Winged ships

Winged Ships are airborne vehicles that form an essential part of the communication and trade networks in Hysal. They are large airships filled with a very light gas, called Lycen gas, which allows them to rise and float in the air. They can store a large quantity of cargo and transport dozens of passengers. Many different models exist, which can accomodate many different needs. They are a luxury mode of transportation and shipping only able to be used by the richest clients.

General Design

While the details and dimensions of the vehicle vary per model, they all have a similar built. They have a large, bulky vehicle, vaguely shaped lkke a large tube, with rounded off edge at the front and rear. Inside, an internal wooden framework made from Emandine wood, which supports and maintains the ship's shape even while not in the air. This framework is covered in a rubber-covered tarp that's fixed directly upon the wood. A total of 8 small wings are located along the ship. 2 of them are fixed upon each side of the ship, half-way along its lenght. The last 4 are around the rear end of the ship. These 4 rear wings are slightly smaller than the ones along the side and they suround a large propeller, made of bronze blades. This propeller is one of the three connected to and fueled by an internal steam engine. The other two propeller are situated bellow the side-wings. The gondola is situated below the large balloon, connected by ropes as well as metal and wooden. It is situated below the second and third quarters of the ship's lenght. It contains the piloting room, the cargo room, passenger and personel quarters and the engine room. Below the gondola, 2 pairs of retracteble skies from the landing gear which allows the ship to able to land on the ground.

Models

Winged Ships are generaly classified into three broad categor: Civillian, Merchant and Millitary. Military models are smaller, faster and slightly more maneuvrabl, but can carry much less cargo and passenger. Merchant models are made specificaly to carry large amount of cargo, and as a result, they are slow and large. In fact, they are the largest vehicle in Hysal. Civillian models are the most common of the three. They are somewhere between the military and the merchant models in terms of size and fly much faster than cargo airships but still slower than millitary airships. They carry passengers for city to city all over Arros and Enask and are considered a very luxurious mode of transport, meant for the nobility and the bourgeoisie.

Floating Devices

Inside the ship, a series of large balloons are anchored onto bronze hook, which are nailed directly onto the wooden framework. The balloon are made of cotton, covered in a thin layer of rubber, much like the tarp covered the airship's frame. Copper or bronze pipes are connected to the base of each balloons and they pump lycen gas into them. The pipe can be closed by a series of valves when the balloons reach their capacity. The gas is produced in the engine room, which also contains the steam engine. A separate engine burns Lycen crystals to create the gas. The heated gas floats up to the balloon, cooling down along the way. Gas leaks are common, especialy where the pipes enters the balloon, so Ferromage are needed to fuze the metal to the balloons themselves in a process called Ferro-fusion.

Piloting

The ship's piloting room is situated in the front section of the gondola. The steering wheel controls the angle of the stabilizers on the side and back of the ship, allowing it to turn. The propellers can be stopped form here by levers, also to help with the steering of the ship. Bells can be rang from the cockpit down into the engine room, to signal to the workers to add or release steam to control the speed and direction of the ship.

Power Generation

A steam engine is used to create steam which fuels the propellers on the side and back of the ship. The engine consumes coal to boil water inside a boiler, which creates steams.

Propulsion

Propellers

The propulsion for the ship is done by three propellers. A large propeller at the back of the ship pushes it forwards, while two smaller propeller on each side in between the two wings can help turn the ship left or right. The ship cannot back up and will instead evade by turning, going up, or accelerating. The propellers can be stopped by opening a valve along the pipe transporting the steam that will release it, depriving the propeller of "fuel". These valves can be opened from the control room from a distance, or manually opened locally.

Sails

In some older models, A pair of large sails can be hoisted up from the sides of the vessel by two large curved wooden pole. The poles turn upwards, bringing the sails up with them and deploying them like a pair of wings. In ideal conditions, this can help the ship stay on the move even if the propellers are out of commision.

Weapons & Armament

Milltary models have a special storage area in the back of the ship, under the large gas filled balloon. The floor of that room are covered in trapdoors which can be opened to reveal hoppers connected to drop chutes. These are used to drop explosives, like Milkfire. The exterior walls have slits which can allow archers and crossbowman to shoot arrows and bolts down at their target.

Armor and defense

Millitary models have large metal plates that form a thick armour stretching up about half-way along the side of the ship, protecting it from most hits from below. These plates can be made of bronze, steel or brass.

Hangars & docked vessels

Most Wingedships have a large cargo haul made to transport people and merchandise. Their Millitary variants are smaller and have their cargo dedicated to weapons and bombs. In civilian ships, the cargo storage rooms are called a passenger hall and it is generally luxurious as Winged ships are only used by the bourgeoisie. This is because of the high accessibility price and their rarety. In merchant ships, the storage rooms are loaded with merchandise like foodstuff, raw materials, letters packages and even prisoners and slaves.

Other Names: Dragoneers/Flying Drakkars/Wingedwraths

Related Technologies

• Iron Beacon

Width

From 28 to 35 meters (40 metres including stabilizer span, 60 metres including sail span)

Length

From 60 to 120 metres

Height

20 to 30 metres

Speed

Cruising speed of 25km/h Top speed of 60km/h

Complement / Crew

Around 25-50 crew members depending on the model, and which always includes 2-4 ferromages and 1 Soulbound mages

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

30 to 250 passengers, depending on the internal configuration and the type of Winged ship.

Sensors: Iron Beacons are instaled on the ships. The signals the emit can be sensed by mages on the ship, but more importantly, by mages on the ground and in other ships. Since Soulbound Mages can sense the pulse of Iron beacon, they help guide the ships to airports and away from each other in busy sky. Owning Organisation:

• Merchant Republic of Arba
• Kavasian Empire
• Kingdom of Gysia
• Kingdom of Darnia
• Kingdom of Naurcia 
• The commonwealth of Kinvalia and Paxolia