Yùzhào
Yùzhào was the first Hot Airship to be built, and has since been the flagship of Vreslo advertising campaigns.
Origins
Built by Schmeelon Cunkuck and his partner Wileon Nimblemane in 500, Yùzhào was a passion project. It began with Schmeelon dreaming of soaring the skies, rather than traveling in wagons or on horseback. He asked Wileon if he thought it was possible to fly from one mountain to another, and Wileon said the only way to find out was to test it. For days, they slaved away to build it with their own knowledge of magic and machinery. The first test was a pure hot air balloon with fire magic, borrowing a Dwarven friend who could use fire magic. This ship, dubbed "The Sun" crashed in the valley between the mountains and the Dwarven pilot perished in the crash. However, this only fueled Schmeelon's imagination and ambition.Success
Schmeelon realized that in this important leap forward, there was only one person he could trust: Himself. So Schmeelon tweaked the design of the balloon to accommodate lightning rather than fire. As Schmeelon powered it with his own lightning, Wileon kept the Yùzhào from falling with his wind magic. Somehow, despite the turbulent flight, the two men (though Schmeelon took most of the credit) truly achieved flight. As they flew from Landheim to the adjacent mountain, Schmeelon gave the ship its name:"With this ship, we've attained the power of a God. So let us name it as such... this shall be the Yùzhào. With it, let us make every other form of transportation obsolete!"
Name Roots
Yùzhào originates from the name of the weapon of choice for the God . It is a spear used to channel lightning. In the tongue it comes from, that of the Jihdi Humans from the East, it means "Omen." This has various meanings. According to myth, Kord originally named it that because of his nonviolent nature. As the God of Battle, he tried to avoid violence as much as possible. However, if he ever stepped on a field against another God, a battle was over. This was heralded when people would see his spear Yùzhào raised above the army, calling down a lightning strike to charge it. This gesture was seen as the greatest omen on a battlefield.Hot Airship
A Hot Airship was a form of transportation created by Schmeelon Cunkuck. It was the first flying form of mass transportation in Totania, though it prioritizes luxury travel over carrying capacity.The Passenger Section
Hot Airships consist of a boat-like structure on the bottom, where the passengers and crew stay. The passengers are given four areas to choose from: a lounge, a bathroom, a dining hall, and a hallway that branches into bedrooms for tired passengers or couples. At the center of the ship is a raised platform where the crew shoots lightning up into the balloon to power the ship.The crew normally consists of at least two lightning mages to power the ship, as well as a healing mage to act as an onboard nurse and a wind mage to control any turbulent winds that the ship may come across. Other additions included chefs and janitors, though these were not always present, or in other cases some roles were combined.
The Balloon
At the top of a Hot Airship is a balloon which holds the airship up. The balloon has three holes, one at the bottom where the lightning is shot into and two at the back. The ones at the back are used to expel the lightning shot into the balloon.Once the lightning is expelled from the balloon, it shoots out behind the ship. In doing so, it gives an extra push to the Hot Airship, helping it go at incredible speeds with little more than magic.
wait, the staff aren't often allowed food.... coming from a navy background, the only people engineering made sure were happy were the cooks. everyone wants a happy cook. I demand they let the cooks eat. :) Great well thought out article. good job overall.
Human (or I guess in this case Dwarven) rights groups are definitely always on Schmeelon trying to get him to change his policies, but it's a bit difficult to make any legislation on the matter since this is the only airship company really. Thanks a lot for the comment!