Air Ship

Air Ships are flying vehicles that travel the skies of Ora. They are kept aloft by Magical Wings, and propelled by a number of different means. The most common ways to propel an air ship are regular Wind Sails, Magical Propulsion Units, or a draft animal hitched in front of them. The most common draft animals used in this way are Wind Whales and Giant Eagles, although some Dragons like to draw their own air ships.

Propulsion

Each Air Ship is kept aloft by magical wings, appropriately sized for the respective ship. Additionally, there are three common propulsion methods: Wind Sails, Magical Propulsion Units, and Draft Animals.

Magical Wings

On construction of an Air Ship, Magical Wings are attached to its side before they are enchanted. Once attached and enchanted, magical wings can be controlled by commands that they have to be trained to obey. For most air ships, there is a single individual responsible for training and commanding the wings, and it takes a lot of time to get them used to a new commander. Those who command an air ship's wings are called Wingmen by profession, regardless of gender.

Propulsion through Sails

Sailing was the first used propulsion method, when Air Ships were just invented around 100 years ago. It works surprisingly similar to sailing on sea, with the notable difference that there is no water friction to fight against, which allows air ships to reach significantly faster speeds even without magical propulsion.

Magical Propulsion Units

Magical Propulsion Units are nowadays the most common propulsion technique in sky ships. They take the form of a large metal container in the back of a ship, in which a strong source of magical energy is suspended. They are attached either to the back of the ship or to its wings, allowing for more speed and more maneuverability, respectively.

Draft Animals

With the removed water friction and the relatively high availability of intelligent, tameable flying beasts, draft animals were realized as a propulsion method relatively recently - only 80 years ago. Within many air sailing communities, it is still the least popular propulsion method, as the shouts of a Wingman, a ship captain, and a beast tamer all together can get quite noisy and muddled. However, those who are not technically affiliated with sky-faring but own a ship and its crew for prestige or increased personal mobility, see beautiful, elegant, or imposing draft animals as an indispensable asset.

Air Harbors

As air ships are constantly aloft by the nature of their wings, air harbors have to be built in highly elevated positions in order to accommodate. Additionally, there must be enough horizontal space for the ship's wings, in a way that still allows for entry to and exit from the ships. All of these factors combined make air harbors a real hustle to plan and build, which is reason enough why only three earthbound locations in all of Ora have Air Harbors: Mertal City, Saltor, and the Crystal Peak, the later of which can only be reached via air ship for geographical reasons.

Air Ship with Magical Propulsion Unit by Kelban

Rarity

Rare

Beam

2-20 m

Length

8-80 m

Height

2-35 m

Speed

4-15 km/h, although magical propulsion can temporarily bump this up to ~45 km/h

Invention Date

~100 years ago

Inventor

Unknown