Yian-Ho?

In October of last year video footage was taken of a mysterious city which appeared floating in the air over the settlements of Jiangmen and Foshan in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. The grainy footage, which appears to show tall blocky buildings floating in the sky, was posted to YouTube on the 9^th of October, accompanied by reports that hundreds, and later, thousands of witnesses had seen it. Only one of those onlookers apparently had the presence of mind to film the spectacle, since only the one piece of footage exists. Compared to the event in which an asteroid blazed across the sky in Russia the previous year and was filmed and photographed by many onlookers from many different angles and locations, this begs the question of whether or not this phenomenon is a hoax.

Apparently, the floating city was visible for only a few minutes and many locals who saw it declared that it was an instance of magic at work.

Objectively speaking, this appears to be an instance of the rare meteorological phenomenon known as the “Fata Morgana”. This is a mirage caused by temperature gradients where high strata of air are heated by the Sun while the layers beneath remain cool. The effect produces a visual distortion whereby distant objects along the horizon are refracted causing them to look as though they are closer and hovering in the air nearby. The term is Italian and is the name in that language for Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend: Italian seamen passing through the Straits of Messina named the effect, believing it to be the work of a powerful witch trying to lure them onto the rocks with visions of fantastic cities and floating castles. The effect is also believed to be the source of legends giving rise to the “Flying Dutchman”.

Looking at it through a Mythos lens however, might this have been a materialisation of the hidden city of Yian-Ho, the headquarters of the Kuen Yuin and the worldwide Cthulhu Cult? Perhaps their cloaking magicks failed them on this occasion and they were seen opening their gates, either to admit or expel visitors? Or perhaps an intrepid group of Investigators found a way to enter their hallowed halls unannounced? Either way, we should probably be on the lookout for manifestations of the Xin - avatar of Ghatanathoa - or its loathsome satellites in the immediate vicinity...