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Log: The Skyship Project

Page history last edited by Ayesha 15 years, 5 months ago

 

Scene summary: Solace visits Saltwater Valley and is given a brief tour through the new shipyards. This scene took place about 3 weeks ago (almost a season).

 

 

The very (in)famous Peleps Deled is in Greyfalls and guess who is not around to see his antics. Right, Ayesha is avoiding what she considers the perfect example of an Immaculate monk gone wrong by touring through her possessions north of the city, inspecting the construction of her new manse, and now visiting Saltwater Valle. A small but wealthy city-state ruled by a Dynast ally. And the site of a very interesting experiment. The construction of a new class of flying ships. 

 

Ledaal Solace on the other hand is out in Saltwater Vale to investigate the shipyards, and inspect them for the Legion. 

 

Silver Knight is eating an apple, with a sheaf of scrolls at his side, waiting for the foreman and other important people to arrive at the tent on the airshipyards. He got the plans finalized recently, and looks primarily like a wealthy merchantman today rather than a mystic advisor. He eyes the fruit in the platter on the table, contemplating what to eat after the apple. 

 

Given this is Solace’s first visit to the Vale, Ayesha is duty-bound to be his guide, and first order of business is introducing him to ‘Minister Ryunosuke’, who has his apple-eating interrupted by the commotion that the arrival of two Dynasts (and entourage) tends to cause. Suddenly the workers, craftsmen and engineers are more interested in staring than in working. "As you can see," mentions Ayesha, "the main drydock won’t be finished until the end of the season. But I can show you the plans and models of the ships." 

 

Ledaal Solace looks over the signs of construction, "Are we sure they will be done this season?" he nods to the minister in question. 

 

Silver Knight smiles as he unrolls the deckplans for a flying schooner-type ship, weighting the corners down with smooth river stones on the table. "The docks will be, yes. The first airship should be ready in about two seasons, however, as these are something new to Creation. Subsequence ships shouldn't take as long once the methods are tightened down." He takes another bite of the apple and waits for the two Dynasts to confer or something. 

 

Ayesha nods, "certainly, I have the schedule planed and the weather spirits appeased so we do not have delays from that direction." Then he turns to bow to Silver Knight, "Minister Ryunosuke, do you know Lord Leedal Solace? He is in charge of the 23rd Legion logistics. The legion officers are interested in our ships." As expected, really. 

 

Ledaal Solace nods and bows to the Minister, "It seems quite an operation you have here." 

 

Silver Knight bows appropriately to Solace. "Well... it's mostly Madam Ragara and Madam Gilded Rose's operation. I'm merely facilitating it according to their wishes." He finishes the apple.

"I imagine that after the maiden voyage of the first airship, the legions will desire ships of their own?" He says.

 

"I suspect everybody will want them," notes Ayesha, "and that we will see sky ports built all over the easy in the next ten years. Or at least in places where they have the resources. Nexus and Lookshy, certainly, perhaps Great Forks too. But we will have years of advantage and experience, and since Greyfalls already has many skilled shipbuilders, we will never lose our edge." 

 

Ledaal Solace shakes his head, "This sounds much to good to be true. I tend to be suspeicious of such things." 

 

Silver Knight smirks a bit at Ayesha's words, for that is exactly the purpose for which he set these events in motion. And then there are the other things that he will set in motion with it, such as the resurrection of the First Age Roads and the gradual expansion of Creation's borders again. Mad? Perhaps, but he has five millenia to work with.

"Well, if it does take off, then the state of trade in Creation will never be the same again, I suppose..." 

 

"Ah, but that is the beauty of the design," mentions Ayesha, a faint, proud smile in her lips. She guides Solace to the engineering area. "We have simplified the First Age designs we... acquired. These ships are not the sophisticated, high maintenance machines of ancient times, which our supremely enlightened forefathers were able to build so easily. But they are not the clumsy, fragile ships of the mortal thaumaturges either. They are ships well within the understanding of modern Dragon-Blooded engineers, using jade as the only magitech component and simple spells as backbone." 

 

Ledaal Solace frowns slightly, and nods, "If this works, it will be incredible. but...." he sighs softly, "It just seems to easy. If it were this simple why hasn't the realm done it already? 

 

Silver Knight shrugs and offers Solace an orange from the fruit bowl. "Perhaps because we often cling too tightly to the past? This is something new, after all, that our ancestors would have thrown away as too easy." 

 

Ayesha nods, "the Realm, and Lookshy too, are too obsessed with preserving the past and doing everything as it was done two thousands years ago. And most of the world follows the Dragon-Blooded lead. Only the most remote nations break the pattern, places Halta and the Haslanti League have actually done some interesting contributions to technology in the past centuries. It is about time the Realm starts doing the same. We were also very... fortunate to acquire very complete blueprints from simple air ships designs. It still took nearly a year to get to where we are." 

 

Ledaal Solace says, "Where did these Blueprints come from? You say that they just fell into our hands? I thought this was all new technology?" 

 

Silver Knight grins wickedly. "Well... I obtained them from a very prodigal Air Aspect whose dying wish was to have his airships fly across Creation."

Silver Knight ahems. "Well, it isn't exactly new, as we negotiated it out of a vassal of Vanileth, the Shogun of Artificial Flight. Not strictly something in accordance with the Immaculate Philosophy, but she swears it never flew in Creation before." 

 

Ayesha nods, "After a fashion. Like all new technology, it is based in older inventions." She looks curiously at Silver Knight. She assumed he had scavenged the blueprints from some ruined city, as it is traditional in the East. Dead Air Aspects? Vanileth? How interesting. "Hmm, right. Let me show you the models of the designs we have..."

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