Arukai's Hook

Mandatory part of every arukai's tool kit. Arukai's hooks are made to save the lives of those who would otherwise be lost to the endless aether. Modern craft have a system of locks and pulleys at key points to enable arukai to safely follow all onboard tasks while hooked on board. The hook could also be thrown in emergencies for a last ditch effort to reach a nearby craft or fellow arukai. It is commonly considered a bad omen for one's hook to break when setting sail.

-Aether Travel for First Timers. R, Mellos. A, Mellos. 2890 Reval Era

Ancient History:

Arukai's hook is one of the oldest serving inventions in history of aether navigation. Descriptions of these hooks are found even in earliest writings found to date. Ancient rulers with long lost names are often depicted leading war fleets with the hooks equipped. The necessity of arukai's hooks were likely to be even greater than today, for other technological solutions had not likely been invented.

Meriadic Period:

The Meriadic period saw the rise of harpoon ships for hunting aetherborn wildlife. Along this came the practice of Naerling, and soon the hunt of the Naerling rose to prominence. For the peoples of the Meriadic period discovered the usage of Naerl oil. The usage of Naerl oil accelerated the growth of settlements and larger groups of arukai would need to pick up hunting Naerling in search of coin. The hunt is dangerous as it remains, and the arukai's hook remained the sole tool to keep them safe.

Dynastic Period:

The Dynastic period saw a diversification of safety equipment for arukai. This additional equipment was needed on long range exploratory missions which became common place during the dynastic period. Outside the gravitational planes offered by the pull of a systems star, all equipment needs a high resistance to cold and a general usability in weightless situations. For outside larger vessels with artificial gravity, mechanical gravity would be needed.

-Brief History of Aether Navigation. W, A, Dhenner. A, Liopomme. 317 Kelzyn Era

Modern Use:

Arukai's hook remains the mainstay for all sailors of the aether and most other devices exist to complement it rather than try to replace it outright. The duties of arukai remain, from repair, parasite removal to trying to save those fallen offboard before it is too late. The increase in commercial travel has caused a veritable epidemic of parasitic life, for both crew and the vessels themselves. Millennia of hunt has driven the large amounts of aetherborn wildlife away from industrial worlds, making trips to obtain raw materials longer and more treacherous.

-Ellie Lycal's Guide to Arukai. E, Lycal. 402 Kelzyn Era