Those Magnificent Men and their flying...

[Orc Knight]

Well, obviously, it doesn't necessarily mean machines. Unless it does. So, from dirigibles and balloons, pterodactyl's and dragons, roc's and griffons to riding around on a cloud, how do your world's deal in air power for transport and war? Be it steam powered heavier then air planes or air spirits or spells holding a person up.

My own often uses the more organic sorts of flyers. Be they giant bats or dragons. Or, in one special case, a non- balloon flying ship known as the Sea Queen. A normal triple masted ship of the line that's also a Loci and uses spells to fly and doubles as a battering ram. Her captain a firm believer in Ramming Always Works. Especially from 1,000 feet up. Either way, the skies are full and an enterprising being can ferry a person or others are forced to under direct contracts or threats or just being enslaved (dragons and griffons, mostly). Flying reptiles are also used too. Mostly, anything that can be wrangled and flown will be. Though as noted among the griffon riders, it's often an everyday battle to see if the pilots or the griffons eat the other first.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I once had a hero falling to his death only to be grabbed in mid air by a dragon and carried to the ground inside his mouth - does that count?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[elemtilas]

In The World, locomotion by airship is not well known, generally speaking. There are two basic kinds of flying craft, and both are thaumological in nature. Daine are the only folk who have mastered artificial flight thaumologies.

The first kind is basically a technological mechanism that we'd probably recognise as an aeroplane. Here's a picture of one kind of airship, a small poteriovelox.

Larger airships look kind of like this wonder of aviation history.

This kind of airship uses a thaumological device very much in form like a homunculus or golem to turn the fans that give the craft forward momentum; but otherwise, the airship itself is basically made from bamboo laths and thin cloth stretched over the framework. The first kind of ship is based on the Taube while the larger is based on the Caproni Ca60.

The other kind of airships are entirely thaumological in nature, requiring a very deep understanding of the manipulation of magical forces in order to complete. I don't have any pictures of these, so we'll have to engage our imaginations. So, picture if you will...

One kind of dirigible airship one might come across is grown from a modified kind of lantern plant (Vina luminaris gargantua). Dendrothaumologists, those clever folks who specialise in the art of tree dwimmery, sing long and complex incantatory songs to their plants which will respond by growing not only is size by also in shape according to the enchanter's plan. So, this ordinarily large lantern vine, which naturally produces a bioluminescent & hydrogen filled seed envelope about a foot to eighteen inches in diameter can be encouraged to produce envelopes perhaps thirty or forty feet in diameter. As the vine grows, its root clusters will be encouraged to grow around broad wickerwork baskets. Once fully grown, you've got an airship that is perhaps three hundred feet long, roughly grape vine shaped with broad leaves and sixteen or eighteen huge reddish seed envelopes. Suspended from the mighty central vine are root-tangled wicker baskets that can carry people and cargo and from these are suspended wickerwork pods with homunculus driven fans that will provide directional motivation. Broad "wings" of ancillary vines provide rotational stability and of course shade. Cleverly placed "root buckets", grown right into the woody root-stems, ensure that environmental water, dew and rain can be stored and absorbed by the airship.

Another kind of airship, also grown by dendrothaumologists is based on the parasol daisy (Poyanges eosphorica). In its natural form, this plant is a tall (six to nine feet) sturdy flowering plant of daisy kind with a broad array of archiform leaves near the flower crown. This dome of leaves can be three foot broad and move about in a mesmerising, undulating dance which they use to secure the strongest rays of sunlight. The dendrothaumologist takes this plant and enchants it to grow large, perhaps thirty or forty feet high, and its broad dome of leaves will also grow even broader. A wickerwork basket and pots of water are suspended from the bulbous base of the plant. The daisy flier itself provides ample lift with its undulating dome of leaves, at full stretch perhaps sixty feet in diameter, flapping down and up not unlike the body of a jelly. A small homunculus motivated fan can be used for steering and lateral motion.

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

Psychotick: Did the dragon heal the hero's broken bones from being caught so suddenly? But, then, you know, physics are often unreliable.

 

[Orc Knight]

Hi,

I once had a hero falling to his death only to be grabbed in mid air by a dragon and carried to the ground inside his mouth - does that count?

Cheers, Greg.

I suppose that counts as emergency sort of flying. Though, did the dragon survive the meeting with the hero or was it's head punched in prior to landing? Thus, y'know, landing.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

No Hero and dragon are doing well! The dragon was there to save him. It spat him out into some trees and then flew off. Meanwhile the hero had to deal with the saliva and appalling bad breath!

Cheers, Greg.

 

[elemtilas]

A couple sketches of Daine airships:

 

[Insolent Lad]

There's always the flying carpet—I haven't actually featured one yet but I had a couple characters briefly converse about it being used in 'another world.' Held up by elementals of the air, of course.

I've had griffin riders. They're small, like jockeys, and sometimes children. Asking a griffin to bear a full-sized man (much less one with weapons and armor) is too much.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

Excellent topic! Or at least one I find fascinating. You see, all my stories tend to involve flight in some way.

My biggest project (the one i'm planning, or the one I abandoned to come back to later) involves both a sky kingdom inhabited by winged humanoids and dragon riders. There are floating islands and trees and other vegetation that occur naturally, and various beings have learned to build airships and to make entire cities float. There are entire nations in the sky, and it is a diverse and huge segment of the world.

There are also dragons, and people who bond to them and ride them. Dragon riders are pretty rare (dragons are too intelligent to bend to a human will, so they choose their riders, not the other way around, and most people are deemed unworthy by the dragons. Not to mention that dragons themselves are rare and a dragon will in all but the rarest of circumstances only ever allow one human to ride them), but other winged creatures can be ridden too.

 

[CupofJoe]

Larger airships look kind of like this wonder of aviation history.

A a real aircraft at least! You mere weaklings with your triplanes and biplanes and even mono-planes... Behold the glory that is the Noviplano!!!

 

[Demesnedenoir]

My world only needs two lanterns so far, by land or sea. Magic carpets are possible, and critters one could ride do exist, so somewhere in the world's future those are possible. heh heh. I even know how the basics of how a flying carpet would be made. I didn't plan it, but when designing the magic system and its quirks, it became obviously possible.

 

[elemtilas]

A a real aircraft at least! You mere weaklings with your triplanes and biplanes and even mono-planes... Behold the glory that is the Noviplano!!!

They apparently fly pretty well too!

Caproni Ca 60 ?????? - YouTube

At least the models do!

 

[pmmg]

No flying as yet in my stories, though if I had it, I am sure it would be on a large winged creature. Some of the magic types have moved by means of a type of gate, and would have no problem floating if needed. I suspect they could fly but its not come up. I have been considering having some characters use skis or snow shoes to get about, as there is so often snow in my landscapes, but so far, I've not put those in. I will probably add them in the rewrite.