Airship Queen Eleanor

Ship map made with DungeonFog and additional assets by Tom Cartos.

"Look up there! The ship of the queen!"
"Oooh, it's so elegant. She must be on an important mission!"

The airship Queen Eleanor is the flagship of the Royal Airship Company of Farenia with its main "harbour" in Queenshaven. It is exclusively used by Queen Eleanor Rani and by ambassadors dispatched on urgent missions and is not available to the general public. Captain of the Queen Eleanor is Titus O'Menzie, who is ably supported by Helena Naway and four airship crew.

Airship Queen Eleanor

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Construction

Three years before the first flying ship was delivered to the Royal Airship Company, members of the Gnome Workshop presented the Queen with a prototype. In that time, the gnomes have constructed five complete airships as well as a large number of engines, all of which have either blown up or been destroyed by malfunction. The sixth ship had completed construction, including two operational engines, was thoroughly tested and finally delivered as the first of three ordered ships. It was followed by a second ship that was an exact replica of the first, and then a third ship that was 30 percent larger, which arrived another six months later. The last of the three became the flagship "Queen Eleanor," which was painted in the Queen's official colours of white, light blue, and gold to symbolise her majesty.

History

2858 / 03	Presentation of the first airship prototype to Queen Eleanor.
2858-2860	Construction of four more prototypes, all of them blow up... or vanish.
2861	Founding of the Royal Airship Company of Farenia. Delivery of the first two functional airships.
2861 / 10	The Royal Airship Company connects the main cities of the Western Continent with airship routes.
2862 / 04	Delivery of of the largest airship, which is becoming Queen Eleanor's personal airship.
2862 / 05	Titus and Helena get assigned to the flagship.
2862 / 07	Queen Eleanor visits Olena Ora and Skulk by airship.
2865 / 02	Gnome Workshop engineers upgrade the Aeum engines of the flagship. A gnome disappeared during that, he is still missing.
2865 / 04	Ambassador Claudius Stoneaxe vanishes from the airship, Empire officials start an investigation (see plot hooks).

The Queen's Chambers

The Queen's Chambers, made with Talespire

Systems

Power Generation

Its two Aeum engines, which are situated in protected compartments at the bow and stern of the cargo deck, provide power for the airship's propulsion. The chambers contain a huge entry door in the centre, as well as minor access hatches a few feet away on either side in case the main door is closed or covered by something else. Everything for the gnomes revolves on security!

The large engines are positioned in the centre of the rooms, with sparks flying and lightning crackling between them and the conductors as they interact. In the event of a failure, the tiny entrance hatches in the cargo area wall can be utilised as emergency exit hatches. Because the gnomes place a high value on security!

The machines are equipped with a control panel that includes a large two-armed lever for turning them on and off, a lever for adjusting the power level, and a "do not press" button. There is another lever on the quarter deck, next to the ship's wheel, that also regulates the power level, allowing the captain to manage the ship appropriately.

Note 1: the "do not push" button has been added as additional layer of protection by the Gnome Workshop. When the button is pressed repeatedly, a floor door opens, allowing the engine to be removed from the spacecraft. You are already aware of this fact: security is paramount for the gnomes!
Note 2: After ejecting one engine, the airship will not be able to maintain its vertical posture and will begin to fall gently to the earth's surface. Depending on the present height of the ship, the crew may have enough time to guide the ship to a flat place where they may make a safe landing. Alternatively, if there is water beneath the ship, it may simply dive into it and then float like a conventional ship; the side doors on the cargo deck are sufficiently secure to prevent water from entering the ship.

Weapons & Armament

The airship is armed with two catapults, which can shoot harpoons up to 90 feet, or 60 feet when a rope is attached.

Plot Hooks

Falling like the stars - During a short mission to Skulk with a Farenian ambassador on board, said ambassador dropped off the airship into certain death. No corpse could be found, though. Due to the vanishing passenger, Titus as the captain of the airship is in trouble now, as an official investigation is underway. What happened? Was it an accident? Assassination? If the latter, who is the culprit? The dwarves because of some quarrel with Titus in the past? An overambitious competitor of the ambassador?
Lost - On closer inspection, the outlines of a gnome can be seen in the flickering lights of the stern Aeum engine. What happened here, who might this be? Someone needs to investigate and maybe rescue!
All the things - Reddit airship encounters, plot hooks and interesting landmarks, Table 1 and Table 2.

Ship Owner

Queen Eleanor Rani of Farenia

Eleanor Rani by Martina G. (Commission)

Captain

Titus O'Menzie

Titus by Martina G. (Commission)

Captain's Assistant

Helena Naway

Helena by Martina G. (Commission)

Class

Airship

Nickname

Airship One

Manufacturer

Gnome Workshop

Crew

• Helena Naway
• Titus O'Menzie

Owning Organization

Royal Airship Company of Farenia

Beam

42ft

Length

84ft

Height

draft: 14ft

Weight

40t

Speed

25 miles / hour

Complement / Crew

8 crew + 16 guards

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

the queen, 6 passengers, 10t of cargo