Airships

An airship is the primary mode of transportation between floating islands. Despite that, sailing over the reflected sky is incredibly dangerous. Thousands of ships travel in the skies daily. Pirates, weather, and extreme inhibition are the lead causes of death in the endless skies. Should anyone fall from an airship and plunge into the reflected sea, they will be lost forever. Because of this, it is common practice to attach a harness to the airship, but seasoned sailors prefer to go without the harness.

Parts of an airship

The primary method of lift for an airship is a large cloth balloon with several smaller balloons with helium within. The reason for the multiple balloons is both stability and safety. Smaller balloons have a smaller chance to split at the seams. Several balloons mean that there is smaller risk of losing all lift and plunging into the sea. The balloon is always painted in order for the ship to be easily recognized. Colorless balloons raise suspicion and are usually stopped by any authority. Even Pirates paint their balloon.
Beneath the balloon is the hull of the ship. A ship's hull varies in appearance from ship to ship. Some captains prefer function over style, sticking to smooth, plain hulls, while others specifically design their ships hull to fit their style. A common design appears the same as the hull of a sailing ship. However, more elaborate designs are available for wealthier owners. The cheapest, simplest hull is made of wood with an open deck and a bowl-like underside which is hollow. However, most airships hulls have various upgrades. Armor, hull walls, weapons, nets, and a multitude of other upgrades that can be purchased. It is often easy to determine the type of crew on a ship by looking at their hull. Cheap armor, no walls, and weapons usually mean pirates. But a ship with a wall, expensive armor, and weaponry is likely a warship.
Every hull has several clockwork propellers. Generally, two to four propellers are common. These propellers are located at the rear of the ship, or on long arms attached to the hull. These propellers are powered by a power spring. Power springs are a gnome invention. At their core, they are a large spring which can spin for hours or even days when used carefully. A power spring is a battery for clockwork technology. To store energy into this battery it must be wound by a special machine that every ship worth its salt carries with it. Most ships have several extra power springs. These power springs can explode in a mess of shrapnel if heated too much or struck hard enough.
On the back of a hull is the sail. Sails are large cloth or tarp tails which are used to rotate the ship. This portion of the ship is connected directly to the wheel, allowing the pilot to easily move the airship. Some airships have several sails spread throughout the ship for more delicate movement, but the more complex a sail, the more it costs.

Crafting Airships

An airship is always crafted in-land. The reason for this is so it can be tested without fear of the ship falling into the reflected sky. Dozens of engineers work together to craft a single ship, something that can take anywhere from a week to several months depending on the size of the ship. Oftentimes, sculptors will be hired alongside engineers in order to make the ship as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

Sailing an airship

The pilot is arguably the most important person on the ship. They control the airship’s movement, which can be life or death. However, a pilot alone cannot move an airship. The pilot has control over the sails, which essentially allows the ship to turn left or right. Sure, skilled pilots can perform various tricks but the sails only have so much control over the ship. Another crewmember must control the complex mechanisms for gaining and lowering altitude. These two crewmembers must work in complete synchronization in order to perform complex maneuvering.
It is true that some skilled captains can both control the sails and the lift of the ship, but few ships are designed to allow this and the feat is a difficult one to perform. However, moving the ship is not the only part of sailing. One of the crew members must manage the propellers. An engineer managing the propellers can determine the speed of the ship, but a skilled engineer can help a ship turn.

The Crew of an Airship

An airship is more than the physical ship. The soul of an airship is held with the crew. There are several members of a crew. Some are more important than others, but every crew member is valuable.
The captain of the ship is certainly an important member. Every ship has one, and every ship needs one. This is the crew member who makes the difficult decisions. They lead the crew. An officer of a military vessel and a pirate captain both have the authority on the ship. The only force with more authority on an airship than the captain is the combined decision of the majority crew. After all, a captain is simply a man and mutinies are not uncommon.
Directly below the Captain is the First Mate. They handle most day to day operations and take the role of captain should the old one be killed.
The pilot is a crew member with the know-how and experience to control the ship’s movement. A typical pilot follows the captain's orders, but oftentimes the captain and pilot take the same role on smaller ships.
An engineer is an important, and necessary, member, of the crew. Ideally, a minimum of two engineers is required for an efficient ship. One to control the propellers and another to control the lift of the vessel. Engineers have a deep understanding of the ship and how it functions.
One important but dangerous job a crew member can have is called the monkey. The monkey has an important role on the ship. This crew member is the dedicated poor soul who repairs any damage to the balloon. This job has a high risk of death and is reserved for those with the highest athletic ability. Crueler captains give this job to their least favorite crew member.
The ships cook is an expert of making a small amount of food and water last a long time. They keep the crew fed, which in turn keeps up their morale.
Surgeons are another important crew member. They keep the crew in ship shape. Should the crew become sick, wounded, or even need someone to talk to, the surgeon is the man to talk to.
A crew member that is usually only applicable to pirates and smugglers is the Painter. Painters are artists whose job it is to repaint the balloon to match any ship they are trying to pretend to be. This is handy for sneaking through enemy territory.

Types of Airships

There are many variations to the airship theme, the following are a few examples but more are being built every day.

Personal Wing

This is the smallest of the airships. So small, it only has enough room for one crew member. A pilot. This is not so much a ship as it is a lifeboat. It is usually crafted from a light metal or wood and has no balloon. Instead, these machines have wings and a forward facing propeller. A Personal Wing is fast and agile. It can fly circles around other ships. This makes them a useful tool for war.
Unfortunately, these ships can only stay airborne for about two hours until it plummets to the reflected sky. Clever pilots have several Power Springs handy to extend their flight. As a general rule, a pilot can fly as long as they stay awake. Rest means death in these machines.

Cruise Ship

A cruise ship is a massive slow vessel which drifts through the sky. These ships are used mostly for recreational purposes. People would purchase tickets to stay on the cruise ship as a vacation. Luxury food and drink would be served, live performances and other relaxing activities are held there. A single cruise ship can house around 3000 people.

Fortress

A fortress is essentially a cruise ship that has been outfitted for war. They are also designed in such a way to allow for other ships to dock with it. Fortresses are held by military forces as a form of a mobile base of operations. Pirates occasionally take a fortress for their own, which is a major threat for any piece of sky they are in.

Bird Catcher

A Bird Catcher is a ship with a large cage on its back and ballista that launch nets. Bird Catchers are usually used to follow flocks of birds, and collect them. This is done for food, research, and sometimes for sport. Bird Catchers outfitted with a ballista that launches harpoons are called Roc Catchers and are considered illegal.

Merchant Vessel

This is likely the most basic of ships you can come across. They have a large hull for supplies, little defense, and are used to move goods from one location to another.

Military Vessel

Military Vessels are usually outfitted with weapons and armor. They are also easy to spot as their balloons are painted with the military colors.

Pirate Vessel

A pirate Vessel is usually a merchant ship, Bird Catcher, or Military Vessel that is adapted to their needs. Pirate ships are easy to spot from their crude enhancements and weaponry. Because Pirates steal parts of ships, their vessels look like a mishmash of several ship designs.

Ghost Ships

Legends tell of ships with no crew that sails through the skies. These ships often have strange properties, such as being slightly transparent or contain a crew of walking dead.

Discovery

The Airship was invented by Gnome explorers, though some argue that the Taugata were the first to technical create flying ships. The first of these were simple. They had a hull, balloons, propeller, and that's about it.