Daily Life

“How People Actually Live in the Shattered World”

“You wake up. You work. You eat if you’re lucky. You sleep if you’re safe. You hope tomorrow is better. That’s daily life. Simple. Brutal. Real.”
—Common saying

Daily Life in the Aetherium

Overview

Daily life in the Aetherium is defined by work, survival, and stolen moments of joy. For most people, existence is a cycle of labor, basic needs, and constant awareness of dangers—the Rot, falls, starvation, violence. There are no lazy days, no guaranteed safety, no retirement plans. You work until you can’t, you survive until you don’t, and you find happiness in small things because large happiness is rare.

But life isn’t only hardship. People laugh, love, celebrate, and dream. Children play despite dangers. Families gather for meals. Friends drink in taverns. Musicians perform. Lovers meet in secret. Life continues not just because it must, but because people refuse to let the Shattering take everything. Daily life is both grinding survival and defiant joy—often simultaneously.

Typical Days by Settlement

Skyport Eos (Merchant Community)

Dawn (First glow): - Wake at constellation-light - Morning prayers (devout: 30%, quick prayer: 50%, nothing: 20%) - Breakfast: Aether-fish (dried or fresh), grain porridge, weak beer - Children: Fed, sent to work or apprenticeships

Morning (Work begins): - Docks: Loading/unloading ships (irregular schedules) - Market: Merchants set up stalls, haggling begins - Workshops: Craftsmen begin projects - Farms: Tending crops (outskirts) - Homes: Domestic work (cooking, cleaning, childcare)

Midday (Peak activity): - Brief lunch: Bread, cheese, dried fish, water - Market busiest (everyone shopping) - Docks chaotic (ships arriving/departing) - Gossip flows (news spreads) - Heat peaks (Aether luminosity maximum)

Afternoon (Work continues): - Same as morning (but everyone’s tired) - Children: Play if done with work, otherwise keep working - Elderly: Socialize, tell stories, watch children - Repairs: Fix things that broke

Evening (Social time): - Dinner: Family meal (important), stew or grilled fish, bread - Taverns: Fill up (Drifting Cloud especially) - Stories: Told and retold - Music: Spontaneous performances - Lovers: Meet in shadows - Children: Sent to bed (resist)

Night (Rest): - Most sleep (8 hours if lucky, less if worried) - Guards: Patrol (shifts) - Insomniacs: Stare at constellations, worry - Criminals: Operate (darkness provides cover)

Ironhold (Military Settlement)

Dawn (Regimented): - Wake at bell (5:30 AM, no exceptions) - Morning drill (military: mandatory, civilians: encouraged) - Breakfast: Substantial (military rations, civilian varies) - Inspection: Military only, but civilians feel watched

Morning (Productive): - Military: Training, patrols, maintenance - Foundries: Work begins (loud, hot, continuous) - Workshops: Manufacturing (weapons, tools, goods) - Administration: Guild business, paperwork

Midday (Brief rest): - Lunch: Functional (eat quickly, return to work) - Training Grounds: Demonstrations (public watches) - Market: Orderly (fixed prices, no haggling)

Afternoon (Continues): - Same as morning (efficiency valued) - Fatigue sets in (push through it) - Accidents happen (tired workers) - Production continues (forges never cool)

Evening (Controlled): - Dinner: Family or mess hall (military) - Limited social time (curfew exists) - Chapel of Forge: Evening services - Early to bed (tomorrow is same)

Night (Watched): - Sleep (6-8 hours) - Guards: Heavy patrols (security obsession) - Curfew: Enforced (violators questioned) - Resistance: Meets in secret (dangerous)

Murky Chasm (Anarchic)

Dawn (Chaotic): - Wake whenever (no schedule) - Breakfast: If you have food - Check if bridges still standing (they are, usually) - Assess threats (new ones daily)

Morning (Survival): - Work: Whatever pays (smuggling, vending, guarding) - Black Market: Opens (always busy) - Deals: Made in shadows - Violence: Occasional (resolved quickly)

Midday (Active): - Anchor Platform: Busy (meetings, deals, fights) - Abyss Bar: Opens (never actually closes) - Transactions: Money, goods, favors, secrets - Corruption: Accepted (part of life)

Afternoon (Continues): - Same as morning (no structure) - Some sleep (nocturnal lifestyle) - Some work (day jobs) - Flexibility (adapt constantly)

