Airships: History, Creation and Types.

From the skies to the clouds; A brief history and contextualization of Airships in the modern world.

Written by Dejers
The Sea of Hearts is said to have been named that because it was seen from far above. That is one of the earliest records that we have of magic likely being used to make man fly. This is always some fashion of goal for the intelligent races, to move fast through the air like the course of a spell. And it is accomplish-able, with the understanding and guidance of a powerful mage, one can fly for a time! However, no matter how high one flies in this time, to the chagrin of the majority, they still must return to the ground.
  And either of their own volition or the pull of gravity, they do return to the ground. And the mage who has guided them to this less than spectacular conclusion makes his departure. For his skills are potent, but limited. He cannot fulfill the true wish of the man, he can only show him what the sky feels like for a brief moment. A brief rush and thrill of life and true freedom as wind rushes past you and you find yourself as something else for a time.
  In this manner, this explains why the favor of The Tinkerer's Guild has latched onto the hearts and minds of the masses in a similar way that magic has captivated them for eons. The Mage is one of a select group, a group that is few in number and rarely has time or inclination to let the common man take hold of his fortune and seek his dreams. The gasses that have been discovered and collected allow one to rise to the clouds and be carried aloft by the winds.
  One can only imagine what stories will be told and things will be undertaken should the guild’s attempts to guide these contraption through the skies come to fruition. It will unveil a type of connectedness and transit across the globe unlike anything magic has propelled us to so far. For this technology is not for the mage, but for the common man. He will stop at nothing to truly grasp it.
 
— Official Comment from the Spokesperson of the Wizards of the College

 
  What is an airship? From the basest definition, an airship is an object capable of flight and of bearing beings through the air. With that definition, magical airships have been extant since time immemorial. Brooms, carpets, cauldrons and thrones; all of these have taken flight at one point or another, sometimes with multiple people attached. Yet the lands of Ithungsida are constantly under the shadow of a much different machine than a mighty flying cauldron propelled by a witch.
  Indeed, this means that there must be a second definition that we can use for our understanding of what an airship is. However, this is a discussion that requires context. Nothing comes from nothing, everything has a source. And while there are arguments about it, the generally accepted "Source" of airships would be a single Qurilion Blackstaff with his invention of the Hot Air Balloon and discovery of the use of LTA Gas.
 

Qurillion's Invention

In the year 638, the Gnomish Inventor Qurilion Blackstaff made a number of expeditions to the Mesa. While the initial reasons for his expeditions have been lost to the seas of time, the following ones were to gather in specialized bladders a "Lighter than Air" gas that they had discovered in a number of crude magma vents beneath a number of the plateaus. The most curious thing about this is that the bladders had to be weighted with stone, for without it, the bladder would soon disappear into the sky.
  Seeing the obvious potential of such a substance, Qurillion devised a system of these balloons that could do something that hadn't quite been thought of before. While there are extant records of Hot-Air Balloons, it wasn't a concept that interested anyone outside of the most eccentric. It was dangerous, unwieldy and costly for anyone that wasn't a mage. And those brought their own dangers.
  Thus we have the first piece of our puzzle, the invention of a balloon that can fly. That has controls for the rising and the falling, and that can drift along with the wind or be dragged along the ground. Indeed, without this, the long-dormant thoughts that had been nestled in the subconscious of Man might not have been awoken. However, word spread about his creations and countless people latched onto the ideas that would bring the entire continent into a new era! The Era of Flight.
  His workshops grew, his apprentices soon outnumbering the staff of the rest of the The Tinkerer's Guild. The Elite of Araetule sought him out for input on their own designs. And two years later, they had created thousands of refined Ships dubbed the BlackStaff - BS11.
 
