After the
Splintering, the people who became the Serune had nowhere to go. 4500 people had been cast out of
Tholaren Dome, and while they had a rough location they intended to go to, they had no easy way to get there and bring all that they needed. So they built the Reliance of the Wildspan.
The ship was crafted quickly, with three design points in mind. First, it had to be airtight, to allow people to sleep inside safely, to avoid the dangerous outside air. Second, it was made to store large amounts of materials. While they had access to the Ether, the leaders of the party were aware that this access diminished the further away from the Dome they would get. So they made the ship with space to store the materials they would need to begin building their own dome. Third, it was meant to remain stable, despite the heavy winds. The ship's overall ability to move was less important than ensuring that it remained stable and secure even during a storm. The ship would provide shelter for as many people as possible during the storm.
The name Reliance came from these functions. The Serune needed the ship to be incredibly reliable, despite the fact that they had to build it in constrained circumstances and as quickly as possible. The Wildspan was an old name for the plains outside the Dome, a kind of translation of what the
Dheizei called the area.
The captain of the ship was the holder of the
Arthenarian at the time: Elleri Calcaryn. While she was not the primary instigator, she was one of the more respectable members of the rebellion. Of the 9 paladors who went with the Serune, she was the one most missed by the rest of the council.
The Journey
The journey itself was fraught with peril. The planet was in full storm season through the entire trip, and the attitudes of the Serune toward the
Weinadi they encountered caused some difficulties. They refused all help from the nomadic Dheizei tribes, and slogged along on their own.
While the children and infirm spent most of the trip inside the increasingly claustrophobic and dangerous walls of the Reliance, most of the four and a half thousand people spent the trip walking along outside, using faltering abilities to clear the path of the ship. The significant winds did more than enough to provide momentum as needed, but the ground wasn't exactly designed to be traversed by a massive ship.
Crossing the rivers was difficult, since the ship was designed to roll across the ground, not float. The sheer weight of the ship caused a number of problems, but they made it. Crossing the high cliffs and chasms caused similar difficulties.
In the end, the most difficult point was once they had nearly reached their destination, around the mountains. The
Yagupa attacked, mistaking the humans for invaders. The humans had actually had no intent to take over the mountain homes of the Yagupa, and the attack was unwarranted. Several people died before the Serune managed to drive off the Yagupa, and this set the tone for a poor relationship.
When the
Serunen was built in its earliest form, it was built around the Reliance. The ship still remains in some form as a central building in the first Serunen dome.
Ship Schematics
The ship was built in a huge rush, with little attention paid to the most efficient design or the most effective for their purposes. As such, there are design flaws, and the overall look of the ship is rather ugly. Even so, it did what it was meant to do.
It consisted of three layers. The ground layer was mainly the cargo holds, with a broad assortment of stuff inside. A lot of food, of course, and a lot of the raw materials and components needed for building a dome. There was also a backup room for people to stay inside as needed, in case of emergencies.
The mid layer was primarily sleeping rooms, and places for those too weak to make the long trek to stay for the duration of the trip. There was also a control room located toward the fore.
The deck was primarily a series of sails. The highest were located toward the front middle, with some slightly shorter ones to the fore, and the shortest ones to the stern. They attempted to maximize stability, by spreading out a number of smaller sails across the top of the ship, and not relying on one single large sail that could be compromised in the storm.
Probably the biggest design flaw was the large amount of metal used in the construction. Unavoidable considering that wood is not particularly airtight, and plastic materials were limited, but unfortunate considering the significant amounts of lightning in the storms. The biggest danger on the ship itself was electrocution and avoiding a charge.
See a representation of the ship's layout below.
This is a rough map of how the Reliance was used during the trip across the Wildspan.
Interesting idea to have a ship go over land that is mainly meant to keep the people inside safe instead of speed. The journey section is quite a nice addition. Also nice idea to have the ship later be used as a building in the new settlement.
Thanks for reading! I'm glad you liked how the ship ended up. I almost broke it down for parts but making it a structure that could still exist in modern times was too much fun.