Evening (Social): - Common areas: Fill up - Stories: Darker than elsewhere - Drinking: Heavy (coping mechanism) - Fights: Common (entertainment and danger) - Rot-Touched: Emerge (less hidden at night)

Night (Dangerous): - Sleep: Light (one eye open) - Crime: Increases (darkness provides cover) - Deep Tangle: Active (Rot-Touched community) - Whispers: Audible (Voice Beneath)

Windmere Farms (Agricultural)

Dawn (Early): - Wake before light (farm work) - Breakfast: Substantial (need energy) - Prayers: Forge and Voyager (protect crops and workers) - To fields: Entire family

Morning (Labor): - Farming: Planting, tending, harvesting (seasonal) - Animals: If any (rare, expensive) - Maintenance: Fences, irrigation, tools - Children: Help (essential labor)

Midday (Brief rest): - Lunch: In fields (bread, cheese, water) - Rest: Short (work continues) - Heat: Manage (shade, water)

Afternoon (Continues): - More farming (until dusk) - Processing: Crops (cleaning, storing) - Repairs: Constant (tools, structures) - Exhaustion: Builds (push through)

Evening (Community): - Dinner: Large family meal (important) - Social: Neighbors visit - Stories: Elders tell (oral tradition) - Music: Simple (work songs, folk tunes) - Early to bed (exhausted)

Night (Watch): - Sleep: Deep (exhausted) - Guards: Rotate (Rot-Beast threat) - Worry: About harvest, weather, Rot - Dreams: Of better times (or nightmares)

Work by Profession

Farmers

Hours: Dawn to dusk (12-14 hours) Tasks: Planting, tending, harvesting, maintenance Seasons: Vary (but always work) Pay: Subsistence (keep what you grow) Dangers: Rot-Beasts, crop failure, weather Satisfaction: Low (hard) to high (feeding people)

Craftsmen

Hours: Sunlight-dependent (8-12 hours) Tasks: Creating, repairing, selling Skills: Years to master Pay: Variable (skill-dependent) Dangers: Injuries, economic competition Satisfaction: High (pride in craft)

Merchants

Hours: Market hours (10-12 hours) Tasks: Buying, selling, negotiating, traveling Skills: Haggling, assessment, networking Pay: Variable (luck and skill) Dangers: Theft, competition, travel risks Satisfaction: Moderate (stressful but profitable)

Pilots

Hours: Irregular (when ships fly) Tasks: Navigation, maintenance, loading/unloading Skills: Years of training Pay: Good (dangerous work) Dangers: Crashes, Rot-Beasts, storms, pirates Satisfaction: High (freedom, adventure)

Soldiers/Guards

Hours: Shifts (8-12 hours, rotating) Tasks: Patrols, training, defense, enforcement Skills: Combat, discipline Pay: Steady (reliable) Dangers: Combat, Rot-Beasts, assassination Satisfaction: Moderate (purpose but stress)

Laborers

Hours: Long (12-14 hours) Tasks: Loading, building, cleaning, whatever needed Skills: Minimal Pay: Low (subsistence) Dangers: Injuries, exploitation Satisfaction: Low (survival only)

Food and Meals

Common Foods

Staples: - Aether-fish (dried, smoked, fresh if lucky) - Sky-kelp (dried strips, soup ingredient) - Grain (bread, porridge, beer) - Root vegetables (murk-root if desperate) - Preserved meat (expensive, rare)

Preparation: - Boiling (most common) - Grilling (when fuel available) - Stews (stretch ingredients) - Drying (preservation) - Smoking (fish, meat)

Typical Meals: - Breakfast: Porridge, dried fish, weak beer - Lunch: Bread, cheese, dried kelp - Dinner: Stew or grilled fish, vegetables, bread

Feast Days: - Fresh meat (if available) - Multiple dishes - Ale or wine - Desserts (rare, precious)

Food Costs

Cheap: - Dried sky-kelp: 2 coins per kg - Grain: 5 coins per kg - Murk-root: 3 coins per kg

Moderate: - Fresh aether-fish: 10-20 coins per kg - Bread: 1 coin per loaf - Vegetables: 5-10 coins per kg

Expensive: - Fresh meat: 50-100 coins per kg - Fruit: 20-50 coins per kg - Spices: 100+ coins per small amount

Weekly Food Budget: - Poor family: 20-30 coins (subsistence) - Middle family: 50-80 coins (adequate) - Wealthy family: 200+ coins (variety, quality)

