The Erin Reef

We saw the indigo spires fall on the glen. Our jaws dropped. The city stood like a sentinel over our land for a century, and it just fell like a bomb and destroyed it.
It was almost like it was pulling the sky down with it. The fabric of reality seemed to stretch and curve as it fell. The city began to tilt to the side just before impact. The spires shattered to rubble and the ground shook and fractured. That aether blue radiated from the cracks and In that moment all sound vanished before the flash of blue light that they saw all the way from overseas. I'll never forget that sight. It was the last thing i'd ever see, after all. I will never get my vision back. I'll never walk again. I woke on this very island, 600 meters in the air. I couldn't walk, I couldn't see...
Do you have kids?... ah... all I could think of upon waking was my children. I screamed their names, and I felt a hand on mine in response. It was small... and innocent.
"Mommy, your eyes." He cried.
"Where is your sister" I pleaded, and heard her crying to my left.
I broke down, something I'm not known for... I held them close. It was only then, to my shame, that I thought of my dear husband.
"where is your father." I whispered frantically. Their silence and the onset of sobs from my son told me enough. Apparently he had fallen from the reef... no matter.
That's the day the exiles were born. Me and the other survivors. We run these shores. Remember that, and we will all do just fine.

— Chealsea McClain, Baron of The House of Exiles

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The Erin Reef is one of many names given to the land formation of floating islands surrounding Ireland. The islands make it impossible to venture Inland without careful navigation through it's maze-like passages. Large Airships find it impossible to navigate and the islands venture so high that it is often just as impossible to Simply go above. The islands are linked together and linked to the ground through tethers made of metal that prevent them from going too far astray, making The Erin Reef just as much a man-made formation as it is natural.

The First Skyfall

To say that is a natural formation is not entirely accurate as there is something very unnatural about how it was created. The Reef was created by a Skyfall, a cataclysmic event that has far-reaching and often negative consequences when a City of Blue falls from the sky. The event shattered Ireland's mainland and much of the massive land masses that the event created took to the sky. Very little is left of the country save for a few coastal regions and the Erin Isles.

The Emerald Crown

A common name used to describe The Reef is The Emerald Crown. This is due to the lush landscape that settles on top of each island. The islands are known for there viridescence, the largest among them even sharing the name. Viridescence is the island on which the city of New Dublin is located. Years after the skyfall, New Dublin became the capital of Ireland and is a major port for merchants and airships that need to travel further into Europe.

The Warning

The Locksmith and The Watchmaker knew and even warned of the catastrophe that became skyfall. They also knew their warnings fell on deaf ears. It is believed that they built The Workshop so that Keymakers could admire the verdant brilliance of The Reef.

by Neil Richards

The Ties That Bind

After these islands were settled by the survivors of the Skyfall, it became clear that there was nothing holding them in place. Each island began floating in random directions further and further from the mainland. To combat this, The House of Exiles , a house among The Sky Barrons who see The Reef as their territory, began constructing tethers that would bind the islands together. This allowed them to bring the reef closer together closing gaps that larger ships will be able to get through. It is one of the key defensive qualities of their territory and the main reason why they have no problem holding on to it.

The Exiles of Erin

The House of Exiles is led by a single family. Most people who live in the reef, and even on the mainland below, are considered part of the house and are given the same treatment as anyone in the family would. The term Exile of Erin came from a group of Irish soldiers who fought in the American Civil War. While the term has a certain notoriety, given that the Exiles fought for the South, in The Reef it is and identity that has come to be worn like a badge of honor. To be an Exile is to be a survivor of a great cataclysm no one saw coming. The Irish potato famine was already in full swing when the event occurred, and it was in the aftermath that the McClain family took up arms and stole what they needed to feed their people. There is a fierce loyalty among the Irish for this act of criminal kindness.

Alternative Name(s)

The Emerald Crown, The Irish Fractures

Owning Organization

The Exiles of Erin

Contested By

• The British Empire

"Sometimes, beauty is the gift of chaos. It's hard to believe such horror can give birth to visions worthy of song."

— Cailin McClain

Places of Note

The Reef has many important locations and regions ripe for exploration. If one were to be given permission by The House of Exiles, They may find The Erin Reef to a highly profitable adventure.

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Viridescence

The largest island and most likely destination for travelers would be Viridescence. Viridescence is the largest of the floating isles and is where the capital of Ireland currently lies. New Dublin is a city that all those who travel in Airships find themselves in at some point in time. It is the first available place to refuel for most ships traversing the Atlantic and stands as an economic superpower in the world. Viridescence is a place in the world where all needs can be met. Free from the rule of The British Empire, a thriving black market exists all over the island where smugglers ply their trade.

by 00angelicdevil00

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by frankatt

Looter's Bay:

Looter's Bay is a hotspot for illicit activity in The Erin Reef. As one travels The Reef, they may come across a wide expanse of open air, with the crater of Ireland exposed below. In the distance, one might see heavy traffic as smuggling ships and floating brothels travel to and fro from one side of the "bay" to the other. Looter's Bay is a well kept secret, as it is the only way to smuggle goods into The British Empire without notice. By taking their contraband into Northern Ireland, which is still under the empires control, smugglers can bypass British patrols, and catch a quick sale if the price is right without having to endanger myself.

