Fantasy The Flight of the Falcon (Lore)

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Races​

Humans: The most plentiful and varied of all the races. Their kingdoms and nations span across the known world, with rumors that it used to be even larger before the Veil's decent across the world, of there was ever such a time. As a general rule of thumb, the other races agree that humans are te quickest to adapt to fit any situation as best they can, though they won't excel at it.

Elves: Racing through the clouds as if daring a downdraft to spike them into the ground below, elves make up the majority in any nomad fleet. The most comfortable when the wind is whipping their hair and tearing at their clothes, these daring devils have been known to swing between several vessels while cruising at speed. Most of the greatest pilots to have flown were elves.

Dwarves: Credited with inventing not only the Flight Engine but the modern Lift Crystal, Dwarves are historically known to be some of the greatest engineers. Though records report Dwarves used to be stocky, and perhaps more bizarre adamant on remaining in the ground, a modern Dwarf is slim so as to more easily fit on any vessel they find themselves on, and to squeeze past any machinery they have no doubt found there way to. Particularly old Dwarves hold to a custom of choosing a ship, and refusing to leave until either the Engine dies or they do, though more often than not their deaths are nearly simultaneous.

Deoram: The origins of the Deoram, more commonly referred to as Beast Folk, are a mystery. Almost as varied and adaptable as Humans, the Deoram are innately connected to the magical powers of the Aether, giving credence to the widely accepted theory of DNA being altered by Aetheric energies to create the first Deoram.

Trolls: The naval career of any Troll is a tragic one. Being born wiry and small, perfect for many tasks on board a vessel, by their twentieth birth year they are struck by a sudden and rapid growth spurt. Many adult Trolls are not seen on board a vessel, purely because they do not fit. There has never been a troll dying of old age on record, and Trolls do not stop growing once their growth spurt begins, though it does slow. The death of a Troll is often due to the individual not being able to meet the demands of its large body. Perhaps paradoxically, the most well known captain of the skies was Troll Lord Enok, though you will be hard pressed to hear anything positive said about them.

Orcs: Never one to have someone to tell them what is and is not possible, Orcs are commonly found bellow the Veil, carving out a living in the mysterious and dangerous environment. Strong and hardy out of necessity, Orcs often prefer to remain by themselves or in small groups, the only sign of their existence being an impossibly thin spire jutting above the Veil to mark their position, and to signal for any supplies. An Orc on a vessel is a rare sight, unless you are by a Frontier town, but their might and seemingly endless vigor makes them much sought after as deck hands.

 

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Factions​

The Admirality: Fiercely independent, the combined city states of the Fleet Cities rely on a series of political agreements to secure one another's safety. If one is attacked, all will come to defend it. While this system of self defense works, there is much political maneuvering by the upper echelons, and it can take years for any form of reform to be even considered among the collection of State Officials called simply the Council. On a more personal level, the there is much freedom to do whatever one wishes within the boundaries of common law. The armed fleets of the Admirality consist mostly of refitted Flight Engines to accommodate the Lift Crystal. Large and bulky, they are armored leviathans compared to most other vessels.

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The Kami Accord: Bound together by ancient edicts and codes of honor, the Kami Accord is united under one spiritual leader, High Empress Tachibana Hasumi. A strict caste system ensures that everything is done by, who they believe, the most qualified peoples. The Kami Accord favor the magical arts more than their most prominent rival, the Admirality, and thus quickly adopted the Lift Crystals, practically deconstructing their entire fleet in their urgency to replace it. As a time saving measure, they were constructed with thinner armor and lighter armaments. And while they can not stand up in a straight fight, their superior speed and maneuverability alongside their skilled pilots means they can easily exploit blind spots.

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The Frontiersman Union: Forged out of necessity than on purpose, the Union serves as a form of first line of defense for any that choose to reside within the dangerous Veil, though they are often times present when a Frontier notable must meet with an outsider. More adapted to fighting large, predatory beasts in the all consuming fog, they do not maintain a standing fleet, instead relying on civilian skiffs to form hunting parties. Though far outclassed when in the open air, all captains should be aware of the possibility of an ambush should they fly to low to the Viel.

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Nomad Fleets: Religious idealists, the Nomad fleets hold loyalty only to their own. Disdaining violence, they very much prefer to flee from any possible fight. Formed from an eclectic mix of ships that have been extensively modified for speed, the hierarchy of any Nomad Fleet is seemingly decided by who can fly the fastest and achieve the most daring of maneuvers, preferably at speed. Because of this fervent need for speed and seeming want of not being caught, many settlements view Nomads as vagabond trouble makers who steal whatever isn't nailed down. However, they are also sought after for modifying civilian vessels, weaponry being excluded of course, for the fair price of a fine meal and some labor.

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The Flacon
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Who knows the true age of the Falcon? Old by anyone's standards, the The Falcon has faithfully served every captain that has owned it. A testament to craftsmanship, she has been fitted and refitted a many number of times to fit the desired roll of her captain. Originally a heavy cruiser, she has since served as a passenger vessel, cargo and mail ship, and even as a particularly large tug boat. Her most recent refit saw the addition of a Lift Crystal to supplement her original Flight Engine, giving her a surprising turn of speed, though she was never meant to go as fast as she can now a days and threatens to fall apart if the speed is maintained for to long. Something her faithful engineer swears to get fixed.

 

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Figures of Legend


Troll Lord Enok
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Troll Lord Enok was the most feared pirate in recorded history, and also the largest of all known Trolls. It is said that his flag ship, Butcher, dwarfed even the largest Fleet City. He and his fleet terrorized the known world, looting whatever was to slow to get out of their way and razing the rest. It took the combined efforts of the Admirality, Kami Accord, Frontier Union, and even several Nomad Fleets to even challange him and his fleet. It is said that at the close of the battle, the combined fleet was allowed to board Butcher, after it had more than lived up to it's namesake. There, bloody carnage was wrought as he roared with glee at the greatest fight Enok had had since, well since he started calling himself the Troll Lord. In the end, Enok and his great ship fell, as sustained bombardment, even with friendly boarding parties inside, finally managed to cause a critical failure in multiple Flight Engines of Butcher. But Enok had one last, parting gift. As he and his vessel fell, he made it his final mission to take as many of them with him. Now, somewhere out in the Veil, lies the carcass of the great ship, surrounded by many others. Who knows what great treasures can be 'recovered' from it? Shame nobody knows where the great hulk lay.

 

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The Veil
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No one knows the origins of the Veil or why it has descended upon the world, those that did are long dead and their records lost in some library or the Veil itself. Legends abound that the Veil was some spiteful act done by a god whose name has since been forgotten by time, or that it was some magical experiment that simply broke loose. But as far as most people are concerned, the Veil simply appeared one day, along with all it's horrors. Lurking beneath the cloud bank that marks its edge lies nameless terrors. Abhorrent creatures that prey upon whatever creature is ill fated to cross their path. Though there are many dangers, there are also great treasures. Lost relics from a nearly forgotten age and salvage rights to whatever ship fell into it's murky depths. However, most are not brave enough to venture the nearly lightless realm of the Veil's deeper reaches. The Frontiersman Union are made up of those that are brave enough to travel and even live in the Veil. One would do well to get on the good side of any Frontiersman or woman should they wish to travel within the Veil.

 

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Aether and the Magical Arts

Aethercraft for the Common Man
by Hialva Kos​

Aether, the life blood of the world, present in everyone and everything. Though it is clearly abundant, it takes great skill that often takes years of education before one is able to properly use it. Or just a lot of free time and a can do attitude like what most people settle on, seeing as Aether schooling is fairly pricy. Magic can be simplified into 'making the universe do what you want it to.' How you make it do that is another matter completely. One must visualize the thing they wish the universe to do, and then proceed to mentally beat the universe until it is done. The longer one must beat the universe, the harder it is to successfully cast any sort of spell. If the reader wishes for a more in depth explanation on why they cannot make as much gold as they want, turn to Chapter 5, The Laws of the Universe, Which You Can and Cannot Ignore.

 

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Fleet Cities

A Fleet City is a term used to describe the many floating cities that many call home, a term derived by the old act of several vessels lashing themselves together either for convenience to trade goods or protection. All current Fleet Cities are held aloft by several large and powerful Flight Engines, labored over day and night by highly skilled teams. Electricity is a household luxury to those living on a Fleet City, provided by windmills nestled on the underside of the Fleet Cities by the massive propellers that keep them all aloft. The main form of transportation within a Fleet City is via cable car, whether up a nearly vertical and tightly packed street or over the Veil.