Beyond the Ice Wall of Antarctica; ELYSIUM - HEAVEN BOUND TO EARTH. - THE WATER, but those in the SKY, beneath the FLOATING CONTINENT.

 

HEAVEN BOUND TO EARTH

Even among those who were born and raised in the bizarre and anomalous regions of ATLAS, many have written off the first Accounts of ELYSIUM as utterly unbelievable. The explorers who discovered this land could not provide any description of its surface, its area, or its precise location, for it was all obscured by dense clouds, not of mist spread out across THE WATER, but those in the SKY, beneath the FLOATING CONTINENT.

Despite being unable to see it, the explorers were sure it was there because of the immense NATURAL constructs that hung from its underside, connecting the mysterious HEAVENLY REALM to the LANDS AND SEAS BELOW. Countless VINE-LIKE Structures pierce the CLOUDS, many of them suspended hundreds of meters in the air, with the longest of them dipping into the SEA, or merging into the terrain of the islands BENEATH. At their largest, the TETHERS OF ELYSIUM can be a frigate's length in width, composed of DENSE tangles of PLANT MATTER so massive that they barely sway in the heaviest of storms, and sturdy enough to support great numbers of ANIMALS climbing and crawling along their surfaces.

These "TETHERS" are naturally-occurring and self-reinforcing, starting as vines hanging from trees Rooted on the underside of the FLOATING CONTINENT, expanding as other parasitic plants and FUNGI grow on top of them. These form tightly bound networks of roots holding together an inner layer of soil that accrues from the decay of previous generations. As these structures increase in size, more and more animals will begin to inhabit them, many of which construct nests and produce waste which serves to further reinforce them. While HOT AIR BALOONS would be the most effective means of reaching the surface of the FLOATING CONTINENT, many aspiring adventurers are eager to climb the great tethers. Some have already made plans to take on the harrowing task, fighting a vertical battle through the clouds against an untamed jungle, so that they can be the first to touch heaven's underbelly and earn their place in the history books.