  However, some things aren't meant to be. A mere two years into Qurillion's new fortune, only sixteen after the first explosion had rocked the world and shattered people's understandings of the world and relationships regarding The Pantheon, Cassiopeia triggered the second atomic blast in the history of Ithungsida. During the next year of chaos, Qurilion stood with his country and refused to take the Starlight Railroad to safety. He is presumed to have perished in the Funeral March. of Araetule.
  The death of Qurilion, the loss of Araetule, and the ensuing recession that wrecked the economy of the continent. All of these are contributing factors to the complete lack of progress and loss of desire that followed. The next two hundred years would see no improvements. At least, not until the old Tinkerer's Guild was finally excavated by a curious human named Rexa Thedas.
 

Rexa's Engines

Before the excavation, all that remained of the Blackstaff-11 were distant rumors of extant versions and tales from those few that had witnessed them in their prime. After the excavation, they had something quite more concrete; a number of blueprints of the ship and one of Qurillion's Journals describing the source of the "LTA" Gas. Seizing the opportunity, Rexa bought the goodwill of those interested in unearthing the secrets of Ancient Araetule and made an expedition out into the Mesa.
  As is often the case when unprepared people receive money and a goal, most of it was spent on lavish transportation and instruments for collecting this gas. Had they made better preparations, they might have known that their planned date of arrival would be directly in the middle of the Bulette Breeding Season.
  They were rescued by patrols from Kannak where they convalesced. Interestingly, this brought them to the second piece of the puzzle for an airship. For she found a concoction used by the locals to scare off the lone Bulette, an explosive material known as Bulette Powder. Using what surviving materials, instruments and apprentices she had, Rexa took a time discovering the limits of this powder. Creating small cannons for propelling items and testing makeshift pistons of the like that had been used in the Trains of years past.
  During this experimentation, she actually discovered that the combustion of Bulette Powder actually produced "LTA" gas. She left Kannak in 903, two years after arriving, just after the second annual "Day of Gratuitous Explosions" that had been adopted as a holiday in the city as they realized the potential of this material. Rexa is directly credited with the rise of the Gunslinger as well as the resurgence of Modern Trains.
  However, the key points for our purposes are simple, because she returned to the Guild and recreated the ancient engines while reforming the basic ideas of the airships that were the legacy of Qurilion. Records show that she worked quickly, taking this technology to SosIwa and getting their backing. By 940 the great engines once again stormed the Feng Mountains at a furious pace. One could say that this would have brought back the Age of Iron, the interconnectivity of the past and the profits of countless years of trade.
  And one might agree with you at any year before 942, because that's when Vhaskus finally made his play for ruling the continent and destroyed Aegis, bringing the The Orcish Incursion into it's full and terrible might.
  While we could say that Qurilion's dreams might have been finalized in a history where Vhaskus had been rebuked, however, we only know of our own. And in our history, The Orcish Incursion was the final slot for the advancement of Airships. In the Feng Mountains, fleeing from Orcish Troops, a Kobold. His name? Blood Claw.
 

Blood Claw's Merging


  The story goes that, as luck would have it, Blood Claw was leading his family to safety in a Dwarven stronghold when he found the pass ahead already blockaded by Vhaskus's Forces. All might have been lost but for the carcass of a destroyed mountain train that he dissembled. It had been carrying a newer prototype of a BS11 , crude, but ship-shaped.
  So, he took the engine from the train and lashed it to a number of long strips of wood that could spin freely. With this rudimentary propeller in place, Blood Claw urged his family into the ship and let it rise into the night sky. Only to activate the engine and shatter any sort of stealth they might have earned. But, the propeller was functional, and the engine hot. The first true airship had been created. The eponymous Blood Claw was abandoned by the Kobold at the Stronghold they had been seeking out.
  While the Kobold, Blood Claw vanishes from the records following his safe arrival, his airship did not. The connections were made and progress was inevitable. Qurillion's dreams were at hand. The march of airships across the sky in future years provided us with a perfect definition for our use. An Airship that we would refer to is not one that is powered by magic, but rather, a mechanical beast that crosses the sky under the weight of a dozen Bulette lives.

