Airships

Oh, you ânes des airs, donkeys of the air, how you artfully combine the elegance of a pig with the soft gliding motion of the hawk.

— Marquis de Toledane

Humanity might not have reached the heights of the modern era if it was still confined to the many small islands that remain of Aeteria. Airships have done more than anything else to enable mankind to prosper, and are an integral part of civilisation itself.

Lighter than Air

The very nature of post-Shattering Aeteria created a profound sense of isolation that could only be overcome by creativity. While short distances between islands might be closed through bridges and crane systems, the far greater spaces that lie between various clusters of fragments seemed insurmountable. Early on, hot air balloons grew to become a popular mode of short-range transportation, and the creation of aeroplanes enabled travel to locations further afield. But it was the invention of the airship in 2700 AC that truly ushered in the modern age.

Rule the Skies

What lies behind the marvel of modern engineering that is the airship is a rather simple principle. Their most prominent feature, the vast balloon-like structure known as an envelope, is a giant gas bag. Contained either within the envelope itself or a series of cells, this gas is lighter than air and allows the airship to rise. Multiple variants exist, with most ships using either Hydrogen, Helium or Silferine.
Below that is the actual "ship", a construction used to house the cockpit, storage, crew quarters and engine room among other things. The ship can take many different forms, from blocky and unimpressive forms used by merchants to pompous designs enjoyed by a nobility known to display its wealth. Driving this mass of gas, steel and glass is a propeller system fuelled by a Tudor Steam Engine.

Devil in Detail

Airships come in many shapes and sizes, and many countries add their own variations to the base design, making classification of every type a long and arduous process. In general, people distinguish three types:

Passenger Transport

Usually the smallest among the blimps, passenger transports mostly serve the purposes of Aeterian nobility, be it a pleasure cruise, diplomatic escort or political mission. Larger variants are mostly used by Aeteria's various militaries as troop transports.

Trading Vessel

By far the largest group in terms of numbers and variation, trading vessels fill the skies of Aeteria by the thousands. From small flying shops owned by individuals to the vast freighters of nations and international companies, they help keep the world together.

Warship

As with everything, humanity has found a way to use airships in war. From bombers to scouts and carriers, there are many ways in which the giants of the skies function as deadly weapons. However, it does seem like a dead end has been reached in this field.

Within these categories, there are numerous sub-types that vary by length, capacity, speed and design. Ranging from the tiny Colette with its 110 metres length to the titanic Tartarus-Class, whose 500-metre frame darkens the sky. There is no purpose that does not have a dedicated airship type to fulfil it.

Some seem to think they aren't deadly enough already. Have you seen these designs? Putting artillery on a blimp...Pah! What are these generals smoking?!

— Maria Morrigan, Norikan Chief Engineer

Nickname

Blimps, Air Donkeys, Fat Men

Rarity

Common

Beam

11,65-75,27 metres

Length

122-523 metres

Speed

30-250 km/h

Complement / Crew

20-150

To Change the World

As grand as the invention, and eventual perfection, of the airship, was, it remains one of the big mysteries of the world. No one knows who exactly it was that first cracked the right combination of stability, weight and draft and made mankind lords of the sky. The first viable designs appeared throughout the world around 2700 AC and quickly spread. By 3100 AC, airships had become such a force behind humanity's progress that they were recognised as an era-defining invention, hailing the beginning of a new age: the Imperial Era

It just happened. That is all the history books can say about the invention of the airship.

— Douglas Orrind, Historian

Technological Limitations

For centuries, airship technology seemed to leap forward every decade. Bigger, faster, more capacity, the stream of improvements seemed endless. That was until about 200 years ago. From one day to the next, progress ceased.
Engineers and scientists pushed and wailed, but the limits of speed, weight and size just could not be overcome. Airship technology has stagnated for two centuries while the rest of the world advanced further, yet their importance has not suffered.

by Androgs