“Barren mountaintops does not seem hospitable to life for most, much less one that’s many thousands of meters up, where the air is thin and freezing cold all year round. Yet even in such places, life finds a way, to live, to prosper, and to thrive. People who do choose to live in such places often showed great ingenuity in their daily lives, to make the most of what little nature provided for them.” - From a lecture by Garth Wainwrought, Dean of the Levain Institute of Higher Learning, circa 688 FP.

“An ingenious solution, indeed,” praised Tal as he looked over a contraption set up over some of the root vegetable fields. The contraption itself was simple in principle, a funnel of waterproofed cloth which was enchanted to be heated. It was designed to catch snowfall - which was a near-daily occurrence so high up in the mountain - and distill clean water from it, to further supplement the city’s water supply from the natural springs.

While the soil that existed at the bottom of the crater was beyond fertile, as befit its origin as part of a long-dead volcano, other resources were relatively sparse so high up, and the local inhabitants had used ingenuity to make up for those resources they lacked instead. Many examples of which could be seen all around the city proper.

Many windmills were built higher up, near the rim of the crater, where they caught on the near-constant gale that blew and spun rapidly, the force transferred to the millstones within which were used to ground the dried corn to flour, amongst others. Similar setups were also seen with water wheels instead near the springs, set close to where they begin to flow down the mountain.

Other than the farms and ranches for sustenance and self-sufficiency, the other major industry in Highmountain City was mining. The extinct volcano the city was built on held a treasure trove of mana crystals and precious gemstones of all sorts, some of which were only ever found there and nowhere else.

The absurdly remote location of the city helped ensure that nobody had ever invaded them to attempt to wrestle the wealth it was built on, as the various avian tribes simply shared it amongst themselves and prospered together instead.

While Tal was admiring the ingenious contraptions the local used to eke out every little gift nature granted them, Cal was browsing a store - more akin to an open-air stall, as the locals rarely had fully enclosed buildings, more often than not their structures just being supports and a roof - where a therian merchant proudly displayed various cut gems and mana stones.

The gemstone Cal was looking at was cut in an elongated hexagonal shape, with facets that seemed to shimmer with different colors, ones that brought the six primary affinities to mind. The so-called sixfold gemstone was only found at Highmountain Isle, from mines atop the highest mountains, and it was one of the most prized gems in the world.

Cal looked over the gem some more, the one in her hand being cut to emphasize two facets that gave off a bright and dark glow respectively when exposed to sunlight, often considered the representative of the Life and Death affinities. Gems that emphasize those specific facets were considered good luck, often gifted by nobles to their peers who recently married, in the hopes that their ties of matrimony would endure through life and death.

As it happened, Xain’s marriage with Ying Xiao was set for autumn that year, so Cal thought it would make for a perfect gift. After a short negotiation, she ordered a trio of amulets each with one of the precious gemstones - a purchase that cost her a full platinum each - with motifs on the gold and platinum alloy they were set on.

The Emperor motif for Xain, the Empress for Layla, and the Warrior for Ying Xiao, as she felt those to be the most fitting for the circumstances. Needless to say, the merchant was quite pleased with such a large personal purchase, and promised Cal that her order would be finished in four days time, well before she planned to leave Highmountain City for the next destination.

“Souvenirs for that godson of yours?” Kino asked as she walked by while munching on a grilled corn on the cob, slathered with plenty of butter and spiced with flakes of chili pepper and salt. The party had pretty much spread out on their own to have a look over the city, each pursuing their own interests.

“Yeah, felt it fitting given that his second wedding is coming up,” replied Cal with a smile to the old unliving bard. The fact that Kino was around for the trip despite Kyara and Ashani already present as local guides meant that Cal expected another meeting with other champions yet again. “So which champions live in these regions? Other than Kyara I mean.”

“Anduinus of Mud lives over by the next island,” replied Kino with a low voice, one only really audible to Cal next to her, and only because Cal had the sharp hearing of her elven parentage. “While Dalo and Rosa live on the same Isle Kyara does. They’re the Champions of Nature.”

“Siblings like Aideen’s father and uncle?” Cal asked with some curiosity.

“Nope, a married couple,” replied Kino with a shake of her head. “They’re pretty old compared to the rest of us, but only became champions relatively recently, a couple centuries ago. Pretty nice folks, honestly. I think you’ll like them, though their pet might take some… getting used to.”

That’s good to hear,” said Cal with a smile. Her eyes happened to notice Vark and his family, chatting with a local who was grooming a massive roc, one with a wingspan that matched Lumi’s. The Ice Drake herself curiously sniffed at the roc, which also peered back with equal curiosity, while Leila and Ilena were chatting with a local youth who was in turn quite fascinated with Ida.

It seemed that no matter where one goes, pet lovers would still connect with each other almost instantly, given how they all were chatting like old friends already. Cal watched with a smile on her face as the local youth carefully pet Ida with their taloned hand-claw, while Ilena and Leila encouraged them.