Aeromachia (AIR-oh-MAH-kee-ah)
The aeromachia is both the staging of airship battles as mass entertainment, and the Synfral City stadium in which they are performed. In a given aeromachia, there are typically several ships that fight to their destruction, usually owned by different persons or companies.
Description
Ships in the aeromachia are traditionally manned by prisoners of the Faede Pinnacle, who are granted reduced sentences in exchange for their participation. However, there has been a recent movement to stop this practice, as the vast majority of prisoners are killed during the battles. Companies such as Luu's Stampede Fleet have phased out the use of prisoners in exchange for automatic certain functions and remote steering via spell-casting. Due to the historic use of prisoners in the aeromachia, participating airship engines are designed to only operate at a certain altitude —too high, and they will almost immediately run out of mist to power the engines and stall, and too low and they will overload and explode, plummeting the ship thousands of feet. The side boundaries are marked by Synfralan banner-bearing buoys which, if approached, will cause an airship damage, which has historically deterred any attempts to bypass the buoys. This also prevents stray debris and shrapnel from harming the audience in the stands. The aeromachia is 1800 by 1200 feet in size. Participating ships are brightly painted and dyed in the sails to assist in audience differentiation. Accompanying entertainment is typical, with plays, music, or other smaller-scale battles operating for hours before or after the aeromachia. The battle itself runs for about six hours. In the aftermath of each battle, salvage ships are sent to the Mistlands in order to retrieve as many airship parts as possible, as well as to burn any bodies (as is a customary funeral in Synfral).Culture
Each aeromachia is a crowd-drawing event, which tends to draw tourists from all across Adronica. While it can be watched from its designated stands, it can also be watched from across parts of all other districts, but particularly the Summit, Crests, and Pendant. Additionally, other villages on the Griseldé Range, and the Faede Pinnacle, have a vantage point, and many airships gather for a view. Most essential Synfralan work places allow at least a portion of the day off to workers, so as to watch the battle, while those on the far-side of the city close to save on operating costs. In the highest traffic areas, low-level mages will use thaumaturgy to commentate the event to audiences and passers-by for tips. Additionally, there is a strong gambling culture around the aeromachia.Participants
Some recurring participants of the aeromachia include:- The Epoch Pearls (Pearls)
- Luu's Stampede Fleet (Stampeders)
- The Bravela Brewery Blues (Blues)
- The Fallowfield Armada (Fallows)
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