A Brief History of Infinite Sky
Age of Seeds
Trees of the family Ciela have been known since prehistory. Cavern paintings and monument illuminations depict its shimmering seeds' unique ability to float through the air to be scattered by wind and many a culture considered them the tree of the gods or worshipped them outright as things to be mentioned in the same breath as the sun, the land, fire and gold. The king of the eponymous mythical land of Ciela, it was said, ignored the warnings of the Oracle and planted so many Jeweled Trees that his kingdom "fell upon the Void and was devoured." Many ancient cultures placed various species' of these trees at the centre of their sites and settlements, a tradition that endures to the present day in the form of the Mana Tree that stands atop Purity Peak, a powerful icon of the Oracle and one of the most recognizeable landmarks in the known world.
As cities and trade grew, the seeds of these trees gained economic and military importance. Over time, more and more plantations became established and the cultivars grafted to them bore seeds of increasing power.
When the First Emperor Cyaxares obtained the Oracle's blessing to bring order to the West, he commissioned a great army of floating chariots as well as the Pantheonic Orchard of five hundred Windwillow that would produce the seeds to maintain them. His daughter burned it all to the ground as rebels approached the capital and the dynasty crumbled around her.
During her rule, Ministrix Catalypsia planted Skyseeds when and wherever possible in her vast land holdings. Many foundational studies on the limits of Ciela cultivation come from managers of her domains. In a well known incident while entertaining Prince Urtan and several of his friends, she remarked casually that she had more seeds at her disposal than the Emperor himself and that each was so powerful that slaves could be flung to their deaths by the dozen in harvesting accidents. It was said this was when he decided he would expel Catalypsia from Parliament when he ascended to the throne, resulting in the Great Rebellion. By then, many plantations on the continent were producing seeds powerful enough to practically lift small ships rather than simply float chariots and lighten wagons, allowing the first true shipborne traders, sky pirates and aerial navies.
Age of Sail
Much of the foundation of the Age of Sail can be credited to Yuming, an eastern polymath who lived several centuries after the Empire's final collapse. He experimented with numerous cultivars selected for the size and shape of seeds, from clusters of individuals as tiny as almonds to enormous examples that could be arbitrarily shaped by encasing them in a mold as they formed. Over a period of centuries, his techniques spread to shipbuilders across the Imperial Continent and spread outward to far flung lands. In combination with the developing science of engineering, this allowed very large ships to be built that would (if properly constructed) not snap under their own weight or have the seeds break out from the hold or otherwise escape.
The Age of Sail allowed trade to thrive in the vast expanse between the floating landmasses of the world. Though still at the mercy of the winds, oversky trips that were once fraught with danger became insurably commonplace while the adventurous could roam further still. It was at this time that the educated circles and naturalists of the world learned just how immeasurable the world truly is for no edge has been found in the centuries since.