Archelon

The Archelon is one of the largest human crafted ship to travel the crystal spheres. The Archelons were first constructed by a now long forgotten human empire over a millenia ago. Few of them have been built in the time since, with most spacefaring human empires lacking the resources to build a ship of this magnitude. Even so, Archelons constructed since the fall of their original inventors are nowhere near as sturdy as the original ones. Only five Archelons built by the original creators remain in existence today, with the S.V. Quintessence being one of them.

Appearance

Archelon by Scott Schomburg

The ships are modeled after the great sea turtles of the same name found in the deep oceans of a few worlds on the prime material plane. Although considered quite hideous by the elves of the Imperial Elven Armada, they are almost always constructed of the finest materials. Archelons are titanic vessels, and are also designed to sail on water as well.

Usage

Throughout their existence, Archelons have seen use as battleships, cargo ships, and luxury liners. They are capable of transporting more people than even some of the largest elven ships. The cargo bay of an Archelon spans several decks, and can carry a minimum of 100 tons of cargo depending on configuration.

Power Generation

The original archelons possess a device known as a quintessence engine that converts a rare substance known as quintessence into raw arcane energy. This energy is often used to enhance the ship's propulsion, but is also used to light the ship and provide heat. The quintessence engine's process does not react with the phlogiston.

Propulsion

An archelon is primarily powered by a major helm. However, an archelon with a quintessence engine can use it to channel more energy into the helm. When the helm is powered by the quintessence engine, someone without spellcasting or psionic ability can pilot the ship in a limited fashion. Due to the shape and size of an archelon, the helm must be powered (either from a spellcaster or from the quintessence engine) in order to sail on water. Without power to the helm, an archelon has limited steering capabilities and the lower three passenger decks are below the water line.

Weapons & Armament

There is no standard armament for an archelon, but some of the vessels are configured with cannon batteries and function as battleships.

Armor and defense

Most archelons do not possess armor of any kind, but their hulls are almost always made of the hardest and densest wood possible.

Hangars & docked vessels

The middle section of an archelon is large enough to accommodate smaller personal spelljamming craft, and some of them have served as carriers.

Used by

• S.V. Quintessence

Rarity

Near Unique

Width

95 ft

Length

553 ft

Height

388 ft

Weight

14500 tons

Complement / Crew

Crew: 250

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

Tonnage: 20000 NRT
Passengers: 800