perpetually covered in snow. A winter wonderland full of cozy fireplaces and big libraries with lounges. Like every other Ptitheros college, it too has immediate access to the archives, as its central building (a tall bell tower) burrows deep through the ice and into the underground. It is renowned as the college for the average-mind. No prowess but no compromise, only a desire to learn and relax to prepare for the future.

University of Neamore - Found in Steam City, Neamore has a large clock tower as its centerpiece, adorned with intricate gears and cogs churning away steadily. The campus is condensed and organized, highlights of copper and brass all throughout its elaborate Victorian-esce architecture. Its best known for its widespread mix of academic subjects and latest use of technology. The classics, foundations for the new world like literature, mathematics, and philosophy are important, but students of Neamore tend to focus on engineering and difficult fields of thought. Prized inventors come from Neamore. Automatons are common on campus, as assistants, librarians, cleaners, etc. Unlike most universities, Neamore does not have direct access to the Archives, but it substitutes this with connection to the Spiral Library.

Transportation

Roads

Flight has never been a suitable option for transporting heavy cargo, so developments in ground transportation relied on the construction of paths, trails, and roads. Roads help connect settlements together, create safe passageways for merchants and messengers, and initiate the exchange of ideas and culture. Well-traveled roads may be built from bricks, cobbled, or simply be dirt with outlined edges. Flight roads have also been developed to help guide those traveling by air. Tall flags planted across the kingdom with bright, reflective colors. Their colors help the flier determine which direction a certain main city is.

Mail System

Ptitheros has an advanced mail system. Every settlement has a post office, the larger the place the more offices and workers handling the mail and packages coming in. Items are transported via private messengers, snapp transporters, flight, train, even blimps. With the invention of the Sigil Network, “aura-digital” letters (like emails) can now be sent, along with documents and files.

Methods

Mount Companions - Despite Ptithians being very strong, able-bodied, and often flight-capable creatures, even they prefer to use the might of other animals to lessen their burdens. Many different creatures have been domesticated to some capacity over the years, but some have been assigned a common role known as Mount Companions. These companions are able to be ridden and usually can carry some cargo with them. Mount companions include brirsters, chisliers, snapps, karkadanns, and even tions if large enough ones are bred.

Snapp Taxi - Snapp Taxis are a common form of transportation across long distances. They only follow roads but can haul lots of heavy cargo and many passengers. There are different types of vehicles depending on their purpose, such as the Tempest being reserved to richer Ptithians, the Trailblazer being the typical travel type, and the Openair found more within populous places to get multiple Ptithians to and from places within a city/town. Snapp Taxis are pulled by snapps, hence their name, but can also be pulled by karkadanns and chisliers if snapps are unavailable in the area. Smaller versions pulled by tions exist in Psollo.

Ships - Ships and Boats are seafaring transportation used to transport cargo and Ptithians across the ocean or down rivers. Some boats are even designed to travel the underground rivers found in the massive caverns of the planet. They range from large ocean-traversing ships with multiple tall sails, down to sturdy river rafts. They do not have submarines or cargo ships.

Trains - Trains were a short-lived innovation in Ptitheros. Appearing only a few decades before the first proper blimp with high weight capacity was launched, trains saw the light for only a few years before becoming obsolete. A few railroads were placed in Ptitheros, mainly for cargo transportation. One remains strictly a cross-continental cargo transporter, a less efficient railroad was repurposed for passengers.Over time, in an era when blimps are easy access and even space travel is available to the middle-class Ptithian, train rides have become a novelty. A fun little excursion to view the world at a slow, grounded pace.

Trains are powered by aura, and the few found in the world have been refurbished to use the latest capsules and runes. The passenger train has become commercialized and updated for comfort but the managers ensure the train retains a sense of old days.

Smaller monorails are used within big cities as a quick transportation method. They are especially common in Wyndgale and Nox.

Blimps - Blimps were developed by the clever rubasyns of Nox because of their floating islands residence. Sending gliders down to the Fox Isle to load ships back and forth from the main islands was tedious and unnecessary, so "flying ships", also known as blimps, were created. Blimps originally used a ship hull on the bottom with a large helium balloon on top. As time went on, blimps became more advanced and can take on any purpose, such as an enclosed hull for vacations to cargohull blimps that carry a lot of imports and exports over land and sea. There are blimp harbors in every major city.