Housing

Wealthy Homes

Structure: Multi-room (4-6 rooms) Materials: Ironwood, stone, quality construction Features: Privacy, comfort, decoration Location: Best areas (secure, central) Cost: 5,000-20,000 coins (purchase) or 50-200 coins/month (rent)

Middle-Class Homes

Structure: 2-3 rooms Materials: Wood, stone, functional Features: Basic comfort, some privacy Location: Decent areas Cost: 1,000-5,000 coins (purchase) or 20-50 coins/month (rent)

Poor Housing

Structure: Single room or shared Materials: Cheap wood, salvaged materials Features: Minimal (shelter only) Location: Edges, poor districts Cost: 200-1,000 coins (purchase) or 5-20 coins/month (rent)

Desperate Conditions

Structure: Caves, ruins, temporary shelters Materials: Whatever available Features: None (survival shelter) Location: Underbelly, ruins, edges Cost: Free (but dangerous, illegal)

Clothing and Fashion

Practical Wear (Most People)

Materials: Wool, canvas, leather, sky-kelp fabric Style: Functional (pockets, durability, weather-appropriate) Colors: Natural (browns, grays, undyed) Repair: Constant (mended until unwearable) Lifespan: Years (clothes are investment)

Status Clothing (Wealthy)

Materials: Fine fabrics, dyed, imported Style: Decorative (but still practical) Colors: Bright (expensive dyes) Quality: New, well-made Statement: “I can afford this”

Work Clothes

Farmers: Tough, stained, patched Craftsmen: Aprons, protective gear Soldiers: Uniforms, armor Pilots: Leather, warm, wind-resistant Clergy: Robes (constellation-specific colors)

Cultural Variations

Bright-Folk: Practical, merchant-style Iron-Blood: Military-influenced, functional Sun-Touched: Colorful (when possible), flowing Veil-Born: Simple, often gray or white Void-Kin: Mix of everything (no distinct style yet)

Hygiene and Health

Bathing

Frequency: Weekly (water precious) Method: Communal baths (settlements) or basins (homes) Water: Cold (usually), warm (luxury) Soap: Basic (lye-based), expensive (scented)

Laundry

Frequency: Weekly or bi-weekly Method: Hand-washing (labor-intensive) Drying: Air-dry (hang on lines) Communal: Often (shared facilities)

Waste Disposal

Settlements: Outhouses, disposal chutes (over edge) Ships: Overboard (into Aether) Murk: Less organized (sanitation poor) Problems: Disease, smell, contamination

Healthcare

Access: Limited (expensive, rare) Methods: Prayer (free), herbs (cheap), physicians (expensive) Quality: Variable (prayer works sometimes, herbs rarely, physicians if skilled) Prevention: Better than cure (can’t afford cure)

Entertainment and Leisure

Functions: - Drinking (ale, weak beer, occasionally wine) - Eating (simple food) - Socializing (news, gossip, friendship) - Music (performances, sing-alongs) - Stories (entertainment and information) - Games (dice, cards, gambling)

Cost: 2-5 coins per evening

Atmosphere: Varies (rowdy, friendly, dangerous)

Examples: Drifting Cloud (Eos), Abyss Bar (Murky Chasm)

Games and Gambling

Dice: Simple, portable, universal Cards: Hand-painted decks (expensive) Board games: Rare (boards are luxury) Gambling: Common (small stakes usually) Children’s games: Tag, hide-seek, cloud-hopper catching

Music and Performance

Frequency: Regular (taverns, festivals, spontaneous) Performers: Sun-Touched (professional), locals (amateur) Instruments: Portable (flutes, drums, strings) Songs: Folk, constellation hymns, work songs, love songs Dancing: Common (festivals, celebrations)

Storytelling

Oral Tradition: Primary entertainment Types: Pre-Shattering tales, hero stories, horror, romance Tellers: Elders, Sun-Touched, anyone with good story Function: Entertainment, education, cultural preservation Participation: Audience interacts (questions, responses)

Children’s Lives

Work (Necessary)

Age 3-6: Simple tasks (fetching, watching, helping) Age 7-11: Real work (farming, errands, apprentice tasks) Age 12-14: Full labor (adult tasks) Age 15+: Adult (marriage, full work, full danger)

Hours: 4-8 hours daily (age-dependent)

Education: While working (apprenticeship model)

Play (Limited but Present)

Games: - Cloud-hopper catching (rarely succeed) - Hide and seek (dangerous near edges) - Tag, races - Dice, simple games - Imagination (free)

Toys: Rare (handmade, treasured)

Supervision: Minimal (parents working)