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The Sidhe

Often called The Grottos, The Sidhe, pronounced "Shee", are a network of caves, tunnels, and grottos that weave through the various islands of The Reef. It also refers to the caves created on the ground level from islands that never made it into the sky. The fell to the earth and crushed together. Called The Sidhe due to superstition surrounding Irish folklore, the area is known for being a haven for creatures that survived Huratula's fall. It is a dangerous place but has shown to be profitable to those who survive its horrors. Many artifacts are said to dwell in the deep dark and many beautiful visions of nature exist as well.

by atlas091

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by Justin Owens

The Withered Shore

As one nears ground zero, the life seems to vanish from the land. The radiation of the Aether kills all but the most resilient of beasts who will assault any who venture here. The islands are wastelands, a reminder of the horror that creating the beauty that is The Reef. If one looks down to the surface below, they will see the ruins of Huratula scattered about the center of the crater. The ruins have yet to be fully explored...

The Battle of Hill's Folly

The battle of hills folly

The Battle of Hill's Folly was the first large scale battle fought primarily using airships. It is also the largest battle fought with airships to this day. While many battles took place since of varying sizes, no two forces have come close to the sheer size of this battle.

The forces of the British Empire ranged somewhere between 200 and 300 vessels not including its small craft. The Delirium and her allies ranged just under 400. While they had the upper hand in numbers, most of the British vessels were top of the line and more advanced. It should also be said that they had significantly less small craft, and sought to compensate for this by using quantum rail trains on loan from the Pauper Kings, as well as the House of Cards. The members of the house of cards would occupy the small craft while the quantum rails could provide long range support.

The battle itself was a final stand designed to neutralize Viscount Hill and his constant hounding of The Delirium and her crew. The tactics used during the battle were legendary, making the event a common story told among sky sailors, many swearing that they were there on the day the event took place.

Planning

From what historians have gathered, both sides sought to prepare for this battle. While many proclaim that it was a landslide victory, it could have been very close. The Viscount was an expert in aeronautic warfare, serving as an admiral in the British navy. The captain of The Delerium, Eirnan Clarke, had his own experiences involving aeronautic warfare as well, having served as an engineer on a British vessel some time prior to the theft of The Delerium.

Clarke

Eirnan Clarke had a very specific plan of attack laid out for all vessels involved in the battle.

The goal was to linger in free Waters until the by counts attention was firmly fixed on The Delirium. In order to grab his attention, the crew petitioned The Help of many pauper kings and almost all major Houses among the Sky Barrons. By doing this Eirnan Clarke was able to unite the barons, even if only for a short time. Many recall the weeks before the battle being extremely strange, due to the fact that very few attacks were reported and word began to spread that the barons have signed a temporary ceasefire.

This allowed everyone involved to gather their forces in peace and allowed for each house to prepare for their role in the battle.

The houses among The Erin Reef were to be alongside the delirium at the time the battle took place. The house of Exiles gathered there bannerman and paid off many mercenary groups and Smugglers to bolster their forces and make it look like they were forced to match the rumors the viscount would hear. Most of these Smugglers would disband from the lines and focus solely on defending the quantum rails when the battle began.

The other Barrons would wait at a specified location in their own respective Sky regions. Upon doing so the portals would open due to the use of the key of many gates. When does the current each vessel would fly into their respective portals and immediately assault all British vessels. Different houses have their own respective roles. The house of Bones and the other forces of the red sky would focus their attack on the small craft used by the British military due to the fact that the ghost ships are remarkably maneuverable in the hands of pilots from The Vermilion Garden. The house of Winter and there are bannermen what approach from behind, flanking the enemy vessels in an attempt to destroy engines and other vital points on enemy vessels to get them out of the fight as quickly as possible. The forces of the House of Jade along with the house of Patriots would focus all their attention on the dreadnoughts that we're sure to accompany The Viscounts Fleet.


All other houses and their bannermen where to focus on smaller vessels such as Corvettes and other frigates. All dreadnoughts present would fall back in line with The Delirium and provide support where needed. Pirates from the free Skies we're also approached by members of both the houses and the crew of The Delirium. Together they spent a small fortune gathering an army of small vessels such as frigates, destroyers, and what few small craft they could actually provide. Clarke made a major error in the overall plan. While he would inevitably win and adapt to this flaw, many lives would have been spared if he considered that the British Empire would provide a naval fleet that would fight from below on the water.

Hill

Hill was remarkably prepared for this battle. It took next to nothing for him to amass the force is required to engage the enemy. His true Advantage would come from not only these small crafts such as Fighters and bombers that would fight in the battle, but also the clever use of long-range guns on naval ships that would fight on the water below. He made no use of mercenaries which would seem rather odd given the history the British have using privateers from the free Skies.

