Airship

Flying Engines

Written by Endrise

You are not putting me on that airship.
With a ship I at least can swim ashore if it sinks!

— Sailor

As transportation became better and further, mankind mastered both land and sea travel. But in the last few decades, a third option became viable: the sky.

In the past few decades, airships have begun showing up all over the world. Although still new for Fabulae, it has begun showing significant growth and wide-spread usage in some areas.

Ship Soaring Across the Heavens

The Airship is a rather versatile vehicle with many forms and uses across the multiverse. On the material though, it shares a few parts: a hull, a cockpit, an engine and its propulsion. Beyond that, designs tend to get personalised by the owners.

Its strengths and downsides also depend on what the model specialises in. Some might seek to be high-altitude flyers, others relying on large cargo transportation. Smaller ships might rely on speed, while larger ones can have more firepower instead. The science behind finding the perfect ratios for each category can be quite difficult.

Components of an Airship

Engine & Propulsion

All airships require both a form of fuel and a propulsion system to move in some manner. Bigger ships will need both heavier engines to run and stronger propulsion to move. As a result, there might be a theoretical size limit for an airship to reach.

The engine's fuel source varies depending on local resources and the engine model. Steam and coal are common, but also magical sources such as crystals or Elementals might be used. Some models even have hybrid engines, often to help in a burst of speed.

Frequent ways of movement are propellers or balloons, but sails are sometimes utilised as well. Some newer models even began the practise of rocket propulsion, but it's still a work in progress.

Cockpit & Space on an Airship

The cockpit of an airship can be as roomy or as small as the crew required to pilot it. The smallest models barely fit one person, while the biggest have enough place for up to five men at once. As weight and size factor in models, all space needs to be utilised.

The main controls of most of them exist of a single centre stick, allowing 3-dimensional movement. From typical left and right to tilting forward to dive or backwards to raise. To make some ex-sailors get accustomed to the controls, certain models have classic boat wheels instead. The difference being the ability to tilt also forwards and backwards.

There's a reason we ask Halflings and Gnomes to be members of the crew.

— Airship Captain

Space is scarce for most ships, making hallways tight and quarters cramped. On more luxurious ships the captain might have a separate bedroom from the crew. The only place that doesn't suffer from this limitation is often the deck of the ship.

Offense & Defense

Due to carrying capacities, Airships are not the most armed vehicles out there. However, they can provide aerial support and are favourable due to having the high ground advantage.

Most Airships provide their combat support in the form of bombardments or supply drops. The biggest danger they face is long-ranged weaponry, which can be the end for most airships.

It doesn't help that Airships need to be light, so armour can't be heavy. Many often have a cage frame around vital parts, giving them some protection against attacks. But in most cases, a ship can go down in a single, well-aimed shot.

Airships across the realms

Material Plane

Airships haven't been a thing on the material plane since about 60-80 years ago. Although aerial flight did exist for longer, the modern flying machine only came into conception recently.

The earliest forms were but balloons filled with hot air, but as designs improved airships became more complex. For many years, Teutönn was the leading producer of the earliest models, creating design after design. Only in the past 2 to 3 decades did other regions follow pursuit.

A lack of standardisation for the production also led to no ship being the same. Every model that came out tried one-upping the other, turning to an arms race for aerial dominance.

Due to the sheer cost of maintaining an Airship, most of them only came into the hands of governments or nobles. Some models might be owned by collectors, but it is rare for an Airship to be in the hands of the common folk.

Plane of Air

Due to the Plane of Air's lack of solid ground, Airships would find rapid development in this realm. To ensure society could grow as a nomadic group, it was crucial for vehicles to be made.

With both the usage of Orbiton and the weak gravity of the realm, the designs tend to get supersized beyond anything possible. Some of them can house entire cities inside of them, consisting of crews up in the thousands managing it at all times. A few models even have space for smaller Airships to dock, often with enough capacity for a whole fleet.

As such, Airships have become part of the many cultures of the realm, sometimes even their identity. Whether it be high-speed engines built for maximum velocity or floating capitals that are the birthplace for many.

Common Places

Plane of Air
Raucher
Razvietsk
Teutönn

Interdimensional Travel

There have been attempts for Airships to also act as methods of interdimensional travel. Through both scientific and magical means, gates between worlds are formed, allowing the ship to pass from one to the other.

The problem comes from moving between realms. If the gates opens or closes too early or too late, the airship might tear itself apart mid-flight. Stories even speak of some getting lost between realms, if not end up somewhere entirely else than their destination.