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The first ‘airships’ were originally invented by Dwarves as a means of quickly moving mining debris up vertical shafts, out of the way of the miners. Though little more than small, glorified hot air balloons; the balloons of these ‘airships’ were ingeniously made from spider silk bags, and elevated with hot air, created by the burning of spare fuel. These ‘airships’ were perfect for the job they were made for, and heralded as a simple fix for an age long problem faced by the dwarves on a daily basis. These contraptions are still used today, yet far more complicated machines have arisen from their midst. It was not until the Dwarven miner Pickbeard found his foot entangled within one of the balloon cables, and was subsequently lifted to a height of over five thousand feet, that the Dwarves realized their technology might be good for something other than carrying away garbage. Further research began as Dwarven engineers came up with the idea of an airship, which would harness the power of these heat-filled balloons in order to hold up an entire vessel of men.
Early Airships
Early airships were inefficient at most, regularly breaking down, often crashing and resulting in the deaths of those on board in horrific, fiery explosions. Despite a great deal of the ships being made, very few returned to port, and there was a concerningly high number of reports of Dwarves being carried away by their balloons, never to be seen again. A record number of deaths within the Dwarven communities meant that many abandoned the concept, and only a small group of the most ambitious Dwarves continued with their experiments. However, through a great deal of perseverance and ingenuity, the number of airship-related deaths are slowly beginning to decline each year, as they begin to grow more and more stable as a direct result of Dwarven research.
Airships Today
Today's Dwarven airships are some of the most advanced pieces of technology in Aloria. Piloted by their stalwart captains, these ships help with ferrying brave people and supplies to remote locations all around Aloria. These trade ships have the benefit of being less likely to be attacked by pirates -- as they are far too high in the air to be spotted nor reached with weaponry, unless in the process of docking. Faster than naval vessels and with the added benefit of being able to travel over and above land, these inventions are considered a speedy way of getting where one needs to go, though often with the added risk of a potentially fiery death. This danger often discourages any but the bravest of travellers, while also making the vessels far too treacherous for the trade of any particularly valuable goods. Despite this, airships have caught the imagination of foolhardy explorers, and have become a popular tourist attraction and novelty for those seeking cheap thrills and airborne crusades.
Airship Dangers
Though becoming more efficient and less of a danger each year, airships have never been taken seriously by the Regalian military as a potential airborne force, due to the famous and horrific crash of the Dwarven combat airship known as ChuggaMugger, which crashed into the sea with all of its crew after its balloon was barraged with a large hail of arrows. The light silken material that makes an airship's envelope is light enough to float, is also easily pierced and cut, and as such regular repairs are needed unless the ship itself begins a rapid descent. To date, no viable solution has been found for this problem and airships remain mostly a dangerous novelty, or simply as a means of carrying goods from one place to another. While several Dwarven combat airships remain, they have yet to be used in conflicts, and will likely remain that way for years to come until finally a solution is presented. Several airships can be found in Ellador, as well as travelling from port to port over varying continents.
Airship Mechanics
The mechanics of airships are surprisingly relatively simple to comprehend. The hot air and steam created via the burning of fuel rises up into the air, inflating the balloon of the airship and raising it to incredibly heights while lifting unrivaled weights. Sails and rudders similar to those of normal vessels are used in order to turn - the larger the sails the greater the maneuverability - this, coupled with the steam filled balloons and a competent pilot, results in unrivaled three-dimensional travel, never before seen in Aloria. The speed and efficiency of these airships, including the ability to travel over and above land, makes them at the very least relatively functional for their current purpose. Trade ships lack most weaponry of any sort, excluding the handheld weapons of the crew, while the few combat airships remaining have a severely limited number of offensive weaponries available. Swivel guns served as short-range anti-personnel weapons on combat airships, though they held no capability of sinking ships due to their small caliber. However, they did a great deal of damage to any enemy personnel caught within their line of fire. Whereas larger cannons were essentially useless due to their lack of aim, and were generally stuck on a singular side of a ship, swivel guns could be carried across the deck to face the enemy, and were therefore far better suited for the job.
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