Bullette Powder? What did the Trains use before??

  Many Scholars have questioned the explosive advancement of Araetule and the lack of ability to follow in their footsteps. This has lead many to a logical quandry; If the trains that made their way through the Feng Mountains were no longer operational... What happened?   The answer is hard to understand and brings more questions than most would like, but based on recovered information from the ruins of Araetule and the survivors... It seems that some of the things that used to work, simple chemical changes and reactions, ones that are even seen in nature still. They no longer work if someone tries to make it work.   With this, the truth of the matter must be that the gods have locked away the majority of this technology. Perhaps to keep people from falling in the footsteps of Ancient Araetule.

Man Ascends to places he is not meant to be.

Many people believe that flight is not the natural state of man and these abominations should not be used. However, a fair amount of industry ignores this.  
Those that are meant to fly can do so effortlessly, we are not Aarakocra, we are not Avariel. Leave them the skies and let us remain where we belong, upon the ground.
— Spokesperson of the Sentient Workers Union on the use of Airships.
 

Where are these quotes from?

  The Wizards of the College is a group of wizards that have dedicated their lives to the study of the strange and explicitly magical natures of the world. They seek out new strange spells and discover new landscapes in the realms beyond that of Arydia.   The Sentient Workers Union is a collection of people that are strictly opposed to strange technological advancements and the over-application of magical inquiries. They often protest near wizard schools and any time they find the use of magic where a humanoid could do the job.

Types of Airships

  There are 5 Usual types of Airship, the BlackStaff, the Blood Claw, the Rexa, the Hongden, and the Togasei.  
BlackStaff - BS11
Vehicle | Jun 24, 2019

A hot-air balloon. Used as a mobile sentry tower/safe place to rest.

 
Blood Claw - BS21
Vehicle | May 21, 2022

Medium Sized, Magic/Bullette powered airship!

 
Rexa - BS31
Vehicle | Jul 15, 2019

Small, Bullette Bullet Class airship, very fast, breaks apart very quickly!

 
Hongden - BS42
Vehicle | May 21, 2022

Big Cargo Haulers, Bullette Engine Powered Airships!

 
Togasei - BS44
Vehicle | May 21, 2022

Big, Manually powered and inordinately fast airship!


Articles under Airships: History, Creation and Types.



Cover image: by HelHeim

Comments

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Dec 3, 2018 14:07

The fact that your world has atomic bomb was something that really surprised me: I thought it was more steampunk, fantasy-ish. How come they have nukes, but no more then airships? :)   "Day of Gratuitous Explosions” sounds like one hell of a celebration to go to. :D   I'm not exactly sure how magic works in your world, but can it be used to enchant those airships or conjure/rejuvenate/manipulate the gas?   Also, how long does it take someone in this world to figure out they might be able to make cannons out of that explosive gas? :D   RIP Blackstaff. He seemed like a neat guy. ;)


Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
Dec 3, 2018 14:17 by Dejers Garth

It -is- more steampunk/fantasy-ish. If you note, the sidebar actually talks about that to a point.   I'm definitely going to write more about the celebration once I get to writing about the city of Kanak!   It can to a degree, but mages, as the spokeperson for the College says above.  

Are a group that is few in number and rarely has time or inclination to let the common man take hold of his fortune and seek his dreams.
  And magic isn't permanent, so such things happen, but put more stress on the ships.   It took them about 3 years. :P Note
The advent of the "Gunslinger"
  RIP indeed! Thanks for the comment! :D

Dec 3, 2018 14:30

How far does the tech go? I saw the mention of trains, but the leap between train and nuke is a pretty big one. :) Is it mixed with magic, or more its own thing entirely?


Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
Dec 3, 2018 14:33 by Dejers Garth

Well, for the majority, the tech is Fantasy/steampunkish. The gods shut down some of the base parts of technology, which in this, was a mix of gunpowder and other things. So, it rendered basically all tech worthless, then they razed the cities -anyways- and killed everyone.   The most advanced tech now is the airships and the space stations that don't have a ton of contact with the Material Plane. :D

Dec 6, 2018 02:51

Anytime there is a direct quote from a character in the world is great! With the two spokesperson , it gave the history more weight then what the history could do. The history itself was also a good read too! You mentioned their creation, but I'm not sure if you mentioned their purpose. Are they expensive to make or are they only used for one type of industry?

Dec 6, 2018 02:59 by Dejers Garth

To a degree, that's really covered in the specific articles for each Vehicle type. However, I might add a bit of a write up on the general uses! :D

Dec 6, 2018 03:03

Ahh, that would make sense. I'll have to check out those then!

Dec 6, 2018 05:56 by Heath O'Donnell

Your world is really coming along since last I glanced at it! And the CSS is very simple and clean!   I feel a horizontal rule may be helpful for reading clarity. I got lost at one point while scrolling through on mobile.   I enjoy that you used two conflicting quotes in this! Genius use of the block. What actually is the lighter than air gas? Have the people turned back to magical means of flight as opposed to technological?

Dec 6, 2018 06:16 by Dejers Garth

Thanks! I love the Notebook theme, fits the world much better in my opinion. :D   I emboldened some of the titles to help differentiation. I wrote it before I flipped the CSS and didn't realize it lost cohesiveness there. XD   The conflicting quotes were a big part of my thought process here! However, the people who don't like flight don't like magical flight either! The mechanical flight is always growing with thousands of ships cluttering the airspace of Ithungsida. :D   Lighter than Air gas is technically Bullette farts, but saying that ruins the mystery! Thanks for the comment!

Dec 6, 2018 06:04 by David Arthur Steele

This is absolutely beautiful, well detailed, and well thought out. To be honest, I wish I had this much talent.   I have no questions about the content, but how does one do what you did with the term Bullettes, where on a mouseover you get a text? That was phenomenal, because I needed that information.

Dec 6, 2018 06:27 by Dejers Garth

Thanks! It takes a bit to churn out, but I'm fairly happy with the result. :D   The Tooltips are great!   [ tooltip:tooltips are these and can be made like the following example ]Tooltips are great![ /tooltip ]

Dec 7, 2018 01:28 by David Arthur Steele

Do you choose to do things as Generic articles for the free-form nature? As this could find its way into technology.

Dec 7, 2018 01:41 by Dejers Garth

To a degree, I also generally use the vignettes to fill with my own templates so... It's kinda easier to fill in on a generic. XD

Dec 6, 2018 09:51 by Tikal

HAHA, oh man I laughed at the gnomish inventor part. I like the font and how clean it is! Did you do the trick I posted? I love it even if not!   So I didn't see it mentioned, but why airships? What brought the world to that source of flying versus another? What is it with gnomes and airships?   One thing of note, I think the related article blocks would be better suited in the sidebar or wrapped in a container.

Dec 6, 2018 10:29 by Dejers Garth

Thanks! I didn't touch the font, just grabbed this theme. XD It's really pretty tho!   Airships are because it's what was found first to be quite honest. And because engines/Fixed-wing flight never was intensely explored. The rate of advancement in this world is much faster than in ours, they went from huts to Dwarves helping to settle the land and driving progress.   200 years to the first combustion engine, 250 till the first trains. 600 to the Atomic Bomb. If the gods hadn't cut it out, Arydia would be more advanced than we are. :D   Great catch on the article blocks! Jammed them into the Sidebar.

Apr 19, 2021 07:32 by Amélie I. S. Debruyne

RIP Qurilion :(   Your gods are really violent with the atomic bombs!   "Day of Gratuitous Explosions" very nice holidays XD   This is a nice article, I like the way you've presented all the information, and the slow iterations that lead to the development of the airships :)

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