Dragonship
This vehicle is adapted from the Spelljammer setting.
Most societies on Rolara have at least one individual whose has to job of watching the stars. Used to track time and predict seasons, this skill is vital and widespread. However, fewer that 1 in 1,000,000 mortals on the planet are truly aware of what goes on among the stars above; they've no inkly of the battles fought nor the stakes at risk.
The Ancient Jiao, with far less magic than other ancient civilizations from the Age of Wonder, used their incredible technology to develop these vessels for exploration of the stars above. Similar visually and in construction to a typical aquatic, planet-bound ship, these are largely buildable even by your average shipwright. The incredibly tricky mechanisms that allow the magical control of the flying vessel are more subtle, and required the combined work of several Human Wizard and Gnome artificer scientists.
In those ancient times, Dragonships and their missions were secret, and the Emperors kept those secrets dearly. The crew members would use a Relic of Reconnaisance to communicate via a Jewel of the Five Elements directly with the Emperor, who could respond in kind using the Relic of Lee Huangdi.
While no Dragonship has been seen since the ancient past, it is assumed by many modern scholars that the Dragonships seen referenced or drawn in rare achaelogical records are in fact symbolic representations of actual dragons giving mortals rides on their back through the stars in heaven. During the events leading up to the Extinguishment of the Stars, the last Emperor of the Ancient Jiao, Zhe Li Jing, ordered the Dragonships still on the ground to either be destroyed or hidden.
Most societies on Rolara have at least one individual whose has to job of watching the stars. Used to track time and predict seasons, this skill is vital and widespread. However, fewer that 1 in 1,000,000 mortals on the planet are truly aware of what goes on among the stars above; they've no inkly of the battles fought nor the stakes at risk.
The Ancient Jiao, with far less magic than other ancient civilizations from the Age of Wonder, used their incredible technology to develop these vessels for exploration of the stars above. Similar visually and in construction to a typical aquatic, planet-bound ship, these are largely buildable even by your average shipwright. The incredibly tricky mechanisms that allow the magical control of the flying vessel are more subtle, and required the combined work of several Human Wizard and Gnome artificer scientists.
In those ancient times, Dragonships and their missions were secret, and the Emperors kept those secrets dearly. The crew members would use a Relic of Reconnaisance to communicate via a Jewel of the Five Elements directly with the Emperor, who could respond in kind using the Relic of Lee Huangdi.
While no Dragonship has been seen since the ancient past, it is assumed by many modern scholars that the Dragonships seen referenced or drawn in rare achaelogical records are in fact symbolic representations of actual dragons giving mortals rides on their back through the stars in heaven. During the events leading up to the Extinguishment of the Stars, the last Emperor of the Ancient Jiao, Zhe Li Jing, ordered the Dragonships still on the ground to either be destroyed or hidden.
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Weapons & Armament
Armed with two ballistae, each requiring two crew to use. They are mounted near the front, but have 300 degrees of swivel room.
Communication Tools & Systems
Dragonships of the Ancient Jiao empires were typically outfitted with at least one Relic of Reconnaisance. The relic allowed officers to report to the sapient intelligence that resides inside the Jewel of the Five Elements, which would in turn store, organize, and analyze that information for the Emperor.
Related Technologies
Beam
20'
Length
150'
Weight
40 tons
Complement / Crew
20/40 (min/max 4 on weapons
Cargo & Passenger Capacity
22 tons
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