Airships

Mystical and wonderous, these vessels overflow with magical potential and can only be piloted by mages of exceptional skill. Soaring through the sky between cloud and bird, perhaps no more than a score of them are in active use above the Varolian. All capitals and some major cities have spaces for these incredible displays of artifice to land, but Olsíri alone has a shipyard for them to be maintained.

The Pioneer

Captain: Sailor
The oldest airship still in service, The Pioneer was amongst the first ever made. It is smaller and slower than most modern vessels, but ever-reliable and without frills, built as a standard penteconter with an enchanted strip of runes across the hull where the oars would typically extend from. Nowadays it never leaves Olsíri, simply taking passengers to and from the Bands above.

The Dragonfly

Captain: Theon Nátor
A small but rapid metal vessel built in the shape of its namesake, known for carrying lightweight but extremely precious cargo. It is the ship most often seen flying around The Varolian, as merchants and wealthy lords hire its captain to transport important documents and materials that they do not trust mages to teleport safely.

Bird's Eye

Captain: Eudoxus Kalnos
A simple design executed flawlessly, The Bird's Eye largely looks almost like any other large cargo ship until further inspection. Gorgeous red mahogony makes up the hull, while three enchanted silken sails catch the wind effortlessly. The great eyes painted gold at the prow of the ship are said to grant the captain an eagle's vision of the sky and land ahead, while opulent and comfortable chambers await any sailing aboard. This passenger ship has been the source of drama recently, as the previous owners are said to have bartered it, and lost, in a game of chance.

Heart of the Storm

Captain: Telekles Xanómenes
A large, whale-shaped ship with feathered "wings" that look like flippers. Is kept aloft by an imprisoned lightning elemental. Owned by the Xanómenes Family, the storm elemental was "tamed" by now-departed Storm Herald Ástrapos. Also sports the largest Arc-light Ballista in the world, with it being similarly powered by the magical being.

Evála

Captain: The Last Shadow
More famously known as The Banshee, this macabre ship was born from the mind of a brilliant mage lost to grief. Its dull white hull and tattered sails grant a ghostly appearance, while her nickname was earned by the primary means of defence; an ear-piercing shriek that can be heard for miles around, frightening off any wyvern or chimera that flies too close.
It is said the mage who designed and named the ship ended his own life during Evála's maiden flight, leading to legends of a curse that weighs heavily in the minds of all who have captained her since. As a result, The Banshee has spent the vast majority of its life within the Bands above Olsíri. In recent times, an enigmatic Lich named arrived to aid Olsíri and purchased The Banshee with a handful of priceless gems while it was there, causing quite a stir.

The Platinum Star

Captain: High Lord Asterion Kóros
The youngest, and strangest, airship in the world. Created by High Lord Asterion Kóros alongside some of the most gifted engineers to have ever graced the Rings of Olsíri, it is flown and operated with Graviturgy, a brand new field of magic spearheaded by Lord Kóros.
The outer shell can alter its gravity by will of a pilot regardless of distance, making itself lighter than air, or even set a horizontal gravity so that it "falls" sideways through the air towards a destination. The effect is localised to this shell, and the interior hull is set on a gimbal of sorts so that the passengers rarely notice the movement outside. The one main "flaw" in the construction is that the shell must be complete while the sphere is in motion - the door cannot open to allow entrance or exit until the sphere is stationary, either in the air or resting on the ground.

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Aetherships

Amongst the highest echelons of mages there are tales and whispers of the mythical Aetherships; vessels capable of ascending so far beyond the world that it becomes but the backdrop for an endless sea of stars beyond. Is it thought that there are up to three of these deific vehicles in existence, all owned by the Immortals.

Heart of The Storm