The Duchess: Ship of Fools

One of a kind, the Duchess is the rare airship that carries no cargo and has no need for moving across the continent quickly. Sometimes dubbed the "Ship of Fools" by its merry crew, the Duchess is a bard ship. It travels across the continent seemingly immune to the petty squabbles, serious wars, and even piracy that exists around it. The airship is painted in a rainbow of colors that can't help but catch the eye of anyone who might run across it, whether its docked or flying over.
The Duchess has been plying the skies above Ankaluun for generations without fail. Akin to a traveling carnival, it stops at all major ports with airship docks and has even been known to anchor in a large field outside smaller towns and villages to disembark and perform when the mood struck them. The ship is legendary and there are very few that fail to recall the first time they encountered it and its "fools."
She is currently captained by a halfling man named Wilpher who is the latest in a long line of his family to sail the ship. At least a dozen of the troupe are halflings and related in some manner to Wilpher as it is clearly a family business. The other performers on board are a motley crew of various races and backgrounds each bringing a special talent with them to delight their crowds. For bards of a certain stripe, the Duchess is the ultimate gig and one that is highly coveted. Many of the most famous bards in Ankaluun got their start on the Duchess and many of the songs and stories in their performances were directly inspired by their time amongst "the fools."
It is said that the day the Duchess no longer sails the skies over Ankaluun is the day that laughter will die. As the ship has only been recorded as traveling for the last few hundred years it seems an unlikely story, but why risk it?

Nickname

Ship of Fools