Spaceships - There are multiple kinds of spaceships. The most common are Voyagers. Voyagers are small units designed for 1-3 individuals and quick travel of immediately needed supplies. They are the top choice of space exploration. The Aurora is designed for larger units of passengers and can cross long distances quickly. They have a low storage capacity and have a greater focus on comfort and passenger amount. The Chimera is the largest. Plenty of passenger and cargo space. It brandishes a big flag of a kingdom, family, or team banner on the back to assert ownership.

Ring Routes - Built a long, long time ago, the ring routes were used to connect the planet's kingdoms before the latest transportation was a thing. These large rings shine and iridescent gold that glows slightly in the nighttime. They float high in the sky thanks to the help of multiple ancient enchanters. The routes follow along the jetstreams, but aside from the natural wind speed, their enchantment also pushes the fliers that go through them to go faster. Any flying Ptithian can make use of the ring routes.

Aura-Tearing - A mode of transportation unique to lindosts and some lindost hybrids. Aura-tearing involves tearing apart spacetime itself using extreme amounts of aura in order to create portals between locations and dimensions. Some lindosts are extra powerful and can use aura-tearing to create time portals.

Programs

Veteran

All of the kingdoms have funding for assisting those wounded or honorably discharged, paying for expenses to ensure they can continue to live their life comfortably if civilian work cannot get their needs met. There hasn't been a war in a long time, so there's no proper war veterans around (besides the time-blessed). Veteran or just a Flock warrior injured in a windiage attack (etc), it's all the same priority on health, therapy, and helping the ptithian be happy and be fulfilled.

Organizations

Sports

Ptitheros has many sports, such as flight racing, spartan events, wrestling, karkadann rodeos, spelunking, orienteering, soccer, swimming, and various others.

• Flight Racing: From flight tag, capture-the-flag-esce games, and overall racing for the fastest time. To add to aerial racing sports, magic light rings are hoisted above to serve as a track in open-air environments. These are strapped with banners and colorful ribbons by those who pass by them before racing tournaments begin to often advertise their business or name.
• Rodeos: Common in Tucruitora and Pab’Zuaan, Ptithians host big gatherings for sports that are combined into a rodeo event. Rodeos consist of dancing events, food preparation, singing, herding, animal imitations, and mounted sports such as jousting and catching aggressive karkadanns with ropes. Karkadanns and chisliers are the most commonly used. Snapps are too docile and will curl up in large screaming crowds, and brirsters have too much attitude. However, brirsters are used to corral animals who got away.
• Spartan: Like a mini-Olympics, Ptithians host an annual event to test physical durability and problem solving. These events host various sports; from obstacle courses, puzzles, strength, speed, endurance, climbing, flying, swimming, etc. This is always hosted in a different kingdom than the last.
• Gladiator: Fighters are trained fighters, it is a career path, and they battle each other or dangerous beasts for amusement. Fighters tend to have a few scrapes and bruises, but keeping them safe is key because a well-trained fighter with fame can be expensive.
• Underground fighting rings: Only found in the underground, these rings resemble the gladiator battles but without the moral compass. Commonly used for entertainment and punishment, the infamous of the underground will throw in their enemies and pit them against the strongest fighters they have. However, sometimes more jovial events are hosted, where the fighting is just for fun and to show off, but there are no rules against how much damage can be done. Death does not stop the event.
  • Monster fighting: The underground especially likes to pit giant, vicious monsters against each other. In black market hotspots, big rings for full-grown briars or enslaved soyowas can be found. Every so often, the groups get their hands on powerful ancestral recall ptithians, mokvels, and boslodons.
  • Automaton fighting: Battle bots but without any ethical standards. These fighting rings are the most popular in Nox and Braeyc, where older, cheap automatons are easier to find. Most of the time, the robots used are the soulless variety. They come out in shambles. However, some of the worst groups have no issue using the “alive” automatons and find it to be more thrilling.
• Network Challenges (Television show challenges): With the advent of videos and custom sigil channels, channels dedicated to certain genres or shows have popped up. One of these genres are challenges and games that can be broadcast to others. These are usually a bit dangerous but have monetary prizes for the winners. Lindosts have created the most popular (and most dangerous) shows on the network.

Hobbies

Certain hobbies are more popular in certain regions due to the culture or geographic resources. However, any character can have any hobby regardless of who they are or where they live.

