Skygate Harbor
Fountain District
Eight, heavily-armed ballistae dot the Fountain District’s Hill of Taraxippus. The Hill appears to be a strangely empty spot for so much security. Besides the ballistae, there looks to be nothing but a massive circular tarp pulled tight to a series of columns along its circumference. A small wood and plaster watchtower stands over the tarp. At its base lies a wooden shrine dedicated to Telerashi, the Stormbringing Goddess. A number of workers and servants mill about before a foreman on the watchtower blows a horn. The workers begin to man the winches on the columns, retracting the tarp, and revealing an enormous cylindrical pit dug deep into the hill. Upon closer inspection, you can see that pit descends some four-hundred feet deep, with a spiral staircase cut into the edge of the pit allowing access beneath. Several aerial docks are suspended from cables and extend to meet half-a-dozen behemoths of canvas and wood—the fabled skyships of Iskendra.—Wyford of Heathmere's "A Tour of Old Palladia"
Purpose / Function
The Skygate is the only airport for docking Iskendran Airships left within Imperium control. However, few other entities have access to this rare and powerful technology. The Skygate houses the entirity of the Iskendran military's fleet of airships, totally a mere five cruisers and eight warballoons. The Skygate is heavily defended with ballistae and its workers frequently participate in air raid drills to ensure maximum discipline and tight security over this resource.
Architecture
The Skygate is essentially a large pit dug into the Hill of Taraxippus some fifty meters in diameter and some two hundred meters deep. Wooden walkways are built into the earthen walls of the pit to allow crews to gain access to various parts of the pit and to allow for incoming airships to dock and remain aloft even when tethered. A large number of ropes, pulleys, and dumbwaiters also hang from various wooden platforms to allow for crews to move cargo from the surface, down onto waiting airships—though none of these airships are used for anything other than carrying military ordinance and supplies. Much of the architecture itself has a distinct gnomish appearance, owing to the gnome POWs and enslaved scientists the Palladians used to jumpstart their flight program.
History
Built during the waning days of the Palladian Empire, the Skygate was the promise of a new chapter for the Palladians. Using technology stolen from the gnomes of Basceron, the Palladians built their own skyships and the Skygate to house them. However, as was soon discovered, the Palladians could not operate these contraptions without the aid of arcane advancements banned because of the chaos of the Sundering Arcana. Later, during a particularly bloody uprising and siege, the Emperors turned to the derelict Skygate to help them ward off the city’s impending doom. The gambit paid off, and the Emperors acknowledged the need for robust arcane defense systems. The Skygate programs were revived and soon, the Palladians took to the air once more.
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