Airships

'A marvel of mechanics and engineering. It defies the pull of the earth and moves against the wind, all without magic. Think of the applications.Truly we have reached our peak as a civilisation.' - Head Tinkerer of Stormsteel upon the airships unveiling

Written by Yerran

The first airships opened up communication between Cinehold and the eastern and northern kingdoms of Lenwir and later revolutionised trade and commerce, allowing them to easily traverse the Ocean of Samudir, the Sea of Iriheim and other dangerous environments without the risk of pirates, monsters and raiders.

Cinehold's Need

The smaller kingdom on the east of Xilye is plagued with harsh environments, dense forests and steep mountains. The roads wind through encroaching trees, along precipices and up ravines. These winding trails were once perilous, with over half the caravans and trade being attacked by beasts and highwaymen that lurked within the dark forests.

The people of Cinehold could barely travel across the centre of their own nation without such risk, and many had to book passage on ships around the coast, but that opened them up to the risk of raiders, sea monsters and their aggressive neighbours 'The Yeshi'. The King of Stormsteel, a city known for its clockwork marvels and engineering prowess, commissioned the many engineering guilds to come up with a solution. Many oddities were created and presented to the King with varying degrees of success until those of 'The SteamAir Guild' presented the airship. Its tests went incredibly well being able to traverse the kingdom without suffering any of the dangers that would befall a caravan. With this, the King declared the SteamAir Guild the official engineering arm of the government and mass construction soon began.

The first boats floated fifty metres above the land, skirting the dangers of the dense forests, precipices and winding roads, but only moved at a pace of 3kph. Since this first model, created in 2472 A.C., there have been many more iterations. The early models struggled against the weather and with stability, but with each new invention, they became faster, more stable and more reliable. Now airships can move between 10-15kph and are well stabilized, even in volatile weather.

A New World

In 2489 A.C. the first airship crossed the Ocean of Samudir and made contact with the Kingdom of Iaur high upon the ice shelf of northern Lenwir. They were suspicious but soon formed a tentative alliance that opened the way for them to travel to The Kingdom of Alenian, The Riverlands and even as far south as Nemir. These airships now offer trade and transport around parts of Lenwir and all of Cinehold and have helped solidify diplomatic relations with these nations. Many of the cities in Lenwir upon these transport routes have constructed 'sky docks', tall buildings, that allow them to dock easily just outside the city.

The only airships under operation in Lenwir are under the ownership and protection of the 'SteamAir Guild' as an official department of Cinehold's government. The ships are constantly guarded while in docks as are their crews when in foreign nations, for fear some would try to steal them to learn the secrets for themselves. These individuals are granted diplomatic protections, but that doesn't stop others from trying to determine the secrets of these for their own.

A Technological Race

The appearance of the first airships shook the continents with its ability to move against the forces of nature and traverse mountain ranges and hostile environments, as well as transport great quantities of cargo. It also allowed the people of Cinehold to cross the Black Ice Shelf and Frigid Peaks and begin trading with the nations of Northern Nemir.

The amazement factions felt upon seeing this marvel resulted in them forcing their own people to develop a similar invention, though with varied success. All across Lenwir and Xilye factions are racing to understand the secrets of these fire and air-propelled machines. And many are eager to turn them into machines of war. Though luckily none have been successful as of yet, though some are getting close and the members of the Unitum Pact are working on a variation using Airite to make Airite Ships able to operate near the Maelstrom.

Thieves

Nations and factions have declared the 'SteamAir Guild' protected on the surface but many seek the secrets of their craft and have started their own experiments and tests to create what they have. Airships offer huge boons for protected transport, exploration and warcraft. The SteamAir Guild is reluctant to open too many trade routes abroad and venture too far into Lenwir, aware their ships may go missing. So far they have avoided Engelor, The Elyswer, Sabal and anywhere near the Flametip Mountains or Frigid Peaks due to volatile weather, hostile nations or an abundance of flying beasts.

Even with these measures, attempts have been made by hidden organisations to commandeer these airships through violent means. Luckily all attempts have been rebuffed thus far by the royal guards and sharpshooters of Cinehold.