Noxian

Acting, Antiquing, Sports betting, Bowling, Billiards , Chess, Model building

Mankian

Painting, Sugarfoe-keeping, Bonsai, Calligraphy, Canoeing, Engraving, Hammocking, Journaling, Pottery

Zuaanian

Astrology, Badminton, Candle making, Dominoes, Fishing, Jewelry making, Origami

Sollian

Board games, Bread making, Bingo, Cheese making, Golf, Hockey, Ice skating, Gymnastics

Torian

Art collecting, Ax throwing, Rock climbing, Barbecuing, Bodybuilding, Canyoneering, Kayaking, Kickboxing

Galian

Ametuer astronomy, Archery, Backpacking, Darts, Embroidery, Falconry (faellers), Glass blowing, Kite flying

Woariian

Talonmimic-keeping, Bushcraft, Foraging, Fencing, Knife making

Non-specific Popularity

Boxing, Baking, Blogging, Dancing, Raptorwatching (birdwatching), Spelunking, Collage making, Cookouts, Crafting, Crocheting, Creative writing, Camping, Drawing, Music, Tion training, Equestrianism (chisliers, karkadanns, snapps), Yoga, Film-making, Geocaching, Gardening, Hiking, Hunting, Karaoke, Knitting, Podcasts, Tattooing

Recreation

Ptitheros is home to many recreational zones and activities. From protected lands and national parks that provide hiking and natural beauty to enjoy to resorts and spas with souvenir shops to endlessly browse. The entertainment industry is also fairing well.

• Battle Arenas: thrill-seeking, fairs, festivals, contests, sports - Gladiators who train to do battle as a form of entertainment are common and bets are made as a quick money scheme. Ptithians make battling a safe and enjoyable activity. There is no killing and no major wounds, weapons are blunt or smoothed down if used, but physical fighting like wrestling is more liked by onlookers anyway. Underground arenas don't always follow these safety rules, they can be incredibly dangerous, but there is more money involved.
• Botanical Gardens: relaxation, learning - Botanical gardens are gardens with a wide range of flora, usually with their botanical names visible on labels. The purpose of a garden can vary from collecting different species, scientific research, education, preservation and more.
• Casinos: dancing, theater, music, contests - A casino is a place to gamble money. Only adults are allowed within the buildings, where card games and bets are made in hopes of leaving with double of what a dragon came in with. Gambling is a dangerous game, but popular. High-tech machines are present but most casinos put machines through a testing program to ensure they aren’t unfairly weighted.
• Scuba Diving: exploration, thrill-seeking, travel - Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems most commonly found in the tropics and sub-tropics. They're home to countless lifeforms and are one of the most bio-diverse habitats on the planet. Pab’Zuaan and Psollo coasts have some beautiful reefs and citizens opened scuba-diving businesses to take advantage of it, introducing any ptithian to the gorgeous nature just below the waves.
• Resorts: traveling, theater, music, relaxation - A resort is a large hotel-like building that resides near a heavy recreation or vacation spot. It takes advantage of ptithians needing a place to stay and not wanting to leave the area any time soon. Resorts offer restaurants, rooms, community spaces, bathhouses, greenspaces, and sometimes access to rivers or hot springs.
• Mountain Pass Hikes: hiking, exploration, thrill-seeking, spelunking, camping, cliff-jumping - These passageways are and have been incredibly important throughout history. Sometimes for war, sometimes for trade, and other times simply for the travel of ptithians. They are still used for trade travel, but have also become hotspots for hiking activities because of the beautiful views and rugged terrain they provide.
• Nightclubs: dancing, ariel-dancing, theater, music, contests - An establishment for evening entertainment, generally open until the early morning, that serves alcohol and usually food and offers patrons music, comedy acts, a floor show, or dancing.
• Public Greenspaces: hiking, traveling, camping, contests, sports, relaxation - An area of land, in a largely natural state, for the enjoyment of the public, having facilities for rest and recreation, and owned by the city. Usually called greenspaces, these areas are found all over cities as a break from any monotonous architecture. Nature is left alone here and most parks are a beautiful little display of the wider environment around the settlement. These are extremely common across Ptitheros and are well-respected and cared for.
• Public Plazas/Markets: theater, music, fairs, festivals, contests, relaxation - A plaza is a public square or open space in a city or town. Plazas within cities often sit in the middle of a shopping center or other recreational activities, a form of central hub. In smaller settlements they tend to overlap the same meaning as a public greenspace. Plazas are a great place for cities to display their wealth, as it is where the most people will pass through whether they are a citizen or just visiting. Large statues are common.
• Spas: relaxation - A spa is usually referred to as a place for wellness, where hot springs are present or such water is carried in instead. Physical wellbeing via massage, therapy, skin care, and more are provided. Spas can be visited for relaxation or health reasons.
• Theaters / Stadiums / Operas: dancing, aerial-dancing, opera, theater, music, fairs, festivals, relaxation - A building or outdoor area for housing dramatic play performances or stage entertainments such as music. These locations are also used by local areas as a place to state any important announcements.
• Museums: relaxation, learning - A place where works of art, scientific specimens, artifacts, or other objects of permanent value are kept and displayed. Every city has its own museum, but Steam City holds the largest and most esteemed collection in the world.
• Restaurants / Bakeries / Food Hotspots: music, fairs, festivals, relaxation