Dangers: Falls (leading cause of child death), Rot-Beasts, kidnapping, injury

Education

Informal: Learning by doing Apprenticeships: Age 7+ (learn trade) Clergy Schools: Some settlements (reading, writing, religion) Oral Tradition: Stories, songs, knowledge Literacy: 20% overall (higher in wealthy families)

Relationships and Romance

Courtship

Meeting: Work, taverns, festivals, chance Courting: Brief (life is short) Chaperones: Rare (post-Shattering casualness) Approval: Family input (but not required)

Marriage

Age: Young (18-22 common) Ceremony: Simple (clergy or elder officiates) Cost: Minimal (can’t afford elaborate) Purpose: Partnership (survival, children, companionship) Love: Develops (or doesn’t), but marriage happens anyway

Partnerships

Formal Marriage: Common (traditional) Informal Partnerships: Also common (practical) Polygamy: Rare but accepted (some cultures) Same-Sex: Accepted (survival matters more than tradition) Divorce: Possible (mutual agreement or abandonment)

Intimacy

Privacy: Limited (small homes, thin walls) Opportunities: Stolen moments (creativity required) Contraception: Limited (herbs, timing, luck) Children: Often result (not always planned)

Challenges of Daily Life

Constant Threats

The Rot: - Always present (background fear) - Infection risk (any exposure) - Islands falling (long-term dread) - Corruption spreading (inevitable?)

Falls: - Leading cause of death (especially children, drunk adults) - Edges must be watched (constant vigilance) - One moment of carelessness = death - No recovery (fall = gone forever)

Resource Scarcity: - Food: Never abundant - Water: Precious - Fuel: Expensive - Everything: Rationed mentally

Violence: - Crime (theft, assault, murder) - Rot-Beasts (attacks) - Accidents (injuries) - War (potential)

Periodic Crises

Storms: Damage, danger, disruption Crop Failures: Starvation risk Disease Outbreaks: Epidemics Island Instability: Earthquakes, collapses Economic: Shortages, price spikes

Personal Struggles

Illness: Common, treatment limited Injury: Frequent, often permanent Loss: Everyone loses someone Grief: Constant companion Fear: Always present (suppress it or succumb)

Moments of Joy

Despite Everything

Laughter: Still happens (dark humor common) Love: Still blooms (brief, intense) Celebration: Still occurs (festivals, weddings) Music: Still played (defiant joy) Hope: Still exists (stubborn, irrational, necessary)

Small Pleasures

Good Meal: Simple joy (when food is adequate) Safe Night: Sleep without fear (rare, precious) Child’s Laugh: Reminder of innocence Sunrise: Beauty still exists Friendship: Connection matters Achievement: Finished work, solved problem, survived day

Skyport Eos - Typical settlement
Ironhold - Military life
Murky Chasm - Anarchic life
Windmere Farms - Agricultural life
Social Structure - How society organizes
Food and Cooking - What people eat
Work and Labor - What people do

In-World Documents

A Day in the Life (Farmer’s Journal, 285 S.)

Woke before dawn. Back hurts. Always hurts.

Breakfast: Porridge. Again. Always porridge.

Fields: Planted north section. Rot-Beast tracks nearby. Worried.

Lunch: Bread, cheese. Ate in field. No time to return home.

Afternoon: More planting. Son helped. He’s getting strong. Pride mixed with sadness (he should be playing, not working).

Dinner: Family. Stew (mostly vegetables, little fish). Wife made it stretch. She’s good at that.

Evening: Too tired for tavern. Told children story instead. They fell asleep. I envied them.

Now: Writing this. Don’t know why. Tomorrow is same. Day after is same. Until harvest. Or until Rot comes. Whichever first.

But we’re alive. That’s something.

Tavern Conversation (Overheard)

“How was your day?”

“Worked. Survived. You?”

“Same. Drink?”

“Yeah. Drink.”

[That’s most conversations. Simple. Honest. Enough.]

“Daily life in the Aetherium is work, survival, and stolen moments of joy. You wake up not knowing if today is the day your island falls, if today is the day the Rot comes, if today is the day you fall off an edge. But you wake up anyway. You work anyway. You find reasons to smile anyway. Because that’s what it means to be human: refusing to let the world—even a shattered, dying world—take everything from you. We work. We survive. We laugh when we can. We love when we dare. We hope when we shouldn’t. That’s daily life. That’s enough.”
—From Life in the Aetherium by Historian Elias Stormchaser