In reality all the British would need to do is pay the Pirates double to turn on their allies. If he would have done this, it would have turned the tide much quicker and likely would have won hill the battle, as the pirate vessels were essential in escorting the larger ships.

The battle

the battle began with the British Empire's Fleet massing on the horizon. A siren was sounded and all were called to reports to their Battle Stations. By this point Clark had already received word that everything was underway and everyone was exactly where they were supposed to be. As crew members aboard all vessels armed themselves and took control of the various cannons and turrets mounted on their ships, Clark would give the order to call in all allied vessels. He would wait until the British fleet was within range of the deliriums heavy long-range munitions. The British Empire did exactly what he expected and the key was turned in the engine, spawning hundreds of portals that linked every house to the location of the battle. Hill is said to have expected this move but failed to anticipate just how many ships will be coming through those portals. The fleet in the sky was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. This is when the forces on the water below became most important. Hill ordered boarding parties to venture out and neutralize key vessels in the enemy fleet while the fleet on the water would shoot from above attempting to hit key points in enemy vessels. Clark did not anticipate a naval fleet below but immediately called for all pirate vessels to abandon the dreadnoughts they were protecting and to descend on the ship's below. This turned out to be the right move but could have very easily gone the wrong way, as the dreadnoughts were in the open and would have made excellent targets for smaller vessels the could get close enough. Knowing this Clarke called in the house of winter to flank the enemy ships. Sailors on the vessels below who survived all seemed to take note of the debris put in metal falling on them as the ships above were ripped apart by the onslaught. Ships began falling from the sky some of them colliding with the vessels below. This alone was enough to take the naval fleet out of the fight. The vessels Below had to maneuver away from falling debris and airships while also trying to maneuver the waves that were created due to ships falling into the water.
At this point the pirate Fleet would ascend and fire directly into the bottom of enemy vessels. Before the invention of quantum shielding, having enemy vessels below you shooting into your ship is the easiest way to have your vessel destroyed. Many ships come with guns located on the bottom of the vessel specifically for this reason. The enemy fleet was routed and sought to reform a defensive perimeter outside of the battle. At this point and then realize that they were still outgunned. Five enemy dragons were still in the air by this point in each and every one of them were well defended are smaller vessels and small craft. At this point the quantum rails became the most important asset. They launched long-range Munitions at the dreadnoughts and their escorts, as Clark ordered all dreadnoughts to move into the fray. Normally this will be a very bad call as dreadnoughts move rather slowly and often cannot handle overwhelming numbers when it comes to frigates in small craft. However the delirium was equipped with many Quantum Keys capable of defending the dreadnoughts. The aegis key is one such example, and is where the concept of quantum shielding came from. Clark was able to completely surround his Fleet with a protective shield that would block all incoming fire but could still be fired out of. This move trapped many British vessels inside the bubble. These British vessels were dealt with quickly and efficiently. At this point both sides had sustained casualties but the British were at a major disadvantage. Strike craft were falling left and right as they attempted to breach the barrier and crashed into it not realizing it refused to allow them to enter. Frigates were ripped in half as the barrier formed as they were trying to escape its radius.

At this point both fleets waited for the other to move. This would not last long as the bike count thought he might be able to retaliate with his own keys. Using a key of nullification, he attempted to penetrate the barrier. This move happened to work but he lost several dreadnoughts as well as half of his current Fleet. One of the major reasons for this because Hill's key of nullification was artificial and has significant difficulty nullifying the Aegis key which was genuine and harvested from a city of blue not three months before the battle.
Due to the close proximity of so many ships it became difficult to really fire on anyone without also harming your own vessels. Both sides would resort to boarding enemy vessels in an attempt to storm and neutralize enemy crew. Other vessels would try to use themselves as a battering ram on small vessels to crash them into the parts of the barrier that still remained.

A final confrontation on the deck of the delirium occurred. The delirium was more than capable of Defending itself do too many modifications and changes made by its crew since it was commandeered. This ended up being Hill's major downfall, as he wrongly assumed the vessel was as it was when it was stolen. The crew that was able to penetrate below deck were met with extreme resistance as well as National defenses built into the ship, and as such they were unable to reach Hill before a killing blow was struck.

After a long and hard fight on the deck, Clark plane to the bullet firmly between the eyes of Hill and sent him flying over the side of the Delerium. The British vessels were neutralized with extreme prejudice, setting the British empire back years of industrial production. The battle was over at this point and the final chapter of The Delirium came to a close.

In the wake of the battle, hundreds to thousands of men and women were in dire need of evacuation from The vessels sinking in the water. The death toll of the battle ranged from ten thousand to twenty thousand on all sides. The variance is mainly because many were unaccounted for, some escaped and were never seen again.


The Barrons used this event to maintain a neutral zone where all can meet without fear. People travel from all over the world to see the remains to this glorious battle.