Combat

To have no combat or violence in a world would be ideal, but Ptitheros is not an ideal world. Weapons and technology, alongside a mix of magic channeling have been developed specifically for fighting, for hunting, for wars, and for the joy of gladiatorial tournaments.

Some kingdoms have gladiator battles, hence the gladiator arenas found in key location info. Gladiators are most common in Tucruitora, second most common is Sequ'Manko. Monster battles are also hosted. Along with wrestling and carefully monitored defensive magic battles.

Fighting has been a source of entertainment in Ptitheros for many, many years, but certain cultures approve of it more than others.

• Gladiator tournaments are events that occur on a schedule and pit strong opponents against one another in a massive coliseum for the audience to watch and enjoy. Many travelers swing by to attend these events and watch the bloodshed, merchants set up shops around the select coliseums, and small towns are grown over time around the building to take care of it and prepare for upcoming events. These towns are called tournament towns and the people there are quite wealthy due to tourists and visitors.
  • Smaller, non-commercialized gladiatorial events are hosted by underground groups. Safety is not the priority, bidding money is. Some fighters do it willingly, these are usually the strongest members of underground organizations. Those who are unwilling are usually prisoners stolen from their cells in kingdoms- big shot mages or powerful morshin mixes are the most likely to be thrown into a pit and forced to fight.
  • In Nox, there’s a tight-knit group who run an automaton fighting ring. A battle of the bots is less risky and many in the community see normal gladiator fights as primal and animalistic.
• Horror Circuses are a special event run by lindosts that function as a source of violent entertainment. It is set up like a festival. Within is a show, a dazzling array of lindosts who are talented in both showbiz and torture. Criminals from the dungeon of the city where the circus has stopped are brought in and their deaths are part of the show, providing a way for citizens to be entertained, the city to rid themselves of prisoners, and lindosts to acquire the souls they must collect. The shows are not for the weak-hearted or weak-stomached, nor are children allowed.

Weaponry

Old Age

• Swords: swords are an uncommon weapon as they are hard to use for the creatures that walk on all fours. Creatures who stand bipedally can handle swords with better accuracy and use, but creation of swords by blacksmiths are almost always custom orders. Swords can be enchanted.
• Maces: maces are the weaponry of brutes and are quite heavy. Hard to use for quad pedal creatures, maces can be used to bludgeon or drop a stronger monster as long as the wielder can pack enough force behind it. Maces are almost always custom orders. Maces can be enchanted.
• Flails: flails, smaller ones, are a common weapon carried by both soldiers, guards, and other weapon-necessary occupations. All creatures can handle flails if fitted to the right size, and they can cause deep wounds when attacked with. Flails can be enchanted.
• Battleaxes: Another brute-based weapon, battleaxes are usually only found being used in gladiator fights. They are too large and heavy to be used as a commoner weapon and blacksmiths only make them custom. Battleaxes can be enchanted.
• Bow: A weapon that takes a lot of practice to use proficiently, the bow, especially the longbow, is common on the backs of hunters and travelers, as the weapon is light and quick to draw. Bows can be enchanted.
• Spears: Spears were used a lot more in the west than the east, but after the Sequn Genocide, an event where spears were used tirelessly by the losing side, spears fell out of use because they were seen as pointless against other weapons.
• Batons: A simple household weapon to knock out intruders. Batons are easy to find and buy. Batons cannot be enchanted.
• Daggers: Daggers, small knives, are an easy to wield weapon that many smaller creatures use to defend themselves. They can be made custom and can be enchanted.

Gear Age

• Crossbow: Easy to aim, hard to load. The crossbow is a common weapon that any creature can learn to use and miniature ones are seen as a necessary weapon to have in the home in case of intruders. Many different potion-laced arrows and spikes are sold for crossbows.
• Gearlock: A gearlock is a rubasyn invention similar to a flintlock gun from the Victorian era. These weapons use pent up energy from manually twisting the gears on its side to release a sharp object at lightning speed. Simple, effective, but time consuming.

Space Age

• Evoke Ray:
• Ether Ray:
• Slipclaw: